Saint Monica, Widow, A.D. 387
by VP
Posted on Monday May 04, 2026 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ST. MONICA was mother of the great St. Augustin. Seeing him unhappily fallen into the heresy of the Manichees, she ceased not by continual prayers and tears to solicit heaven in behalf of her son, that he might return to the truth. For this end she followed him to Milan; where by the means of St. Ambrose he was delivered from his errors, and prepared for becoming a great light in Christ's Church. Give thanks for this mercy shown to both mother and son; and beseech God to inspire all parents with this charity in all the misconduct and errors of their children. To importune heaven by prayers, tears, and alms, is the most assured way of obliging the Father of mercy to their assistance, from whom alone their help must come. They may justly hope that the children of constant and fervent prayer will never perish. Therefore as those parents, who are unconcerned at the disorderly conduct of their children, show neither compassion, nor a due sense of eternity; so all those who follow St. Monica's steps, in sparing no pains, nor omitting any occasion likely to contribute to their children's good, have this certain comfort, that their labour will not be lost. If it has not the effect which they desire, still it will be the increase of their own crown.
One constant practice of St. Monica, was to assist daily at the altar of God; from whence she knew that that victim was dispensed, by which was cancelled the hand-writing against us. In this, and other holy exercises of piety and charity, she spent the years of her widowhood; and at length, on her return to Africa, she was seized with a violent fever, and departed to heaven in the year 389. Pray for all widows, that they may be constant in all the exercises of religion, and especially in that of assisting daily, if in their power, before the altar of God, at Mass. Whatever your condition be, follow the example of so
great a saint: see that sloth and vain pretexts be not your hindrance,
and heartily lament all past neglects. Be careful not to lose this day
at least: beg grace to be delivered from all disorders, and extend your
charity to all in vice or error." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Prayer:
"From the eternal home where you are now happy with this son of yours who owes to you his life both of Earth and Heaven, cast a loving look, O Monica, on the many Christian mothers who are now fulfilling on Earth the hard but noble mission which was once yours. Their children are also dead with the death of sin, and they would restore them to true life by the power of their maternal love. After the Mother of Jesus, it is to you that they turn, O Monica, you whose prayers and tears were once so efficacious and so fruitful. Take their cause in hand. Your tender and devoted heart cannot fail to compassionate them in the anguish which was once your own. Keep up their courage. Teach them to hope. The conversion of these dear ones is to cost them many a sacrifice. Get them the generosity and fortitude needed for their paying the price thus asked of them by God. Let them remember that the conversion of a soul is a greater miracle than the raising a dead man to life, and that Divine Justice demands a compensation which they, the mothers of these children, must be ready to make. This spirit of sacrifice will destroy that hidden egotism which is but too frequently mingled with what seems to be affection of the purest kind.
Let them ask themselves, if they would rejoice, as you did, O Monica, at finding that a vocation to the religious life were the result of the conversion they have so much at heart? If they are thus disinterested, let them not fear. Their prayers and sufferings must be efficacious. Sooner or later the wished-for grace will descend upon the prodigal, and he will return to God and his mother." Source: In Lumine Fidei: Dom Prosper Gueranger
Dear Father: What explanation can be given to the question: when a person has been thoroughly educated in the Catholic Faith, having had great care bestowed on his training, but who when he reaches manhood falls away from the Church and says he does not believe in the religion of his childhood?
Answer: The general reply is that faith is a gift of God whereby we trust God and all that He says simply because He says it, and that a person loses this trust in God because of his faithlessness in God's grace. Education and training - the very best education and training - are after all only a means - a great means, but after all only a means - to strengthen this trust in God and what He says, and after it is all done, a person may and sometimes does through faithlessness to God's grace fall - that is, lose this belief in God and God's words. No man ever loses faith in God or the Catholic Church except by his own fault. The fault may be hidden. It may be pride, especially of intellect; it may be wilful trifling with temptations against faith, it may be a loss of grace through immoral life, or it may be a neglect of the means of grace, the sacraments, etc.
But in every particular case, if the truth can be reached, it will be found to be faithlessness to God's grace. Neither any amount of education nor training nor anything else can save a man against his own will, nor cause him to retain Catholic faith if he is untrue to God's grace. Such persons as our correspondent speaks of are usually led away form the Church by pride or baneful associations of one kind or another, terminating in faithlessness to the graces of faith. They often yield to these influences for a time and then return to God and the Church. Let our correspondent pray, as St. Monica prayed for St. Augustine, and the same God who listened to Monica's prayers will not fail our correspondent.
Source: Truth Magazine.
Lord have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us
Holy Mary, conceived without stain of original sin, Pray for us and for our children
Holy Mary, glorious Mother of Jesus Christ, pray for us and for our children
St. Monica, pray for us and for our children
Model of wives, pray for us and for our children
You who converted your unbelieving husband, pray for us and for our children
Mother of St. Augustine, pray for us and for our children
Strict and prudent teacher, guardian of your son in all his ways, pray for us and for our children
You who carefully watched over his conduct, pray for us and for our children
You who were sorely distressed at his erring from the right, pray for us and for our children
You who were untiring in your petitions for his soul's safety, pray for us and for our children
You who still hoped on amid the bitterness of your heart and your flood of tears, pray for us and for our children
You who were filled with consolation upon his return to God, pray for us and for our children
You who died calmly after faithfully fulfilling your duties, pray for us and for our children
You who are the prayerful intercessor of all mothers who pray and weep as you did, pray for us and for our children
Preserve the innocence of our children, we beseech you, St. Monica
Protect them against the deceits of evil men, we beseech you, St. Monica
Protect them from the dangers of bad example, we beseech you, St. Monica
Watch over the movements of grace in their hearts, we beseech you, St. Monica
Let the Christian virtues strike deep root in their hearts and bear much fruit, we beseech you, St. Monica
Redouble your intercession for youth approaching manhood, we beseech you, St. Monica
Obtain for all in mortal sin true contrition and perfect conversion, we beseech you, St. Monica
Obtain for all mothers to fulfill their duties steadily and perseveringly, we beseech you, St. Monica
Commend all mothers to the protection of the every-blessed Virgin Mother of Our Lord, we beseech you, St. Monica
Favorably incline the heart of your beloved son Augustine to the salvation of our children.
St. Augustine, holy son of a saintly other, prayer for us and for our children
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us , O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord!
v. Pray for us, O holy St. Monica
R. that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O holy Monica, by your patience and prayers you obtained from God the conversion of your husband and the grace to live in peace with him; obtain for us, we beseech you, the blessing of Almighty God, so that true harmony and peace may reign also in our homes, and that all the members of our families may attain eternal life. Amen.
O Holy Monica, by your burning tears and unceasing prayers you saved your son from eternal damnation. Obtain for us the grace ever to comprehend what is most conducive to the salvation of our children so that we may effectively restrain them from sin and lead them by virtue and piety to Heaven Amen.
Source: Saint Monica: Model of Christian Mothers By F. A. Forbes. Litany added by the Editor TAN
The Zeal with which John Preached
by VP
Posted on Monday May 04, 2026 at 12:00AM in Sermons
His zeal was ardent and fearless. In order to convert hardened sinners, he sent terror into their hearts. He tore the mask from the hypocrite. To put a stop to scandal, he raised his voice in a thunder of invective. He spared no one. The proud as well as the hypocritical he attacked with the courage of Christ Himself, whose precursor he was. When he saw the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming to him to be baptized, he exclaimed: "Brood of vipers" - that is to say, you who instill into the souls of men the poison of false doctrines and traditions - "who hath showed you to flee from the wrath to come? do ye penance." The true preachers of God's Gospels must show at times just fiery zeal for the glory of the Master: "And Elias the prophet stood up as a fire, and his words burnt like a torch." (Eccl. xLviii. 1.)
O Priest of God, is your eloquence as penetrating, is it as full of burning fire as was that of St. John? Does it go deep into the soul? Does it wound the soul unto conversion? Is it a burning torch, is it a cutting sword, is it a piercing dagger? Zeal is only another name for charity. A good father does not like to chastise his disobedient son, but love prompts him to do so. And is not the preacher a spiritual father?
True zeal, as we see it in St. John, is prudent, energetic, and yet to some extent, lenient. If St. John saw poor, humble, or ignorant people eager to become instructed he had a cheering word for them. To such he promised pardon. They will not have to retire into the desert as did the precursor himself; let them practice justice, give alms, live according to the state of life. All are called to be saints, but sanctity does not imply for all a very austere life, or the performance of heroic deeds. Sanctity consists in doing the will of God, each one according to his vocation.
A truly zealous preacher is not elated by success. He is entirely forgetful of self. An ordinary man might have been tempted to pride or vain-glory on seeing the messengers sent to him, and the unbounded admiration of the multitudes who listened to him. Not so John the Baptist. His soul was filled with humility and confusion. It entered the minds of many that he might be the Messiah; even his disciples told him: " He of whom thou gavest testimony, behold He baptizeth and all come to Him." But John reproved them. The more they praised him, the more he humbled himself. Far from wishing to pass as the Messiah, he declared that he was not worthy to loose the latchet of His shoe. His sole desire was that they overlook the precursor, and prepare for Him who is to come.
Truly that priest deserves little success, O my God, who looks for it more to glorify himself than to glorify his Master. If souls be saved, what is the praise of men to a good priest, the instrument of their salvation?
A truly zealous man is not easily tired; nothing discourages him, neither the frequency of his instruction, nor the ignorance of his hearers. For all he has an answer and a kind word.
A truly zealous man is also brave; he knows no danger, he flatters no one, and if he meets with a Herod, he will not hesitate to say: Non Licet. To show regard for the dignity or social position of a wicked man is to become, to some extent, an accomplice of his wickedness; for the more exalted a man's position, the greater the harm he does by a scandalous mode of living. John's courage in reproving Herod cost him his life; but was not martyrdom the fittest recompense of his holy preaching?
What a model is offered to evangelical preachers in the person of St. John!
Source: Meditations For The Use Of The Secular Clergy, from the French of Father Chaignon, S.J. 1907
Superstition
by VP
Posted on Sunday May 03, 2026 at 12:00AM in Sunday Sermons
"There are some sinful practices forbidden in these words which it is well to consider to-day, beside fortune-telling and the observing of dreams and omens. These are the use of charms, and the consulting of spirits, or seeking of the truth from the dead.
First, then, with regard to charms, amulets, and the like. Christians are unfortunately to be found, even at the present day, who use, in a superstitious way, and it may be for sinful purposes, things which can have no natural power to accomplish the end desired, but must derive any efficacy which they can be supposed to have from the devil, whose aid is therefore implicitly invoked by those who possess such things. Let every one, then, understand that the use of these charms and amulets, though it might be even for a good object, as the preservation of one's life, is a great sin, and will bring a curse instead of a blessing on any one who perseveres in it. If any one, then, has any such object which he has been told will keep him from danger, give him success in his undertakings, or anything of that kind, let him cast it aside or burn it up without delay. Doubly sinful, of course, is it to keep or use such objects with the hope of working harm to others, or of exciting evil passions in them; and the sin will in no case be avoided by the absurd character of the things employed in this way.
"But how," it may be asked, "about holy things, such as relics, medals, Agnus Dei, gospels, scapulars, and the like? Surely you would not call it superstitious or sinful in any way to keep or wear such things as these, or to think that they might do us some good, not only spiritually but even in the temporal order?" No, you are right about this. It is not sinful even to ask for miracles by the aid of things like those, which are either sacred by their nature or by the blessing of the Church. And the reason why it is not sinful is very plain. It is because God is invoked by means of them, and that any favors which are obtained by them will be for His honor and glory. Still that this should be so, they must be used with piety and devotion. To wear a scapular, for instance, simply as a sort of charm, without any desire or intention of honoring the Blessed Virgin by it, or to invoke her aid to escape from sin, would be not only useless but highly displeasing to her Divine Son. Almost every one feels this; few dare to profane holy objects of this kind by such. use of them; those who have really given themselves up to the devil seldom try to protect themselves in his service by such means.
Well now, to pass to the other subject, that of consulting spirits, or seeking, as the Jewish law has it, the truth from the dead. You see it is no new thing, this spiritism, though the rapping and table-tipping business is rather a new form of it in these days. It has been and is still very common among us, though it may be losing ground somewhat lately. But I do not think that Catholics have at any time been much interested in it compared with some other people. With regard to the next life, we have our faith to instruct us and are not inclined so much as others to ask the spirit-rappers to give us information. But still many Catholics have gone to their meetings, and would have little scruple in going now, just, as they say, from curiosity. They think there is nothing in it; that it is only a more or less clever piece of jugglery. Now, in this they should understand that they are likely to be greatly mistaken. Jugglery and trickery it is sometimes, no doubt; but there is the gravest reason to suspect that in many cases the spirits actually have a hand in the matter. Not, it is true, the spirits of the departed who are invoked, but evil and lying spirits who personate them, and wish by information seeming to come from them to weaken or destroy our belief in the truth of revelation. It is, then, no joking matter, but a very serious and dangerous one, to put one's self in the power and under the influence of these spirits from hell; and this is what one who goes to these spiritual seances, as they are called, may probably do. Remember, then, to have nothing to do with them if you value your immortal soul." Fourth Sunday after Easter Five Minute Sermons by the Paulist Fathers, 1893
Resources:
Reiki:
Bishops’ new guidelines condemn Reiki therapy as ‘superstition’ (CNA)
Guidelines for evaluating Reiki and Alternative Therapy (USCCB)
Reiki, not for Catholics. Not now, not ever by Mary Ellen Barrett (Amazing Catechists)
Yoga
Yoga Isn’t an Exercise, it’s a Spiritual Practice: Why Catholics Shouldn’t Practice Yoga. Jenny Dubay (Missio Dei)
Demonic Possession from Yoga, Reiki, and the New Age with Adam Blai (Divine Intimacy Radio)
Q. Crystal Energy and Healing Stones? My Catholic Life! A journey of personal conversion!
Can Shamanism Be Compatible With Christianity? (Women of Grace)
Intergenerational curses, sin, healing, Family Tree
‘Intergenerational healing’ has no basis in Catholic doctrine, Spanish bishops affirm (World Report)
Superstition! Healing Your Family Tree (Australian theologian, Fr Peter Joseph)
Korean Bishops Condemn 'Family Tree' Healing Practice (2007, UCANews)
Healing the family tree, ancestral curses debunked (2025,
Sins Passed Through Generations (
Finding of the Holy Cross.
by VP
Posted on Sunday May 03, 2026 at 12:00AM in Tradition
The Discovery of the True Cross and St. Helena Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 1745
"A FESTIVAL in memory of that day, when St. Helen, mother of Constantine the Great, found the cross, on which our Blessed Saviour had suffered, in the year 326, after it had laid buried by the heathens 180 years. Adore Christ crucified, and give God thanks for the memory of His Passion, renewed in the miraculous discovery of His cross. Pray that you may be partaker of His sufferings, and through the merits of His Passion obtain all the divine helps necessary for your salvation.
Pray that you may effectually find the cross of Christ in your soul, by the sincere love of Him who was crucified, and the practice of those lessons, which he has taught you on the cross; by dying to the world and sin, and removing all those earthly and corrupt passions, by which the knowledge of Christ crucified has been so long hidden from your eyes.
Detest the wickedness of those infidels, who, to destroy the memory of Christ's passion, had erected a statue of Venus in the place where the cross had stood; and resolve not to imitate their sacrilegious impiety, by establishing in your heart the love of the world and its sinful pleasures, instead of the love of your crucified Redeemer.
It ought to be a principal business of all Christians, to find the cross of Christ; first by a firm act of faith, professing the belief of Christ crucified; that the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, consubstantial to His Father, was made man, and died on the cross, for the salvation of man.
Secondly, by an act of hope, placing their whole confidence in the merits of Christ's Passion, in virtue of which alone they are to have expectation of grace and glory. This they are to renew every day, as often as they repeat the creed; not running it over without attention, but accompanying what they say with express and lively acts of this their faith and hope, and reflecting on those great obligations, which this mercy of their redemption brings upon them.
Thirdly, they are to find the cross of Christ, by often making the sign of the cross; that as in this they are baptized, so by the same they may consecrate the day, and all the actions of it, to the honour of Christ crucified, and obtain His blessing on all that they do. It is therefore a good practice, and recommended by the primitive Christians, not only to begin and end the day with the sign of the cross, but to make the same at our going abroad, and returning home, at eating and drinking, at our prayers, in time of danger, in the beginning of any occupation, as often as we do perceive any passion growing upon us, or are assaulted with temptations. Thus we are taught by St. John Chrysostom, and other ancient fathers; that by this means, putting ourselves under the conduct of Christ, and desiring His assistance, we may experience the effect of His sufferings, and truly find the cross in that grace and protection, which our Redeemer has purchased for us. For it cannot be doubted, that if upon repeating this action, we as often renew our faith and hope in Christ, and at the same time raise up our hearts to Him with a dependence on Him, and confidence in His assistance, we shall find very good effects of it in abundance of heavenly succours.
Fourthly, Christians are to find the cross, by labouring to bring their hearts to the holy dispositions of Christ crucified. And this ought to be the principal part of this day's devotion; without which all the rest can be but of little advantage to us. For, however we profess a faith and hope in Christ, and by often making the sign of the cross, seem to be solicitous for His help; yet if we advance not so far, as to find the spirit and dispositions of the cross in our hearts, we cannot expect that the rest, without this, will avail us to salvation. Now, to find the spirit of the cross in our hearts, is to find there the humility of the cross, the patience of the cross, the charity of the cross, the resignation, the mortification, and self-denial of the cross, that is, of Christ
crucified. And this cannot be, unless we make a vigorous opposition to
all that corruption and perverseness, which is contrary to the spirit of the cross." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
How to Pray
by VP
Posted on Sunday May 03, 2026 at 12:00AM in Sunday Sermons
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (La pêche miraculeuse) - James Tissot
"Launch out into the deep."—St. Luke v. 6.
"IN this account of the miraculous draught of fishes which we have just heard in the Gospel we see a striking illustration of what real prayer should be, and how it is rewarded. Suppose we devote these few moments this morning to the subject of Prayer.
We know that prayer is an absolute necessity of the spiritual life. We are strictly bound to pray, if we would save our souls. The manner and the matter of our prayers are, within certain limits, left to our own judgment. There are no conditions of length or place or time. Long prayers are not necessarily the best ones; on the contrary, the Publican said only seven words, and the Penitent Thief nine; and we have yet to hear of prayers more promptly efficacious. We need not come to church in order to have our prayers heard; God will hear us anywhere and any time—as He heard Jeremias in the mire, Ezechias on his bed of death, Daniel in the den of lions, the Three Children in the fiery furnace, Peter and Paul in prison... Note that our Lord first desired Peter to "thrust out a little from the land," and afterwards to 'launch out into the deep." So with our prayers. We must thrust out a little from the land—that is, from attachments and affections of earth, before we can fully launch ourselves into the deep of perfect spiritual union with God. Do we "thrust out from the land" when we pray? And have we Jesus Christ in the vessel of our heart when we make the launch? Our prayers, to be good for anything, should have four characteristics: they should be recollected, detached, definite, and persevering.
1. Before we begin to pray, we must place ourselves in God's presence. We must collect all the powers of our minds and hearts, and set them on the one supreme object. The Memory must be called away from every-day affairs, and used to furnish food for our meditation; the Understanding summoned from its ordinary musings on worldly things, to reason and reflect on what we pray for, and Whom we pray to; the Will steadily fixed on God--striving to conform itself to the divine will, producing affections and forming resolutions suitable to our present needs.
2. Without detachment there can be no recollection. We must thrust out from the land." And how can we do this if the vessel of our soul is moored to the shore by a thousand and one little cords of earthly desire, and worry and care, and anxiety and passion? All these cords must be cut away, and we must "launch out into the deep," if we would pray aright and have God's blessing in ourselves.
3. Let us have a clear, definite idea of what we are going to pray for. Vague, meaningless generalities are out of place in such a serious business. Let us make up our minds beforehand about what we want, and then pray for that. It will not profit us much to ask for all the Cardinal Virtues and allthe Gifts of the Holy Ghost at one time. It will be quite sufficient, and decidedly more profitable, to single out some one virtue of which we stand in special need, and make that the particular burden of our prayers and thoughts and efforts for weeks, and months and years, if necessary, until we gain it.
4. And this, after all, is the true test of a genuine prayer-perseverance. 'We have labored all the night, and have taken nothing; but at Thy word I will let down the net." "Never despair" is the Christian's motto. Never mind how long we may have labored and prayed in vain; never mind how weary the spirit, or how weak the flesh; never mind how little seems our progress and how far away the "mark of the prize of our supernal vocation." God will, as He has promised, finally and gloriously reward our perseverance. Him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of My God." Five minute Sermons for Sunday by the Paulist Fathers, 4th Sunday after Pentecost 1893
St. Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, Doctor of the Church, A.D. 373.
by VP
Posted on Saturday May 02, 2026 at 12:00AM in Saints
Saint Athanasius. By Francesco Bartolozzi after Domenichino.
"ST. ATHANASIUS governed the Church of Alexandria fortysix years, eminent for sanctity, and for his zeal in defence of the Catholic faith. Pray for all the prelates of Christ's Church, that in virtue and zeal they may follow the steps of this holy bishop, and not let vice or errors grow up, through their neglect. Pray likewise for that unhappy people of Alexandria, who having renounced their faith in Christ, have for so many ages been disciples of Mahomet. Pray for all Christian nations, that they may not draw down the like judgment on their heads, by their wickedness, and have their contempt of God's law punished with a general blindness.
St. Athanasius suffered the persecution of many years from the malice of the Arians, by whose false accusations he was often forced into banishment, and obliged to the confinement of caves for shelter against their wicked designs. It is almost impossible to conceive the storms that were raised against him, and with how many calamities he was oppressed: and it is difficult to apprehend that great constancy and truly Christian courage, with which he stood out to the end under such variety of evils; over all which he triumphed by zeal and patience, and at length ended his days in peace, dying in his bed at Alexandria, in the year 373, under the Emperor Valens.
Pray for a like courage under all trials; and remember that virtue is no security against persecution. Happy are you, if you have no other persecutions, but what virtue draws upon you. If you desire to be proof against the greatest storms, practice your courage in those lesser ones which daily happen. See that ordinary contradictions destroy not your inward peace, nor put you on making complaints, or unnecessary apologies in your own defence, much less on engaging in contentions on this account. It is much better to be unconcerned at these petty oppositions, than solicitous about them; for such solicitude is but the argument of your impatience and self-love. Thus prepare for greater trials, and call in God to your assistance." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Letter 19: "6. Like these too, are the heretics, who, having fallen from true discernment, dare to invent to themselves atheism. "For the fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, and become abominable in their doings." Of such as are fools in their thoughts, the actions are wicked, as He says, "can you, being evil, speak good things (Matthew 12:34);" for they were evil, because they thought wickedness. Or how can those do just acts, whose minds are set upon fraud? Or how shall he love, who is prepared beforehand to hate? How shall he be merciful, who is bent upon the love of money? How shall he be chaste, who looks upon a woman to lust after her? "For from the heart proceed evil thoughts, fornications, adulteries, murders. "By them the fool is wrecked, as by the waves of the sea, being led away and enticed by his fleshly pleasures; for this stands written, "'All flesh of fools is greatly tempest-tossed." While he associates with folly, he is tossed by a tempest, and perishes, as Solomon says in the Proverbs, "The fool and he who lacks understanding shall perish together, and shall leave their wealth to strangers." Now they suffer such things, because there is not among them one sound of mind to guide them. For where there is sagacity, there the Word, who is the Pilot of souls, is with the vessel; "for he that has understanding shall possess guidance ;" but they who are without guidance fall like the leaves. Who has so completely fallen away as Hymenæus and Philetus, who held evil opinions respecting the resurrection, and concerning faith in it suffered shipwreck? And Judas being a traitor, fell away from the Pilot, and perished with the Jews. But the disciples since they were wise, and therefore remained with the Lord, although the sea was agitated, and the ship covered with the waves, for there was a storm, and the wind was contrary, yet fell not away. For they awoke the Word, Who was sailing with them , and immediately the sea became smooth at the command of its Lord, and they were saved. They became preachers and teachers at the same time; relating the miracles of our Saviour, and teaching us also to imitate their example. These things were written on our account and for our profit, so that through these signs we may acknowledge the Lord Who wrought them." Source: New Advent, Letter 19, St. Athanasius
THE SYMBOL, or Creed of St. Athanasius:
WHOSOEVER will be saved: before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith.
Which Faith, except everyone shall have kept whole and inviolate, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
Now the Catholic Faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.
Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost.
But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is one: the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.
The Father is uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Ghost uncreated.
The Father is incomprehensible, the Son is incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost is incomprehensible. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy
Ghost is eternal.
And yet they are not three Eternals, but One Eternal.
As neither are there three Uncreated, nor three Incomprehensibles; but One Uncreated, and One Incomprehensible.
In like manner the Father is Almighty, the Son is Almighty, and the Holy Ghost is Almighty.
And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God; and yet they are not three Gods, but One God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Ghost is Lord; and yet they are not three Lords, but One Lord.
For like as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge every Person severally to be God and Lord:
So we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there are three Gods, or three Lords.
The Father is made of no one, neither created, nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created, but begotten.
The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son, not made, nor created, nor begotten, but Proceeding.
So there is One Father, not three Fathers; One Son, not three Sons; and One Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
And in this Trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less; but the whole three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal.
So that in all things, as is aforesaid: the Unity is to be worshiped in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity. He, therefore, who will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation, that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, the right faith is, that we believe and confess : that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and Man.
He is God of the substance of His Father, begotten before the world; and He is Man of the substance of His Mother, born in the world:
Perfect God and Perfect Man; subsisting of a rational soul and human flesh
Equal to the Father according to his Godhead; and less than the Father according to his Manhood.
Who, although He be both God and man, yet He is not two, but One Christ.
One, not by the conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by the taking of the manhood into God.
One altogether, not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.
For as the rational soul and the body is one man, so God and Man is One Christ.
Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead;
He ascended into heaven; sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life
everlasting ting; but they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.
This is the Catholic Faith, which, except everyone shall have firmly and faithfully believed, he cannot be saved.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
The Augustinian Prayer Manual, 1882, p 321
Priest's First Saturday
by VP
Posted on Saturday May 02, 2026 at 12:00AM in Priests' Saturday
Mary as Mother of Priests is in the Dominican Priory Church of the Holy Cross in Leicester. by Lawrence OP
"Listen to what our Holy Father, Pope Pius XI, says: " God in heaven and I on earth, we desire nothing more ardently than prayer and sacrifice for priests...Let us beg God that He may give holy priests! If we have this, all else will follow; but if this be wanting, all else will avail nothing." It was from this trend of thought that the idea of the Priest's Saturday" took its origin, which idea the Superior General of the Salvatorian Fathers placed before the Holy Father in special private audience on November 21, 1934. His Holiness was much pleased with the plan and said, in conclusion: "We heartily praise and bless the work....We repeat, the thing pleases Us, We praise and bless it heartily."
What is the plan?
The Priest's Saturday:
It is something quite simple and easy, yet immeasurable great in its results. You should make it a point to offer the Saturday after the First Friday of each month to your Savior, through the hands of Mary, the great mediatrix of all graces, for the sanctification of all the priests and students for the priesthood throughout the whole world. For this purpose you should give the Saturday wholly and entirely to Him, that is to say, Holy Mass, Holy Communion, all prayers, labors, sacrifices, joys and sorrows. Whatever you cannot do on this day (Holy Mass and Holy Communion) you ought to supply immediately on Sunday. So there is really nothing new for you to do. You merely offer up this Saturday (or even every Saturday or some other day) for the sanctification of priests. It is not a case of any sodality of fraternity or anything like that. Like the First Friday in honor of the Sacred Heart, the Priest's Saturday seeks to become something religiously observed by all the Catholics of the world.
(...) Concern about the holiness of priests is the concern of the Heart of the Divine Savior and of His blessed Mother. Therefore, you also should be sure to take part in this "apostolate to the apostles. " The Holy Father, all bishops, all priests, all students for the priesthood, and especially also your own pastor, earnestly beg of you thus to participate."
Source: Priest's Saturday Series, #2 Prayers and Devotions for Priest's Day. used with permission
Priests' First Saturday
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who hast
entrusted the whole work of Thy redemption, the welfare and salvation of
the world, to priests as Thy representatives, through the hands of Thy
most holy Mother and for the sanctification of Thy priests and
candidates for the priesthood I offer Thee this present day wholly and
entirely, with all its prayers, works, sacrifices, joys, and sorrows.
Give truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of Thy divine love,
seek nothing but Thy greater glory and the salvation of our souls.
And thou, Mary, good Mother of priests, protect all priests in the
dangers of their holy vocation and, with the loving hand of a Mother,
also lead back to the Good Shepherd those poor priests who have become
unfaithful to their exalted vocation and have gone astray. Amen
In addition to the above make it a point also to recite frequently the following:
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who Hast entrusted the weal and woes of
Thy Holy Church to priests, with all the fervor of my heart I recommend
to Thee the wants of my pastor and all priests. Enrich them more and
more with true priestly sanctity. Give them generous, all embracing,
apostolic hearts, full of love for Thee and for all Thy souls, so that
they, being themselves sanctified in Thee, may sanctify us who are
confided to their care, and may lead us safely to heaven. Bestow upon
them in rich abundance all Thy priestly graces!
Let them ever
give us a glowing example of love and fidelity towards Holy Mother
Church, towards the Pope, and bishops, and grant that by word and
example they may shine as models of every virtue.
Most loving
Jesus, bless all their priestly labors and sacrifices! Bless all their
prayers and words at the altar and in the confessional, in the pulpit,
and in school, in confraternities, and at the bedside of the sick!
Protect and preserve them in all dangers from within and from without.
Divine Savior, give to Thy Church priests who abound in true holiness!
Call many good boys and young men to the priestly and religious state!
Aid and sanctify all those who are to become Thy priests! And to the
souls of departed priests grant everlasting rest.
But to me
give a true spirit of faith and humble obedience, in order that in my
pastor I may ever behold the representative of God and willingly follow
all his teachings. Amen
Priestsʼ Saturday Series by the Salvatorian Fathers, 1945 Capg
Month of May: Blessed Virgin Mary
by VP
Posted on Friday May 01, 2026 at 02:00AM in Monthly Devotion
May: Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Virtue: Meekness
Our Lady of North Carolina, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Downton Raleigh NC
Our
Lady of North Carolina, increase the ranks of our priests by inspiring
our young men to be more generous in their response to serve Our
Blessed Lord in the priesthood and in religious life. Amen.
First Friday: Prayer to the Sacred Heart for Priests
by VP
Posted on Friday May 01, 2026 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Sacred Heart Stained Glass, Raleigh NC
Remember, O most loving Heart of Jesus,
that they for whom I pray are those for whom You prayed so earnestly the
night before Your death. These are they to whom You look to continue
with You in Your sorrows when others forsake You, who share Your griefs
and have inherited your persecutions, according to Your word: That the
servant is not greater than his Lord.
Remember, O Heart of
Jesus, that they are the objects of the worldʼs hatred and Satanʼs
deadliest snares. Keep them then, 0 Jesus, in the safe citadel of Your
Sacred Heart and there let them be sanctified in truth.
May they
be one with you and one among themselves, and grant that multitudes may
be brought through their word to believe in You and love You. Amen.
Saint Joseph The Worker
by VP
Posted on Friday May 01, 2026 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Prayer to St. Joseph Patron and Protector of the Universal Church
Blessed be the Divine Providence of God,
who in this age of trials has appointed the great St. Joseph Patron of
the Universal Church. Infinite praise, honor, glory and thanksgiving, at
every moment, from every creature, and for all eternity, be to Jesus,
who is ever with His Church, and protects her in every trial and in
every necessity.
Foster-father Joseph, our guide, protect us and holy Church.
O most holy Patriarch St. Joseph, ever protect the holy Church of Jesus;
humble her enemies, confound their wisdom, and defeat their plots. O
great St. Joseph! obtain from Jesus, for His Church, holy Popes, holy
prelates, holy priests, and holy religious. Amen. Very Rev. Archdeacon Thomas Kinane
May 1, 1955 Pope Pius XII : "Yes, beloved workers, the Pope and the Church cannot withdraw from the divine mission of guiding, protecting, and loving especially the suffering, who are all the more dear the more they are in need of defence and help, whether they be workers or other children of the people.This duty and obligation We, the Vicar of Christ, desire to declare again clearly here on this first day of May, which the world of labor has claimed for itself as its own proper feast day. We intend that all may recognize the dignity of labor, and that this dignity may be the motive in founding the social order and the law founded on the equitable distribution of rights and duties. Acclaimed in this way by Christian workers and having received, as it were, Christian baptism, the first of May - far from being an incitation to discord, hate, and violence - is and will be a recurring invitation to modern society to accomplish what is still lacking for social peace; a Christian feast, therefore, that is a day of rejoicing for the concrete and progressive triumph of the Christian ideals of the great family of all who labor.
In order that this meaning may remain in your minds and that in some way We may make an immediate return for the many and precious gifts brought to Us from all parts of Italy, We are happy to announce to you Our determination to institute-as We in fact do now institute the liturgical feast of St. Joseph the Worker, assigning it to the first day of May. Are you pleased with this Our gift, beloved workers? We are certain that you are, because the humble workman of Nazareth not only personifies before God and the Church the dignity of the man who works with his hands, but he is always the provident guardian of you and your families."
"From the very Beginning, for great work, the Almighty has usually selected weak instruments to carry out His designs; and hence the candid observer must attribute the success, not to human wisdom or power, but to God alone. In this spirit the Redeemer chose for the first preachers of His Gospel twelve fishermen, without leaning, power, eloquence, or wealth; and their mission was to storm the citadel of paganism, to refute the most learned, eloquent, and subtle philosophers, and to proclaim to a sensual, selfish, and proud world the hard doctrines of chastity, self-denial, and humility. To set the world on fire with the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, God chose Margaret Mary, a weak, timid nun, hidden and buried in her cloister at Paray-le-Monial. To give examples would be to write the history of the Church; to narrate the spread of the Gospel in every country, to describe the origin and progress of every new Devotion; and to record the battles and victories of the Church in every age, over heresy, sin, and schism. In all great works, as St. Paul says, "the foolish things of the world hath God chosen that He may confound the wise, and the weak things of the world hath God chosen that He may confound the strong. And the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible hath God chosen, and things that are not, that He might bring to nought things that are. That no flesh should glory in His sight." (1 Cor. i.27).
Signal and speedy, no doubt, will be the victories of the Church in these her days of sore and bitter trials and persecutions; since God in His infinite wisdom has given her St. Joseph as a Protector and Patron.
As St.
Joseph guarded Jesus in His Divine Infancy, from the hands of His
enemies, so will our great Saint protect the Church, the Spouse of
Jesus, from her adversaries.
To an age in revolt against lawful
authority, and puffed up with a spirit of independence and inquiry, the
Church holds up St. Joseph as a model of perfect obedience and
resignation, without murmur or hesitation, to God's holy will. To an age
devoured by love of wealth and riches, St. Joseph is a model of holy
poverty, ministering with joy and happiness to the wants of Jesus and
Mary, by the labour of his hands. To an age corrupt and wallowing in
sensual pleasures, the Church presents St. Joseph as a model of perfect
continency and holy purity. To an age enslaved by ambition for honours,
applause, glory, and high station, the Church presents St. Joseph, the
noble descendant of the royal house of David, hidden and unknown, as well
as happy and contented, in his workshop at Nazareth. To all Christians
St. Joseph is a perfect model of simple faith in the most sublime
mysteries; of prompt obedience to the calls of Divine Providence; of
perfect resignation in all things to God's holy will; of immaculate
purity of souls and body; of a laborious and holy life; and of a happy
death in the arms of Jesus and Mary. "Foster-father Joseph, our guide, protect us and the holy Church." Source: St. Joseph : his life, his virtues, his privileges, his power : a month of March in his honour by Very Rev. Archdeacon Thomas Kinane, 1884.
