CAPG's Blog 

Settegast, Joseph Anton Nikolaus, 1813-1890

"The Seal of Confession: John Nepomucen was born in Bohemia about 1330. He dedicated to God and the Holy Virgin a life which had, in his case, been miraculously preserved from his very infancy, and embraced the ecclesiastical state, that he might devote himself wholly to the salvation of souls. The first efforts of his zeal having been attended with admirable results, particularly among the students of the town of Prague, the emperor Wenceslas wished to hear him preach, and named him his almoner. The empress and many of the greatest personages of the court put themselves under his spiritual direction; but as the pious empress had been accused of leading a disorderly life, the emperor wished to obtain information in that particular, from her confessor. The latter, as duty required, withheld all explanation. Wenceslas, who was of wrathful temper and had become cruel by dint of misfortune, maltreated John Nepomucen, submitted him to a protracted torture, and caused him at last to be thrown into the Moldau. The body of the holy martyr, by means of a celestial light, was discovered, withdrawn from the waters and fittingly interred. This happened in 1383. Benedict XIII. canonized John Nepomucen in 1729.

Moral reflection: When once initiated into the divine mysteries, the prophet Isaiah exclaimed: "My secret to myself!" That of the confessor being more sacred, belongs not to him, but is God's own. (Isa. XXIV. 16.)" Pictorial half hour with the Saints, Fr. Lecanu.

Prayer:  "How great, glorious Martyr, was the honor reserved for you by the Son of God when He chose you to be the one who was to attest, by laying down his life, the sacredness of the secret which protects the Sacrament of Penance! Other priests, as well as yourself, have bravely suffered persecution for the sake of the secrecy of the mystery of Reconciliation. But you were the one chosen by Heaven to give a solemn testimony of priestly discretion. Your sufferings were known to more than to Angels. Your martyrdom was a public one, and the faithful honor your courage as an eloquent proof of how truly our good Shepherd, Jesus, removes every difficulty that could deter the strayed sheep from returning to the fold.

    We address ourselves to you, holy Martyr, on this the day of your triumph, and we beg of you to intercede for sinners. Admirable minister of the Sacrament of Penance, you see how many Christians there are who neglect to avail themselves of the means of salvation prepared for them by our Risen Savior. Instead of laying hold of this “second plank after shipwreck,” they let themselves be carried on to the deep abyss by the tide of their sinful habits. There are thousands who have turned a deaf ear, even this Easter, to the call of holy Church who invited them, as an affectionate Mother, to approach the tribunal of mercy and Reconciliation. We beseech you, intercede for these blind, these unwary, these ungrateful men. Get them that grace which will lead them to the feet of the God of Mercy who is ever ready to grant pardon.

    There are others, again, who go to Confession but who have not the dispositions requisite for receiving the grace of the Sacrament —the justification of their souls. Pray also for these that they may see the danger they thus incur of profaning the Blood of Christ. Obtain for all them who approach the holy tribunal an honest avowal of their sins and contrition of heart, that thus the life of our Risen Jesus may be imparted to them, and that they may never again lose it. By your powerful intercession, raise up zealous and faithful ministers of this great Sacrament of which you were the martyr. Draw down on their arduous labor the blessing of Heaven: then will the number of the children of God be increased and the grace of the Holy Ghost triumph in souls that have long been dead in sin." Dom Gueranger

Prayer for a priest before Confession

Prayer for a priest after Confession

"O blessed Pontiff, be our protector against the spirits of Hell. They are devoured by envy at seeing how man, that lowly and feeble creature, has become the object of God's predilection. The Incarnation of the Son of God, His death on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection, the Sacraments which give us the life of Grace - all these sublime means by which the infinite goodness of God has restored us to our lost dignity, have excited the rage of the old enemy, and he seeks revenge by insulting, in us, the Image of our Creator. At times, he attacks man with all the frenzy of angry jealousy. To mimic the operations of Sanctifying Grace - which, so to speak, makes us the instruments of God's good pleasure - Satan sometimes takes possession of our fellow creatures, and makes them his slaves. Your power, O Ubaldus, has often manifested itself by rescuing these unhappy victims of the Devil's jealousy, and holy Church, on this day celebrates the special prerogative conferred on you by our Heavenly Father. Relent not in the exercise of your charitable office. And yet, O holy Pontiff, you know that the snares of the wicked spirits are more injurious to the souls than to the bodies of men.

Have pity, then, on the unhappy slaves of sin, who, though the divine Sun of the Pasch has risen upon them, are still in the darkness of guilt. Pray for them that they may become once more Children of the Light, and share in the Easter Resurrection which Jesus offers to all."

Source: Dom Prosper Gueranger