Ember Wednesday: the day Christ was betrayed
by VP
Posted on Wednesday September 18, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Prayer for Priests Who Have Become Unfaithful to Their Vocation
Divine Savior Jesus Christ, Thou are the
Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. Oh, be in a very
special way the Good Shepherd of those poor lost priests who are also
appointed by Thee to be leaders of Thy people, but who have broken the
oath of their holy ordination and have become unfaithful to their
exalted calling. Bestow upon these poorest of the poor the very fullness
of that pastoral solicitude with which Thou dost so faithfully seek the
sheep that are lost! Touch their hearts with the irresistible ray of
grace which emanates from Thine all-merciful love! Enlighten their minds
and strengthen their wills, that they may turn away from all sin and
error and come back to Thy holy altar and to Thy people. O most
compassionate Savior! Remember that Thou didst once redeem the souls of
Thine erring priests with Thy Precious Blood and in infinite
preferential love didst impress upon them the indelible character of the
priesthood. Put wholly to shame those miserable helpers of Satan who
lay snares for the virtue of priests and endanger the holy ideal of the
priesthood. Most graciously accept our prayers and sacrifices for poor
priests who have gone astray and hear our earnest petition. Amen
St. Anthony of Padua, defender of the Holy Eucharist, obtain for us holy priests.
St. John-Mary Vianney, model of sacerdotal holiness, obtain for us holy priests.
St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionary priests, obtain for us holy priests.
St. Therese of the Child-Jesus and of the Holy Face, victim offered for the sanctification of priests, obtain for us holy priests.
Saints and Servants of God, obtain for us holy priests.
Imprimatur - Bishop John F. Null (April 18, 1948)
Source: Cure d'Ars Prayer Group DevotionsFall Ember Days
by VP
Posted on Tuesday September 17, 2024 at 01:00AM in Prayers
"The Observance of ember-days is of great antiquity in the Church. Their connection with the ordination of the ministers of religion renders them particularly worthy the regard of the faithful. We cannot be too deeply impressed with the blessing granted a people, whose priests are according to Godʼs own heart. To obtain such, no humiliation should be deemed too great; no supplication should be neglected. Whilst therefore we thank God for the fruits of the earth, and humble ourselves for the sins we have committed, we should beg God to supply his Church with worthy pastors." St. Vincentʼs Manual, 1854
Ember days are:
Wednesday: the day Christ was betrayed (Fast and half-abstinence)
Friday: Christ was crucified (Fast and abstinence)
and Saturday: the day Christ was entombed. (Fast and half-abstinence)
These fasts were instituted to sanctify each season of the year, and
thus obtain the favors of God, especially His mercy. They were also
established to obtain the blessing of the Almighty on the fruits of the
land. In spring we pray for fertility; in summer, for preservation of
the crops; in autumn, for a good harvest; and in winter we offer up our
grateful thanksgiving for the blessings received.
The Church, too, wishes us to pray for those who are to be ordained
priests on these days, that they may obtain the graces necessary to
fulfill all their obligations, and the virtues that adorn their sacred
calling. “And when they had ordained for them priests in every church,
and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, in Whom
they believed.” (Acts xiv.22.)
As alms generally accompany fasting and prayer, a donation toward the
education of priests for the foreign mission would be in keeping with
the spirit of the Church on these occasions. We ought also to pray for
vocations, especially for the foreign missions. “The harvest is great,
but the laborers few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He
send laborers into the vineyard.” (Matt. ix. 37,38.).
These days should also remind us of asking ourselves how we stand with
regard to God. If there be anything troubling our conscience, we ought
to set it right, and then make good resolutions for the coming quarter.
Thus, keeping ourselves always ready for the final summons, death will
be disarmed of its terrors, and the close of life will be marked with a
beautiful serenity.
“And grant us, while by fasts we strive
This mortal body to control,
To fast from all the food of ins,
And so to purify the soul.”
Source: Curé d'Ars Prayer Group
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Benedictine and Doctor of the Church
by VP
Posted on Tuesday September 17, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, (Public Domain)
Under an allegorical image Hildegard condemns the sins and corruption of Church officials.
"In the year 1170 lying for a long time in my sickbed, fully awake in body and soul, I saw an exceedingly beautiful image of a woman. She was so delightful and so beautiful that the mind of man could never comprehend it, and in stature she reached from the earth to the heavens. She was clothed in a garment of dazzling white silk, over which was a cloak set with precious stones - with emeralds, sapphires, and pearls - and on her feet were shoes of onyx. But her face was smudged with dirt, and her dress was torn on the right side. Moreover, her cloak had lost its exquisite beauty, and the tops of her shoes were soiled.
She cried out in a loud, mournful voice to the heights of heaven: Give heed, O heavens, because my face has been smudged, and mourn, O earth because my garment has been torn, and tremble, O abyss, because my shoes have been soiled. "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests" (Matt. 8,20), but I have no one to help or console me, and no staff to lean on for support.
And again she said: I lay hidden in the heart of the Father until the Son of Man, who was virginally conceived and born, shed His blood. And I was betrothed to Him through that blood, and dowered, so that through a pure, unsullied regeneration of spirit and of water, I could give new life to those who had been diseased and contaminated by the venom of the serpent.
Those who nurtured me - the priests, that is to say - were supposed to make my face glow like the dawn, my clothes flash like lighting, my cloak gleam like precious stones and my shoes to shine brightly. Instead, they have smeared my face with dirt, they have torn my garment, they have blackened my cloak, and they have soiled my shoes. The very ones who were supposed to beautify me with adornments have all failed miserably. This is the way they soil my face: They take up and handle the body and blood of my Bridegroom while defiled by the uncleanliness of their lustful morals, poisoned by the deadly venom of fornication and adultery, and corrupted by the avaricious rapine of buying and selling improper things. (That is, Church Offices, the sin of simony) They encompass His body and blood with filth, like someone putting a child in the mud among swine. For just as man became flesh and blood when God created him from the slime of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life (cf. Gen. 2,7), so too at the words of the priest, when he invokes the divinity over the altar, that same power of God turns the offering of bread, wine, and water into the real flesh and blood of Christ, that is, of my Bridegroom. But man cannot see this phenomenon with his physical eyes because he was blinded at Adam's fall.
As long as the wounds of man's sins gape open, my Bridegroom's wounds remain fresh and open. And the priests, who are supposed to make me resplendent, and serve me in the resplendence, are contaminating these wounds of Christ by running from church to church in their great avarice. They are tearing my garment because they are perverters of the law and the gospel and their own priesthood. In this way they are blackening my cloak because they are completely neglecting the precepts established for them. Moreover, they do not fulfill those precepts with good will and perfect work through abstinence (that is, the emerald), nor through generous distribution of alms (that is, the sapphire), nor with other good and upright works that brings honor to God (that is, the other kinds of gems). And they soil the tops of my shoes by not following the straight paths of righteousness, that is, those difficult and arduous ways. Furthermore, they do not set good examples for their subordinates, despite the fact that I preserve the splendor of truth below in my shoes, as in my secret place. False priests are self-deceived, because they want to have the honor of the priesthood without its work. This cannot be, because no one will receive the reward unless he has completed the work (cf. Cor 3.8) But when the grace of God touches a person, it causes him to perform his task so that he may receive his reward.
And so let heaven rain down all kinds of calamities upon mankind in the vengeance of God, and let a cloud cover the whole earth, so that its viridity withers and its beauty fades. And let the abyss tremble because, along with heaven and earth, it will be whipped into a frenzy in vengeance and grief. O you priests! you who have neglected me thus far, the princes of the earth and the rash mob will rise up against you, cast you out, and put you to flight. They will take your riches away from you, because you have not attended to your priestly office. And they will say about you: "Let us cast these adulterers and robbers of the Church, for they are full of every kind of wickedness." And in doing this, they believe that they have been obedient to God, for they say that the Church has been contaminated by you. This is why the Scripture says: " Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together" (Ps. 2.1-2). For with God's permission many nations will begin to rage in their judgments against you, and many people will devise vain things against you, and will count your priestly office and your consecration as worthless. Then, the kings of the earth will aid them in casting you out, because they are greedy for earthly things, and the princes who will be your lords will agree in casting you out of their territory, for by your wicked deeds, you have put the innocent Lamb to flight."
And I heard a voice from heaven saying: This figure represents the Church. Therefore, O man, you who see and hear these mournful words, convey them to the priests, who were established and ordained to rule and teach the people of God, for that which was said to the apostles applies also to them: "Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature" ( Mark 16.15). For when God created mankind, he sealed every creature in him, just as on a single small piece of parchment, one can mark the time and reckoning of an entire year. For this reason God named all creation "mankind."
And again I, a poor little feminine form, saw an unsheathed sword hanging in the air, one edge of which was turned toward the heavens, the other toward the earth. And this sword was stretched out over the spiritual people, just as the prophet had long ago foreseen when he cried out in wonder: "Who are these, that fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows:" ( Is. 60.8)? For these were those who were lifted up from the earth and separated from the common people, and they were expected to live saintly lives in simplicity of morals and their works. And I saw that that sword was cutting off certain monasteries of spiritual men, just as Jerusalem was cut off after the Passion of the Lord. But still I saw that in that adversity God will preserve for Himself many priests who are devout, pure and simple, just as He answered Elijah, saying that there remained to him "seven thousand men in Israel, whose knees have not been bowed before Baal" (I King 19.18)
Now may the unquenchable fire of the Holy Spirit so infuse you that you will turn to the better part. (St. Luke 10.42)"
Source: The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen. (149 r. Hildegard to Wener, 1170. Pages 92 to 94)
Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, Pope and Bishop. Martyrs AD 252, 258
by VP
Posted on Monday September 16, 2024 at 01:41AM in Saints
Cornelius From the cloister of the Abbey of Mariawald, German (Lower Rhine), about 1520-1
"St. Cornelius was bishop of Rome, under the Emperor Gallus, and was a man of unblemished character, and virginal purity. He was remarkable for his humility; meek, modest, peaceable, and adorned with all the other virtues. He behaved in his pastoral charge with remarkable zeal and piety, and adhered to his duty in the most perilous times with great courage and steadfastness. St. Cornelius was the fist person apprehended at Rome, in the persecution of Gallus. He was first sent into banishment, and afterwards brought back to Rome, where he suffered death in 252.
St. Cyprian was the illustrious bishop of Carthage, and Father of the Church. By his great charity to the sick and poor, by his zeal in all ecclesiastical discipline, by his faithful discharge of all pastoral duties, and by his learned writings, he has rendered himself eminent to all ages. He was apprehended at Carthage, under Valerian the emperor, and first sent into banishment. There he made a holy preparation for martyrdom, devoting his time to compunction and penance, and making heavenly contemplation his favorite employment. Being recalled to Carthage, he was soon after apprehended, and martyred by the sword, in the year 258.
Pray for his present holiness, and for all the pastors of God's Church, that in zeal for truth, virtue and discipline, they may follow the steps of these their ancient predecessors.
Pray for that vast country Africa, formerly Christian, now Mahometan: a severe scourge. If this be the punishment of sin, how careful ought you to be in all yours ways, that so you may escape the divine rigor, and have no hand in drawing down the like severity on your country or family.
Pray for all in trouble: ask patience for yourself. Though you are not called to martyrdom, yet you have frequent opportunities of suffering for Christ. The cause of truth, justice, and virtue, is the cause of Christ."
The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John Gother.
A Prayer for the Church (Holy Face Devotion)
O God, by Thy Holy Name have pity on us, protect us, and save us.
O Good Jesus, in thy sweet Name guard our Sovereign Pontiff; breathe into his soul the spirit of the Comforter.
Jesus, thy Church is menaced with great trials! Holy Father, by the
virtue of thy salutary Name protect the Church of Jesus Christ. This was
the last will of thy Divine Son; it is the holy prayer which love
prompted towards the end of His life. Holy Father, keep in thy Name
those thou hast given me (St. John Chap xxvii 11)
O most holy and worthy Mother, refuge of the Church, intercede for us and save us by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
St. Michael and the Holy Angels, guard the bark of Peter, disperse its enemies by the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Venerable Marie de Saint Pierre, Holy Face Devotion, Work of Reparation 1885
Our Belief in Christ
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 15, 2024 at 01:00AM in Sermons
- MORTALIUM ANIMOS (ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON RELIGIOUS UNITY)
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. (Ephes. IV. 5. 6.)
"These words of the great Apostle of the Gentiles show clearly, that it is not a matter of indifference, what faith or religion we profess. Yet in our times so poor in faith, we often hear the assertion from so-called enlightened men: “It is all the same to what religion we belong, we can be saved in any, if we only believe in God and live uprightly." This assertion is impious! Consider, ..my dear Christian, there is but one God, and this one God has sent only one Redeemer; and this one Redeemer has preached but one doctrine, and has established but one Church. Had God wished that there should be more than one Church, then Christ would have founded them, nay, He would not have preached a new doctrine, established a new, Christian Church; for the Jews also believed in one God. But Jesus cast aside Paganism and Judaism, promulgated a new religion, and founded a new Church. Nowhere does He speak of Churches, but always of one Church. He says that we must hear this Church, and does not add, that if we will not hear this Church, we may hear some other. He speaks of only one shepherd, one flock, and one fold, into which all men are to be brought. In the same manner He speaks always of one kingdom upon earth, just as there is only one kingdom in heaven; of only one master of the house and one family, of one field and one vineyard, whereby He referred to His Church; of one rock, upon which He would build His Church. On the day before His death, He prayed fervently to His Heavenly Father, that all who believe in Him, might be and remain one, as He and the Father are one, and He gave His disciples the express command to preach His gospel to all nations, and to teach them all things, whatsoever He had commanded them. This command the apostles carried out exactly. Everywhere they preached one and the same doctrine, establishing in all places Christian communities, which were all united by the bond of the same faith. Their principal care was to prevent schisms in faith, they warned the faithful against heresy, commanded all originators of such to be avoided, and anathematized those who preached a gospel different from theirs. As the apostles, so did their successors. All the holy Fathers speak with burning love of the necessary unity of faith, and deny those all claim to salvation who remain knowingly in schism and separation from the true Church of Christ.
Learn hence, dear Christian, that there can be but one true Church; if there is but one true Church, it naturally follows that in her alone salvation can be obtained, and the assertion that we can be saved by professing any creed, is false and impious. Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life , speaks of but one Church , which we must hear, if we wish to be saved. He who does not hear the Church, He says, should be considered as a heathen and publican. He speaks furthermore of one fold, and He promises eternal life only to those sheep who belong to this fold, obey the voice of the shepherd and feed in His pasture. The apostles were also convinced that only the one, true Church could guide us to salvation. Without faith it is impossible to please God, writes St. Paul to the Hebrews, (XI. 6.) and this faith is only one, he teaches the Ephesians. (IV. 5.) If the apostles had believed that we could be saved in any religion, they would certainly not have contended so strenuously for unity, they would not have declared so solemnly, that we should not belong to any other than to Christ alone, and that we must receive and obey His doctrine. As the apostles taught so did their successors and all the Fathers agree that there is no salvation outside of the true Church. St. Cyprian writes: "If any one outside Noah's ark could find safety, then also will one outside the Church find salvation." (De unit. eccl. c. 7.) From all this it follows, that there is only one true Church which insures salvation, out of which no one can be saved.
But which is this Church? The Roman Catholic, Apostolic Church, for she alone was founded, by Christ, she alone was watered with the blood of the apostles and of thousands of holy martyrs, she alone has the marks of the true Church of Christ, [see the Instruction for the first Sunday after Easter] against which He has promised that the powers of hell shall not prevail. Those who fell away from the Church three hundred years ago do, indeed contend that the Church fell into error and no longer possessed the true, pure gospel of Jesus. Were they right, Jesus might be blamed, for He established this Church, promising to remain with her and guide her through the Holy Ghost until the end of the world. He would, therefore, have broken His word, or He was not powerful enough to keep it. But who dare say this? On the contrary, she has existed for eighteen hundred years, whilst the greatest and most powerful kingdoms have been overthrown, and the firmest thrones crumbled away. If she were not the only true and saving Church, founded by Christ, how could she have existed so long, since Jesus Himself said: Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. (Matt. XV. 13.) If she were not the Church of Christ, she would have been destroyed long ago, but she still stands today, whilst her enemies' who battled against her have disappeared, and will continue to disappear; for the gates of hell shall not prevail against her, says our Lord. He has kept His promise and will keep it, notwithstanding all the oppositions and calumnies of her implacable enemies.
You see, therefore, my dear Christian, that the Catholic Church is the only true, the only saving Church; be not deceived by those who are neither cold nor warm, and who say: "We can be saved in any religion, if we only believe in God and live uprightly," and who wish to rob you of your holy faith, and precipitate you into the sea of doubt, error, and falsehood. Outside of the Catholic Church there is no salvation; hold this firmly, for it is the teaching of Jesus, His apostles, and all the Fathers; for this doctrine the apostles and a countless host .of 'the faithful have shed their blood. Obey the teaching of this Church, follow her laws, make use of her help and assistance, and often raise your hands and heart to heaven to thank God for the priceless grace of belonging to this one, true Church; forget not to pray for your erring brethren, who are still outside of the Church that the Lord may lead them into her, that His promise may be fulfilled: There will be one fold, and one shepherd."
"The prophets had announced the coming of the Redeemer. The Jewish nation expected Him, and yet, when He came, what reception did they give Him? They disbelieved in Him; they rejected Him. He challenged them, "What think you of Christ ?" If you believe not My words, acknowledge the deeds that I have done in your midst. The evil spirits, that He had cast out of those possessed, cried out, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God!" But " He came unto His own and His own received Him not." Had they not taunted Him that He was a Samaritan and had a devil? How different was that noble answer that Peter gave Him, when our Lord had asked, "But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. xvi. 15, 16).
This same question has been demanded of the world, age after age. And as Christ our Lord triumphed in suffering, so the most glorious answers have been given in the days of persecution. Not a verbal answer merely, but with their lives, amidst all manners of torments, unterrified by the rack, the scourgings, the fires, the wild beasts in the Coliseum, the martyrs gave their answer, professed Christ the Son of God; gloried in being the followers of the Crucified one, and gladly gave up their lives to seal their faith. How crowds of holy witnesses rise up before our memories-children, maidens, mothers, old men, rich and poor for three hundred years by their death proclaimed their faith in "Christ, the Son of the living God."
And when peace dawned and the Church was allowed to extend and propagate, alas! heresies sprung up. What then did men think of Christ? Arius denied His Divinity. His heresy spread like a devastating plague, and the world "groaned to find itself Arian." Other heresies followed, each with its false assertions in their answer to " What think you of Christ ?" And yet the truth prevailed. The Gospel tidings were received by nation after nation converted to the Faith, and through successive centuries up to the Reformation, the world at large gave the one universal answer, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."
Though the powers of hell cannot prevail against Christ and His Church, yet the insidious warfare continues unremittingly, and a nation here, a nation there, falls away and denies its Redeemer, for a time leading astray and ruining the souls of men. "What think you of Christ?" Some years ago an atheistic catechism answered: Christ was a working man, and a socialist. And Unitarians deny that He is God, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. And at the present time how mistaken is the faith of those who openly declare that Christ's teaching is obsolete, that it needs reforming and bringing up to date! Man daring to aspire to improve the work of the Eternal God! Man, the creature of a passing hour, to sit in judgment on the doctrine of eternal truth!
Living, as we do, in such times as these, it is to us, to each one of us, that our Blessed Lord addresses the question once again, "What think you of Christ?" and He looks to us to boldly proclaim an answer that will glorify Him. We cannot shirk the answer. We are Christ's, and we have to respond in word and deed, by the profession of our faith, and by our lives that live up to our faith. Alas! some by their sinful lives cry out as of old, and prefer Barabbas to Christ.
But we ourselves, children of the Church, we who have been redeemed by His precious Blood, give a loyal and abiding answer before the world of our unswerving faith in Christ, the Son of God. Our faith, our hope, our love, our devoutness to Him proclaim the answer. We stand by every word He spoke: we adhere to His every doctrine, handed down to us in sacred Tradition by His Church. We worship Him and receive Him in the Holy Eucharist, proving our faith by loving obedience to His word, "Do this in memory of Me."
What an example we each can be, in our little world, to those who as yet know Him not, and to those who have once professed their faith in Christ, but now have fallen away. Let our lives convey to them, impress even unwilling souls, what we think of Christ our Lord, that we believe that He is the God of Truth, Who became Man to teach us the way to heaven by word and example, that He freed us from the yoke of sin by His Redemption, that we might begin a new life, walking in His footsteps. Let them see, make them see, that He is all in all to us—our light, our strength, the motive of all our endeavors and endurance. This is what we think of Christ. Knowing Him, remembering Him constantly here in this life makes us faithful to Him now, buoyed up with the glorious hope that we shall reign with Him for ever in the life to come.
17th Sunday after Pentecost. Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year by Dom Francis Paulinus Hickey, O.S.B. 1922
Our Lady of Sorrows
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 15, 2024 at 01:00AM in Prayers
"Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows. Devotion to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mother - the seven chief occasions of Mary's sorrow being the prophecy of Simeon - that a sword should pierce her heart; the flight into Egypt; the loss of the Child Jesus for three days; Mary's meeting with Our Lord when He bore the Cross; the Mother's presence at the Crucifixion and death of the Son; the time when Jesus' sacred body was placed in Mary's arms after His death, and the burial of Jesus-is undoubtedly of ancient standing, since the Order of the Servites of Mary, an order especially consecrated to Our Lady and to the honoring of her sorrows, was founded in Florence, Italy, as early as 1233." Our Faith and the Facts: Religion's Story, what Catholics Believe.
"Our Lady, Mother of Sorrows pray for Priests, your special sons. Strengthen their faith and love of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, so that they may turn to Him for the grace they need to live a life faithful to their calling. Bring comfort, consolation and courage to those who are suffering under the weight of the Cross. Give them the love of your Son and zeal for the honor and glory of God, and the salvation of souls. Amen
Exaltation of the Cross
by VP
Posted on Saturday September 14, 2024 at 01:00AM in From the Past
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.*-Greater-double.-Red vestments.
On September 14, in 335, took place the dedication of Constantine's basilica which enclosure contained both Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher. "At this date," says Etheria, "the cross was discovered. And the anniversary is celebrated with as much solemnity as Easter or the Epiphany.' Such was the origin of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. "When I shall be raised on high, I shall draw everything unto Me" (Gospel), Jesus had said. It is because the Savior humbled Himself, being obedient even to the death of the cross, that God exalted Him and gave Him a name above all other names (Epistle). Wherefore we must glory in the cross of Jesus, for He is our life and our salvation (Introit) and He protects His servants against the wiles of their enemies (Offertory, Communion, Postcommunion).
Towards the end of the reign of Phocas, Chosroes, King of Persia, says the legend of the Breviary, took Jerusalem, where he put to death several thousand Christians and carried off to Persia the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which Helen had deposited on Mount Calvary.
Heraclius the successor of Phocas, had recourse to many fasts and prayers, imploring with great fervor the help of God. He assembled an army and defeated Chosroes. He then insisted on the restitution of the cross of the Lord. Thus was recovered the precious relic after an interval of fourteen years. On his return to Jerusalem, Heraclius carried it on his shoulders in great pomp to the mountain where the Savior Himself had borne it.
An extraordinary miracle marked the occasion. Heraclius who was loaded with ornaments of gold and precious stones was held back by an invincible force at the entrance gate of Mount Calvary, in vain were his efforts to enter.
As the Emperor and all those who witnessed the scene were astounded, Zacharias, Bishop of Jerusalem, said to him: "Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from imitating the poverty of Jesus Christ and His humility in bearing His Cross." Heraclius thereupon doffed his splendid garb and walked barefooted with a common cloak on his shoulders, to Calvary, where he again deposited the Cross. The feast of the exaltation of the holy Cross on the original spot, the anniversary of which was celebrated on this day, became of great importance.
Let us join, in spirit, the faithful who in the Church of Holy Cross at Rome venerate on this day the relics of the sacred wood exposed for the occasion, so that, having been privileged to adore it on this feast when we rejoice for its exaltation, we may likewise possess for all eternity the salvation and glory the Cross has won for us. (Collect, Secret.)
Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays & Feasts by Catholic Church, Gaspar Lefebvre 1924
Mother of Mercy, Washington, NC
Hail, O Cross! tree of life! noble and noted!
Banner, throne, altar to Jesus devoted!
Cross! to unholy
Men both death and terror,
To Christians truly
Art thou virtue’s mirror,
Safety, victory, all-divine!
Thou, when he hurried
Against Maxentius’ horde;
Thou, when he carried
By Danube’s shores the sword,
Glory wast to Constantine!
Chosroes and his son
Through thee were overthrown,
For Heraclius fighting:
Well may Christians glory
In this tree’s true story,
In such balms delighting!
Length and breadth, Cross! blending
With height, depth, far-reaching,
Thou, four ways extending,
Precious truths thus teaching,
Savest earth’s four quarters.
Balm with true health gifted!
On the Cross-scales lifted,
Christ was there extended,
As the price expended
To redeem death’s charters.
The Cross the balance is to weigh our right,
Our Monarch’s scepter and His rod of might;
The sign of Heaven’s own victory in the fight,
Our strength in war and glory’s palm-branch bright!
Ladder! raft! upbearing
Hearts through grief despairing!
Their last plank, when drowning!
Thou Christ’s beauty sharest,
Since His limbs thou barest,
Cross! the crown kings crowning.
Through thee, Cross! with blessings freighted!
Cross, by Christ’s blood consecrated!
May the grace of God most high
Deathless joys to us supply!
Amen.
Source:
The Liturgical Poetry of Adam of St. Victor From the Text of Gautier,
Vol. III. Kegan Paul, Trench, & Co. (London: 1881).pp. 2-5.
Saint Amatus, Benedictine Abbot
by VP
Posted on Friday September 13, 2024 at 01:37AM in Saints
PERSECUTED VIRTUE.-Persecution seems to be the portion of virtue. God desires or permits it in accordance with His ever-wise designs, which it behoves us to adore without seeking to penetrate. Amatus gave himself up to all the fervor of piety in a cell attached to the monastery of Agaune, near which was built a little oratory that still exists, called "Our Lady of the Rock," whence he was drawn to be raised to the see of Sion, in the Valais. He discharged the functions of this high office for many years with such edification that his reputation for sanctity continued to increase day by day. But the weak-minded , Thierry III swayed by his mistresses and by the atrocious Ebroin, mayor of the palace, allowing himself to be influenced against him, condemned him without appeal, and banished him from his diocese. The pious bishop patiently bore this unjust treatment, and withdrew to a monastery, where he died a holy death towards the year 690. Thierry, having returned to better thoughts, reproached himself bitterly with his mode of dealing, and repaired the mischief by numerous deeds of benevolence.
MORAL REFLECTION.-The just man when persecuted resembles our Savior more nearly: "Let him then take up his cross, and follow" the divine model.-(Mark viii. 34.) Half Hours Pictorial with the Saints by Fr. Lecanu
Recollections of Father Price (August 19, 1860 - September 12, 1919)
by VP
Posted on Thursday September 12, 2024 at 01:18AM in Documents
Heavenly Father, You so inspired Father Thomas Frederick Price with love
for You and zeal for the Gospel that he dedicated his life to serve You
and Your Church,
first in North Carolina, his home state, and then in
the foreign missions. Grant that by his example we may grow in holiness
and into a deeper union with Our Lord
Jesus Christ. Help us to be authentic witnesses of
the Gospel and proclaim the Holy Name of Jesus throughout the Diocese of
Raleigh and to all the people and in
all the places we are sent to love and serve.
If it be according to Your Will, glorify Your
servant, Father Thomas Frederick Price, by granting the favor I (we) now
request through his prayerful
intercession (mention your request here).
I (we) make this prayer confidently through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Imprimatur: Most Rev. Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh June 15, 2012
"Rev. Thomas Price: What explanation can be given to the
questions: 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?
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 to 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 you speak of are usually led away from 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 page 74. June 1908 Founded 1897 by Rev. Thomas Frederick Price
Recollections of Father Price by Father W. B Hannon, Buckfast Abbey, England The Field Afar, Volumes 15-16, 1921
"It was a bright day in late spring when I accompanied Father Price and two of his students to open a week's mission to non-Catholics, at a little mission church in Wake County. Large fleecy clouds floated in a blue sky, but the sun was warm. I had been spending a few days at Nazareth, and gladly consented to join in the good work. Some beds and household effects were placed in a farm wagon, and the two priests. and two students took their seats and set out for the place of rendez-vous.
The road was full of ruts, and the passengers received many a jolt on the way. We passed settlements, then quite new and curious in my eyes. The large farm horse went by fits and starts, creeping along at a snail's pace, and then galloping as fast as his cumbersome load would allow. It was a fairly picturesque route, past pine woods, where doves cooed lazily among the trees, and many plantations of white folks, who placidly gazed at "Priest Price" and his luggage and companions, or looked with wonder and suspicion on the advent of the Catholic folk of Nazareth, invading the undisturbed territory of their Protestant creed, whose conflicting and unsightly churches were seen in all directions. I do not know where there are such ugly churches to be found as in the solid Protestant South, save in Wales.
We saluted the people as we passed, and some jerked back a nod of recognition over their shoulders, as if making an effort to return the salutation. The people are well schooled against Catholicism by their spiritual teachers, who revel in all the old exploded scandals and lies concerning the Church. It is easy to see the glint of dislike on their faces when they know that one is a Catholic or a priest. The Southern States are still the happy hunting grounds of prejudice and illiteracy.
I was rather disappointed on seeing the mission chapel or shack, called very appropriately after St. Teresa, who had to put up with such crude structures in her new reform establishments. It presented an interior of confusion, not having been used for months, but it soon changed its appearance. The mattresses were duly laid on the sacristy floor, where we were to sleep, and the novelty was pleasing to us. As for Father Price, he was unconscious of any difference, and was quite as at home in the poorest hut in the backwoods as in the most agreeable city home. One of the students, now a Superior in a Religious Order, went out to the natives, who were viewing from afar the invasion, and bargained with them for milk and other sundries, and so broke the ice.
Father Price, with his truly devotional spirit, was full of the fire of prayer and zeal, but it was truly a barren soil for converts. However, its spiritual distress was an appealing plea to his apostolic heart. I noticed during my sermon that men and women were continually spitting, and felt hurt at the profanity in a Catholic church, even in this poor shack. Afterwards I was informed that the men were chewing big quids of tobacco, and the women were dipping or chewing snuff. They certainly spat with geometrical precision, and never touched one another, but aimed well into an opening on the side of the building, and always reached it with unerring aim.
My thoughts of that mission are half pleasant, half pathetic. To think that the large attendance was untouched, like many millions in the Sunny South, was the sad feature of Catholic failure to reach the people. They go through life in the old circumscribed familiar ways, knowing little of the Church of God, and, in fact, ignorant of the fundamental truths of Christianity; passing from youth to old age, and from the death-bed to the graveyard, missing so much certain hope that the Church gives the peasantry elsewhere. Such has been Catholic endeavor for generations. Even the great heart of Bishop England had to feel the same trial after all the torrents of his fervid eloquence, his poverty, self-sacrifice, and the clouds of suspicion in which his open, generous nature had to be enveloped. It is recorded that this holy and gifted man made few converts in his day.
There was something infinitely beautiful and consoling in a visit that I paid with Father Price to a dying black man one evening. The old fellow had been a slave in his youth, and appeared to have "had religion," as they say. He was also gentle and mannerly. He had known the priest for years, and, like other unsophisticated persons, was able to discern how unworldly his visitor was. He loved the Lord in his own simple creed, and Father Price had the way open to baptize, anoint, and give him the last Sacraments in a few days, after convincing him that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ. The death of the old man was an edifying sight. The evening air seemed full of a deep content. Birds fluted softly under the eaves of the cabin, and the few long-leaf pines near by stirred in the wandering breeze as if bending to salute the departing soul. We came away filled with solemn thoughts as the cold stars glittered in the sky, which seemed the footstool of the Almighty. A wistful silence prevented us from speaking, as our spirits had been drawn near to the flight of a soul out of this vale of tears and we were confronted with the mystery of death. God grant us courage and trust, when He calls us to go out to the "great Beyond," like those of Uncle Ike!
Father Price had a rare priestly influence with sinners and lapsed Catholics.
Very few, if any, preached so often and gave so many missions, but as they were unheralded and unknown outside his humble walk of life, they are unrecorded, save by the ministering angels of the souls swayed for good by them.
He never was so cramped and selfish to think that his work was within the confines of a particular territory, and that souls elsewhere had no claim on him. His zeal was truly Catholic, not parochial. It looked to souls, and, like the celebrated Father of the Church, he reckoned one soul worth the ministry of a bishop. He would preach to two black children as earnestly as if they were a large congregation.
He was not eloquent and never went outside the themes of the plain gospel to try and captivate the fancy of of his audience. "Christ and Him Crucified" were his frequent subjects of inspiration, and something generous, honest and sincere seemed to radiate from him. The most illiterate white or black people understood him. He impressed them with the ringing truths of eternal life that came from his lips. He gave them plenty to think about, and they did not forget the divine message when he had finished. He listened patiently to the tiresome talk of conversationalists, but insisted on charity. He had no uneasy questionings, no remorse, no useless melancholy. He was simple and tranquil, and this temperament promoted the rugged health so essential to his arduous missionary life.
What an appropriate and long novitiate Father Price had in his own homeland for the Chinese Mission of his last year on earth! He accepted whatever God sent and recognized that he had to plough the furrows and wait for God to give success or failure. He never repined, but did his utmost, and was cheerful at small results or none at all. Perhaps in years to come the tiny seeds of eternal truths implanted by Father Price will break forth into flower and fruit for the cheerless missions of North Carolina.
A critic may be prompted to say it was a huge mistake for such a man as Father Price to leave a sphere of spiritual activity at home, to waste and shorten his existence in the barren mission fields of the Orient.
It is a hard question to answer, but there are reasons for every action which cannot be discussed in public. Then, again," the spirit breathes where it will." A man must look deep down into his heart and face a situation of the kind, bravely and simply, and pray that the new call may be a summons from God, not a temptation disguised as an angel of light. Father Price acted judiciously, and gave the question of leaving his life work for a new apostolate prayerful consideration. He acted on the judgment of venerable and holy advisers.
He left no interpretation with us. Not a word comes out of the silence to show what he thought of his long ministry with its light and shade as he lay dying so far away from his own Sunny South.
What an inspiration, to find the old priest dying in another and more fruitful apostolate, after a life of labor and sacerdotal virtues in his native State! Others would have yearned for rest and retirement after a comparatively fruitless career. One apostolate is usually sufficient for even the most pious and energetic. But Father Price was in the spring of life at fifty-nine years of age, ready to encounter untold hardships fit to overwhelm the youngest and most fervent Levite. Like the Apostle, he always looked on himself as the unprofitable servant.Martyrdom was his desired goal, and the subject of years of prayer. He met it not as sought for, but in the mysterious way designed by Providence, according to the accounts given of his sickness. The desired death was the highest expression of his love for God.
Ah, he was "a visionary" and "had China enough in North Carolina," sneer critics who flee from labor and sufferings. How we realize the meaning of the eloquent denunciation of the poisonous powers of the tongue given by St. James, when we hear such language from effeminate believers! He will be long remembered and live anew in his good deeds, when their names are long forgotten.
A verse of an old hymn heard in an ancient church comes floating down the aisles of years to me, and I apply it to the great but humble priest:
Without the people stood,
While unseen and alone,
With incense and with blood,
He did for them atone.
Death was no distressing thought to Father Price, and hence when it came on a foreign strand he could meet it like another Xavier."
Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary
by VP
Posted on Thursday September 12, 2024 at 01:00AM in Prayers
Blessed Virgin Mary, Sacred Heart Raleigh NC
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Son of Mary, hear us.
Son of Mary, graciously hear us.
Heavenly Father, of Whom Mary is the Daughter, have mercy on us.
Eternal Word, of Whom Mary is the Mother, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, of Whom Mary is the spouse, have mercy on us.
Divine Trinity, of Whom Mary is the Handmaid, have mercy on us.
Mary, Mother of the Living God, pray for us
Mary, daughter of the Light Eternal, pray for us
Mary, our light, pray for us
Mary, our sister, pray for us
Mary, flower of Jesse, pray for us
Mary, issue of kings, pray for us
Mary, chief work of God, pray for us
Mary, the beloved of God, pray for us
Mary, Immaculate Virgin, pray for us
Mary, all fair, pray for us
Mary, light in darkness, pray for us
Mary, our sure rest, pray for us
Mary, house of God, pray for us
Mary, sanctuary of the Lord, pray for us
Mary, altar of the Divinity, pray for us
Mary, Virgin Mother, pray for us
Mary, embracing your Infant God, pray for us
Mary, reposing with Eternal Wisdom, pray for us
Mary, ocean of bitterness, pray for us
Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us
Mary, suffering with your only Son, pray for us
Mary, pierced with a sword of sorrow, pray for us
Mary, torn with a cruel wound, pray for us
Mary, sorrowful even unto death, pray for us
Mary, bereft of all consolation, pray for us
Mary, submissive to the law of God, pray for us
Mary, standing by the Cross of Jesus, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady, pray for us
Mary, Our Queen, pray for us
Mary, Queen of glory, pray for us
Mary glory of the Church Triumphant, pray for us
Mary, Blessed Queen, pray for us
Mary, advocate of the Church Militant, pray for us
Mary, Queen of Mercy, pray for us
Mary, consoler of the Church Suffering, pray for us
Mary, exalted above the angels, pray for us
Mary, crowned with twelve stars, pray for us
Mary, fair as the moon, pray for us
Mary, bright as the sun, pray for us
Mary, distinguished above all, pray for us
Mary, seated at the right hand of Jesus, pray for us
Mary, our hope, pray for us
Mary, our sweetness, pray for us
Mary, glory of Jerusalem, pray for us
Mary, joy of Israel, pray for us
Mary, honor of our people, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Loreto, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Dolors, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Victory, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of La Trappe, pray for us
Mary, Our Lady of Divine Providence, pray for us
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord Jesus.
Son of Mary, hear us.
Son of Mary, graciously hear us.
I will declare thy name unto my brethren.
I will praise thee in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Us Pray
O Almighty God, Who beholds Thy servants earnestly desiring to place
themselves under the shadow of the name and protection of the Most Holy
Virgin Mary, grant, we beseech thee, that by her charitable intercession,
we may be delivered from all evil on earth, and may arrive at
everlasting joys in Heaven, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
