St. Peter's Chair at Antioch.
by VP
Posted on Saturday February 22, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"A DAY in memory of St. Peter's fixing his episcopal see at Antioch; where, as St. Luke informs us, the followers of Christ were first called Christians. It was just that the prince of the apostles should take this city under his particular care and inspection, which was then the capital of the East, and in which the faith took so early and deep root. St. Chrysos tom says that St. Peter made a long stay at Antioch. St. Gregory the Great, that he was seven years bishop of that Church. St. Leo says that we ought to celebrate the chair of St. Peter with no less joy than the day of his martyrdom, for as in this he was exalted to a throne of glory in heaven, so by the former he was installed head of the Church on earth.
On this festival, adore and thank the divine goodness for the establishment and propagation of his Church; and earnestly pray that in his mercy he would preserve the same and extend it, that his name may be glorified by all nations and by all hearts to the boundaries of the earth. The Church of Christ is his spiritual kingdom. He not only founded it, but continues to govern it, and by his spirit to animate its members to the end of the world as its visible head; though he has left St. Peter and his successors as a visible head for its exterior government.
Give thanks on this day for the propagation of the gospel among the Gentiles; and pray that it may be still more and more enlarged, for the enlightening all those who sit in darkness, and know not God. Pray in particular for the people of the East. Pray for all the prelates in Christ's Church, that as they succeed the apostles, they may be animated with an apostolic spirit in renouncing the world and its ways, and applying themselves wholly to the good of their flock. Pray that none may be admitted to that dignity, but such as are truly qualified for the charge, and called by God, as the apostles were. Pray likewise for the peace and unity of the Church, for the remedying all abuses, and that there may be one pastor and one fold." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Blessed Father Noel Pinot, priest and martyr
by VP
Posted on Friday February 21, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"The Church can be persecuted, she can
be weakened, but she cannot be destroyed. she will always come back with
a greater strength.
During the French Revolution: this is a rather remarkable blessed here,
he has not been canonized yet I think: Blessed Noel Pinot. Most people
have never heard of him! He was born in 1747, he became a priest, a
parish priest. In 1788, everything was still thought to be peaceful. The
revolution did not really happened overnight but no one thought of it
in 1788! Few people did! He was made an abbé, a pastor. In 1789, the
Revolution came. In 1790, there was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
which was directly attacking the Church. He, like other priests, had to
take the oath for which he was imprisoned, he was not allowed to
function at all, then there were a reaction, he was free for a while,
and then again under oppression. He went around saying Mass in private,
visiting the sick, anointing people, baptizing. But finally, he was
caught. He was betrayed, as so often happens, by someone to whom he had
shown great kindness. He was arrested in his Mass vestments, put in
prison for 12 days, roughly treated. At the end of the 12 days, he was
asked to take the oath again, he refused, and was sentenced to the
guillotine. He went to the guillotine still wearing his Mass vestments.
On the way, he said those words: the old beginning prayers said at the
foot of the altar, "Introibo ad altare Dei. Ad Deum qui laetificat
juventutem meam". (I will go to the altar of God. To God, the joy of my
youth!) He was going to offer his last sacrifice, the sacrifice of
himself." -- Msgr. Jeffrey Ingham: Fortnight for Freedom Homily (June 29, 2017)
- Biography of Blessed Noel Pinot: Saint Joseph de Clairval Abbaye,Letter of September 12, 2014
Prayer to Blessed Noel Pinot for Priests under Persecution:
Blessed Noel Pinot, who shared in the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus, the Sovereign Priest, deign to show us, your servants, the power of your intercession. Enlighten and strengthen priests; render them, like you, invincible in their defense of the Faith. Foster priestly and religious vocations in our parishes; fill those aspiring to the priesthood and the religious life with an ardent zeal. Obtain for the faithful the grace to better know and practice their religion. Ensure that families are faithful in carrying out their duties and grant that they be humble and respectful towards their pastors.
Preserve children and the youth from the many perils which threaten their beliefs and virtues; undo the plots of those who wish to tear them away from the maternal bosom of the Church. As you did during your life, aid the sick and the infirm; strengthen those who suffer and struggle. Finally, bless and crown with success the apostolic labors of the ministers of Christ and of all the Church militant, with the aim of restoring to our dear France the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Blessed Noel Pinot, pray for us. (General Vicar A. Oger, Angers, France (July 10th, 1944)
St. Severian of Scythopolis, Bishop and Martyr, A.D. 452.
by VP
Posted on Friday February 21, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"He was bishop of Scythopolis, and a zealous assertor of the Catholic faith against the errors of Eutyches. Theodosius, an ignorant Eutychian monk, and a man of a most tyrannical temper, perverted many among the monks themselves, and obliged Juvenal, bishop of Jerusalem, to withdraw. He then unjustly possessed himself of that important see, and in a cruel persecution which he raised, filled Jerusalem with blood. Then, at the head of a band of soldiers, he carried desolation over the country. Many however had the courage to stand their ground; but no one resisted him with greater zeal and resolution than St. Severianus, and his recompense was the crown of martyrdom. The furious soldiers seized him, dragged him out of the city, and put him to death.
The commendation of this prelate was his courage, at a time when heresy had so animated the people, that there needed no other crime than to own the truth, nor any other executioner than their rage. But this was no terror to him, who knew the victory
he had in dying for truth. Give thanks for that grace which
distinguished this pastor from so many others, at that time, who from the cloister and the desert
took part with error: and upon this prospect beg grace to establish you
against all such weakness. In their fall you may see what you are, and
how great your dependence ought to be on heavenly strength. But remember that there is as certain destruction in forsaking the commandments, as in denying the creed: and that your zeal for the one will be of no advantage, if you transgress the other. What then if your faith be sound, is your zeal for virtue so too? Both are equally the precepts of the gospel.
If you take part with vice, and give encouragement to it by your bad
example, you are at war with heaven; and what comfort will it be in
hell, if you are condemned for sin, and not for obstinacy in error? Let
him who stands beware, lest he fall. Hold fast what you have, lest
another bear away your crown." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
#4 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed
by VP
Posted on Thursday February 20, 2025 at 12:00AM in Thursday Reparation
4. We adore Thee, O most meek and merciful God! And to repair all the sins of anger, passion, and revenge, highly offensive in Thy sight, we offer up to Thee the peace, mildness and tranquility of the Thrones. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament.
O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine
Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of
the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf
and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by
rendering to Him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of
performing. Amen.
Saint Eucherius of Orleans, Bishop A.D. 743
by VP
Posted on Thursday February 20, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
RETIREMENT.- God has oftentimes selected from the retirement and silence of the cloister the eminent men whom He would place in the Church as a shining light. In retirement it is that the soul collects and concentrates its strength; there it gets attempered, like true steel in the water. Eucherius, of an illustrious family of Orleans, and nephew of Savarius, the bishop of that town, lived retired for some years in the abbey of Jumièges, which he was edifying by his virtues and never meant to quit, when the inhabitants of Orleans came to draw him, despite all opposition on his side, from his retreat, in order that he might replace his uncle. Their calculations were well founded, for they gained a pastor according to God's own heart. Charles Martel, who was fond of lavishing upon his warriors the property of the Church, found Eucherius wanting in compliance, for the bishop regarded it as the patrimony of the poor. He was driven into exile, and dragged from town to town by the satellites of Charles. The persecution lasted for six years, and Eucherius died, in 793, worn but with fatigue and suffering, though in nowise wroth nor failing in courage, after having borne the episcopal charge for twenty-two years.
MORAL REFLECTION.-Nothing softens the soul and weakens piety so much as frivolous indulgence. God has revealed what high store He sets by "Retirement," in these words: "I will lead her into solitude, and I will speak to her heart."-(Osea ii. 14.)
Saint Barbatus of Benevento, Bishop, A.D. 682
by VP
Posted on Wednesday February 19, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
EVIDENCES OF SANCTITY. Barbatus had shown from childhood that gravity, piety, love of holy books, and inclination for study which seemed to call him to the clerical state. The eloquence with which he was gifted soon attracted the attention of the bishop of Benevento, and this prelate confided to him an important parochial charge in the vicinity of the cathedral town. But the missionary labours of the young priest were wholly fruitless; he found only hardened hearts which lent him no hearing, or calumniators who gave a false meaning to his words, and put his intentions at naught. Pursued by hatred and insult, Barbatus withdrew to Benevento, where ample justice was rendered to his merits; the inhabitants even chose him as their bishop, and he long governed that see with admirable piety and wisdom. To him pertained the glory of converting to the faith the Lombard nation, and of contracting the most friendly relations with Pertharitus, their ruler. St. Barbatus died, full of days and good works, in 682.
MORAL REFLECTION. Adversity should be regarded as
the test of sanctity. The angel said to Tobias: "And because thou wast
acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove
thee."(Tobias xii. 13.)" Half Hour with the Saints by Abbe Lecanu
St. Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, Martyr, A.D. 116.
by VP
Posted on Tuesday February 18, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Saint Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem
"He was successor of St. James the Less in the see of Jerusalem, and second bishop of that city, being the son of Cleophas, who was brother of St. Joseph. He was a prelate, eminent in zeal and sanctity; and was therefore seized by the Jews and crucified, at the age of a hundred and twenty years; being one of the last of those who had seen Christ upon earth. Pray for that unhappy city, which having been obstinate against the mercies of Christ, has drawn down lasting miseries on itself. Consider the many blessings which you have received, and the offers of grace which have been made to you: and see that you provoke not the divine justice against you by neglect, contempt, and ingratitude. The abuse of mercies brings a heavy account after it, and often entails misery on generations. Reflect on your temporal and spiritual blessings, and see how far you refer them to the Giver. Pray for the amendment of all past abuses.
Pray for all pastors of Christ's Church, that they may inherit the spirit of this
holy prelate. Pray for him in par ticular, under whose care you are.
And since there is no living in this world without suffering, remember
to embrace those sufferings with joy, which are the consequence of a faithful discharge of your
duty. Follow innocence and jus tice: for however they may be
prejudicial to your temporal concerns, yet never think yourself a loser,
as long as there is an everlasting blessing attending them. What if men
judge and speak ill of you? Be contented that God is the witness of your fidelity. It is much better to suffer for jus tice, than to rejoice in the fruit of iniquity. That is the gospel rule which you profess; the other is the way of the world,
which you are obliged to renounce. Pray for grace, that you may be
faithful in what you have undertaken. Pray for all Christians, that they
may renounce what is corrupt, and be true to the gospel of Jesus Christ, whatever sacrifices it may require of them." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
St. Theodulus, Martyr, A.D. 309.
by VP
Posted on Monday February 17, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"THEODULUS was an old man of eminent virtue and wisdom, who enjoyed one of the most honourable posts in the household of Firmilian, the governor of Palestine, and had several sons. His personal merit gained him the love of all who knew him; and the governor had a particular esteem for him. This holy man had seen the invincible courage and patience of the martyrs who were put to death by his master's order, and believed in Christ. Going to the prisons, he made use of the example of the martyrs whom he had seen, to encourage the other confessors, and prepare them for the like battles. Firmilian, vexed at this conduct of an old favourite servant, sent for him, reproached him strongly with ingratitude, and without hearing his defence, condemned him to be crucified. Theodulus received the sentence with joy, and went with transports to a death which was speedily to unite him to his Saviour, and in which he was thought worthy to bear a near resemblance to him. He suffered a glorious martyrdom, rejoicing in the honour that was done him, and praising God for those charitable offices, which had brought him to this happy end.
It is often so ordered by Providence, that the best undertakings fall with an unexpected weight on those who engage in them; and that Christians, by doing good to others, draw great inconveniencies upon themselves. The apprehension of such consequences discourages many from executing very pious designs, and their being once disappointed, makes them shrink from the most commendable undertakings. But this is nothing better than impatience and cowardice, disguised under the name of discretion, and therefore not to be consulted. The better rule is to embrace the present occasion offered for doing good; and then to depend so much on the divine conduct, as to leave the consequences to Providence. If all succeed well, bless God for it; and if otherwise, embrace the inconvenience.
If this be done with submission and patience, your disappointment will
be no loss. Thus you may come to be called a fool by the world; but it is a folly more valuable than the wisdom of those who are too cautious in doing good." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Septuagesima
by VP
Posted on Sunday February 16, 2025 at 12:00AM in Tradition
"Septuagesima Time lasts three weeks. The first week is called Septuagesima Week, the second Sexagesima Week, and the third Quinquagesima Week ; names taken from the Sundays beginning each week.
(...)
The
number seven is found in numberless places in the Bible, and here the
holy Church invites us to stop and ponder on this number, and on these
seasons of the year. Let us go back to the olden times of the fathers of
the Church. St. Augustine says "there are two seasons, one the time of
our trials and of our temptation during this life, the other the time of
our happiness and of our glories in the other life. We celebrate these
times, the first before Easter, the second after Easter. The season
before Easter represents the trials of the present life, the season
after Easter signifies the happiness we will have in heaven. Such is the
reason we pass the first of these seasons in fasting and in prayer,
while the second season is consecrated to canticles of joy, and then
fasting is not allowed."
The Church, the guardian and the
interpreter of the Holy Bible, tells us that there are two places
relating to the two seasons spoken of by St. Augustine. They are Babylon
and Jerusalem. Babylon is the symbol of this world of sin and of
temptation, in the midst of which the Christian must pass his time of
trial ; Jerusalem is the heavenly country where the good Christian rests
after his trials and his labors of this life. Of these two cities, the
one worldly, the other heavenly, St. Augustine writes in his immortal
work, " The City of God." The people of Israel, whose history in the
Bible is but a grand figure of the history of the human race, were
exiled from Jerusalem and were held as captives in Babylon. Their
captivity in Babylon lasted for sixty-six years, and according to the
great writers on the Liturgy of the Church, the seventy days of fasting
and of prayer, from Septuagesima Sunday to Easter, recall the captivity of the Jews in Babylon.
Seven
is a mystic number. In six days, God made the world and he rested on
the seventh day. The most ancient traditions of Christianity tell us
(...) that the race of man upon the earth is divided into seven great
epochs. The first dated from the creation of Adam to the Flood, the
second from Noah to the calling of Abraham, the third from Abraham to
Moses, the fourth from Moses to David, the fifth from David to the
captivity in Babylon, the sixth from the captivity to the coming of the
Savior, and the seventh from the time of our Lord to the end of the
world. Thus the age of man on the earth is measured by these great
epochs. During these different times the Lord prepared the race to
receive their Redeemer, and to come into the Church He established for
their salvation. In the first epoch, from Adam to Abraham, all justice,
all goodness, all godliness, which look down from heaven and was planted
in the heart of man, was driven out by sin. In the second, from Abraham
to Moses, God called the people of Israel and made of them his chosen
race, to receive the prophecies relating to His Son. In the third, from
Moses to David, God commanded the tabernacle to be made, the Rites and
Services of the Jewish law to be carried out, to prefigure the Services
of our Church. In the fourth, from David to the Captivity in Babylon,
the nation of the Jews were ruled by kings, the temple of Solomon stood
grand and gorgeous, and the world saw the greatest glories of the people
of God. In the sixth, from the captivity to the days of our Lord, the
Jewish people were the prey of conquering nations; the Maccabees alone
could restore in part their departed splendors. In the seventh, from
Christ to the end of the world, the Church, founded and established by
our Lord, shines out before the nations called to the faith. Its glories
are far greater than those of the tabernacle of Moses. The cathedrals
of Christendom exceed in splendor Solomon's temple. The ceremonies in
our sanctuaries are more sublime than the most gifted imagination of the
Jewish priests could fancy. (...)
Thus the number seven is
deeply planted in the works of the Creator of the universe. Thus for
seven weeks we bow our heads in prayer and fasting before the coming of
the glorious day of Easter, and in joy and praise we raise our heads for
seven weeks during the glorious Paschal time following Easter. The
seven weeks of sadness for our sins before the passion of our Lord, are
followed by the seven weeks of happiness following His resurrection.
Thus after having fasted and prayed like the Savior in the desert, we
rejoice with Him as we rise from the sackcloth and ashes of Lent. We
rise with our souls filled with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
imprinted in our souls. This is what the mystic writers on the
ceremonies of the Church tell us. They say that the seven weeks before
Easter, and the seven weeks following Easter, are according to the
mystic number seven, revealed to man from heaven.
The seven weeks from Septuagesima
to Easter yearly come and go, while the years of our lives, like the
waters of the rivers, flow onward to be lost in the vastness of the
ocean ; thus our years pass rapidly on toward the boundless ocean of
eternity. The Church, our mother, tells us each year to stop and to
think of the Babylon of this world in which we live as strangers, exiled
from our home. She tells us to hang our harps on the willows growing on
the banks of the Euphrates, like the Jews of old held captives in
Babylon, and to prepare for our call to our heavenly Jerusalem above,
which is our home beyond the skies, and whose glories we celebrate
during the joyful time which follows Easter. She wishes us to sing the
canticles of joy in her services, and that while we live here, far from
our home in heaven, yet to keep our thoughts on God while in this world,
lest attached to earthly things we may be exiled for ever from
everlasting bliss with him, for our unfaithfulness while here below,
yet,"How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?"
Following thus the inspired Book, the songs and hymns of gladness are
hushed in the Church Services during this time of penance, signifying
our exile here below. At other times of the year the heavenly Alleluias
are often repeated, now they are heard no more, for exiles in the
Babylon of this world of sin, we are traveling onward toward the
Jerusalem which is above, for "we are travelers far from the Lord."
(...)
The
joyful forty days of the Christmas season have passed. With happiness
have we celebrated the birth of God on earth. Now the Church enters the
sad and solemn time when we prepare for the mysteries of the suffering
and the dying Savior. All around us in the Church are the sombre signs
of penance. We are entering in amid the three weeks of our baptism of
penance, that we may well and worthily celebrate the Lord's baptism of
blood in his sufferings for us on Calvary's cross. We are leaving
Bethlehem and going to Calvary. We are leaving the infant God in his
mother's arms, and following his steps to see him fasting in the desert.
We are leaving him in the manger, and looking for him in Gethsemane.
The Illuminating Life of the Christmas time has passed, and the
Preparing Life of the Septuagesima time
has come. We have seen him in his sweetness as a child; we are going to
see him in his weakness as a man, fasting in the desert. But we must
pray God for his light, in order to see his Son as each year the Church
shows him to us. We must ask for grace to look first into ourselves, and
see the sins which dim the brightness of our souls and keep us from
seeing the truths of religion. We must ask the light of God to clearly
understand how the human race had fallen when our parents sinned by
eating in the garden, and to realize the deep wickedness of our sins and
the deeper mercy of God in becoming man to save us from being lost
forever.
The Septuagesima
Season, then, is the time of the year for the deepest thought. In the
words of a great writer of the eleventh century, the Apostle says, " We
know that every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain, even till now ;
and not only it, but ourselves, also, who have the first fruits of the
spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption of the sons of God, the redemption' of our body. ' That
creature which groans is the soul looking at the corruption of sin which
weeps to be still subject to the vanities of this world in this exile
of tears. It is the cry of the Royal Prophet, " Woe is me that my
sojourning is prolonged." Thus holy David desired the end of his exile
in this vale of tears. The Apostle who was wrapped up to the third
heaven says, "I am straightened between two, having a desire to be
dissolved and to be with Christ."St. Paul wishes to be taken from this
world of sorrow and to be with Christ.
Such are the thoughts which the Church brings before her children during this holy time of Septuagesima, that all may be prepared to celebrate well and worthily the holy Season of Lent. "
Source: The Festal Year, Or, The Origin, History, Ceremonies And Meaning Of The Sundays, Seasons, Feasts And Festivals Of The Church During The Year, Explained For The People by Fr. James L. Meagher 1883
Work for God (Septuagesima)
by VP
Posted on Sunday February 16, 2025 at 12:00AM in Sunday Sermons
"Why stand you here all the day idle?"-Matt. xx.
"We are all called by God, my dear brethren, to labor in His vineyard. That is to say: we are called to serve God faithfully; to fulfil His Divine will; to observe His laws and precepts; to avoid the evil He forbids, and to do the good He prescribes. And we are not only called, but we are strictly bound to fulfil all that is included in this service of God. We are bound in justice, we are bound by gratitude to labor in God's vineyard for His honor and glory, for the salvation of our souls.
God has a supreme right to our service. We are His creatures. It is God who created us, who called us out of nothing. To God we owe our life; to Him we owe the preservation of that life during every moment of existence. And therefore does St. Paul say, "In Him we live and move and have our being." Thus we are entirely dependent on God: we belong to Him, and He has supreme jurisdiction over us; He has the right to prescribe how we should live, how we should serve Him. There can be no exception to this law; He has the sole right to require every one to labor in His vineyard. Where there is a right, there must also be a corresponding duty. It is God's right to command the service of every one; it is the duty of every one to obey.
Hence there can be no idlers in God's vineyard; no man can offer the excuse that he has not been hired.
Every act of neglect of God's service, every evasion of His law, is always an act of injustice. Every sin has, besides its specific malice, the malice of injustice. Every idler in the vineyard of the Lord is in a state of sin; if he says that he has not been hired, he is a liar. God hires every man who comes into this world.
Besides the claim God has on us in justice, He has also a claim on our service by reason of the Redemption. We belong to Him because of the price He has paid for our salvation. "He has redeemed us at the price of His Precious Blood." Justice makes us serve Him, but higher than justice is the claim of love. And His Love constrains us to obey Him. Love makes Him sovereign Lord and Master. We belong neither to the world, nor to the devil, nor to ourselves: we owe nothing to them; we owe everything to Him whose love for us has moved Him to buy us with His blood. And so it is, my brethren, that every act of rebellion against God's law is always an act of ingratitude as well as injustice; every sin, besides its special malice, has the malice of injustice and ingratitude.
What pitiful, what hardened creatures we are when we forget these plain truths: when we act as though we were a law unto ourselves, and practically act as though we are responsible to no one. How dull is our sense of justice, how hardened is our heart when we can forget or ignore God and the claims He has upon us. We let the devil rule us, we make passion our master, we lift up self in place of God.
Are there any amongst us here this morning who have forgotten what they owe to God? Are there any whose years of sin and neglect of God have made them so deaf that they cannot hear His call to them; who do not know that their place is in His vineyard? To such as these does God now say, "Why stand you idle?" You who have wasted the morning, the noon, perhaps the evening of life in idleness, in sin; "go you into my vineyard"; there is still a chance for you to redeem the wasted time. Wake up out of your lethargy. Shake off the stupor that unhallowed pleasure and secret sin have cast over you. Smash the chains that have bound you to the service of the devil, the slavery that has smothered within you every instinct of justice, every worthy prompting of the heart, every noble aim in life. "Why stand you here idle?" This is the call of God to you. Go you into the vineyard of His service. What though for years you have neglected His call, His mercy is still near you, and He will pay you what is just— will pay you with life eternal.
We are now on the threshold of Lent - the special season of prayer and penance. Be no longer idle. Enter upon God's service with courage, with honest zeal, with firm hope in God's mercy. Begin at once - begin with a good confession. God is now calling you; for many of you it is even now the eleventh hour; for many of you this call may be the last."
Source: Five minutes sermons for Low Masses for every Sundays of the Year by the Priests of the Congregation of Saint Paul 1893
