Saint Matthias, Apostle
by VP
Posted on Sunday February 23, 2025 at 11:00PM in Saints
“It behoves us to combat the flesh and
make use of it without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to
the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.” St. Matthias
"He was an apostle: pray for all that are called to that holy function. And as he was chosen by heaven, pray that all of that character may be the choice of heaven.
He was chosen to fill the place of Judas. Conceive an humble distrust of yourself, and tremble at the fall of an apostle. Pray for heavenly strength, that by it you may be secured against the sad effects of human weakness.
Judas having fallen from the apostleship, one is to be chosen to fill his place. Two are proposed, Joseph called Barsabas, surnamed the just, and Mathias. The apostles join in prayer, and beg of God to determine the person; and the lot fell upon Mathias, who was numbered among the eleven. An excellent method and direction left to all succeeding ages, for the choice of persons to ecclesiastical functions, and for all places of trust. What wonder that there are so many abuses in all public employments both in church and state, when justice and duty are so generally neglected, God so commonly forgotten, and all things managed by the direction of private gain and interest?
Either open or secret covetousness is at the root of all evils. It was that which cast Judas from his apostleship, and carried him on to the denial of his Master; and it ought to make all Christians very jealous of themselves, and of all their proceedings, especially where gain and money are in the case. For though he must have renounced all principles of honor, honesty, and justice, who steals and designedly wrongs his neighbor; yet there are so many disguised robberies and palliated injustices, that a man must have a very powerful influence of sincerity, truth, and virtue, to escape being drawn into these snares. For self-love is so very subtle and ingenious in finding out reasons favorable to what it desires, that without great caution, it insensibly leads men, under the cover of pretended right and justice, into a variey of frauds and oppressions. So that even those who have an abhorrence of all such proceedings in their neighbors, are but too often, through an affected partiality, carried beyond all that they have before condemned in others; and when their actions come more particularly to be looked into, are found to have done things which raise wonder in all sober men.
So that the lesson of this day comes to be the common concern of all, as far as they are entrusted with money affairs; as of the wife in regard to her husband; of children, to their parents; of stewards, and servants, to their masters; of lawyers, to their clients; of overseers and collectors, to the poor; and finally, of as many as have any sort of trust, in relation to what they have undertaken. There are none of these, but what are under a great tie of fidelity and justice, and are exposed to many temptations of transgressing their bounds. Here then, let him that thinks himself to stand, take heed lest he fall. Let all beg for a powerful assistance of grace to support them against the power of private interest; that so they may be able to give an account of their stewardship.
And because there is a
like danger in all other christian duties; and there is no security, as
St. Bernard observes, either in heaven, or paradise, or on earth; since the angels fell from heaven, Adam from paradise, and Judas from the very school of Christ; let the memory of this day inspire all with a salutary distrust of themselves. Let it put them upon working out their salvation with fear and trembling; and most earnestly on importuning Him to come to their assistance, whose grace alone is able to secure them against the dangers of their own weakness, and of all snares set before them. O Lord, save us, or we perish. Thus let this day's devotion be concluded with acts of most profound humility and fear, and an entire confidence in God." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Confessor, A.D. 1072.
by VP
Posted on Saturday February 22, 2025 at 11:00PM in Saints
"He was the youngest of many children, and losing his parents when very young, was very cruelly treated by one of his brothers, and when grown up was sent to keep swine. Another of his brothers however treated him kindly, and gave him an education. He was soon qualified to teach others, which he did with great applause. To arm himself against the allurements of pleasure and the artifices of the devil, he wore a rough hair shirt, and inured himself to fasting, watching, and prayer. At length he resolved entirely to leave the world, and embrace a monastic life; and soon after this, he became a religious of the order of St. Benedict, in an hermitage at the foot of the Apennines. His obedience was so perfect, that the least word of any superior made him run that moment to discharge what was enjoined, with the utmost exactness. After some time he was commanded by his abbot to take upon himself the government of the hermitage, which he governed with great wisdom and sanctity.
St. Peter Damian was much employed for twelve years in the service of the Church, by many bishops and by four popes successively. At length Pope Stephen IX. prevailed on him to quit his desert, and made him cardinal bishop of Ostia. Having rendered great services to the Church in this dignity for some years, he begged with great importunity to be allowed to resign it, and return to his solitude. Pope Alexander II. out of affection for the holy man, allowed him to do so. In his retirement he edified the Church by his penance and compunction, and by his numerous writings. God was pleased to call him to the crown of his labours in the year 1072, when he was 83 years old.
This day is also the Vigil of St. Mathias; and those who expect the favours of heaven
are required to fit themselves for them by spending it in a suitable
manner. Our great indispositions are pride and self-love; and these are
best cured by penance and humiliation. There are many kinds of mortification, by which you may answer the design of the Church. Make not this day, at least, a day of liberty and diversion, but let these give place to recollection and prayer." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Placing Scandals (Sexagessima)
by VP
Posted on Saturday February 22, 2025 at 11:00PM in Sunday Sermons
The Sower of good seed, 1180.
“And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it choked it."-St. Luke viii. 7.
We,
my dear brethren, have received the seed of the Divine word, and we
have kept it: we have never fallen away from the true faith as it is in
Christ and His Church, and with God's help we never shall. Our
steadfastness in the faith is our greatest glory in the sight of heaven
and of earth, and whatever our shortcomings may be, we are at least free
from the awful crime of apostasy, and this worst of all reproaches can
never be laid to our charge. The good soil that produces a hundred fold
is ours; but alas! the thorny soil is ours also, and our faith though
firmly rooted is often choked by the pernicious jungle growing up around
us, in which we suffer ourselves to become entangled.
How many a
glorious promise of supernatural faith and virtue in those around us
becomes utterly blighted by the thorns of the world's ways and
temptations, because no proper care is taken to resist them and stamp
them out! The thorny growths that stifle our faith and render it
worthless in the sight of God are many indeed, but there is one in
particular that is more destructive than all the rest beside. I need
hardly name it to you, for you know it but too well—the deadly Upas-tree
of intemperance- that casts its withering shade over our hearts and
homes and altars! Is there a single person here this morning that does
not know of more than one generous soul in whom every fruitful germ of
faith and hope and charity, and every sentiment of true Christian
manhood and womanhood, have not been blighted by this prevalent passion ?
Call the roll of your nearest friends and acquaintances, and how many
will you not find absent from the ranks of Christian life, duty, and
fidelity through this one vice? There is a skeleton in every closet, and
the saloon-keepers have taken the flesh off its bones. This more than
anything else chokes the divine seed of the word amongst us; this
nullifies the power of our faith; this neutralizes the effects of the
Sacraments; this scandalizes our holy religion and makes our consecrated
ministry vain; for this is the evil root from whence springs the foul
crop of lusts and blasphemies, and crimes and contentions, that stifle
every virtue of the Christian life and weigh down the Church of the
living God.
Could we but cast out this baneful blight of
intemperance from amongst us, our glorious faith would appear in all its
strength and beauty, and yield its hundred fold. If it were not for the
gross and scandalous lives that so many so-called Catholics lead,
nothing could stop the onward march of our faith. This is the one
objection raised against us that we cannot satisfactorily meet.
We
know very well that ours is the only true religion, and that it
supplies every help that we need to enable us to overcome our passions
and to lead upright lives. But the world at large knows little or
nothing of our faith; it only looks at the dark side of our every-day
conduct, and scornfully asks: "Where is the influence of the Catholic
religion on the venal politician, the low liquor-seller, the drunken
reveler, the meretricious streetwalker, the abominable fathers and
mothers who make their homes a hell upon earth, and drive their
unfortunate children to destruction ? And what reply can we make? We
cannot deny that many who claim to profess our faith are an utter
disgrace to it, and a rock of scandal to the world. They, of course,
have shaken off all sense of obligation to their religion and its
teachings, and have no more conception of religious duty than the cow or
the horse. Theirs is a purely animal existence, they live only for the
gratification of their lower nature, and we disclaim all responsibility
for them. What responsibility has the Catholic Church for those who
seldom or ever darken its doors, who never approach its Sacraments, who
spend their Saturday nights in the saloons, and their Sunday mornings in
drunken slumber? What responsibility has the Church for the recreant
rowdies who hang around the corner grog-shops, and the fallen flirts who
frequent the sidewalks? They may have Catholic names, but that is the
only evidence of their Catholicity. The thorns of dissipation and
sensuality and sin of every kind have choked the seed of truth in their
hearts, and they are outside the soul of the Church, though they may
still claim to belong to its visible pale. But take our consistent
Catholics, men and women who are in touch with the spirit of their faith
and honestly endeavor to live up to its teachings. Are they not in very
truth the salt of the earth? and does not the divine seed planted in
their souls produce a hundred fold?"
Source: Five minutes sermons for Low Masses for every Sundays of the Year by the Priests of the Congregation of Saint Paul 1893
St. Peter's Chair at Antioch.
by VP
Posted on Friday February 21, 2025 at 11:00PM 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
St. Severian of Scythopolis, Bishop and Martyr, A.D. 452.
by VP
Posted on Thursday February 20, 2025 at 11:00PM 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
Blessed Father Noel Pinot, priest and martyr
by VP
Posted on Thursday February 20, 2025 at 11:00PM 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)
Saint Eucherius of Orleans, Bishop A.D. 743
by VP
Posted on Wednesday February 19, 2025 at 11:00PM 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.)
#4 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed
by VP
Posted on Wednesday February 19, 2025 at 11:00PM 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 Barbatus of Benevento, Bishop, A.D. 682
by VP
Posted on Tuesday February 18, 2025 at 11:00PM 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 Monday February 17, 2025 at 11:00PM 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
