St. Leo the Great, Pope
by VP
Posted on Friday April 11, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Artist Francisco Herrera the Younger (1627–1685)
"He was descended of a noble family, and his great abilities and mature judgment appeared in the rapid progress which he made in his sacred studies. Being made archdeacon of the Church of Rome, he had the chief direction of affairs under Pope Celestine. On the death of Pope Sixtus III., he was elected as most fit and worthy to be seated in the first chair of the church. He trembled at his exalted dignity, considering himself weak and unworthy, and besought God to support and strengthen him. He diligently applied himself however to cultivate the great field committed to his care; preaching to his people with great zeal, and converting many infidels to the faith. His signal victories over the Manicheans, Arians, and other heretics, are proofs of his zeal for the purity of the faith. By his authority the general council of Chalcedon was assembled in the year 451, chiefly against the errors of Eutyches.
When Attila the Hun marched against Rome, St. Leo at the request of the whole city went out to meet him, in hopes of softening his rage. The tyrant received him with great honour, and agreed to withdraw his army. Being asked why he had shewn this unusual deference to the bishop of Rome, Attila replied that he had seen a venerable personage in a priestly habit, standing by the pope, while he was speaking, and with a drawn sword threatening him with death, unless he complied with his demands. At another time the saint prevailed upon Genseric, king of the Vandals, to restrain his troops from slaughter and burning of the city. St. Leo was reverenced and beloved by all ranks of people for his humility, mildness, and charity; and having filled the holy see twentyone years, he died in 461.
Pray for the present pope, that God would direct and assist him in all the difficulties of his charge; that by his zeal all abuses may be removed which carry destruction with them, and may truly be styled, like Attila, the Scourge of God. And pray for yourself, that you may not give disturbance either to virtue or truth by any obstinate adherence to private opinions, or by encouraging vice." The Catholic Year by Rev. John Gother
Day 38. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: It is necessary to be converted
by VP
Posted on Friday April 11, 2025 at 12:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"No, my dear brethren, let us never forget that in order to receive Holy Communion, it is necessary to be converted and strong in a true resolution to persevere.
When Jesus Christ desired to give His Adorable Body and His Precious Blood to His Apostles, in order to teach them how pure one should be before receiving It, He even went so far as to wash their feet. By that He wishes to show us that we can never be purified enough of our sins, even our venial sins. It is true that the venial sin does not make our Communions unworthy, but it is a cause of our profiting hardly at all by such a great blessing and happiness. The proof of that is very clear when you consider how many times we have received Holy Communion during the course of our lives. And have we become any better? .... No, not at all, and the real cause of that is that practically all the time we are holding onto our bad habits; we do not break ourselves of any one of them more than another. We have a horror of the big sins which kill our souls, but all those little fits of impatience, those grumblings when some worries or troubles befall us, or some disappointments or setbacks -- these mean nothing to us.
You will admit that in spite of so many Confessions and Holy Communions, you are always the same, that your Confessions are nothing else, nor have they been for years, than a repetition of the same sins, which, although venial, are none the less damaging to the merit of your Holy Communions. You have been heard to say, with good reason, that you are no better one day than another, but who is stopping you from correcting your faults?
If you are always the same, it is simply because you do not want to make even small efforts to improve yourself. You do not want to endure anything or to be opposed in anything. You would like everyone to be fond of you and to have a good opinion of you, which is a difficult enough thing. Let us try hard, my dear brethren, to destroy all that could be in the smallest way displeasing to Jesus Christ, and we shall see how our Communions will help us to make great strides towards Heaven. And the more we do this, the more we shall feel ourselves becoming detached from sin and inclining towards God.... This is what I desire for you."
Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960
Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen
Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPGPassion Friday: Our Lady of Compassion
by VP
Posted on Friday April 11, 2025 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Our Lady of Sorrow, Sacred Heart Dunn, NC ©CAPG
Our Lady’s Compassion in Passiontide (National Catholic Register)
Prayer: 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
Compassion of Our Lady (The Month, 1915)
Water and blood-in clear and crimson tideDrawn by a soldier from His open side
When on the Calvary the Saviour died,
Upon the Rood:
Now in one Cup the water and the wine
Mingle together as a mystic sign,
Union of natures human and divine-
Water and Blood.
Water and Blood-the sorrows that transfix
Her heart with His, well from her soul's pure pyx
In anguish lachrymal and whitely mix
With that red flood:
Now wheresoe'er the Holy Mass is said,
Within one Chalice evermore is wed
Her passion white unto His Passion red-
Water and Blood.
M. S. J.
