Saint Marcelinus of Carthage, Martyr A.D. 413
by VP
Posted on Sunday April 06, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"So He was secretary of state to the Emperor Honorius, and for his great virtue commended by St. Augustin and St. Jerome. Being commissioned by the emperor to decide the controversy between the Catholics and Donatists in Africa, without regarding the power or threats of these latter, he gave the cause against them. They were so exasperated, that they resolved upon his death, and raised the jealousy of an eminent courtier against him. St. Augustin testifies that he had lived in great piety, in holiness of life, and in truly Christian sentiments. He was upright in his conduct, faithful in his friendship, zealous in the support of truth, and a man of solid piety. He was compassionate and charitable, ready to forgive his enemies, and even to love them. He was full of confidence in God, and assiduous in prayer. God was pleased to crown his virtues with a glorious martyrdom. The Count Marinus cast him into prison, and had him confined in a dark dungeon; and under the countenance of his orders they murdered him. The Church honors him as a martyr, because the reason of his death was the zeal which he had shown against the Donatists, which had drawn upon him the hatred of Count Marinus. He suffered at Carthage, in the year 413; and was much lamented by the emperor.
Be but steady to the cause of justice and truth, and you will need no other persecution for the trial of your courage. Seek to be just on all occasions; never flattering what deserves reproof, nor permitting affection or dislike to carry you against duty. Examine the working of your thoughts, and the censures of your judgment; and see that you are not brought under the guilt of rashness, by a hasty conclusion of evidence, where there is none. Keep a watch upon your lips; and speak not against others upon common reports or hearsay for there is so much of mistake, if not worse in these, that ordinary observation must suspect them as insufficient arguments of truth. Observe your usual severity in putting the worst construction on what some do, and more favorable interpretation on the actions of others; and see whether passion be not at the root of this partiality." The Catholic Year by Fr. John GotherBehavior At Mass
by VP
Posted on Sunday April 06, 2025 at 12:00AM in Sunday Sermons
“But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple." -St. John viii. 59.
"We gather from the Gospels that our Divine Saviour frequented the Jewish Temple. Whenever He came to Jerusalem, His first visit was to the Temple, and while He remained in the City of Sion most of His time was passed in the Temple. This, the great sanctuary of the Old Dispensation, was, without doubt, the true Temple of God, and our Blessed Lord loved its courts; for here alone was His Heavenly Father truly known and glorified among men. And, although the Old Law was soon to be superseded by the New, and the Temple and its sacrifices were to pass away for ever, yet the Divine Redeemer jealously guarded its honor to the last. He could not tolerate the least irreverence or profanation within its sacred precincts.
If you recollect, the only time that our meek and gentle Lord gave way to angry indignation, and acted with downright severity, was when He found the buyers and sellers in the Temple. Inflamed with holy zeal at the sight of such profanation, He at once turned upon the sacrilegious traffickers and drove them and their wares out of the Temple, using a scourge and saying: "Take these things hence, and make not the house of My Father a house of traffic." Nor did they stand on the order of their going, for they recognized in the indignant countenance and commanding presence of Jesus Christ the manifestation of Divine displeasure.
Now, the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ towards the old Jewish Temple teaches us two very important lessons-first, to love the House of God and to frequent it; and second, to behave with the greatest reverence within its walls. Surely the Lord of the Temple did not need to honor it. Yet, behold, His attachment for it, how often He visited it, and how incensed He was against all who profaned it! And if the sanctuary of the Old Law was so sacred in the eyes of our Lord Jesus Christ, how much more so the sanctuaries of the New Law? Was it not said of Him that "zeal for God's house hath consumed Him?" And do we not find that those amongst us who have most of the Spirit of Christ imitate Him in this also? Good Christians love the House of God; they visit it often, and they are full of reverence for it. While, on the other hand, there is no more infallible sign of a coarse and tepid Christian spirit than irreverence in the Temple of God. People whom you see enter the church laughing and talking, have little or no sense of worship; they come rather for appearance' sake, like the Sadducees of old.
People whom you find neglecting church Sunday after Sunday, have nothing of the Spirit of Christ; they are merely baptized heathens. There is no truer test of our religious spirit than this.
What is our attitude towards the House of God? Do we love to frequent it? Do we act with due reverence in it? If we are indifferent or irreverent, our religion is a mere sentiment, and our worship worse than a pretence. Let those who talk in church, the slothful Christians who straggle in late to church, the negligent Christians who seldom enter the church at all, ask themselves how our Lord Jesus Christ must regard their conduct. Surely He would use the lash upon them, or He would withdraw from them as He did from the sacrilegious Jews in the Temple. I greatly fear our Blessed Saviour would find much to displease Him in our churches. He might, perhaps, even find a den of thieves, and in many of the organ galleries He would find dens of impious flirts and gossipers.
Oh! my dear brethren, let us imitate the Blessed Saviour in His love and reverence for the Temple of God; let us frequent its sacred precincts, and never, by word or act, be guilty of the slightest irreverence within its walls. Let us teach our children to behave with the utmost decorum before the altar; let them understand that no word should there be spoken that is not addressed to the throne of God. And then we shall not grieve the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so soon to bleed for us on Calvary." Passion Sunday- Five Minute Sermons by the Paulist Fathers
St. Vincent Ferrer, CONFESSOR, A.D. 1419.
by VP
Posted on Saturday April 05, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"No, I do not believe that there ever existed in the world so much pomp and vanity, so much impurity, as at the present day; to find in the world's epoch so criminal, we must go to the days of Noe and the universal deluge. The inns in the cities and villages are filled with persons of abandoned character; they are so numerous that the entire world is infected by them... Avarice and usury increase under the disguised name of contracts, simony reigns among the clergy, envy among the religious. Gluttony prevails to such an extent in every rank of social life that the fasts of Lent, the vigils and Ember days, are no longer observed... In a word, vice is held in such great honour that those who prefer the service of God to that of the world are held up to scorn as useless and unworthy members of society." Source: St. Vincent of Ferrer, The Angel of the Judgment, by Fr. Andrew Pradel, O.P.
"St. Vincent brought with him into the world a happy disposition for learning and piety, which were improved by a good education. In order to subdue his passions, he fasted from his childhood every Wednesday and Friday. The Passion of Christ was always the object of his tender devotion. The Blessed Virgin he ever honoured as his spiritual Mother. Looking on the poor as the members of Christ, he treated them with the greatest affection and charity. Having taken the habit of the Dominicans, he made surprising progress in perfection, taking St. Dominic for his model. The arms which he employed against the devil were prayer, penance, and perpetual watchfulness over every impulse of his passions. His heart was always fixed on God, and he made his studies, labour, and all other actions a continued prayer. He led a very mortified life, never eating flesh, nor wearing linen. His whole employment was in preaching the gospel, in converting Jews and Infidels to the Christian faith, and sinners to a holy life. He never passed a day wherein he gave not instructions to those who were assembled at prayers with him. Though by his sermons thousands were moved to give their possessions to the poor, the saint never accepted any thing himself; and was no less scrupulous in cultivating in his heart the virtue and spirit of obedience, than that of poverty; for which reason he declined accepting any dignity in the Church, or superiority in his Order. He was favoured with the gift of miracles, and cured innumerable sick wherever he came, also raised a dead man to life, in presence of a great multitude. He continued his preaching and labours to the last; and worn out with age and infirmity, died on the 5th of April, 1419, being sixty-two years old.
Pray for all of his character and function, that they may partake of his spirit and zeal, that they may faithfully labour in the vineyard, and not permit ignorance and vice to spread through their silence and neglect. Pray likewise that you may do your part in giving good example to all. A holy life is a continual sermon, by which you may draw others from error and vice, and make a much better defence of the truth than by hot disputing. And remember that a bad life is a contradiction of all your pretended zeal, and the greatest injury you can do to truth." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Day 32. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Catechism on the Word of God
by VP
Posted on Saturday April 05, 2025 at 12:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"My Children, the Word of God is of no little importance! These were Our Lord's first words to His Apostles: "Go and teach" . . to show us that instruction is before everything.
My children, what has taught us our religion? The instructions we have heard. What gives us a horror of sin? What makes us alive to the beauty of virtue, inspires us with the desire of Heaven? Instructions. What teaches fathers and mothers the duties they have to fulfill towards their children and children the duties they have to fulfill towards their parents? Instructions.
My children, why are people so blind and so ignorant? Because they make so little account of the Word of God. There are some who do not even say a Pater and an Ave to beg of the good God the grace to listen to it attentively, and to profit well by it. I believe, my children, that a person who does not hear the Word of God as he ought, will not be saved; he will not know what to do to be saved. But with a well-instructed person there is always some resource. He may wander in all sorts of evil ways; there is still hope that he will return sooner or later to the good God, even if it were only at the hour of death. Instead of which a person who has never been instructed is like a sick person - like one in his agony who is no longer conscious: he knows neither the greatness of sin nor the value of virtue; he drags himself from sin to sin, like a rag that is dragged in the mud.
See, my children, the esteem in which Our Lord holds the Word of God; to the woman who cries, "Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck!" He answers, "Yea, rather blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it!" Our Lord, who is Truth itself, puts no less value on His Word than on His Body. I do not know whether it is worse to have distractions during Mass than during the instructions; I see no difference. During Mass we lose the merits of the Death and Passion of Our Lord, and during the instructions we lose His Word, which is Himself. St. Augustine says that it is as bad as to take the chalice after the Consecration and to trample it underfoot.
My children, you make a scruple of missing holy Mass, because you commit a great sin in missing it by your own fault; but you have no scruple in missing an instruction. You never consider that in this way you may greatly offend God. At the Day of Judgment, when you will all be there around me, and the good God will say to you, "Give Me an account of the instructions and the catechisms which you have heard and which you might have heard," you will think very differently.
My children, you go out during the instructions, you amuse yourselves with laughing, you do not listen, you think yourselves too clever to come to the catechism . . . Do you think, my children, that things will be allowed to go on so? Oh no, certainly not! God will arrange matters very differently. How sad it is! We see fathers and mothers stay outside during the instruction; yet they are under obligation to instruct their children; but how can they teach them? They are not instructed themselves. . . . All this leads straight to Hell. . . . It is a pity!
My children, I have remarked that there is no moment when people are more inclined to sleep than during the instructions. . . . You will say, I am so very sleepy. . . . If I were to take up a fiddle, nobody would think of sleeping; everybody would be roused, everybody would be on the alert. My children, you listen when you like the preacher; but if the preacher does not suit you, you turn him into ridicule. . . . We must not think so much about the man. It is not the body that we must attend to. Whatever the priest may be, he is still the instrument that the good God makes use of to distribute His holy Word. You pour liquor through a funnel; whether it be made of gold or of copper, if the liquor is good it will still be good.
There are some who go about repeating everywhere, "Priests say just what they please. " No, my children, priests do not say what they please; they say what is in the Gospel. The priests who came before us said what we say; those who shall come after us will say the same thing. If we were to say things that are not true, the Bishop would very soon forbid us to preach. We say only what Our Lord has taught.
My children, I will give you an example of what it is not to believe what priests tell you. There were two soldiers passing through a place where a mission was being given; one of the soldiers proposed to his comrade to go and hear the sermon, and they went. The missionary preached upon Hell. "Do you believe all that this priest says?" asked the least wicked of the two. "Oh, no!" replied the other, "I believe it is all nonsense, invented to frighten people. " "Well, for my part, I believe it; and to prove to you that I believe it, I shall give up being a soldier, and go into a convent. " "Go where you please; I shall continue my journey. " But while he was on his journey, he fell ill and died. The other, who was in the convent, heard of his death, and began to pray that God would show him in what state his companion had died. One day, as he was praying, his companion appeared to him; he recognized him, and asked him, "Where are you?" "In Hell; I am lost!" "O wretched man! do you now believe what the missionary said?" "Yes, I believe it. Missionaries are wrong only in one respect; they do not tell you a hundredth part of what is suffered here. "
My children, I often think that most of the Christians who are lost for want of instruction - they do not know their religion well. For example, here is a person who has to go and do his day's work. This person has a desire to do great penances, to pass half the night in prayer; if he is well instructed, he will say, "No, I must not do that, because then I could not fulfill my duty tomorrow; I should be sleepy, and the least thing would put me out of patience; I should be weary all the day, and I should not do half as much work as if I had rested at night; that must not be done. "
Again, my children, a servant may have a desire to fast, but he is obliged to pass the whole day in digging and ploughing, or whatever you please. Well, if this servant is well instructed, he will think, "But if I do this, I shall not be able to satisfy my master." Well, what will he do? He will eat his breakfast, and mortify himself in some other way. That is what we must do - we must always act in the way that will give most glory to the good God.
A person knows that another is in distress, and takes from his parents what will relieve that distress. He would certainly do much better to ask than to take it. If his parents refuse to give it, he will pray to God to inspire a rich person to give the alms instead of him. A well-instructed person always has two guides leading the way before him - good counsel and obedience."
Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)
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 CAPGSt. Isidore, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, A.D. 606
by VP
Posted on Friday April 04, 2025 at 12:00AM in Poetry
"He was born in Spain, and having qualified himself by virtue and learning for the service of the Church, assisted his brother St. Leander, archbishop of Seville, in the conversion of the Visigoths, from the Arian heresy. After the death of his brother, he was, much against his will, chosen to succeed him His election was confirmed by St. Gregory the Great, who also appointed him his Apostolic Vicar over the whole of Spain.
In his episcopal career it is incredible how constant, humble, and patient he was; as well as solicitous for keeping up Christian and ecclesiastical discipline. Indeed he was eminent in all virtue; and distinguished also for great learning, and a general acquaintance with ancient writers, both sacred and profane. He was a great promoter and encourager of monastic institutions throughout Spain; and built several monasteries and colleges. He compiled many useful works, in which he takes in the whole circle of the sciences; and many portions of his writings were embodied in the canon law of the Church.
When St. Isidore was almost fourscore years old, though age and fatigues had undermined and broken his health, he never interrupted his usual exercises and labours. During the last six months of his life, he increased his charities with such profusion, that the poor of the whole country crowded his house from morning till night. Perceiving his end to draw near, he entreated two bishops to come to see him. With them he went to the church, where one of them covered him with sackcloth, and the other put ashes on his head. Clothed with the habit of penance, he stretched his hands towards heaven, prayed with great earnestness, and begged aloud the pardon of his sins. He then received from the hands of the bishops the Body and blood of our Lord, recommended himself to the prayers of all that were present, remitted the bonds of all his debtors, exhorted the people to charity, and caused all the money which he had not as yet disposed of to be distributed among the poor. This done, he returned to his own house, and calmly departed this life four days after, on the 4th of April, in the year 636.
His memory was held in
such veneration, that the eighth Council of Toledo, fourteen years after
his death, styles him "The excellent Doctor, the late ornament of the
Catholic Church, the most learned man, given to enlighten the latter
ages, always to be named with reverence." Give thanks to Almighty God,
for His wonderful graces to this His servant, and beg a like mercy on
all the present pastors of the Church. Pray likewise for yourself and
the whole flock, that God would render us a holy and acceptable people,
well-pleasing in his sight." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Day 31. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Catechism on Frequent Communion
by VP
Posted on Friday April 04, 2025 at 12:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"My children, all beings in creation require to be fed, that they may live; for this purpose God has made trees and plants grow; it is a well-served table, to which all animals come and take the food which suits each one. But the soul also must be fed. Where, then, is its food? My brethren, the food of the soul is God. Ah! what a beautiful thought! The soul can feed on nothing but God. Only God can suffice for it; only God can fill it; only God can satiate its hunger; it absolutely requires its God! There is in all houses a place where the provisions of the family are kept; it is the store-room. The church is the home of souls; it is the house belonging to us, who are Christians. Well, in this house there is a store-room. Do you see the tabernacle? If the souls of Christians were asked, "What is that?" your souls would answer, "It is the store-room. "
There is nothing so great, my children, as the Eucharist! Put all the good works in the world against one good Communion; they will be like a grain of dust beside a mountain. Make a prayer when you have the good God in your heart; the good God will not be able to refuse you anything, if you offer Him His Son, and the merits of His holy death and Passion. My children, if we understood the value of Holy Communion, we should avoid the least faults, that we might have the happiness of making it oftener. We should keep our souls always pure in the eyes of God. My children, I suppose that you have been to confession today, and you will watch over yourselves; you will be happy in the thought that tomorrow you will have the joy of receiving the good God into your heart. Neither can you offend the good God tomorrow; your soul will be all embalmed with the precious Blood of Our Lord. Oh, beautiful life!
O my children, how beautiful will a soul be in eternity that has worthily and often received the good God! The Body of Our Lord will shine through our body, His adorable Blood through our blood; our soul will be united to the Soul of Our Lord during all eternity. There it will enjoy pure and perfect happiness. My children, when the soul of a Christian who has received Our Lord enters paradise, it augments the joy of Heaven. The Angels and the Queen of Angels come to meet it, because they recognize the Son of God in that soul. Then will that soul be rewarded for the pains and sacrifices it will have endured in its life on earth. My children, we know when a soul has worthily received the Sacrament of the Eucharist, it is so drowned in love, so penetrated and changed, that it is no longer to be recognized in its words or its actions. . . . It is humble, it is gentle, it is mortified, charitable, and modest; it is at peace with everyone. It is a soul capable of the greatest sacrifices; in short, you would not know it again.
Go, then, to Communion, my children; go to Jesus with love and confidence; go and live upon Him, in order to live for Him! Do not say that you have too much to do. Has not the Divine Savior said, "Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you"? Can you resist an invitation so full of love and tenderness? Do not say that you are not worthy of it. It is true, you are not worthy of it; but you are in need of it. If Our Lord had regarded our worthiness, He would never have instituted His beautiful Sacrament of love: for no one in the world is worthy of it, neither the saints, nor the angels, nor the archangels, nor the Blessed Virgin; but He had in view our needs, and we are all in need of it. Do not say that you are sinners, that you are too miserable, and for that reason you do not dare to approach it. I would as soon hear you say that you are very ill, and therefore you will not take any remedy, nor send for the physician.
All the prayers of the Mass are a preparation for Communion; and all the life of a Christian ought to be a preparation for that great action. We ought to labor to deserve to receive Our Lord every day. How humbled we ought to feel when we see others going to the holy table, and we remain motionless in our place! How happy is a guardian angel who leads a beautiful soul to the holy table! In the primitive Church they communicated every day. When Christians had grown cold, they substituted blessed bread for the Body of Our Lord; this is both a consolation and a humiliation. It is indeed blessed bread; but it is not the Body and Blood of Our Lord!
There are some who make a spiritual communion every day with blessed bread. If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion, let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion, which we can make every moment; for we ought to have always a burning desire to receive the good God.
Communion is to the soul like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out, but that has still plenty of hot embers; we blow, and the fire burns again. After the reception of the Sacraments, when we feel ourselves slacken in the love of God, let us have recourse at once to spiritual communion. When we cannot come to church, let us turn towards the tabernacle: a wall cannot separate us from the good God; let us say five Paters and five Aves to make a spiritual communion. We can receive the good God only once a day; a soul on fire with love supplies for this by the desire to receive Him every moment.
O man, how great thou art! fed with the Body and Blood of a God!
Oh, how sweet a life is this life of union with the good God! It is Heaven upon earth; there are no more troubles, no more crosses! When you have the happiness of having received the good God, you feel a joy, a sweetness in your heart for some moments. Pure souls feel it always, and in this union consists their strength and their happiness."
Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)
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 CAPG#10 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed against Him by mankind
by VP
Posted on Thursday April 03, 2025 at 12:00AM in Thursday Reparation
10. We adore Thee, the delight of heaven and earth! And to repair the neglect, indifference and contempt which mankind show of that loving invitation, by which Thou callest them to Thy sweet embraces in the Holy Eucharist, we offer up to Thee the ready obedience, content, and happiness of the Angels. 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.
Day 30. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Catechism on the Holy Priesthood
by VP
Posted on Thursday April 03, 2025 at 12:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"My children, we have come to the Sacrament of Orders. It is a Sacrament which seems to relate to no one among you, and which yet relates to everyone. This Sacrament raises man up to God.
What is a priest! A man who holds the place of God - a man who is invested with all the powers of God. "Go, " said Our Lord to the priest; "as My Father sent Me, I send you. All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth. Go then, teach all nations. . . . He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me. " When the priest remits sins, he does not say, "God pardons you"; he says, "I absolve you. " At the Consecration, he does not say, "This is the Body of Our Lord;" he says, "This is My Body. "St. Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary; and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts.
If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord. Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle? It was the priest. Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life? The priest. Who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest - always the priest. And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace? Again the priest. You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest.
Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, "Go in peace; I pardon you. " Oh, how great is a priest! The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven. If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love.
The other benefits of God would be of no avail to us without the priest. What would be the use of a house full of gold, if you had nobody to open you the door! The priest has the key of the heavenly treasures; it is he who opens the door; he is the steward of the good God, the distributor of His wealth. Without the priest, the Death and Passion of Our Lord would be of no avail. Look at the heathens: what has it availed them that Our Lord has died? Alas! they can have no share in the blessings of Redemption, while they have no priests to apply His Blood to their souls!
The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you. After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If the missionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, "What can we do in this church? there is no Mass; Our Lord is no longer there: we may as well pray at home. " When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.
When the bell calls you to church, if you were asked, "Where are you going?" you might answer, "I am going to feed my soul. " If someone were to ask you, pointing to the tabernacle, "What is that golden door?" "That is our storehouse, where the true Food of our souls is kept. " "Who has the key? Who lays in the provisions? Who makes ready the feast, and who serves the table?" "The priest. " "And what is the Food?" "The precious Body and Blood of Our Lord. " O God! O God! how Thou hast loved us! See the power of the priest; out of a piece of bread the word of a priest makes a God. It is more than creating the world. . . . Someone said, "Does St. Philomena, then, obey the Curé of Ars?" Indeed, she may well obey him, since God obeys him.
If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel. The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place. St. Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed. When you see a priest, you should say, "There is he who made me a child of God, and opened Heaven to me by holy Baptism; he who purified me after I had sinned; who gives nourishment to my soul. " At the sight of a church tower, you may say, "What is there in that place?" "The Body of Our Lord. " "Why is He there?" "Because a priest has been there, and has said holy Mass. "
What joy did the Apostles feel after the Resurrection of Our Lord, at seeing the Master whom they had loved so much!
The priest must feel the same joy, at seeing Our Lord whom he holds in his hands. Great value is attached to objects which have been laid in the drinking cup of the Blessed Virgin and of the Child Jesus, at Loretto. But the fingers of the priest, that have touched the adorable Flesh of Jesus Christ, that have been plunged into the chalice which contained His Blood, into the pyx where His Body has lain, are they not still more precious? The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.
When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ."
Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)
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 CAPGSt. Richard, Bishop of Chichester, A.D. 1253.
by VP
Posted on Thursday April 03, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"The saint's devotion to the Holy Eucharist is shown by his minute and careful legislation regarding all things connected with the service of the altar. Everything surrounding it, and especially the linen used for Mass, must be of spotless cleanliness, and no priest may say Mass in torn or dirty vestments. The chalices must be of gold or silver, and a crucifix must always be placed before the celebrant. When the Holy Viaticum is carried to the sick it must be taken with the utmost reverence, the priest in surplice and stole, accompanied by cross, lights, and holy water, and preceded by an acolyte with a bell to let the people know that their Lord is passing.
Only those who have
passed a sufficient examination are to be admitted to the ranks of the
clergy, and no one is to be ordained to sacred orders if he come with
any other design than to serve God alone; ordination, therefore, should
be refused to anyone for money, favor, or privilege, and all those in
the least tainted with heresy or suspected of leading unholy lives must
be rigorously excluded from the priesthood. (...) Finally,
the clergy are reminded of the duty of instructing their flocks in the
truths of the Faith, and they must teach them simple prayers according
to their ability to learn. Source: Richard of Wyche, labourer, Scholar, Bishop, and Saint. by Sister Mary Reginald OP 1913
"St. Richard was born in Worcestershire. From his childhood, he had a great aversion to dances, shows, and gay amusements; and applied diligently to virtue and learning. Quitting all worldly prospects, he studied first at Oxford, then at Paris, where, with two companions, he lived in great poverty, contenting himself with coarse bread, and drinking only water, which nevertheless he used to say was the most pleasant time of his whole life.
He afterwards went to Bologna, to study canon law; and having taught there a short time, he returned to Oxford, and was chosen chancellor of that university. He was afterwards appointed chancellor to St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury; in which charge he was faithful, just, affable, modest, and sincere. He kept close to his holy prelate in all his tribulations, and accompanied him in his exile. Being ordained priest, he returned to England; and not long after was chosen bishop of Chichester. The king, Henry III., opposed his nomination, but Pope Innocent IV. ratified his election, and consecrated him with his own hands at Rome.
The saint returned to England, but found all the revenues of his bishopric seized by the king's officers. He went therefore to his diocese poor and penniless, and suffered great hardships for two years, when his revenues were restored to him, though much impaired. Seated now in his episcopal chair, St. Richard shone forth more illustrious then ever in all virtues. He was fervent in prayer, night and day, liberal in alms-deeds, and rigorous in the chastisement of his body. In visiting his diocese, he always made diligent inquiry after the sick and poor; and not only relieved them, but visited them in person, to comfort them with pious exhortations. God was pleased by miracles to testify his approbation of these great charities; especially when one loaf blessed by the saint, was so wonderfully multiplied, as to satisfy three thousand poor. He suffered at one time a great loss by fire; but with a pleasant countenance he only said: "Perhaps God has punished us, because we were not liberal enough in our alms; and therefore see that we give more bountifully for the time to come."
Whilst he was employed in preaching a crusade for the recovery of the Holy Land, he fell sick; and prepared for his last end, by receiving the Sacraments, and making a general confession of his whole life. He died at Dover on the 3rd of April, 1253, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. Pray for the pastors of the Church, and in particular of this nation, that they may be every way fitted for their charge. Pray for the people also, that peace and charity may reign among them, that they may be united in one faith, and live according to the Gospel." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John GotherPrayer to Saint Richard of Chichester
Most merciful Redeemer,
who gavest to thy Bishop Richard a love of learning,
a zeal for souls, and a devotion to the poor:
grant that, encouraged by his example,
and aided by his prayers,
we may know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly,
day by day;
who livest and reignest with the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God,
world without end. Amen.
Gratias tibi ego, Domine Jesu Christe, de omnibus beneficiis, quae mihi praestitisti; pro poenis & opprobiis, quae pro me pertulisti; propter quae plactus ille lamentablis vere tibim competebat. Non est dolor sicut dolor meus.
Day 29. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Catechism on Communion
by VP
Posted on Wednesday April 02, 2025 at 12:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"To sustain the soul in the pilgrimage of life, God looked over creation, and found nothing that was worthy of it. He then turned to Himself, and resolved to give Himself. O my soul, how great thou art, since nothing less than God can satisfy thee! The food of the soul is the Body and Blood of God! Oh, admirable Food! If we considered it, it would make us lose ourselves in that abyss of love for all eternity! How happy are the pure souls that have the happiness of being united to Our Lord by Communion! They will shine like beautiful diamonds in Heaven, because God will be seen in them.
Our Lord has said, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. We should never have thought of asking of God His own Son. But God has done what man could not have imagined. What man cannot express nor conceive, and what he never would have dared to desire, God in His love has said, has conceived, and has executed. Should we ever have dared to ask of God to put His Son to death for us, to give us His Flesh to eat and His Blood to drink? If all this were not true, then man might have imagined things that God cannot do; he would have gone further than God in inventions of love! That is impossible. Without the Holy Eucharist there would be no happiness in this world; life would be insupportable. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive our joy and our happiness. The good God, wishing to give Himself to us in the Sacrament of His love, gave us a vast and great desire, which He alone can satisfy. In the presence of this beautiful Sacrament, we are like a person dying of thirst by the side of a river - he would only need to bend his head; like a person still remaining poor, close to a great treasure - he need only stretch out his hand. He who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean. They can no more be separated.
At the Day of Judgment we shall see the Flesh of Our Lord shine through the glorified body of those who have received Him worthily on earth, as we see gold shine in copper, or silver in lead. When we have just communicated, if we were asked, "What are you carrying away to your home?" we might answer, "I am carrying away Heaven. " A saint said that we were Christ-bearers. It is very true; but we have not enough faith. We do not comprehend our dignity. When we leave the holy banquet, we are as happy as the Wise Men would have been, if they could have carried away the Infant Jesus. Take a vessel full of liquor, and cork it well - you will keep the liquor as long as you please. So if you were to keep Our Lord well and recollectedly, after Communion, you would long feel that devouring fire which would inspire your heart with an inclination to good and a repugnance to evil. When we have the good God in our heart, it ought to be very burning. The heart of the disciples of Emmaus burnt within them from merely listening to His voice.
I do not like people to begin to read directly when they come from the holy table. Oh no! what is the use of the words of men when God is speaking? We must do as one who is very curious, and listens at the door. We must listen to all that God says at the door of our heart. When you have received Our Lord, you feel your soul purified, because it bathes itself in the love of God. When we go to Holy Communion, we feel something extraordinary, a comfort which pervades the whole body, and penetrates to the extremities. What is this comfort? It is Our Lord, who communicates Himself to all parts of our bodies, and makes them thrill. We are obliged to say, like St. John, "It is the Lord!" Those who feel absolutely nothing are very much to be pitied."
Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)
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 CAPG