Saint Martina, Virgin and Martyr A.D. 229
by VP
Posted on Friday January 30, 2026 at 12:00AM in Saints
Pietro da Cortona Saint Martina Refuses to Adore the Idols
"A Roman virgin, who in the third century, under Alexander the emperor, refusing to sacrifice to idols, had her constancy tried with scourges, racks, boiling oil, wild beasts, and the fire. But being miraculously preserved, she finished at length a glorious martyrdom by the sword. Pray for a like constancy under all trials. There is no peace in this world, which is not mixed with persecution; and bearing it with humility, courage, and patience, is the trial of your fidelity. In the passions of men, you meet with something of the wild beast: in the difficulties and misfortunes of the world, you have your scourge: in the misconduct of children, and evil ways of those for whom you are most concerned, how often do you meet with a rack? And what you cannot prevent, or remedy of these by lawful means, are you not bound to bear with patience? This is a common duty: pray then for yourself, and all others in affliction, and endeavour to be faithful.St. Martina merited the crown of martyrdom by her extraordinary charity. She had lost her parents at an early age, and being inflamed with the spirit of a true Christian, she distributed her great riches to the poor with profuse liberality. When, after many torments, she was condemned to be devoured by wild beasts, she was miraculously preserved unhurt: and being then cast into the fire, she escaped in like manner. These miracles, by God's grace induced some of her torturers even to embrace the faith of Christ. At length when she was beheaded, the whole city of Rome was shaken by an earthquake, and many worshippers of idols were converted to the faith of Christ.
While you honour the happy end of this martyr, pray for a happy death for yourself. Death is a violence to nature; and to embrace this with submission to the hand of God, is a kind of martyrdom.
Endeavour then to be humble in all pain and sickness; and bow down with
entire submission, begging that whenever death comes, you may surrender
your soul with the dispositions of this martyr." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
There is a Hell for the Wicked
by VP
Posted on Friday January 30, 2026 at 12:00AM in Books
"How is it possible that a merciful God could punish with eternal misery poor human beings for slips and faults of natural weakness? Why does He create them? Does He rejoice in calling persons into existence to damn them? God created us for eternal happiness; heaven is our destiny. Those who succeed in damning themselves, do it against the will of God.
God, though infinite in His mercy is infinite in all His perfections: He is infinitely just. No punishment which He can inflict upon him who dies in mortal sin will be commensurate with His justice unless that punishment be boundless in its intensity and eternal in its duration.
I do not understand how anybody can believe in a God without believing in everlasting punishment. The very existence of God calls for a hell of the wicked where the worm never dies and the fire shall never be quenched. He who dies in mortal sin remains in that sin, as the Scripture assures us: "Wherever the tree falleth there it shall lie." He remains for all eternity as he died: the enemy of God. And God must for all eternity treat him as His enemy. Reason, I repeat, requires the existence of hell; therefore, all ages and all nations have believed in it. The pagans firmly believed in it; they spoke of the wicked dead as suffering endless banishment and as being condemned to endless labor and torment.
It is no credit to our enlightened age if it records the names of individuals who became conspicuous by sneering at the mention of hell, who pretended there was no such place or state or hell-fire or everlasting punishment. Does such an impudent denial destroy the doctrine of hell? Besides, hell is not an opinion, and not even a mere doctrine, but hell is a real fact; reason and revelation convince us of the existence of this fact. Can a man do away with a fact by denying it? Is there no such city as San Francisco, because you deny it on the ground that you never saw it? Does the sun cease to shine as soon as you state: The sun is not shining? Moreover, did ever a learned man prove that there was no hell? Voltaire and Rousseau made a desperate attempt to prove the non-existence of hell, but all that these blasphemers accomplished was to assert boldly that perhaps there was no hell. Against such a silly perhaps we have sound reason supported by the infallible word of God to convince us of hell. Yes, there is a hell, and those who refuse to believe in it will be cast into it forever. The wicked may wish that there be no hell and laugh at the idea of it: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shall say to them on the last day: "Depart from Me, ye accursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels." Such is the just retribution of mortal sin, which is a turning away from God for the sake of a created thing. The damned are deprived of ever seeing God. This is the greatest of all imaginable sufferings, and yet it is a most appropriate punishment: He who has rejected God on earth, shall be rejected by Him for all eternity.
As soon as the wicked soul leaves the body in death, it shall realize the irreparable loss of God, and find itself cast away from the face of God forever. It shall be sunk into the flames of hell, into a sea of fire. The soul, without the body, can be reached by this fire; God shall cause all those sensations in the soul which it had when lodged in the body. The fire of hell, set ablaze to punish the Wicked, is not like earthly fire; it does not consume, but preserves; it does not give light, but causes extreme darkness.
The unspeakable torment of hell is waiting for you if you die in a grievous sin. Make up your mind to avoid such an eternal misfortune at the risk of losing everything temporal."
Source: Spiritual Pepper and Salt for Catholics and Non-Catholics by Bishop William Stang 1902
Fast for the Church
by VP
Posted on Friday January 30, 2026 at 12:00AM in Quotes
"Today is a Friday, traditionally a day of fasting and abstinence from meat. Fasting is Apostolic, it expands our ability to love, it casts out demons and brings peace to Holy Church. Fast for the Holy Father, for the bishops, for your pastor, for vocations, for unity, for the dying, the sick, for victims of abuse, for the troubled, for peace, for those suffering through natural disasters. FAST!" Monsignor Ferrari
Prayer: Remember, O most loving Heart of Jesus,
that they for whom I pray are those for whom You prayed so earnestly the
night before Your death. These are they to whom You look to continue
with You in Your sorrows when others forsake You, who share Your griefs
and have inherited your persecutions, according to Your word: That the
servant is not greater than his Lord.
Remember, O Heart of
Jesus, that they are the objects of the worldʼs hatred and Satanʼs
deadliest snares. Keep them then, 0 Jesus, in the safe citadel of Your
Sacred Heart and there let them be sanctified in truth. May they
be one with you and one among themselves, and grant that multitudes may
be brought through their word to believe in You and love You. Amen.
