Keep
your eyes open!...
June 23, 2021
(Mat 10:24-28) The
disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his lord. It is
enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as
his lord. If they have called the good man of the house Beelzebub, how
much more them of his household? Therefore fear them not. For nothing
is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be
known. That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and
that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops. And fear
ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell.
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN SHORTLY AFTER THE FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY, GOD
WILLING (James 4:15).
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: St. Thomas More and the tribulations of our time
CATHOLIC STANDARD REVIEW: Religious Freedom Week 2021: Solidarity in Freedom
CATHOLIC HERALD: Stand up for religious freedom, says Bishop Burbidge at Mass for solemnity of St. Thomas More
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated Mass June 22 for the solemnity of
St. Thomas More, the patron saint of the diocese and a champion of
religious freedom, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.
The feast day of the English martyr kicks off Religious Freedom Week June 22-29.
“We thank God for our great country, and pray that our religious
freedom will always be cherished and protected,” said Bishop Burbidge.
In his homily, he cited current threats to religious freedom including
the Equality Act, proposed legislation that would “remove the truth of
human sexuality from the public square by redefining gender, and
silencing voices that disagree.”
The Equality Act is one of the daily themes that the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops has included in its topics for reflection, prayer and
action throughout the week. Others are adoption and foster care;
Catholic social services during the pandemic; church vandalism;
Catholics in Nicaragua; conscience rights for medical professionals;
Christians in Iraq; and free speech.
“In the midst of all this, we do not despair — we’re believers,” Bishop
Burbidge said. He noted that this year’s theme for Religious Freedom
Week is Solidarity in Freedom, and cited Pope Francis, who said in the
encyclical “Fratelli Tutti,” “Solidarity means much more than engaging
in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms
of community.”
Bishop Burbidge said that while we may not all be called to martyrdom
like St. Thomas More (who was beheaded in 1535 after being convicted of
treason for refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as supreme head of
the Church of England), we are all called to follow our conscience and
defend religious freedom, no matter the cost. At his execution, St.
Thomas More was reported to have said: "I die the King's good servant,
and God's first.”
AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED: World Refugee Day 2021: Persecution threatens to trigger famine
ON NIGERIA
The Persecution of Christians in Nigeria Demands Our Attention
‘Rape, Slavery, Murder’ in Nigeria: Religious Freedom Advocate Sounds Alarm on Christians Genocide
Harvesting Hope in Nigeria
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Peace- Trust- Abandonment
5. Keep your heart in peace and let nothing trouble
you, not even your faults. You must humble yourself and amend them peacefully,
without being discouraged or cast down, for God's dwelling is in peace.
June 20, 2021
(Eph 6:2-4) Honour thy father and thy
mother, which is the first commandment with a promise: That it may be
well with thee, and thou mayest be long lived upon earth. And you,
fathers, provoke not your children to anger: but bring them up in the
discipline and correction of the Lord.
“Be firm, be virile, be a man. And then...be a saint.” - St. Josemaria Escriva
VIDEO HOMILY FATHER CELSUS: Happy Dad's Day! (homily starts at 29 minute mark)
CRISIS MAGAZINE: A Father’s Day Story
DENVER CATHOLIC: On Fathers and Christian Masculinity
FLORIDA CATHOLIC: Fathers Day is a good time to reflect on St. Joseph
EXCERPT FR. BROOM: The Essential Role of the Father
What then are goals that every man who is called to the marriage
vocation should aim to attain so that indeed he can live out what is
true “fatherhood” in a world of “drop-out dads”, negligent fathers, and
overly timid men?
First, to be a good father he should first be a good “Son of God the
Father”. The Father of the family represents and reflects the image of
God the Father. If a father has an identity crisis in the spiritual
realm—that is to say, he does not understand his intimate relationship
to God the Father—then he will not be able to transmit to his children
and family an authentic vision of God the Father.
However, if the earthly father has encountered God the Father in an
intimate, personal, filial, and convincing way then he will be able to
transmit this fatherhood to those whom God will place under his care.
A prime example can be found in the life of Karol Woytyla— the future
Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. He lost his mother at 9 years of age
and then spent much of his time with his father; they even shared the
same bedroom at night.
Young Karol recalls waking up in the early hours, way before dawn, and
seeing the figure of his father kneeling, deeply absorbed in prayer.
This example of his father left an indelible impression on the young
Karol. His earthly Father had a deep and intimate relationship to God
the Father and transmitted this to his son.
Then Karol would become the great “Holy Father”—Pope John Paul II, one
of the greatest and clearest reflections of true fatherhood in the
history of the world.
Second, after placing primary emphasis on his relationship with God the
Father, a true father should love his wife. The love and friendship
that he has with his wife should be indispensable. This love should not
stagnate, or worse yet, fizzle out. On the contrary this human love
blessed supernaturally by the sacrament of Holy Matrimony should
blossom, grow, and flourish until the moment of death.
All too many marriages lose their vibrancy; the love grows cold to the
point that both live in the same house as if they were strangers to
each other. Obviously the children will suffer the consequences!
How can spouses maintain the flame enkindled and burning bright? As in
any activity, sport, or profession, the relationship between spouses
demands work, and hard work—blood, sweat and tears.
First of all both should cultivate an ever deeper relationship with
God. How? Prayer (both individual and family, calling to mind the words
of the Rosary priest Father Patrick Peyton, “The family that prays
together stays together”); the Sacramental life (frequent confession
and Holy Communion); devotion to Mary manifested by the daily
recitation of the Holy Rosary—of these are part and parcel of growing
in a mutual relationship with God. This, of course, will foster unity
between themselves as husband and wife.
Other activities should not be excluded such as a Marriage Retreat on
an annual basis, Marriage Encounter, as well as cultivating good
friendships among other good Catholic couples!
Third, the father should love his children and see them as a precious
treasure that God has given to him with the primary purpose of bringing
these little ones to their ultimate destiny which is heaven. A child is
a gift given to father and mother but with the primary purpose of the
parents being ladders by which the children can climb to heaven.
An authentic father first should provide for the spiritual need of the
child. He should teach his child to pray as soon as possible. Little
children are like sponges. The nature of a sponge is to absorb; it can
absorb dirty water or clean water. Likewise a child can absorb the dirt
of the modern world or, through the help of a good father, absorb that
which is pure, noble and uplifting.
The father should be the teacher to the child especially in prayer. He
should be always mindful of the immortal saying of Father Patrick
Peyton: “The family that prays together stays together.” With respect
to the art of prayer, the father should exercise three different
aspects of prayer: 1) He should be a man of prayer and not be afraid to
manifest it publicly. There is a saying that praises prayer as such:
“The man is greatest when he is found on his knees!” Why? Because he
recognizes that true greatness comes from the Father of all good gifts,
God Himself. 2) He should pray with the family—the blessing of the
meal, the family Rosary and the active participation in holy Mass which
is of course the greatest of all prayers. 3) Finally, a true father
should be like Moses who elevated his arms so that the Jews could win
the battle against their enemies. A father should pray frequently and
fervently for his family for their protection from all evils— physical,
moral, spiritual—and for his family’s sanctification and salvation.
An authentic Christian father should have his eyes fixed on heaven at
all times and stay aware of the world and the dangers that menace the
flock (his wife and children) entrusted to him.
The greatest desire of the father for his family should be the
salvation of their immortal souls. Jesus said, “What would it profit a
man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul in the process? What
can we offer in exchange for our immortal soul?” Until we have restored
the essential role of the father in the family to his proper place the
world will suffer intensely. Man who is called to the vocation of
marriage assumes an enormously important responsibility. The end of the
vocation is holiness of life and the heavenly reward.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Peace- Trust- Abandonment
4. It is His Will that we should apply to Him in
all our needs, with humble, respectful, but very filial trust, abandoning
ourselves entirely to His loving care like children to a good father.
June 18, 2021
(Mat 10:16) Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.
NOQ REPORT: More Pandemic Corruption: Refusal to Fully Recognize Natural Immunity
ALETEIA: Catholics’ top 5 questions about the COVID-19 vaccine (and the answers)
REPORT: Dr. Francis Collins: Vatican's COVID-19 vaccine push 'extremely helpful'
DAILY COMPASS: Abortion-derived vaccines, the forgotten truths
Summary
1) The use of the morally-tainted vaccines is acceptable for grave
reasons, especially for the protection of the vulnerable, and on a
temporary basis;
2) Moral necessity to receive such vaccines may include grave pressure
or the need to take vaccines to keep one’s job, e.g., medical staff in
hospitals;
3) In all cases, the Church and all people need to protest the
production of these vaccines, and abortions, including abortions for
medical research;
4) The following are imposed as duties on doctors and heads of families (PAV 2005):
- to use alternative vaccines (if they exist),
- to put pressure on the political authorities and health systems so that ethical vaccines are made available,
- to have recourse, if necessary, to the use of conscientious objection
to abortion-derived vaccines (i.e. to refuse these vaccinations),
- to oppose by all legitimate means (in writing, through various associations, mass media, etc.) the abortion-derived vaccines,
- to create pressure so that alternative vaccines which are ethical are prepared,
- to request rigorous legal control of the pharmaceutical industry producers,
- to fight and to employ every lawful means in order to make life
difficult for the pharmaceutical industries which act unscrupulously
and unethically.
5) In no case should use of such vaccines be called a moral duty, or be
praised; at best, like cannibalism in case of dire necessity, their use
is regrettable;
6) A separate issue is the medical necessity of these vaccines (does
the pandemic genuinely warrant the use of vaccines?), and their safety
(the COVID vaccines are experimental, and some are novel in their mode
of action); these issues are still disputed by those with the relevant
scientific competence; therefore, reluctance by the general public to
submit to vaccination is all the more understandable;
7) Morally acceptable vaccines do exist, or will be made available
shortly—they may be difficult to access depending on where you live;
8) No one may be compelled to be vaccinated against their conscience.
9) While the virtue of justice, strictly speaking, does not forbid
reception of these vaccines, the virtue of charity may lead Christians
to forgo them, both for their own souls and in witness to the dignity
of life.
Table of Vaccines: COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates and Abortion-Derived Cell Lines
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT SERIES
Exploring the dark world of vaccines and fetal tissue research: Part 1
Exploring the dark world of vaccines and fetal tissue research: Part 2
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Peace- Trust- Abandonment
3. Bury all your misery in the mercy of the loving
Heart of Jesus and think of nothing but of pleasing Him by forgetting self.
Henceforth let Him do all that He wills in you, with you and for you.
June 16, 2021
(Joh 15:18-19) If
the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated me before you. If you
had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you.
ON "ORDINARY TIME"
Video: Step by Step - Fr. Mark Goring, CC
Everything Starts With Small Steps
During Ordinary Time, let the Church wear her green
THE SHIELD OF FAITH: The Ten Commandments of the Great Reset
ROMAN CATHOLIC GENTLEMAN: Being Hated by the World is a Badge of Honor
EXCERPT THE CATHOLIC THING: Dare to be Irrelevant
Indeed, to a large extent, priests and bishops ceased to be relevant
shepherds and became sheep of the culture, wholly-owned subsidiaries of
liberal fashions. Over the past fifty years “The Role of the Church in
the Modern World” became “The Role of the Modern World in the Church.”
Fifty years of “Please, like me!” tactics haven’t worked. Despite our
best efforts, we have become irrelevant. Let’s try something new – and
old. Let’s try the truth of the Gospel:
• Men, be faithful to your wives in marriage. Be kind and considerate. If you are involved with porn, give it up. Just do it.
• Ladies, this is from the Book of Proverbs: “It is better to sit in a
corner of the housetop than with a quarrelsome wife and an unruly
household.” (Prov. 25:24)
• Fathers, your kids don’t need you as a friend. They need you as a
father. Expect their respect. Discipline them in charity and justice.
• If you have kids in public schools and are oblivious to the
family-life education program, you are bad parents. Never allow that
brood of vipers to corrupt your kids. Begin by making principals cringe
at the sound of your voice.
• Speaking of broods of vipers, do not allow Catholic authorities who
dissent from the Church’s teaching on human sexuality to ruin your
life. They risk the fires of Hell and threaten to take you with them.
• You never pray as a family outside of church and neglect their religious education? Shame on you!
• Do not allow misbehaving children to manipulate you. If they are
leading immoral lives, don’t be shy in measuring their actions against
the Ten Commandments. They are not rejecting you. They are rejecting
God.
• Kids, if you’re spending countless hours in the basement with video games, get a life. Do your chores, study hard, pray.
• If your smartphone is in your hand or in front of you at the dinner table, you are rude and disrespectful.
• You are not a victim. Christians in Africa and the Middle East who
die violently because of their faith are victims. Grow up. Take
responsibility for your life and keep working.
• Lousy job? Be honest and hardworking until you find a new one. Don’t
whine. Support your family. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.” (1 Cor. 10:31)
• Have you ever heard of “Catholic guilt” – a form of whining and
complaining about the burdens of the faith? Get over it. Guilt is
usually good. It’s part of the nervous system of the soul.
• Don’t make Jesus sick. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor
hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:15-16)
Practice your faith with increasing fervor.
Afraid that you won’t practice what you preach? Go to Confession often
– it won’t disqualify you from preaching the Gospel. Invite critics to
join you. There is always room for one more sinner who is confident in
the truth but not confident in himself. But please don’t ask us to
change the Gospel and abandon common sense in order to be “relevant.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He lays down His life for His sheep, and He
never minces words or equivocates. He lost a lot of parishioners during
His three years of public ministry. His courageous honesty throughout
His ministry led to the Cross. But that Cross is the great sign of His
relevance in this life and for eternity.
ROBERT CARDINAL SARAH:
“The Church is dying because her pastors are afraid to speak in all
truth and clarity. We are afraid of the media, afraid of public
opinion, afraid of our own brethren! The good shepherd gives his life
for his sheep.”
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Peace- Trust- Abandonment
2. The Spirit of God does all things in peace.
Let us have recourse to God with love and confidence, and He will receive
us into the arms of His mercy.
June 14, 2021
(Rev 22:14-15) Blessed
are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may
have a right to the tree of life and may enter in by the gates into the
city. Without are dogs and sorcerers and unchaste and murderers and
servers of idols and every one that loveth and maketh a lie.
FATHER KIRBY VIDEO: Our Response to Pride Month
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: The Lie of the Wokeing Dead
Related comment:
WOKE as not only zombies, but as SLAVE ZOMBIES…Here, something about
ancient history—-as it now applies to our own society, followed by an
insight into modern/woke slavery:
“[in Greece] Late marriages and small families became the rule, and men
satisfied their sexual instincts by homosexuality or by relations with
slaves and prostitutes. This aversion to marriage and the deliberate
restriction of the family by the practice of infanticide and abortion
was undoubtedly the main cause of the decline of ancient Greece, as
Polybius pointed out in the second century B.C. And the same factors
were equally powerful in the society of the [Roman] Empire. . . .” (
Christopher Dawson, “The Patriarchal Family in History,” in The Dynamics of World History).
This from
G.K. Chesterton: “[T]he Catholic Church is the only thing that frees a man from the degrading slavery [!] of being a child of his age.”
DESMOND BIRCH VIA FACEBOOK: SOCRATES – WILL HIS LIFE & DEATH BE REVISITED today, tomorrow?
A few days ago, I posted an article in which contained a prediction made by Pope John Paul II in 1980 to the effect that:
“We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not too distant
future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our
lives, as a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ ...”.
Have you ever wondered about whether if faced with death - you will
have the strength to stand with Christ?... How can anyone face death
with the kind of calm required for martyrdom?
EVEN A PAGAN OF GOOD WILL HAS PROVED CAPABLE OF DOING IT (undoubtedly with God’s help).
Who has done this. The answer may shock us but, the pagan philosopher,
Socrates, was able to do just that. He didn’t do it for Jesus Christ,
because Socrates died in 399 B.C., four centuries before the birth of
our Lord. What did he die for then? A principle – the defense of truth.
How did it come about? He taught young men philosophy – through what
has become known since as, The Socratic Method. That was through the
art of asking questions … which led others to actually think things
clearly through.
In ancient Greece, the Athenians had what was called the Pantheon of
Greek gods. They were manmade gods to be sure. They gave them names,
Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athene, Hephaistos, Ares, Aphrodite,
Apollon, Artemis, Hermes, and Dionysos. The Greeks – especially the
Athenians were expected to honor and pray to those ‘gods’. To deny them
such honor was a capital crime – to be punished by death. Socrates was
accused of scandalizing the young men who were his philosophy students.
How? He asked them embarrassing questions about their definition of a
god, what was it, how could there be many of them – rather than one?
Are there pagan gods or idols around today in our western culture, who
or which could be used as an artifice to persecute Christians even to
death. Oh yes!:
The most obvious is the one Pope Benedict XVI calls, ‘The Dictatorship
of Relativism.” There are numerous people out there who grow
irrationally furious when anyone states there is such a thing as
absolute truth.
If you haven’t already found out the hard way, try saying in a civic
crowd in some venue that: homosexual acts are vile, horrible deeds
against both the Natural Law and nature’s Creator/God, the
Judeo-Christian God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Say to them, the
Bible clearly states that homosexual acts are a stench to God and that
if unforgiven, they will be rewarded with eternal punishment. [That
Natural Law is revealed and discussed by the Apostle Paul. He makes it
clear that even the Gentiles have this type of understanding in their
hearts.]
[KNOW WHY SUCH A STATEMENT ENFURIATES ‘THE WORLD’? IT IS BECAUSE A
LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD AT LEAST IMPLICITLY
‘VENERATES’ ONE OF THE PAGAN GODS OF ANCIENT GREECE – APHRODITE –
whether they’ve ever heard that name or not. [Love be darned, lust is
the name of the game.]
If you haven’t already found out the hard way, try saying in a large
civic crowd that Abortion is the deliberate killing of a human being,
and is in fact murder! There will be no shortage of people – both male
and female around you - who will begin to howl at and threaten you
[sometimes to the point that you may be expecting at any time for their
head to spin around 360 degrees and spit up green stuff].
You will be screamed at, told that: men and women have a right to
freely (promiscuously) engage in sex without having to bear and raise
children in the bargain. Children after all bring work and
self-sacrifice to raise, etc., etc. Once you have seen that kind of
reaction, is there any longer any doubt in your mind that if given a
good sounding excuse – many of such types would be more than willing to
have you put to death? WHY???
It is because, they at least implicitly worship ‘Aphrodite’, and claim
the unlimited right to the Greek ‘Charity’ called ‘LEISURE’. After all,
everyone has a right to as much leisure as he or she wants – don’t
they. Children can crimp their leisurely style.
How can the world have gone this mad you ask? It is easy. Virtually the
whole world thought that way about labor till the advent of the
religious orders of Christianity. The monks and nuns who prayed and did
manual labor in monasteries and convents – they brough honor to the
very concept of labor – for the first time in recorded history. [Prior
to the monks and nuns performing manual labor for all to see – labor
was considered to be a curse rather than an honest and honorable way to
live ones life.] We could go through the rest of the Greek Gods in more
or less the same manner. They all represented in one way or another an
appealing desire to avoid the suffering entailed in the living of our
lives in our fallen nature’s human condition.
The very biggest appeal of those Gods is that accepting them entails an
acceptance of fate being the ruler of destinies. Personal
responsibility be damned. It’s all in the hands of the capricious gods.
It won’t matter what I do – it is all a matter of fate Socrates was
capable to some degree of avoiding such thought – as he could see the
glimmer of the perennial truths of the Natural Law poking through much
of the gloom of Pagan Greek culture. He died at peace – forced to drink
the poison (of the water hemlock). His young students around him were
grief stricken that Athenian law demanded that Socrates be put to death
for questioning their lurid Pantheon of manmade gods.
HOW IS ALL OF THAT SO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND US TODAY??? HMMM???
The only meaningful difference is that we have the benefit of God’s
Revelation, of His love, of Him sending His Only Begotten Son, Jesus
Christ to make salvation possible for us. He also sent Jesus through
the woman who bore him in her womb, His mother Mary. As first
demonstrated later at the Wedding Feast of Cana, Jesus is always moved
by requests for aid for man from His Mother. It is to this common
mother of us all that John Paul II sends us at this time in salvation
history when JP II says: “Put everything in the hands of the Mother of
God!”
Why does he say that? Because the poor Jewish couple at the wedding
feast of Cana had run out of wine. [In Jewish Culture – this was a
terrible embarrassment.] Mary simply goes to Jesus and says, “Son, they
have no wine.” He at first objects that His “time” has not yet come.
But she simply turns to the chief steward and says, “Do whatever he
tells you,” and in response Jesus performs His first public miracle.
It’s that simple. That of course isn’t denying the efficacy of going
directly to Jesus. So what then is the point of going to His mother? To
use an expression of the day, ‘She’s got more juice with Him than I’ve
got.’ I still do it both ways. I have my steadfast prayer directly to
Jesus. And I have my request to her for her to pray for me - to
intercede for me with her son as at the Wedding Feast of Cana.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Will of God
27. You will obey promptly, simply, lovingly and
without replying, to those who have power to command you, remembering these
words: "I did not come to do my own will, but the Will of Him Who called
me."
June 11, 2021
(Joh 19:32-35) The
soldiers therefore came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of
the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to
Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his
legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side: and
immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath
given testimony: and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he
saith true: that you also may believe.
MSGR ROBERT HUGH BENSON POEM: This is My Friend
He often seemed to want my friendship,
but I remained cold. / I was homeless, and wretched, and starving, and
in peril every hour; / and he offered me shelter and comfort and food
and safety; / but I was ungrateful still. / At last he crossed my path
and, with tears in his eyes,
He besought me saying, Come and abide with me.
Let me tell you how he treats me now.
/ He supplies all my wants; / He gives me more than I dare ask; / He
anticipates my every need; / He begs me to ask for more. / He never
reminds me of my past ingratitude. / He never rebukes me for my past
follies.
Let me tell you further what I think
of him: / He is as good as he is great; / His love is as ardent as it
is true. / I am in all things his debtor, but he bids me call him
Friend.
VIDEO: Brief History of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
ALETEIA: Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
FR. CHRISTOPHER PIETRASZKO: Reparation of the Sacred Heart
If you saw your savior slapped,
would you not rush towards Him to extend to Him the love that was owed
it Him, even if He didn’t need it? Would you not feel as though a debt
had been incurred to Him and you would seek to fill it?
Reparation of the Sacred Heart is
to bring about healings not so much because God lacks the Love He needs
– He has that in full by the Father. Nonetheless our heart aches that
Christ receives the Love that justice demands, that a relationship with
Him throbs for.
This is also a generous act on
behalf of those who have offended Him, including our own personal
offences (since we have all sinned). We pay in part, on their behalf
part of the debt of their own sin, joining our sufferings to what is
lacking in the Cross of Christ. We do this as a way of praying for such
sinners (including ourselves) whereby we show God that the whole Body
of Christ is seeking healing.
There is no shortage of offenses
towards our Lord in the Church today, and if you’ve gone to confession
or should have gone to confession recently, this applies to each one of
us. Let us see our fasting, our suffering humiliations, taking the last
place, abstaining from pleasure moderately as an opportunity of giving
Christ what was owed to Him but was not given to Him.
MORE: Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
UNIVERSALIS: A reading from the works of St Bonaventure
With you is the source of life
You who have been redeemed,
consider who it is who hangs on the cross for you, whose death gives
life to the dead, whose passing is mourned by heaven and earth, while
even the hard stones are split. Consider how great he is; consider what
he is.
In order that the Church might be formed from the side of Christ as he
slept on the cross, in order that the word of scripture might be
fulfilled – ‘They shall look on him whom they have pierced’ – God’s
providence decreed that one of the soldiers should open his sacred side
with a spear, so that blood with water might flow out to pay the price
of our salvation. This blood, which flowed from its source in the
secret recesses of his heart, gave the sacraments of the Church power
to confer the life of grace, and for those who already live in Christ
was a draught of living water welling up to eternal life.
Arise, then, bride of Christ, be like the dove that nests in the
rock-face at the mouth of a cavern, and there, like a sparrow which
finds its home, do not cease to keep vigil; there, like a turtle-dove,
hide the fledglings of your chaste love; place your lips there to draw
water from the wells of your Saviour. For this is the spring flowing
from the middle of paradise; it divides and becomes four rivers, then
spreads through all devout hearts, and waters the whole world and makes
it fruitful.
O soul devoted to God, whoever you may be, run to this source of life
and light with eager longing. And with the power of your inmost heart
cry out to him: ‘O indescribable beauty of God most high! O pure
radiance of everlasting light! O life that gives life to all life! O
light that illuminates every light, and preserves in its undying
splendour the myriad flames that have shone before the throne of your
godhead from the dawn of time!
‘O water eternal and inaccessible, clear and sweet, flowing from the
spring that is hidden from the eyes of all mortal men; the spring whose
depths cannot be plumbed, whose height cannot be measured, whose shores
cannot be charted, whose purity cannot be muddied.’
From this source flows the river which makes glad the city of God, so
that with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving we sing to you our
hymns of praise, and by experience prove that with you is the fountain
of life; and in your light we shall see light.
ST. JOHN VIANNEY: “A priest goes to heaven or a priest goes to hell with a thousand people behind.”
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
9. O my Saviour, who am I, that Thou shouldst have
so long awaited my repentance!
June 9, 2021
(Joh
6:35) And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life. He that cometh to
me shall not hunger: and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.
FR. KIRBY VIDEO (9 min): What Happens Post Communion?
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: From “Eucharistic irreverence” to “Eucharistic amazement”
FIRST THINGS: Spiritual Fatherhood and Eucharistic Coherence
EXCERPT CATHOLIC STAND: Paschal Mystery: Path to Union
The Eucharist
In a sense, the Eucharist is the
incarnation—the Word becoming flesh—of the Paschal Mystery. The holy
sacrifice of the Mass remains the fullest celebration of the Paschal
Mystery that the Church can offer (Catechism #1067).
Building on the last point, we participate in the heavenly liturgy
every time we go to Mass. That is, Jesus’ eternal offering of Himself
to the Father, in the Holy Spirit (Catechism #1090).
We cannot neglect to see how down
to earth the Paschal Mystery is being made for us. The Holy Trinity
makes the first move toward us so that we can move toward God—and the
Eucharist exemplifies this.
Our union with
Christ, which is a gift and grace for each of us, makes it possible for
us, in him, to share in the unity of his body which is the Church. The
Eucharist reinforces the incorporation into Christ which took place in
Baptism though the gift of the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13, 27). (John Paul
II,
Ecclesia de Eucharistia #5)
Every time we approach the altar of
sacrifice and receive holy communion, Jesus unites Himself to us. This
surpassingly precious gift needs to be received in full union with
Christ, the Church, and all her beliefs and teachings. For this reason,
St. Paul warned the Corinthians about partaking in the Eucharist
worthily, and not eating and drinking judgment upon themselves (1
Corinthians 11:27-32).
Jesus can do incredible things with a heart fully united to Him!
ALETEIA: 12 Important quotes on the beauty of Holy Communion
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
8. We cannot be saved without a struggle, for this
life is a continual warfare. But be of good courage, do not be dishearted
or troubled about your faults, but always try to draw from them a love
of abjection, which must never for a moment be absent from your heart.
June 7, 2021
(2Th 2:15-17)
Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you
have learned, whether by word or by our epistle. Now our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, and God and our Father, who hath loved us and
hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope in grace, Exhort
your hearts and confirm you in every good work and word.
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Catholicism and the Future of Culture
CATHOLIC STAND: Why Catholics Need to Return to the Catechism
EXCERPT THE CATHOLIC THING: Those Dead Dogmas
Though humankind sinned and lived
under the curse of death, the Father’s Son came down from Heaven and,
in Mary’s womb, became man by the power of the Holy Spirit. For our
salvation, Jesus, the incarnate Son, was crucified, died, and was
buried. On the third day He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.
As the risen and ascended Lord,
Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit upon the apostles, so that they, and
all who believe, might be freed from sin and death and born anew in the
Holy Spirit. The doctrines of the Incarnation, of Jesus’ saving death
and resurrection, and of Pentecost, far from declaring what is barren,
express the life-giving actions of the entire life-giving Trinity – and
they were enacted in the abundance of divine love on behalf of
humankind.
These saving actions gave birth to
the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church –which is one in her
apostolic faith. No other living institution on earth, through the
whole of human history, draws all nations and peoples to itself, not
for selfish gain, but for the world’s salvation. The doctrine of the
Church is, again, a doctrine that bespeaks life – the life founded upon
the love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those who are
baptized into this faith await the resurrection of the dead and the
life of the world to come.
Those, then, who disparage Church
doctrines are speaking the devil’s words. He knows, better than we, the
truth of Church teaching and the life-giving power that the mysteries
of faith contain. He knows that the Church’s doctrines are not
antiquated or sterile, and so he trembles before them. He tempts us to
despise them, so that we will become lifeless – dead in sin’s
condemnation – the one dogma he fiendishly relishes.
Today, more than ever, we must –
particularly bishops and priests – vigorously proclaim the mysteries of
faith with clarity, courage, and love. They are the cure for the
Church’s present lethargy and the lifeblood of her renewal and
wellbeing. And they are the means of the world’s salvation.
One cannot love the Gospel of Jesus
Christ if one does not love all the doctrines that He Himself embodies.
To love, in faith, the Church.
ST JOHN OF DAMASCUS: “I do not worship matter but the Creator of matter who, because of me, became matter, and with that matter saved me.”
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
7. If you are faithful to your promises, He will
be very liberal in His favors. He will give you peace after your struggles,
and unknown to you, will bring you to the goal He has planned.
June 3, 2021
(Mar 14:22-25) And
whilst they were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing, broke and gave
to them and said: Take ye. This is my body. And having taken the
chalice, giving thanks, he gave it to them. And they all drank of it.
And he said to them: This is my blood of the new testament, which shall
be shed for many. Amen I say to you that I will drink no more of the
fruit of the vine until that day when I shall drink it new in the
kingdom of God.
ST. AUGUSTINE, Easter Sermon, 227: “If we receive the Eucharist worthily, we become what we receive.”
BLOG: Pope Benedict XVI’s Reflection on the Feast of Corpus Christi
CATHOLIC COMPANY: The Story Behind the Feast of Corpus Christi
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS: O precious and wonderful banquet!
Since it was the will of God’s
only-begotten Son that men should share in his divinity, he assumed our
nature in order that by becoming man he might make men gods. Moreover,
when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our
salvation. He offered his body to God the Father on the altar of the
cross as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed his blood for our
ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched
state of bondage and cleansed from all sin. But to ensure that the
memory of so great a gift would abide with us forever, he left his body
as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to consume in the form
of bread and wine.
O precious and wonderful banquet,
that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be
of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves
and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is
set before us as our food. What could be more wonderful than this? No
other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged
away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance
of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and
the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be
for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the
sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at
its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing
love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.
It was to impress the vastness of
this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord
instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point of
leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover
with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion.
It was the fulfilment of ancient figures and the greatest of all his
miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his
departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.
SEQUENCE
*Behold the bread of angels, sent For pilgrims in their banishment, The
bread for God’s true children meant, That may not unto dogs be given:
*Oft in the olden types foreshowed; In Isaac on the altar bowed, And in
the ancient paschal food, And in the manna sent from heaven.
*Come then, good shepherd, bread divine, Still show to us thy mercy
sign; Oh, feed us still, still keep us thine; So may we see thy glories
shine In fields of immortality;
*O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best, Our present food, our future
rest, Come, make us each thy chosen guest, Co-heirs of thine, and
comrades blest With saints whose dwelling is with thee.
Amen. Alleluia.
CATHOLIC CULTURE: Feastday Highlights: Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
4. Courage then! Finish what you have begun for
the sake of this divine Heart, and rest assured that our Lord will repay
you a hundredfold for all that you do for His love.
June 1, 2021
(Luk 1:42-44) And
she cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the
mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of
thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
VICTIMS OF ABORTION: Broken Branches Newsletter Issue 143, June/July 2021
SIGNS & WONDERS EXCERPT: St. Joseph “The Protective Father”
Joseph
faithfully and obediently accepted the will of God, and he fulfilled
God’s trust in him by caring for, protecting, and guarding God’s
greatest treasures upon earth: Jesus and Mary. In the Gospel, St.
Joseph was called to be the husband of Mary, and in accepting to do so,
he was also taking the responsibility to take charge of and protect
Jesus as his son.
Joseph was not wealthy, but he was a listener, a silent, prudent,
compassionate, strong, courageous man, and he loved Mary and Jesus. He
never let them down; at any moment, he was there for his family because
he loved them dearly. Joseph is the visible protagonist who thwarts
Herod in his intention to destroy the child (Mt 2,13-23). In this, he
exercises the protective role of the father necessary for the survival
of the child. He took them to Egypt, later brought them back, and
settled in Nazareth (Mt 2,13, 19, 22). He did all these to protect the
child and family. So, St. Joseph, the shadow of the Eternal Father upon
earth, the protector of Jesus in His home at Nazareth, and a lover of
all children for the sake of the Holy Child, should be the chosen
guardian and pattern of every true Christian family.
It is this commitment and love, so carefully modeled by St. Joseph in
the vicious climate of the ancient world, which is too often missing in
our world today. St. Joseph stands as a reminder of the faithfulness to
the sanctity of life and our deep appreciation of the value of
sacrifice and love so necessary in families for the protection of
children and of all life. Christians everywhere need to model his
values in their daily lives in both their families and their larger
communities. When this happens, the true protection of all children
becomes possible and the abuses and threats to individuals like Eduardo
and that misshapen child can become a thing of the past.
So, we ask St. Joseph, the earthly Guardian and protector of the holy
family to show and teach us to love unconditionally and to be good and
faithful servants of the Lord.
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Saving the Unborn Is the Long Game
EXCERPT CATHOLIC JOURNAL: RIP: “I Can’t” by Father Joseph Esper
St. Paul (2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14) warns us that living out the Gospel may
involve a certain amount of hardship, but this isn’t reason for us to
falter or give into fear—for God’s Spirit bestows upon us power, love,
and self-control. If we give Jesus our trust, and persevere in our
efforts to serve Him, we will be successful.
One of the most vivid current examples of this truth is the Right to
Life Movement. When the U.S. Supreme Court arbitrarily and illogically
threw out all restrictions on abortion back in 1973, an editorial in
the New York Times—speaking for the abortion industry—said that “now
the issue is finally settled.” That self-satisfied statement has long
since been exposed as a foolish, self-serving delusion. To the
bewilderment and dismay of the abortion industry, the pro-life movement
will not give up, and won’t go away—and slowly but surely, the tide is
turning in favor of life. The number of abortions, and of abortions
clinics, has been declining in the U.S. over the last decade, the
younger generations are more likely to reject abortion than their
parents’ generation, and being pro-life is often a decisive advantage
for political candidates seeking elected office. Moreover, many people
have come to realize that Planned Parenthood and the rest of the
abortion industry are focused primarily on making money, while the
pro-life movement—with its thousands of unpaid volunteers, and hundreds
of clinics offering free services and referrals for worried and
troubled women—is definitely motivated by a spirit of love, service,
and compassion.
Our nation will sooner or later be cleansed of the scourge and disgrace
of abortion—primarily, according to one prophecy, through the
intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe; just as David overcame Goliath,
the seemingly unimposing Right to Life Movement will topple the
pro-abortion giant, no matter how long it takes. This isn’t reason for
us to be complacent, however, for each of us will one day be judged in
part on whether we defended God’s gift of life. It won’t work for us to
try to excuse ourselves by saying “I can’t . . . spare the time to get
involved . . . make sense of the issues . . . work with volunteers I
don’t know because of my shyness . . . afford to make a contribution,”
or anything else like that. All the “I Can’ts” that keep us from
answering God’s call are supposed to be dead and buried. Instead, our
response should be “I can . . . respect the humanity of every person I
meet . . . defend the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life .
. . write letters to the editor of the local newspaper and my elected
representatives . . . vote only for pro-life candidates . . . and pray
every day for the success of the pro-life movement.” If we want to be
on the winning side, it’s necessary for us first of all to have a
winning attitude, and this means taking it as certain that God’s grace
will overcome the power of sin in the world, taking it as certain that
we’re supposed to live as His servants, and taking it as certain that
His help will enable us to fulfill our mission in life. Jesus is
seeking not lip service, but true service—and then, through the power
of the Holy Spirit, all things become possible.
NEWS HEADLINES
US bishops blast Biden’s move to fund abortion
Archbishop supports discussion timeline on Eucharist
Justice Clarence Thomas Recognizes Abortion Has Become a Tool of Modern-Day Eugenics
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Patience & Generosity
3. Again I say, do not worry over your faults,
but when you have committed any, say quite trustfully to the all-loving
Heart of Jesus: "O my only Love, pay for Thy poor slave and repair the
evil that I have just done".
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