Keep
your eyes open!...
May 30, 2024
(Rev 6:4) And
there went out another horse that was red. And to him that sat thereon,
it was given that he should take peace from the earth: and that they
should kill one another. And a great sword was given to him.
COMMENTARY: Arrest These Insane NATO Warmongers!
Incredibly, the world is being pushed to the abyss of nuclear war by nonentity Western numbskulls who are not even elected.
Jens Stoltenberg, the civilian head
of the NATO military bloc, is the latest blockhead to advocate for the
United States to permit the targeting of Russia with long-range weapons.
The Norwegian figurehead, we are
led to believe, made the conceptual breakthrough (how much was he paid
and by whom or what was the blackmail used?) by telling the Economist
magazine that the Ukrainian regime should henceforth be officially
allowed to use NATO missiles to hit Russia.
However, with the logical skills of
a hacked-up chopping block, Stoltenberg claimed that such a move would
not lead to an escalation in war between Russia and NATO because the
weapons were not being fired from NATO countries.
So Stoltenberg thinks it’s somehow
feasible to turn Ukraine into a silo for launching ballistic missiles
at Moscow and yet for Russia not to perceive NATO nations as a
legitimate target?
As if to further reassure, he
added: “We don’t have any intention to send NATO ground troops into
Ukraine because our purpose… has been two-fold, to support Ukraine as
we do, but also to ensure that we don’t escalate this into a full-scale
conflict.” The barefaced cheek of Stoltenberg and other Western figures
is that, in their arrogant mindsets, what’s going on is not escalation
because they say it is not escalation. It’s like hitting someone with a
punch in the face and then having the brass neck to tell the person you
didn’t hit them because you said so.
The former Norwegian prime
minister, who is soon to leave his NATO job to take up a plum post as a
central banker, is the latest Western voice to up the ante in the
U.S.-led proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.
PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS: The War Is Widening Into Armageddon
UPDATE: Ukraine warns of new Russian reinforcements as NATO members soften red lines on weapons use
RELATED HEADLINES
Germany and France agree Ukraine may strike Russian military targets
Italy says no to Ukraine using Western weapons to strike military targets inside Russia
Putin’s forces massing in northern Kharkiv as Sweden sends Kyiv surveillance planes
ORTHODOX PRAYER:
O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled-down death by
death, and given life unto Thy world, do Thou the same Lord, give rest
to the souls of Thy departed servants in a place of brightness, a place
of green pasture, a place of repose whence all sickness, sorrow, and
sighing have fled-away. As Thou art the good God Who lovest mankind, do
Thou pardon their every transgression, whether of word, or deed, or
thought, for Thou only art without sin, and Thy righteousness is unto
all eternity, and Thy Word is truth.
For Thou art the Resurrection, the
Life, and the Repose of our Orthodox warriors, those who have laid down
their lives in battle for the Faith, our freedom, and our land, and
likewise the veterans of wars who have gone to their rest, O Christ our
God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, to Thy Father Who is from
everlasting and to Thine All-holy, Good, and Life-creating Spirit. Now
and ever, and unto ages of ages.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
9. Evagrius said, 'It is a great thing to pray without distraction. It is even greater to sing psalms without distraction.'
May 24, 2024
(Rev 6:9-11) And
when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which
they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord
(Holy and True), dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth? And white robes were given to every one of them
one; And it was said to them that they should rest for a little time
till their fellow servants and their brethren, who are to be slain even
as they, should be filled up.
CNA: Why the feast of Mary, Help of Christians is a special day for Catholics in China
FEAST DAY: MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS
In many places the Blessed Virgin is honoured under the title of
Auxilium Christianorum, a phrase added to the litany of Loreto in the
sixteenth century to thank our Lady for the help she granted Christians
at Lepanto. It is an advocation which expresses the confidence of
Catholics in their Mother in heaven, a mother always ready to defend
her children from every evil.
Throughout history, the Blessed Virgin has always given her protection
to the Church, but in times which were difficult ones, humanly
speaking, at open attacks from the enemies of Christ, Mary has gone
even more clearly to the aid of her children. It is not surprising then
that one of the oldest witnesses to this devotion to Mary is confident
prayer. I refer, St. Josemaria said, to that antiphon composed
centuries ago which we continue to repeat even today: We gather under
your protection, holy Mother of God. Do not reject the prayers we say
to you in our need, but save us from all dangers, O glorious and
blessed Virgin.
Our passage through this earth is like a long and dangerous voyage; a
protracted trip through all the seas of the world, in the teeth of wind
and storm, sailing onward towards the safe harbour which the Lord
offers us in glory. On the horizon of our life, the Blessed Virgin is
Stella maris, the star who guides us, who protects us, and invites us
to change course when we lose our bearings.
HISTORY:
In 1809, Napoleon's men entered the Vatican, arrested Pius VII and
brought him in chains to Grenoble, and eventually Fontainbleau. His
imprisonment lasted five years. The Holy Father vowed to God that , if
he were restored to the Roman See, he would institute a special feast
in honor of Mary. Military reverses forced Napoleon to release the
Pope, and on May 24th 1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to Rome.
Twelve months later, the Pope decreed that the feast of Mary Help of
Christians, be kept on the 24th of May.
VIDEO LINK: https://x.com/CardinalDolan/status/1794012981006860354
CNA REPORT: Here are the countries that rank worst in the world in religious freedom
NEWS REPORTS
Catholic Bishop of Jerusalem Tells How Christians Suffer Israeli Invasion of Gaza
Why Cuba is getting worse for the Catholic Church
Nigeria: fourth priest abducted in five months
Catholic students praying rosary attacked in Indonesia
X, Christian Alliance League:
In Artsakh 120,000 Christians were ethnically cleansed from there
Christian homeland. After being blockaded for nine months, their
country was subjected to relentless bombing, resulting in numerous
deaths. Following this assault, Azerbaijan forcibly expelled these
Christians from their ancestral homeland. The genocide continues with
the systematic destruction of Churches in Artsakh and ongoing attacks
on Armenia, the world's first Christian nation. Despite these
atrocities, the United States continues to send military aid to
Azerbaijan, inadvertently supporting the persecution of Christians.
This support must be halted to prevent further loss of life and
cultural heritage.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
7. When he was dying, Bessarion said, 'A monk ought to be like the Cherubim and Seraphim, all eye.'
May 22, 2024
(Gen 32:26-28) And
he said to him: Let me go, for it is break of day. He answered: I will
not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said: What is thy name?
He answered: Jacob. But he said: Thy name shall not be called Jacob,
but Israel; for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more
shalt thou prevail against men?
COMMENTARY: Why Did Jacob Wrestle with an Angel?
CRUX: Like Jacob in the desert, God invites us to a wrestling match
As human beings, we don’t pray in one world and live in another. We are
called to have an integrity, a unity, between the way we pray and the
way we live.
If we live by our own whims and neglect moral goodness, then our prayer
will be depleted of the grace it needs to flourish. If we live a
morally upright life but do not pray, then we can quickly fall into a
pharisaism. We need both prayer and a morally good life if we we’re
going to draw close to God.
Seeking to live in the balance between prayer and action is difficult
and has a lot of possible slips and trips. Chief among them is what the
Lord Jesus called “lip service.” This is when we speak something that
we know is not true about ourselves. We can claim to be a person of
prayer, but we’re not really praying. We can claim a certain moral
goodness, but in fact be very evil and deceptive.
Talk is cheap, especially in a digital world with mass media. We can
say anything and make any claim we want. Lip service is rampant. It is
the death of any real desire for the spiritual life. It starves to
death the soul that would otherwise hunger and thirst for righteousness.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: “The prayer of faith
consists not only in saying ‘Lord, Lord,’ but in disposing the heart to
do the will of the Father.” The disposition of the heart that allows us
to hear and follow the will of God – and the way of life that flows
from it – is necessary if we’re going to receive and exercise the
prayer of faith.
Our lives have to become a part of our prayer, and our prayer has to mold and shape our lives.
It’s a disturbing thought to think that we can pray and call out,
“Lord, Lord!” and yet such prayers become stunted by a rebellious heart
that refuses to trust and follow the will of God.
The Catechism teaches us: “Jesus calls his disciples to bring into
their prayer this concern for cooperating with the divine plan.” The
living God loves us. He calls us to humbly bring our own infidelity and
lack of trust into our prayer itself. As we reject the will of God in
our lives, we are told to bring that very rejection and distrust into
our prayer. The very act of defiance can itself become a prayer, and –
through God’s grace – the defiance can be a means for us to draw closer
to God.
The wrestling match between God and ourselves should never be avoided
or underestimated. God welcomes a good fight as we struggle to listen
and trust him. In our walk with God, we should never be embarrassed or
shy away from questions and challenges. We should bring such things
before God. And we shouldn’t be surprised if God rolls up his sleeves,
assumes a fighting position, and says, “Give me all you’ve got!” And
when we’re done with our complaints, questions, uncertainties,
ambiguities, challenges, we shouldn’t be surprised if he pounces and
initiates a good fight.
This is what we did to our forefather Jacob in the desert of Peniel and
it’s what he’ll do for us. Jacob needed healing and restoration and God
gave those to him but they did not come cheaply. Jacob wrestled with
God in the desert, through the night, by himself. As dawn broke, God
blessed him and re-named him Israel. He had become a new creation, a
new person, and was given a new mission.
This is the wrestling match that God invites us to. He wants us to open
our hearts, raise our voices, and engage in the fight. For those who
wrestle with God, he will bless them and give them a new name. But the
battle has to happen. The faint-hearted must step up. The wayward must
throw their punches and be ready to be back-flipped by the God who
loves them. The wrestling match is where God really teaches us, and
it’s the only place where we truly learn about him.
This is the battle of acceptance and trust. It’s where we learn to trust God and cherish his will.
ST. POPE JOHN PAUL II:
How does Jesus send you? He promises neither sword nor money nor power,
nor any of the things which the means of social communications make
attractive to people today. He gives you instead grace and truth. He
sends you out with the powerful message of his Paschal Mystery, with
the truth of his Cross and Resurrection. That is all he gives you, and
that is all you need.
This grace and truth will in turn give
rise to courage. Following Christ has always demanded courage. The
Apostles, the martyrs, entire generations of missionaries, saints and
confessors – known and unknown, and in every part of the world – have
had the strength to stand firm in the face of misunderstanding and
adversity.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
6. He also said, 'If you really want to, by the evening of one day you can reach a measure of godliness.'
May 19, 2024
(Luk 12:54-56) And
he said also to the multitudes: When you see a cloud rising from the
west, presently you say: A shower is coming. And so it happeneth. And
when ye see the south wind blow, you say: There will heat. And it
cometh to pass. You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the
heaven and of the earth: but how is it that you do not discern this
time?
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Our Lord said to the Apostles,
“When you hear of wars and uprisings, let yourselves not be frightened
. . . . you will be hated by everybody, because of my name” (that is to
say, because of your faithfulness to my doctrine) . . . . “by your
perseverance you will save your souls . . . . When you see these things
beginning to happen, raise your heads and look up, because your
redemption (and your victory) is close at hand.” (Lk. XXI, 9, 17, 19,
28).
Today we are witnessing the signs that announce the great events
alluded to by Our Lord Jesus Christ, St Paul and St John: the Great
Apostasy. Never before have the enemies of Jesus Christ had at their
disposal so many means of destroying all faith and morals in the souls
of children, youngsters and elders. “Crush the infamous (church),”
Voltaire was already crying out in the 18th century to adepts of the
infernal sect – “Let us pull down the throne (or monarchy) in order to
pull down the altar (or Catholic Mass and Church), by secularism
(television, internet, cinema), indecent fashions, and finally by
infiltrating the Church, up to and including the Papacy, thanks to the
Second Vatican Council.
Modern history illustrates the stages of the great Apostasy of the
Nations, the gestures and deeds of the agents of the Antichrist, his
predecessors preparing for the Antichrist himself to come, getting
ready the generation of men to applaud him when he comes (cf. II Thess.
I, 8). A very recent document coming from Rome states that human
dignity is infinite. Here is man pretending to set up his throne inside
the Church, so as to enthrone himself there with the power of the Devil
(II Thess. II, 4).
As he pilgrims of Emmaus said to Our Lord, “Lord, stay with us, for the
day is far spent” (Lk. XXIV, 29) (and darkness is covering the earth).
Have courage, little flock – “I have conquered the world” (Jn. XVI,
33), by the Cross. The Kingdom of God has never been so close.
ON APPARITIONS
FUTURE POPE BENEDICT XVI:
"No apparition is indispensable to the faith; Revelation terminated
with Jesus Christ. He himself is the Revelation. But we certainly
cannot prevent God from speaking to our time through simple people and
also through extraordinary signs that point to the insufficiency of the
cultures stamped by rationalism and positivism that dominate us. The
apparitions that the Church has officially approved... have their own
specific place in the development of the life of the Church in the last
century. They show, among other things, that Revelation - still unique,
concluded, and therefore unsurpassable - is not yet a dead thing but
something alive and vital. Moreover... one of the signs of our time is
that reports of 'Marian apparitions' are multiplying all over the
world...".
And then he continued: " One of our
criteria is to separate the aspect of true or presumed
'supernaturality’ of the apparition from that of its spiritual fruits.
The pilgrimages of ancient Christianity were often concentrated on
places with respect to which our modern critical spirit would be
horrified as to the ‘scientific truth’ of the tradition bound up with
them. This does not detract from the fact that those pilgrimages were
fruitful, beneficial, important for the life of the Christian people.
The problem is not so much that of modern hypercriticism (which ends up
later, moreover, in a form of new credulity), but it is that of the
evaluation of the vitality and of the orthodoxy of the religious life
that is developing around these places."
THE CATHOLIC THING: Taking Mary as a Companion for Pentecost
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
5. Allois said, 'Until you can say in your heart, "only I and God are in the world," you will not be at peace.'
May 15, 2024
(Rev 13:15-18) And
it was given him to give life to the image of the beast: and that the
image of the beast should speak: and should cause that whosoever will
not adore the image of the beast should be slain. And he shall make
all, both little and great, rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, to have
a character in their right hand or on their foreheads: And that no man
might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. He that hath
understanding, let him count the number of the beast. For it is the
number of a man: and the number of him is six hundred sixty-six.
MARK MALLET BLOG: Keep'n It Together
THE CATHOLIC THING: Our Pagan Revolution and What to Do About It
SECULAR BLOG CONCLUSION: The Singularity is...
If we accept the view of the
Technological Singularity I’ve outlined here, then we see that the
Singularity is in essence a process of exponential techno-social
progress: a liftoff that began around 1800 and fundamentally changed
everything about the human condition.
So, it’s been happening for a while and is ongoing. But remember, we
humans are terrible at an intuitive understanding of exponentials.
Exponential progress is slow — often imperceptible — at first. It’s
easy to ignore it, or view it as stable and predictable linear growth.
But it gathers pace and then all of a sudden comes to feel terrifying;
as though it's moving at warp speed.
And that’s what’s happening to us now. We are entering the warp speed
phase of the techno-social process that started some 250 years ago. Not
only will we be living on an exponential curve, we’re going to feel it.
The products of warp speed change will reshape everyday live, dominate
our culture, and strain our politics to and probably beyond breaking
point. That’s why the coming decades will truly be an Exponential Age.
It puts we inhabitants of the 21st-century in a remarkable and
privileged position. We get a ringside seat to the most significant
epoch in human history: the warp speed phase of the Singularity. It’s
that, and nothing less, that the Exponentialist was convened to watch
and understand.
And, as we’ve seen in this essay, it presents us with daunting challenges.
I’ve said that in the coming post-human era — really still more of a
human era after all — the fundamental challenge will be for People of
the Machine and People of the Earth to live well together. What that
demands, in the end, is a new account of ourselves and our ultimate
relationship to the world we inhabit.
Those who see fusion with technology as a route to infinite,
all-knowing transcendence must be able to answer two questions. What,
in the end, are they transcending towards? And why? On the other hand,
those who seek to remain resolutely human, to lean back into our
embodied and organic selves, must be able to explain: what is so
important, so valuable, about the human anyway?
On both sides this requires a renewed vision of what we humans really
are. Of our purpose here, and our ultimate relationship to the cosmos
we find ourselves in. The old religions once supplied such an account.
For many inhabitants of modernity, the scientific revolution dismantled
it. Now we must build anew. What we must make is nothing less than a
religion of the future. A religion that can accommodate the
impossible-yet-real process that is the Singularity.
This, in the end, is the demand that the Exponential Age makes of us
all. That’s the thing about technology. Think about it hard enough, and
you always end up thinking about us. About what it means to be human.
You end up staring in the mirror.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
4. At first Ammoi said to Aesius, 'What do you think of me?' He said,
'You are like an angel, abba.' Later on he said, 'Now what do you think
of me?' Her replied, 'You are like Satan, for even if you speak a good
word, it is like a sword to me.'
May 13, 2024
(John
16:33) I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the
world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the
world.
MY CATHOLIC LIFE!: Our Lady of Fatima
FATHER V ON X: Overview of the Story of Fatima
ALETEIA: Fatima’s “Miracle of the Sun” as visualized by A.I. (Photos)
A MOMENT WITH MARY: Pope John Paul II: "Our Lady's hand deflected the bullet's trajectory"
On May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, the papal enclave
in Rome, several gun shots hit the Polish Pontiff, John Paul II, as he
moved through the crowd of pilgrims attending the general audience.
Journalist Benedetto Nardacci commented: "For the first time, we can
talk about terrorism in the Vatican, where messages of love, concord
and peace have always been broadcast." On May 13 1981, at 5:17pm,
Nardacci witnessed the unthinkable: an assassination attempt on the
life of 60-year-old John Paul II. His assailant, 23-year-old Mehmet Ali
Agca, was a Turkish militant. A Franciscan nun, Sister Letizia Giudici,
managed to tackle him to the ground as he stumbled, dropping his
handgun.
The crowd of 20,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square was stunned and
panicked. In the streets of Borgo (the neighborhood directly east of
Vatican City), close to the scene of the tragedy, a clamor spread:
"They've killed the Pope. The Pope is dead!" And yet, the Successor of
Peter was still alive. On the way to Gemelli Hospital, he murmured the
name of Mary in his native tongue. The Church was celebrating the feast
of Our Lady of Fatima on that day.
John Paul II, in critical condition, spent more than four hours in
surgery. In Rome and around the world, millions of faithful prayed for
him. Their voices, full of fervor and hope, were heard: four days
later, the Holy Father gave an address from his hospital bed. This was
his Regina Caeli prayer, from which springs the strength of forgiveness
and filial confidence in the Mother of the Saviour:
"Praised be Jesus Christ! Dear brothers and sisters, I know that in
these days, and especially in this hour of the Regina Coeli, you are
united with me. I thank you deeply for your prayers and I bless you
all. I am particularly close to the two people who were injured with
me. I pray for the brother who hit me and whom I have sincerely
forgiven. United with Christ, Priest and Victim, I offer my sufferings
for the Church and the world. To you, Mary, I repeat: 'Totus tuus ego
sum', I am all yours".
A year later, John Paul II visited Fatima. He was convinced that the
hand of Our Lady, who had appeared 65 years earlier to the three young
shepherds, had deflected the bullet's trajectory and that she had saved
his life.
PHOTO KRAKOW, POLAND: The blood-stained cassock Pope John Paul II wore on this day in 1981
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
1. A brother asked Arsenius to give him advice. He said to him, 'As far
as possible, try hard to make your inner progress as God would have it,
and by this overcome the passions of the body.' He also said, 'If we
seek God, he will appear to us; if we grasp Him, He will stay with us.'
May 9, 2024
(Joh 16:20-22) Amen,
amen, I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall
rejoice: and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be
turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labour, hath sorrow, because
her hour is come; but when she hath brought forth the child, she
remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the
world. So also you now indeed have sorrow: but I will see you again and
your heart shall rejoice. And your joy no man shall take from you.
YOUTUBE: Dead Come Alive - 2024 (Feat. Tyler Joseph) | An Animation
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Heaven Is Only in Heaven
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: The Ascension: A Source of Lasting Joy
+ Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop: Homily on the Ascension of the Lord
Too often, we look at this world with the attitude and hopes of those
who consider it a place of permanence rather than a passage to the
heavenly goal, while we know that our pilgrimage on this earth has
eternity as its inescapable destination: an eternity of bliss in the
glory of Paradise or an eternity of damnation in the despair of the
flames of Hell. And because of our inclination to believe in an
illusory Hic manebimus optime, we consider the Ascension of Our Lord
almost as an anomalous event, an abandonment on the part of the Savior
who leaves us alone just forty days after His Resurrection.
The flame of the Paschal Candle
that is extinguished after the chanting of the Gospel – signifying
precisely the return of the Incarnate Son to the right hand of the
Father – seems to us, so to speak, in contradiction with what we asked
the divine Majesty a few days ago, through the Rogations: to grant,
preserve and bless the fruits of the earth, to spare us from the
scourge of earthquake, to ward off lightning and storm, pestilence,
famine, and war.
It is difficult – we must admit
this – to be able to pass through a place that we would like to be
happy and prosperous, fertile and generous, serene and free of
conflicts. It is even more difficult when, looking up to the sky, we
often see it furrowed by trails with which evil and ruthless men poison
the air we breathe, pollute fields and springs, rot or dry up crops,
and even go so far as to obscure the sunlight. The inimicus homo does
not only scatter the weeds where the wheat grows: he wants the weeds to
be sown and cultivated, and the wheat to be uprooted and thrown into
the fire; vice to triumph and virtue to be trampled underfoot; death
and sickness to be celebrated, and life – even in the shrine of the
womb or in the innocence of children and the weak – to be struck,
scarred, amputated, and tampered with.
We remain incredulous and shocked
in the face of this subversion, because we do not want to accept the
idea that in addition to the hostile nature that began to exist after
our fall, there has now been added the further snare of homo iniquus et
dolosus, which that nature manipulates, replicates, and imitates
through grotesque artificial surrogates, transgenic foods, and soulless
imitations of Creation, because of the hatred that Satan nurtures
towards the Creator of such gratuitous perfection.
The Lord rises from this valley of
tears, ascends to heaven in jubilatione et in voce tubæ, as if the
angelic hosts were happy to see the Son of God return to his place of
origin, to that eternal and immutable dimension in which the Most Holy
Trinity is the Only Beginning and End of the chosen spirits. But He
ascends to it after He too descended propter nos homines et propter
nostram salutem, becoming incarnate in the virginal womb of Mary Most
Holy, taking on human nature and flesh, facing the Passion and Death on
that Cross which raised Him as Pontifex futurorum bonorum (Heb 9:11),
High Priest of future goods, halfway between earth and heaven, to
create a mystical bridge between us and God. And that humanity assumed
by Our Lord in the Incarnation is borne as the insignia of triumph of
the Victor Rex in the presence of the Eternal Father, and that is why
His Most Holy Body still bears the Wounds of Redemption shining.
This should help us understand two
extremely important concepts. First: the meaning of our earthly life,
which is a pilgrimage to eternity, an exile that we hope with God’s
grace will be temporary, before returning to our true homeland. And
with this conviction, we must also understand that the goods of this
earth – riches, success, power, pleasures – are ballast that we must
get rid of if we are to be able to ascend upwards, to soar as the
biblical eagle flies towards the Divine Sun. Second: the need to
treasure this exile, this pilgrimage in the desert towards the Promised
Land, using the gifts and making fruitful use of the talents that the
Lord has given us, not to make the distance from Heaven more
comfortable and lasting, but to accumulate those spiritual treasures
that neither moth nor rust consume, and that thieves do not break in
and steal (Mt 6:20).
This does not mean despising the
life that Providence has given us, but rather using it for the purpose
it has: the glory of God, to be obtained through our own and others’
sanctification in obedience to His will: fiat voluntas tua – we recite
in the Our Father – sicut in cœlo et in terra, that is, in the
perspective of the eternity that awaits us, and in the temporality of
the passing of days.
Thus, while the divine harmony of
the cosmos marks the days and seasons in which the years of our earthly
life unfold – and for this reason we invoke blessings from Heaven upon
our harvests – in the supernatural order we have the rhythmic cadences
of the Liturgy, which allow us to contemplate the divine Mysteries and
to enjoy a glimpse of that eternity in which the Immaculate Lamb
celebrates the heavenly Liturgy, surrounded by the hosts of Angels and
Saints.
Today our soul is called to look to
the Lord who goes before us to Paradise. Tomorrow, resurrected in our
bodies and led to the Judgment, we will see Him return in glory: Hic
Jesus, qui assumptus est a vobis in cœlum, sic veniet quemadmodum
vidistis eum ascendentem in cœlum (Acts 1:11) – This Jesus, who was
taken up from among you into heaven, will return one day in the same
way as you saw him go into heaven, say the two Angels to the Disciples.
And it will be a return in which time, as we know it, will cease to be
and will enter into divine eternity precisely because the consummatum
est pronounced by the agonizing Savior on the Cross on Good Friday
1,991 years ago will also be valid for the world and for the whole of
humanity, when it has reached the end of trial, exile, and earthly
pilgrimage.
The Paschal Candle represents, as
the Deacon instructs us in the solemn hymn of the Exsultet, the Lumen
Christi, Christ the true Light: as the pillar of fire that preceded the
Jews in crossing the Red Sea, so He also precedes us in our passage
through this world, and in our flight from the wicked who pursue us.
Let us pray that we may be found worthy to reach safety, lest we be
swept away by the waters like Pharaoh’s soldiers. May the Most Holy
Eucharist be our Viaticum, and may the Immaculate Virgin be our Star.
And so may it be.
POPE ST. LEO THE GREAT:
The truth is that the Son of Man was revealed as Son of God in a more
perfect and transcendent way once he had entered into his Father's
glory; he now began to be indescribably more present in his divinity to
those from whom he was further removed in his humanity. A more mature
faith enabled their minds to stretch upward to the Son in his equality
with the Father; it no longer needed contact with Christ's tangible
body, in which as man he is inferior to the Father. For while his
glorified body retained the same nature, the faith of those who
believed in him was now summoned to heights where, as the Father's
equal, the only-begotten Son is reached not by physical handling but by
spiritual discernment.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
118. A hermit said, 'The cowl we use is the symbol of innocence, the
scapular which covers neck and shoulders is the symbol of a cross, the
girdle, the symbol of courage. Let us live our lives in the virtues
symbolized by our habit. If we do everything sincerely, we shall not
fail.'
May 7, 2024
(Luk 1:46-49) And
Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his
handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed. Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me: and
holy is his name.
CARMELITE QUOTES: Marie du jour 2024, 6 May: St. Edith Stein
Join us in our
reflection on the Virgin Mary as the Mother of Grace, exploring a
profound meditation by Saint Edith Stein on divine virginity and
Christ’s love for sinners. Discover how the Virgin of virgins, beneath
the cross, became the Mother of Grace, offering her maternal love to
every soul seeking Christ. Let Edith inspire you to embrace Mary’s
example and become a beacon of God’s grace for others.
Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lBF1DT8bkHjJfpmFz9M78
Antonio Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day: Mary, Our Mother
CATHOLIC EXCHANGE: Mary and the Birds by FR. EDWARD LOONEY
VIA FRANK REGA: Don Dolindo Ruotolo (1882-1970):
If the Lord also asked you: “And you, who do you say I am?”
respond with all your love:
Thou art the Truth, Wisdom, Love in essence…
Thou art the Eternal, the Infinite, the Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit…
What does my intellect say about Thee? I believe in Thee!
What does my will say about Thee? I obey Thee!
What does my heart say about Thee? I love Thee!
And in the obscurity of life, what do I say? I adore Thee!
And in pain, what do I say? I thank Thee and love Thee!
And in darkness, and in distress, what do I say? I trust in Thee, my Lord and my God!
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
117. A hermit said, 'The prophets wrote books. Our predecessors came
after them, and worked hard at them, and then their successors
memorized them. But this generation copies them onto papyrus and
parchment and leaves them unused on the window-ledge.'
May 4, 2024
(Rev 11:19) And
the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament
was seen in his temple. And there were lightnings and voices and an
earthquake and great hail.
(Rev 12:1) And
a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
CATHOLIC CULTURE: Month of Mary
WORD ON FIRE: Join in praying 50,000 Rosaries to bring our loved ones home
Antonio Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day: The Month of Mary
1. It is often said that May is the most beautiful month of the year.
The flowers are in full bloom, the weather is mild, and the first
fruits of the soil are beginning to reward man's labour. It is fitting
that we should dedicate to Mary the most beautiful month of the year,
for she is the most beautiful of God's creatures.
We should offer this month to Mary by increasing our love for her. We
should love her with a filial love, for she loves us with the heart of
a mother. If we contemplate her beauty and goodness, we shall be
inflamed with love for her. It will be a tender love such as we have
for our earthly mother, and at the same time a respectful and
worshipful love such as we ought to have for the Mother of God. Our
offering of the month of May to Mary should result in a twofold
resolution:—the resolution to make good our failings and to advance in
holiness. This is the only way in which we can prove the sincerity of
our affection, by deeds rather than by words. It is certain that we
have many faults of character. Let us examine ourselves in front of Our
Lady's altar by comparing our weakness with her magnificence of soul.
When we have discovered our failings, let us be courageous in
eradicating them. We can offer this sacrifice to Mary with love and
generosity, no matter how hard it may be.
We can spend every day of this month digging out those weeds in the
garden of our soul, which our passions and the influence of the devil
have helped to flourish. Let us plant and bring to perfection in their
place the flowers of Christian virtue. In this way we shall make the
month of May very pleasing to Mary.
2. This work of eradicating our faults and replacing them by their
opposite virtues is a difficult task which we cannot carry out on our
own. Prayer is necessary if we are to obtain the grace which we need.
During Mary's month we should beseech our heavenly Mother with greater
earnestness to obtain for us from her divine Son the grace which we
need to correct the evil in our nature and to perfect it in goodness.
Mary wants us to pray to her because she wishes to obtain for us the
graces which we require. She loves us very much and is ready to help us
to become, like her, living imitations of Jesus in so far as the
weakness of our nature will permit. Among our other prayers let us
remember to give pride of place to the Rosary, whether we recite it in
church or with the family. Let us include at least a quarter of an hour
of meditation; a daily visit, however short, to the Blessed Sacrament
and to Our Lady's altar; an examination of conscience in the evening;
and many ejaculatory prayers during the day which will express our love
for Mary and for her divine Son.
3. Holy Mary, my most tender Mother, I love you and desire to love you
more and more. I realise that I am spiritually poor and imperfect. You
who are close to the all-powerful God, please help me by your favour
and intercession. I know that Jesus will grant everything you ask of
Him. Obtain for me, therefore, during this month, the grace to
eradicate all my vices and to cause to flourish in my soul all the
virtues of which I stand in need. Set my heart on fire with the love of
God and help me to grow more and more like you and like your divine
Son. Amen.
EXCERPT MENSE MAIO ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI:
"May she who experienced the cares and hardships of earthly life, the
weariness of daily toil, the hardships and trials of poverty, and the
sorrows of Calvary, come to aid the needs of the Church and the human
race. May she graciously lend an ear to the devout pleas of those all
over the world who beg her for peace. May she enlighten the minds of
those who rule nations. And finally, may she prevail on God, who rules
the winds and storms, to calm the tempests in men's warring hearts and
grant us peace in our day. What we seek is true peace grounded on the
sturdy foundations of justice and love—on a justice which recognizes
the legitimate rights of the weak as well as those of the strong; on a
love which keeps men from falling into error through excessive concern
for their own interests. Thus each person's rights may be safeguarded
without the rights of others being forgotten or violated".
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
114. Some hermits used to say, 'If you see a young man climbing up to
heaven by his own will, catch him by the foot and pull him down to
earth for it is not good for him.'
May 2, 2024
(Mat 5:10) Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
CNA: 109 years after genocide, Armenia faces another existential threat
VIA Christian Alliance League:
God chose Armenia to be the first nation to embrace Christianity and
spread it to the world. This happened back in the 4th century A.D.
Since then, these Christians have faced tough times, especially from
nearby empires.
1. In the year 301 A.D., King
Tiridates III made Christianity the official religion of this land. But
that didn't stop persecution. Christians still suffered violence and
death.
2. In the following centuries, this
Christian country was controlled by enemies who persecuted Christians
even more. Many were killed for sticking to their faith in Christ.
3. In 1915, the Ottoman Turks
committed the Armenian Genocide. Around 1.5 million Christians were
dead, and many others were forced out of their homes.
4. More recently, in Artsakh, over 120,000 Christians were ethnically cleansed their homes after a 9 month blockade.
Despite all this suffering, these
Christians stayed strong in their faith. Their resilience shows
Christianity's ability to survive and thrive, even in tough times. They
still face attacks today, especially in places like Tavush, from Turkey
and Azerbaijan. As Christians, we should support them in their fight
for their faith and their homeland..
NCR: Don’t Forget the Armenia Refugees of Artsakh
Living in the constant motion of a 24/7 news cycle inevitably pushes
certain headlines off the front page. In recent months, that has been
the plight of tens of thousands of Armenia refugees flung out of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region. In September, neighboring Azerbaijan, an
Islamic nation, invaded Armenia and blockaded what Armenians call
Artsakh. The region has been a locus of ongoing conflict since the fall
of the Soviet Union, but events took a significant turn with the 2023
Azerbaijan offensive.
The result was a massive upheaval for those who call Artsakh home.
Since then, fleeing Armenians — the vast majority of whom are Christian
— have endured the constant threat of danger and the deprivation that
followed.
American diplomat Sam Brownback, a Catholic, called the invasion and
offensive a “religious cleansing” against Armenian Christians.
About 90% of the Armenian population as a whole is Christian, according
to the U.S. State Department, most of whom are Orthodox, and fewer than
10% Catholic. Armenians proudly call their homeland “the first
Christian nation,” referring to King Tiridates III proclaiming
Christianity the official religion of the Kingdom of Armenia at the
beginning of the fourth century. The Armenian Apostolic Church’s
Etchmiadzin Cathedral is frequently cited as the oldest Christian
church in the world. Pope Francis visited the historic site in 2016.
When Pope St. John Paul II traveled to Armenia in September 2001 to
commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia, he
said, “A striking feature of this land are the many crosses in the form
of the khachkar, testifying to your steadfast fidelity to the Christian
faith.” A khachkar is a specifically Armenian artistic representation
of the cross, typically as a free-standing stone monument.
Azerbaijan has routinely led pogroms of destruction against the khachkar over the decades.
POPE FRANCIS: “Your Beatitude, dear
Brothers,” Pope Francis said, “how can we not turn our thoughts to
Armenia, not only in words but above all in our prayers, particularly
for all those fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh and for the many displaced
families seeking refuge?”
“The First World War,” he continued, “was
supposed to be the last …Yet since then, how many conflicts and
massacres have we witnessed, always tragic and always pointless?”
“Let
us all take up the cry for peace,” the Pope urged, “so that it may
touch hearts, even hearts untouched by the sufferings of the poor and
lowly. And above all, let us pray. I pray for you and for Armenia.”
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
111. Another hermit said, 'A man ought always to be working at
something in his cell. If he is busy with the psalms, the devil comes
to him day after day but finds no resting-place there; even if he
succeeds in conquering him and taking him prisoner, God's spirit often
comes to him again. But if we are sinners and do not let God's spirit
come to us, he will leave us alone.'
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