Wednesday, November 30, 2016
“The presbyteral schools are thus the first step, as it were, of the stairs which from the junior to the senior seminaries carry up to the priesthood those young men to whom the Saviour repeats the appeal He addressed to Peter and Andrew, to John and James, ‘Leave your nets; follow Me, I will make you fishers of men.’” Pope Leo XIII, DEPUIS LE JOUR, September 8, 1899
“Many people are concerned with children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is the greatest destroyer of peace today—abortion which brings people to such blindness.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta; National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, February 5, 1994)
"Remember that God is in us when we are in the state of grace and outside of us, so to speak, when we are in a state of sin; but his angel never abandons us. He is our most sincere and faithful friend when we do not make the mistake of saddening him with our wicked conduct." St. Pio of Pietrelcina (G. Del Ton – Il Buon Pastore, 205)
“A man can join any other movement, group, or cult without provoking hostile comment from his neighbors and friends; he can even found some esoteric sun cult of his own and be tolerated as a citizen exercising his legitimate freedom and satisfying his own religious needs. But as soon as anyone joins the Catholic Church, hatred, opposition appear.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Peace of Soul)
"My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially poor sinners… For whom I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces upon souls, but they do not want to accept them. Oh, how indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to so many proofs of love! My Heart drinks only of the ingratitude and forgetfulness of souls living in the world. They have time for everything, but they have no time to come to Me for graces." (paragraph 367) "See, I have left My heavenly throne to become united with you [souls]." (paragraph 1810) "In return for My blessings, I get ingratitude. In return for My love, I get forgetfulness and indifference. My Heart cannot bear this." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1537)
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
“It has been said: We must first treat of the sevenfold Spirit, which reposes in Christ, the Spirit of wisdom:Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God[1 Cor. 1:24]. The Spirit of understanding: I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go[Ps. 31:8]. The Spirit of counsel:And his name shall be called angel of great counsel[ Is. 9:6: LXX]. The Spirit of power (as above):The power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Cor. 1:24]. The Spirit of knowledge: on account of the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the apostle[Eph. 3:19]. The Spirit of truth:I am the way and the life and the truth[ John 14:6]. The Spirit of fear [of God]:The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom[Ps. 110:10] . . . [ there follows an explanation of the various names of Christ:Lord, Word, Flesh, Shepherd, etc.] . . . For the Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of the Father or not only the Spirit of the Son, but the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. For it is written:If anyone love the world, the Spirit of the Father is not in him[1 John 2:15; Rom. 8:9]. Likewise it is written:Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his [Rom. 8:9]. When the Father and the Son are mentioned in this way, the Holy Spirit is understood, of whom the Son himself says in the Gospel, that the Holy Spirit proceedeth from the Father[John 15:26], andhe shall rec eive of mine and shall announce it to you[ John 16:14.]” Pope St. Damasus, “Decree of Damasus”, 382 A.D. (from the acts of the Roman Synod, in the year 382)
“Ethical pollution demands a solution, it needs an Ombudsman who though not involved in all this filth will nevertheless offer himself to haul it away and destroy it; who will be on our side when no one else is; who will snatch up the sour note that is floating in space after deliberate dissonance, and make it the first note in a new and more beautiful symphony; who will carry away this stone pile of radiating wantonness and bury it; who, though his personal life has never added to this garbage, will nevertheless be its master dispose all.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Those Mysterious Priests)
St. Faustina, the Polish nun and apostle of Divine Mercy, wrote in her Diary about making reparation for the sin of abortion. The following is section 1276:
“September 16, 1937. I wanted very much to make a Holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament today. But God’s will was otherwise. At eight o’clock I was seized with such violent pains that I had to go to bed at once. I was convulsed with pain for three hours; that is, until eleven o’clock at night. No medicine had any effect on me, and whatever I swallowed I threw up. At times, the pains caused me to lose consciousness. Jesus had me realize that in this way I took part in His Agony in the Garden, and that He Himself allowed these sufferings in order to offer reparation to God for the souls murdered in the wombs of mothers. I have gone through these sufferings three times now. They always start at eight o’clock in the evening and last until eleven. No medicine can lessen these sufferings. When eleven o’clock comes, they cease by themselves, and I fall asleep at that moment. The following day, I feel very weak.
“September 16, 1937. I wanted very much to make a Holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament today. But God’s will was otherwise. At eight o’clock I was seized with such violent pains that I had to go to bed at once. I was convulsed with pain for three hours; that is, until eleven o’clock at night. No medicine had any effect on me, and whatever I swallowed I threw up. At times, the pains caused me to lose consciousness. Jesus had me realize that in this way I took part in His Agony in the Garden, and that He Himself allowed these sufferings in order to offer reparation to God for the souls murdered in the wombs of mothers. I have gone through these sufferings three times now. They always start at eight o’clock in the evening and last until eleven. No medicine can lessen these sufferings. When eleven o’clock comes, they cease by themselves, and I fall asleep at that moment. The following day, I feel very weak.
“This happened to me for the first time when I was at the sanatorium. The doctors couldn’t get to the bottom of it, and no injection or medicine helped me at all or did I myself have any idea of what the sufferings were about. I told the doctor that never before in my life had I experienced such sufferings, and he declared he did not know what sort of pains they are. But now I understand the nature of these pains, because the Lord himself has made this known to me. Yet when I think that I may perhaps suffer in this way again, I tremble. But I don’t know whether I’ll ever again suffer in this way; I leave that to God. What it pleases God to send, I will accept with submission and love. If only I could save even one soul from murder by means of these sufferings!” Saint Maria Faustina Kowalsa
Monday, November 28, 2016
Saint John Bosco on Islam
"It would take too long to tell you all the stories about this famous impostor (...) Mohamed's religion consists of a monstrous mixtures of Judaism, Paganism and Christianity. Mohamed propagated his religion, not through miracles or persuasive words, but through the force of arms. [It is] a religion that favors every sort of licentiousness and which, in a short time, allowed Mohamed to become the leader of troop of brigands. Along with them he raided the countries of the East and conquered the people, not by introducing the Truth, not by miracles or prophecy; but for one reason only: to raise his sword over the heads of the conquered shouting: believe or die."
"It would take too long to tell you all the stories about this famous impostor (...) Mohamed's religion consists of a monstrous mixtures of Judaism, Paganism and Christianity. Mohamed propagated his religion, not through miracles or persuasive words, but through the force of arms. [It is] a religion that favors every sort of licentiousness and which, in a short time, allowed Mohamed to become the leader of troop of brigands. Along with them he raided the countries of the East and conquered the people, not by introducing the Truth, not by miracles or prophecy; but for one reason only: to raise his sword over the heads of the conquered shouting: believe or die."
“If we would please this divine Infant, we too must become children, simple and humble; we must carry to him flowers of virtue, of meekness, of mortification, of charity; we must clasp him in the arms of our love.” (St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, C.Ss.R., Bishop and Doctor of the Church; reflecting on Saint Bonaventure’s words about Christ)
"Know this, My daughter: if you strive for perfection you will sanctify many souls; and if you do not strive for sanctity, by the same token, many souls will remain imperfect. Know that their perfection will depend on your perfection, and the greater part of the responsibility for these souls will fall on you" WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1165)
Sunday, November 27, 2016
“Now could it possibly happen that the sun be smote or sliced, which otherwise encompasses the axe and the tree? So therefore in Christ, his body indeed is the tree, the axe His passion, the sun is His Godhead. Christ suffered [endured His Passion], without His Divinity suffering any diminution on account of his Passion. [Latin: Num fieri potest ut sol feriatur aut caedatur, qui caeteroquin securim et arborem prorsus circumambit? Sic igitur in Christo, corpus quidem est arbor, securis passio, sol est divinitas. Passus est Christus, quin divinitas diminutionem ullam propter passionem perpessa est.]” Pope St. Sylvester I (Fragment quoted by Migne, PL.)
With today's first Sunday of Advent, a new liturgical year begins. The Church takes up her journey again, and invites us to reflect more intensely on the mystery of Christ, a mystery that is always new and that time cannot exhaust. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Thanks to him, the history of humanity proceeds as a pilgrimage toward the fulfilment of the Kingdom which he inaugurated with his Incarnation and victory over sin and death. -St. John Paul II
“Much remains to be done to support those whose lives are wounded and to restore hope to those who are afraid of life. Courage is needed to resist pressures and false slogans, to proclaim the supreme dignity of all life, and to demand that society itself give it its protection. A distinguished American, Thomas Jefferson, once stated: ’The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the just and only legitimate object of good government’ -March 31, 1809. I wish therefore to praise all the members of the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches, all men and women of the Judeo-Christian heritage, as well as all people of good will who unite in common dedication for the defense of life in its fullness and for the promotion of all human rights.” (Saint John Paul II, Homily in Washington, D.C., October 7, 1979)
“Centuries ago the Star of Bethlehem became the beacon that led the truly Wise Men to the God Whose love became Incarnate and who preached love God and love your neighbor. On this day millions of stars are out again, shining in the crystal skies of millions of American homes, whence the flower of American manhood has gone out to right a world that forgot the meaning of that first star and the Love that lived at the end of its trail.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Seven Pillars of Peace)
"The Lord visited me today and said, My daughter, do not be afraid of what will happen to you. I will give you nothing beyond your strength. You know the power of My grace; let that be enough. After these words, the Lord gave me a deeper understanding of the action of His grace." (Saint Faustina's Diary 1491)
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Pope John XV, at a council of Rome, proclaims his Canonization of Ulrich of Augsburg, January 31, 993 A.D.: “...of the life and miracles of Venerable Ulrich, recently bishop of the holy church in Augsburg...Because the presence and congregating of the priests is attested to by the Holy Ghost, it is certain what we read, for neither can our truth deceive, of which in the Gospel is this statement: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt. 18) [The pope goes on to mention the many miracles attesting to the manifestation of the saints including]...to illumine the blind, to cast out demons from obsessing bodies, to cure the lame, and to show forth myriad other signs... [the pope then goes on to decree the memory of Ulrich for the veneration of the faithful, as the Church venerates all saints] that the honor may redound to the Lord, who says ‘He who receiveth you, receiveth me’ (Matt. 10:40)...”
“And so the Friars who are inspired by God to work as missionaries among the Saracens [Mohammedans] and other unbelievers must get permission to go from their minister, who is their servant. [...] We Friars Minor, servants and worthless as we are, humbly beg and implore everyone to persevere in the true faith and in a life of penance; there is no other way to be saved. We beseech the whole world to do this, all those who serve our lord and God within the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, together with the whole hierarchy, priests, deacons, subdeacons, acolytes, exorcists, lectors, porters, and all clerics and religious, male or female; we beg all children, big and small, the poor and the needy, kings and princes, laborers and farmers, servants and masters; we beg all virgins and all other women, married or unmarried; we beg all lay folk, men and women, infants and adolescents, young and old, the healthy and the sick, the little and the great, all peoples, tribes, families and languages, all nations and all men everywhere, present and to come; we Friars Minor beg them all to persevere in the true faith and in a life of penance.” (Rule of 1221) Saint Francis of Assisi O.F.M., Founder, (died A.D. 1226)
Friday, November 25, 2016
“The humble person is embarrassed with praise because he knows that his voice, his talents or his power come to him from God. In his heart of hearts, he passes the thanks on to God when the lips of men exalt him. He takes praise as a window receives light, never to possess it and hoard it unto himself, but to pass it through with thanksgiving to God who so endowed him.”
~ Fulton J. Sheen, Bishop Sheen Writes, June 22, 1955.
"The Lord points out and calls, but we do not want to see and answer because we prefer our own interests. It also sometimes happens that because the voice is always audible, we no longer hear it; but the Lord enlightens and calls. It is man who puts himself in the position of no longer being able to hear." St. Pio of Pietrelcina ( P. Pio Archives )
“Light is not in the eye, but the eyes see because of it; food is not in the stomach, but it is thanks to food that the body lives; sound is not in the ear, but it is thanks to harmony that the ear hears. In the spiritual order it is the same: what air is to the lungs, prayer is to the soul. As Our Lord said, ‘Without Me, you can do nothing.’ He did not mean that we could do nothing in the natural order without Him, But He meant that we could do nothing in the spiritual order without His grace.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lenten & Easter Inspirations)
Thursday, November 24, 2016
“Let us fix our gaze on the blood of Christ, realizing how precious it is to His Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world.”
“Heretical teachers pervert Scripture and try to get into Heaven with a false key, for they have formed their human assemblies later than the Catholic Church. From this previously-existing and most true Church, it is very clear that these later heresies, and others which have come into being since then, are counterfeit and novel inventions.”
“Charity unites us to God. There is nothing mean in charity, nothing arrogant. Charity knows no schism, does not rebel, does all things in concord. In charity all the elect of God have been made perfect.”
Pope St. Clement I, pray for us!
“What We have said concerning the ‘mystical Head’ [108] would indeed be incomplete if We were not at least briefly to touch on this saying of the same Apostle: ‘Christ is the Head of the Church: he is the Savior of his Body.’ [109] For in these words we have the final reason why the Body of the Church is given the name of Christ, namely, that Christ is the Divine Savior of this Body. The Samaritans were right in proclaiming Him ‘Savior of the world’; [110] for indeed He most certainly is to be called the ‘Savior of all men,’ even though we must add with Paul: ‘especially of the faithful, [111] since, before all others, He has purchased with His Blood His members who constitute the Church. [112] But as We have already treated this subject fully and clearly when speaking of the birth of the Church on the Cross, of Christ as the source of life and the principle of sanctity, and of Christ as the support of His Mystical Body, there is no reason why We should explain it further; but rather let us all, while giving perpetual thanks to God, meditate on it with a humble and attentive mind. For that which our Lord began when hanging on the Cross, He continues unceasingly amid the joys of heaven: ‘Our Head’ says St. Augustine ‘intercedes for us: some members He is receiving, others He is chastising, others cleansing, others consoling, others creating, others calling, others recalling, others correcting, others renewing.’ [113] But it is for us to cooperate with Christ in this work of salvation, "from one and through one saved and saviours.’” Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi, June 29, 1943, Par. 59
Ft. Notes: 108. Cf. Ambrose, De Elia et ieiun., 10, 36-37, et In Psalm. 118, serm. 20, 2: Migne, P.L., XIV, 710 et XV, 1483.
109. Eph., V, 23.
110. John, IV, 42.
111. Cf. l Tim., IV, 10.
112. Acts, XX, 28.
113. Enarr. in Ps., LXXXV, 5; Migne, P.L., XXXVII, 1085.
Ft. Notes: 108. Cf. Ambrose, De Elia et ieiun., 10, 36-37, et In Psalm. 118, serm. 20, 2: Migne, P.L., XIV, 710 et XV, 1483.
109. Eph., V, 23.
110. John, IV, 42.
111. Cf. l Tim., IV, 10.
112. Acts, XX, 28.
113. Enarr. in Ps., LXXXV, 5; Migne, P.L., XXXVII, 1085.
“Tully reckons thankfulness a special part of justice (De Invent. Rhet. ii)... Now the cause of debt is found primarily and chiefly in God, in that He is the first principle of all our goods... It is written (Luke 7:43): ‘To whom more is forgiven, he loveth more.’ Therefore for the same reason he is bound to greater thanksgiving. ...Thanksgiving [gratiarum actio] in the recipient corresponds to the favor [gratia] of the giver: so that when there is greater favor on the part of the giver, greater thanks are due on the part of the recipient. Now a favor is something bestowed ‘gratis’: wherefore on the part of the giver the favor may be greater on two counts. First, owing to the quantity of the thing given: and in this way the innocent owes greater thanksgiving, because he receives a greater gift from God, also, absolutely speaking, a more continuous gift, other things being equal. Secondly, a favor may be said to be greater, because it is given more gratuitously; and in this sense the penitent is more bound to give thanks than the innocent, because what he receives from God is more gratuitously given: since, whereas he was deserving of punishment, he has received grace. Wherefore, although the gift bestowed on the innocent is, considered absolutely, greater, yet the gift bestowed on the penitent is greater in relation to him: even as a small gift bestowed on a poor man is greater to him than a great gift is to a rich man. And since actions are about singulars, in matters of action, we have to take note of what is such here and now, rather than of what is such absolutely, as the Philosopher observes (Ethic. iii) in treating of the voluntary and the involuntary.” St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa, Secunda Secundae, Q. 106
"Why is there evil in the world? Listen carefully. There is a mother who is embroidering. Her son sitting on a low stool sees her work, but upside down. He sees the knots of the embroidery; the tangled threads, and says: ” Mother, what are you doing? Your work is not at all clear?” Then the mother lowers the embroidery frame and shows the right side of her work. Each colour is in its place and the variety of threads form a harmonious design. So, we are seeing the reverse side of the embroidery. We are sitting on the low stool. St. Pio of Pietrelcina ( G. Gigliozzi – I monili dello Sposo, 106 )
“You cannot always depend on prayers to be answered the way you want them answered but you can always depend on God, the loving Father often denies us those things which in the end would prove harmful to us. Every boy wants a revolver at age four, and no father yet has ever granted that request. Why should we think God is less wise? Someday we will thank God not only for what He gave us, but also for that which He refused.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Wartime Prayer Book)
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
The same effects which result from these evils among individuals may likewise be expected among nations. "From whence are wars and contentions among you?" asks the Apostle St. James. "Are they not hence from your concupiscences, which war in your members?" (James iv, 1, 2)
The inordinate desire for pleasure, concupiscence of the flesh, sows the fatal seeds of division not only among families but likewise among states; the inordinate desire for possessions, concupiscence of the eyes, inevitably turns into class warfare and into social egotism; the inordinate desire to rule or to domineer over others, pride of life, soon becomes mere party or factional rivalries, manifesting itself in constant displays of conflicting ambitions and ending in open rebellion, in the crime of lese majeste, and even in national parricide.
These unsuppressed desires, this inordinate love of the things of the world, are precisely the source of all international misunderstandings and rivalries, despite the fact that oftentimes men dare to maintain that acts prompted by such motives are excusable and even justifiable because, forsooth, they were performed for reasons of state or of the public good, or out of love for country. Patriotism -- the stimulus of so many virtues and of so many noble acts of heroism when kept within the bounds of the law of Christ -- becomes merely an occasion, an added incentive to grave injustice when true love of country is debased to the condition of an extreme nationalism, when we forget that all men are our brothers and members of the same great human family, that other nations have an equal right with us both to life and to prosperity, that it is never lawful nor even wise, to dissociate morality from the affairs of practical life, that, in the last analysis, it is "justice which exalteth a nation: but sin maketh nations miserable." (Proverbs xiv, 34) Pope Pius Xi, Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio, Encylical on the Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ, December 23, 1922, par. 23-25
“The Virgin, whether she understood or whether she could not yet understand, equally laid up all things in her heart for reflection and diligent examination. Hence it follows, And, his mother laid up all these things, etc. Mark the wisest of mothers, Mary the mother of true wisdom, becomes the scholar or disciple of the Child. For she yielded to Him not as to a boy, nor as to a man, but as unto God. Further, she pondered upon both His divine words and works, so that nothing that was said or done by Him was lost upon her, but as the Word itself was before in her womb, so now she conceived the ways and words of the same, and in a manner nursed them in her heart. And while indeed she thought upon one thing at the time, another she wanted to be more clearly revealed to her; and this was her constant rule and law through her whole life.” St. Theophylus (as quoted in the Catena Aurea)
"Place all your worries God alone, because He has the greatest care of you, and those three angelic children with whom He has blessed you. By their conduct, these children will be a comfort and consolation to you during your lifetime. Take care, not so much of their scientific as of their moral education. And you should take this very seriously, and guard it as the pupil of your eye. As you educate their minds with good studies, assure the education of their hearts, along with that of our holy religion; one without the other causes a mortal wound to the human heart." St. Pio of Pietrelcina ( A. del Fante, 467 )
"Protestants, Jews and Catholics have God, morality, and religion in common. In the name of God, let us do two things: 1. Realize that an attack upon one is an attack upon all, since we are all one in God; it is not tolerance we need, but charity; not forbearance but love. 2. Begin doing something about religion, and the least we can do is say our prayers; to implore God's blessings upon the world and our country; to thank Him for his blessings; and to become illumined in the fullness of His truth. There is entirely too much talk about religion and not enough action." Archbishop Fulton Sheen
When, on one occasion, instead of interior prayer, I took up a book of spiritual reading, I heard these words spoken distinctly and forcefully within my soul, You will prepare the world for My final coming. These words moved me deeply, and although I pretended not to hear them, I understood them very well and had no doubt about them. Once, being tired out from this battle of love with God, and making constant excuses on the grounds that I was unable to carry out this task, I wanted to leave the chapel, but some force held me back and I found myself powerless. Then I heard these words, You intend to leave the chapel, but you shall not get away from Me, for I am everywhere. You cannot do anything of yourself, but with Me you can do all things WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary, 429).
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Saint Eulogio whilst imprisoned by Mohammedans said: “The Church has been deprived of the sacred ministry, of prayer, sermons, and the Divine Office; we have neither oblations, nor sacrifice, nor incense, nor place for offering whereby we might placate our God. With mournful souls, in the spirit of humility, we offer Christ our suffrages of praise, so that if the choir psalmody is silenced in the churches, the sacred chant of hymns may resound in the prisons.”
“There is a moment in every good meditation when the God-life enters our life and another moment when our life enters the God-life. These events transform us utterly. Sick, nervous, fearful individuals are made well by this communion of creature with Creator, this letting of God into the soul.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)
Once the Lord said to me, My Heart was moved by great mercy towards you, My dearest child, when I saw you torn to shreds because of the great pain you suffered in repenting for your sins. I see your love, so pure and true that I give you first place among the virgins. You are the honor and glory of My Passion. I see every abasement of your soul, and nothing escapes my attention. I lift up the humble even to my very throne, because I want it so. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 282)
Monday, November 21, 2016
“We, therefore, with what is traditionally the attribute of sovereign pontiff, we approve this calendar, now reformed and made perfect thanks to the infinite benevolence of God towards his Church, and we order that it is printed in Rome with the martyrology. ...We thus remove and absolutely abolish the old calendar and we wish that all the patriarchs, primacies, archbishops, bishops, abbots and other leaders of Churches put into force for the reading of the divine office and the celebration of the festivals, each one in his Church, monastery, convent, command, army or diocese, the new calendar, to which was adapted the martyrology, and make use only of this one, as well as all the other priests and clerks, secular and regular, of the both genders, as well as soldiers and all Christians, this calendar whose use will start after the ten days removal of October 1582. As for those however which live in areas too distant to take knowledge of this letter in time, they are allowed to make such a change in October of the year which will follow immediately, namely 1583, or the next one, as soon, of course, as this letter will have come to them, in the manner that we indicated above and as that will be more abundantly explained in the calendar of the year of the reform.
In addition, under the terms of the authority with which we were invested by God, we exhort and request our very dear sons in Christ, our illustrious Rudolph [II], King of the Romans become emperor, as well as the other kings and princes, just as the republics. We recommend to them, both since they sought us to achieve this very admirable work, but also, and even especially, in order to maintain harmony between the Christian nations in the celebration of the festivals, to adopt for themselves our calendar and to take care that all their subjects adopt it respectfully and conform to it scrupulously.
...No one among men, therefore, is permitted to infringe on this page, our prescription, mandate, establishment, wish, approval, prohibition, suppression, abolition, exhortation and request, nor dare reckless opposition. But if anyone shall have presumed to attempt this, he shall have acquainted the incursion the wrath of Almighty God, as even His blessed apostles Peter and Paul.” Pope Gregory XIII, Inter Gravissimas, February 24, 1581
In addition, under the terms of the authority with which we were invested by God, we exhort and request our very dear sons in Christ, our illustrious Rudolph [II], King of the Romans become emperor, as well as the other kings and princes, just as the republics. We recommend to them, both since they sought us to achieve this very admirable work, but also, and even especially, in order to maintain harmony between the Christian nations in the celebration of the festivals, to adopt for themselves our calendar and to take care that all their subjects adopt it respectfully and conform to it scrupulously.
...No one among men, therefore, is permitted to infringe on this page, our prescription, mandate, establishment, wish, approval, prohibition, suppression, abolition, exhortation and request, nor dare reckless opposition. But if anyone shall have presumed to attempt this, he shall have acquainted the incursion the wrath of Almighty God, as even His blessed apostles Peter and Paul.” Pope Gregory XIII, Inter Gravissimas, February 24, 1581
At Nevers a boat was ready to convey the little band of exiles down the Loire to the sea-coast. During the embarkation, a soldier struck one of the monks, Lua by name, a most saintly man, with an oar, because he was not brisk enough about climbing into the boat. This act of wanton cruelty aroused the indignation of Columban, “Miserable wretch,” he said to the ruffian, “why do you increase our sorrows? How dare you strike the weary members of Christ? Why add to the number of your sins, which are already sufficient enough to damn you? Know that God will punish you for this crime, here at this very spot where in your rage you have struck a servant of Christ!” The Saint’s prediction was fulfilled to the letter. Returning to the same course, the unhappy man fell overboard and was drowned at the very spot where he had struck Lua. (pg. 183-184 of The Life and Writings of St. Columban, 542-615, Imprimatur: Edmond F. Prendergast, Archbishop of Philadelphia, 1 November 1914)
"God gave me my poor sister, and God has taken her away. Blessed be his holy name. In this resignation and exclamation I find the strength to avoid giving way to sorrow. I exhort you, too, to resign yourselves to the divine will, and you will find, like me, relief for your sorrow." St Pio of Pietrelcina ( Letters IV, p.904 )
“In that scroll and sequence of years, for what am I most thankful?
First, when born, my mother, like Hannah,
Laid me on the altar of the Blessed Mother
and dedicated me to the service of her Son.
This my blessed assurance that the Lord will one day say,
‘I heard My Mother speak of you.’” Archbishop Fulton Sheen
First, when born, my mother, like Hannah,
Laid me on the altar of the Blessed Mother
and dedicated me to the service of her Son.
This my blessed assurance that the Lord will one day say,
‘I heard My Mother speak of you.’” Archbishop Fulton Sheen
"My daughter, know that if I allow you to feel and have a more profound knowledge of My sufferings, that is a grace from Me. But when your mind is dimmed and your sufferings are great, it is then that you take an active part in My Passion, and I am conforming you more fully to Myself. It is your task to submit yourself to My will at such times, more than at others . . . " WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary, 1697).
Sunday, November 20, 2016
“It is unlawful to follow one line of conduct in private life and another in public, respecting privately the authority of the Church, but publicly rejecting it; for this would amount to joining together good and evil, and to putting man in conflict with himself; whereas he ought always to be consistent, and never in the least point nor in any condition of life to swerve from Christian virtue.” Leo XIII, Immortale Dei, “On the Christian Constitution of States,” paragraph 47
Watchful and sleepless, the king (Alfred) was lying in his bed, when, by permission of the merciful God, His servant St. Neot appeared to him. “Knowest thou not,” he said, “How vain are the thoughts of man. They who hope in the Lord shall take courage, they shall make to themselves wings as eagles, they shall fly and shall not faint. Now, therefore, up and be doing; for thou shalt go forth to do battle with these heathens, and the Lord shall be with thee, and they shall flee before thee, and King Guthrum and his nobles shall be humbled, and shall leave their idols and be baptized. And behold, I will go with thee, and with power from above I will lead thy forces to the battle and they shall be victorious. The seventh week after Easter thou shalt go forth.” (pg. 121 of Lives of the English Saints: Life of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Apostle of then English, with some account of the early British Church)
"When loaves are more valued than Divine Power which multiplied them: when streams are more admired than the fountains that produced them, mankind will accept any kind of a king that promises bread and plenty. Nor let it be forgotten that He Who promised the spiritual did not deny bread to the poor. Our hopes and our liberties are sold too cheap when they are bartered away to him who feeds the body and leaves the soul naked. This is the problem: The whole world is dying of hunger -- the Eastern World is dying of hunger of body: the Western World is dying of hunger of soul. The first will be fed, but not by those who hate liberty when they give them flour; the Western World will be saved by feeding the East while recognizing their own hunger of the Spirit and seeking again the true King of Hearts Who gives "The Bread of Life"." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (God Love You)
Saturday, November 19, 2016
“... We were terrified beyond all else by the disastrous state of human society today. For who can fail to see that society is at the present time, more than in any past age, suffering from a terrible and deep-rooted malady which, developing every day and eating into its inmost being, is dragging it to destruction? You understand, Venerable Brethren, what this disease is—apostasy from God, than which in truth nothing is more allied with ruin ...” Pope St. Pius X, E Supremi
“But God made you without you. You didn’t, after all, give any consent to God making you. How were you to consent, if you didn’t yet exist? So, while he made you without you, he doesn’t justify you without you. So, he made you without you knowing it, he justifies you with your willing consent to it.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 169)
Friday, November 18, 2016
"May the Lord bless you and render the family yoke less heavy for you. Always be good. Remember that there are difficult duties in wedlock that only divine grace can facilitate. Always be worthy of this grace and the Lord will preserve you unto the third and fourth generation." St. Pio of Pietrelcina (A.da S. Marco in Lamis,169)
“The only way to try love is in a trial which forces us to declare it. The only way for Adam and Eve as free moral beings to prove their love and gratitude to God was by choosing Him in preference to all else. The story of the Fall as recorded in Genesis is known to all. Satan, appearing in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve with the question that destroyed confidence, which is the root of all love. The lingering thought passes into a vivid imagination, the vivid imagination into a burning wish, the burning wish into a half-formed purpose, the half-formed purpose into a hasty act.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen
"Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love."
WORD OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1447)
Thursday, November 17, 2016
"After I had gone into the refectory, during the reading, my whole being found itself plunged in God. Interiorly, I saw God looking at us with great pleasure. I remained alone with the Heavenly Father. At that moment, I had a deeper knowledge of the Three Divine Persons, whom we shall contemplate for all eternity and, after millions of years, shall discover that we have just barely begun our contemplation. Oh, how great is the mercy of God, who allows man to participate in such a high degree in His divine happiness! At the same time, what great pain pierces my heart [at the thought] that so many souls have spurned this happiness." (Saint Faustina's Diary 1439)
4. Recourse to God, so infinitely good, is all the more necessary because, far from abating, the struggle grows fiercer and expands unceasingly. It is no longer only the Christian faith that they would uproot at all costs from the hearts of the people; it is any belief which lifting man above the horizon of this world would supernaturally bring back his wearied eyes to heaven. Illusion on the subject is no longer possible. War has been declared against everything supernatural, because behind the supernatural stands God, and because it is God that they want to tear out of the mind and heart of man. (Une Fois Encore, On the Separation of Church and State by Pope St. Pius X, promulgated January 6, 1907)
Raising his eyes and looking up to heaven, as he knelt for the blessing of his consecrator, our saint replied, with an earnestness that brought tears to the eyes of both, “By God’s help and strength I now make my choice, and never for the love and favor of an earthly king will I forego the grace of the Kingdom of Heaven.” (pg. 71 of the Life and Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, by John M. Morris, Priest of the Society of Jesus)
"Be totally resigned in the hands of our Lord, giving Him your remaining years, and begging Him always, to fill them with preparations for a life which is pleasing to Him. Don’t worry about useless promises of tranquillity, enjoyment or merits, but present your hearts to your divine Spouse, totally emptying it of all other affections, except his chaste love. And beseech Him to fill it purely and simply with actions, desires and a will which pertain to his love, so that your hearts, like mother of pearl, do not conceive anything, except with the dew of Heaven, and not with the water of the world." St. Pio of Pietrelcina ( Letters III, pp.572-573)
"That one woman is both mother and virgin, not in spirit only, but even in body. In spirit she is mother, not of our head, who is our Savior himself—of whom all, even she herself, are rightly called children of the bridegroom—but plainly she is the mother of us who are his members, because by love she has cooperated so that the faithful, who are the members of that head, might be born in the Church. In body, indeed, she is the Mother of that very head." - St. Augustine
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Pope Pius XII, Haurietis Aquas, encyclical on devotion to the Sacred Heart, May 15, 1956: “93. But if men have always been deeply moved by the pierced Heart of the Savior to a worship of that infinite love with which He embraces mankind -- since the words of the prophet Zacharias, ‘They shall look on Him Whom they have pierced,’[Zac. 12:10] referred by St. John the Evangelist to Jesus nailed to the Cross [Jn. 19:37], have been spoken to Christians in all ages -- it must yet be admitted that it was only by a very gradual advance that the honors of a special devotion were offered to that Heart as depicting the love, human and divine, which exists in the Incarnate Word.
94. But for those who wish to touch on the more significant stages of this devotion through the centuries, if we consider outward practice, there immediately occur the names of certain individuals who have won particular renown in this matter as being the advance guard of a form of piety which, privately and very gradually, has gained more and more strength in religious congregations. To cite some examples in establishing this devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and continuously promoting it, great service was rendered by St. Bonaventure, St. Albert the Great, St. Gertrude, St. Catherine of Siena, Blessed Henry Suso, St. Peter Canisius, St. Francis de Sales. St. John Eudes was responsible for the first liturgical office celebrated in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus whose solemn feast, with the approval of many Bishops in France, was observed for the first time on October 20th, 1672.”
94. But for those who wish to touch on the more significant stages of this devotion through the centuries, if we consider outward practice, there immediately occur the names of certain individuals who have won particular renown in this matter as being the advance guard of a form of piety which, privately and very gradually, has gained more and more strength in religious congregations. To cite some examples in establishing this devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and continuously promoting it, great service was rendered by St. Bonaventure, St. Albert the Great, St. Gertrude, St. Catherine of Siena, Blessed Henry Suso, St. Peter Canisius, St. Francis de Sales. St. John Eudes was responsible for the first liturgical office celebrated in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus whose solemn feast, with the approval of many Bishops in France, was observed for the first time on October 20th, 1672.”
“Our Lord had often incited [St. Gertrude] to desire her deliverance from the flesh; and now she became seriously ill, so that the physicians had no hope of her recovery. This intelligence filled her with joy, and she said to Our Lord: ‘Although I desire, above all things, to be delivered from the prison of the flesh, and united to Thee, nevertheless, if it pleases Thee, I would willingly remain on earth and endure the severest suffering, even until the day of judgement.’” (Chapter 25 of the Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude the Great, translated and published in 1862 by The Poor Clare's of Kenmare.)
"I beseech you. For the love of God, do not fear God, because He doesn’t want to do you any harm at all. Love Him a great deal because He wants to do you a great deal of good. Walk simply, with certainty in your resolutions, and reject the reflections of spirit concerning your suffering, treating them as cruel temptations." St Pio of Pietrelcina ( Letters III, p. 573)
"Sanctification does not depend on our geography or on our work or circumstances. Some people imagine that if they were in another place, or married to a different spouse, or had a different job, or had more money, they could do God’s work so much better. The truth is that it makes no difference where they are; it all depends on whether what they are doing is God’s will and done for love of Him.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)
"What wonderful majesty! What stupendous condescension! O sublime humility! That the Lord of the whole universe, God and the Son of God, should humble Himself like this under the form of a little bread, for our salvation"
"...In this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood." - St. Francis of Assisi
"...In this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood." - St. Francis of Assisi
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
"Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you - for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart...don't listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love...
"Receive Communion often, very often...there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing..."
"The guest of our soul knows our misery; He comes to find an empty tent within us - that is all He asks." - St. Therese of Lisieux
"Receive Communion often, very often...there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing..."
"The guest of our soul knows our misery; He comes to find an empty tent within us - that is all He asks." - St. Therese of Lisieux
“It has most especially been the habit of the Roman Church, the head of all the Churches, to render to the Churches of the East a great degree of honor and love in remembrance of the Apostles, to rejoice in her turn in their faithful obedience. Amidst changing and difficult times, she has never failed in any way in farsightedness and acts of kindness to sustain them against the forces that would strike them again and again, to hold fast to those that were overwhelmed, to call back those in discord with her. Nor was it the last expression of her watchfulness that she guard and preserve in them whole and entire forever the customs and distinct forms for administering the sacraments that she had declared legitimate in her wise jurisdiction. Examples of this are the many decisions of Our Predecessors, in the first place Pius IX of happy memory, promulgated in their own pontifical acts or through documents issuing from the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. We ourselves have felt the prompting of no lesser zeal. At the very beginning of Our Pontificate, We turned eyes full of love towards the Christian nations of the East. We made haste, in fact, to direct Our solicitude to alleviating their state of want. We then saw the beginning of other opportunities for bearing witness to Our feelings of kind regard and expressing them in deeds. But nothing was nor is more important, nothing more sacred than to kindle the ardor, to elicit fruitfulness in the Faith in those souls in union with the Apostolic See, so that they shine forth as renewed proofs of the excellence and glory of their ancestors.” Pope Leo XIII, Orientalium Dignitas, Nov. 30th, 1894
St. Lydwine of Schiedam was a victim soul who suffered for the salvation of others and in reparation for their sins, who said: “No, there is but one thing now that I desire; it is; not to be deprived of my discomforts and pains.” When the Carnival was near, she cried: “Lord, revenge Thyself on me for the additional offenses which these feasts will inflict on Thee!” (Quoted in “Saint Lydwine of Schiedam” by J. K. Huysmans, tr. by Agnes Hastings, NIHIL OBSTAT, IMPRIMATUR, 1922)
Writing on the Lord’s gift of the Eucharist… “He could not have commanded anything more beneficial, for this Sacrament is the fruit of the tree of life. Anyone who receives this Sacrament with the devotion of sincere faith will never taste death. It is a tree of life for those who grasp it, and blessed is he who holds it fast. The man who feeds on Me shall live on account of Me.” (St. Albert the Great, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church)
"I see that all the seasons of the year can be found in your souls. Sometimes you feel the winter of much sterility, distractions, restlessness and boredom; sometimes the dews of the month of May with the perfume of holy little flowers [penance]; sometimes the heat of the desire to please our divine Spouse. Nothing remains but the autumn in which you don’t see much fruit, but it often happens that when the grain is threshed and the grapes crushed, there is a bigger harvest than the harvesting promised." St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III, p. 592).
“There is a law that is not in nature, at least not in raw nature, namely, We who are strong should bear the infirmities of the weak and not please ourselves. It is here that Christianity makes it most unique and distinctive pronouncement, and gives the supreme example of Divinity dying for the weakness and sinfulness of humanity. The Christian law is not the survival of the fittest but the survival of the unfit.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)
"As soon as she [Mary] had the use of reason, that is, from the first moment of her immaculate conception in the womb of St. Anne, from that time she began with all her powers to love her God; and thus she continued to do, ever advancing more in perfection and love through her whole life. All her thoughts, her desires, her affections, were wholly given to God; not a word, not a motion, not a glance of the eye, not a breath of hers that was not for God and for his glory, never departing one step, nor separating herself for one moment from the divine love." - St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri
"When I steeped myself in prayer, I was transported in spirit to the chapel, where I saw the Lord Jesus, exposed in the monstrance. In place of the monstrance, I saw the glorious face of the Lord, and He said to me, What you see in reality, these souls see through faith. Oh, how pleasing to Me is their great faith! You see, although there appears to be no trace of life in Me, in reality it is present in its fullness in each and every Host. But for Me to be able to act upon a soul, the soul must have faith. O how pleasing to Me is living faith!" WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1420)
Monday, November 14, 2016
“I will prepare myself for every feast of our Blessed Mother by some mortification, and every evening I will ask my heavenly Mother's blessing... I want to remain always in the presence of God... Every time the clock strikes I will repeat three times: My Jesus, mercy.” St. Gemma Galgani, from her autobiography, some of her resolutions
“The laity will have to come to a comprehension that our blessed Lord was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles but in the world, on a road way, in a town garbage heap…He placed Himself at the very center of the world, in the midst of smut, thieves, soldiers and gamblers.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen
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