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The 1st Sunday after Epiphany - Jesus Found in the Temple

1/13/2019

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WE shall today, consider how we lose Jesus, how we should seek Him, and where we shall find Him.

First Point—How we lose Jesus. We lose Jesus by sin, and we lose Him through our spiritual dryness. In the first case the loss of Jesus is a punishment; in the second it is, ordinarily, a trial. We lose Jesus by sin: He departs from the soul when the demon enters it; He leaves it alone with the horrible master it has chosen. To lose Jesus, His friendship, His grace, the sweetness of His conversations, and His benedictions, and the consolations of His love—to lose this God, who is in heaven the joy of the angels and of the elect, and to find in His place the angel of darkness, the tyrant of hell, and the tormentor of the reprobate, what a loss! what a misfortune ! However, behold the lot you have made for yourself by sin. You have lost Jesus, the Friend of your infancy, who lately received your first promises and your first vows; who lisped with you the first simple lessons of faith; who called you to eat with Him a delicious bread,
who shed on your soul such sweetness that the memory of it causes your tears to flow; oh, how you are to be pitied!

lose Jesus by spiritual dryness, but usually this is a trial. Without having been unfaithful to her promises or engagements, the soul finds herself suddenly alone on the journey of life. She believes she possesses Jesus, and behold, He has abandoned her. She relies on His assistance, she hopes for His light, His counsel, His grace, but He is far from her. She has lost Him, or at least, as with the disciples at Emmaus, He has concealed His presence from her. This trial surely awaits us, for , after the sweetness of the first days, God ordinarily allows dryness of soul to follow, to know if we serve Him for Himself or for the favors we receive. In these circumstances, we should be generous and constant. To be happy in the performance of duty is a gift of God, and is never merited; but to be faithful to duty when it is an act depending on ourselves is always a sure indication of a heart solidly virtuous.

Second Point—How should we seek Jesus? We should seek Him eagerly, with confidence and with perseverance. Behold Mary: hardly has she perceived the absence of Jesus than she goes, at once, in search of Him. She inquires for Him of all those whom she meets; she calls Him, and she shall know no rest until she finds Him. Imitate her example. When you have had the misfortune to lose Jesus by sin, recall Him at once: run and cast yourself at the feet of the priest, implore pardon, and merit it by your Repentance. Why remain at enmity with God a week or even a day? Do you not know that if you should die in that state, your eternal unhappiness would be assured ? And may you not die early, and at any moment? Seek Jesus with confidence. After the commission of sin, do not aggravate your misfortune by discouragement or mistrust. Why are you discouraged? Virtue is a rude and difficult pathway, it is not extraordinary that your progress should be slow, difficult, and marked by repeated falls; but these falls, these obstacles, are they reasons for discouragement? No! you must employ greater vigilance, develop greater energy, and seek in God the strength which you have not, and then go forward with confidence. The traveller who is discouraged by the length or the difficulties of the journey shall never arrive at his destination; he only shall reach it who resolutely continues his journey. Therefore seek Jesus with confidence, being well assured that He shall aid you in your seeking, and that He shall receive you with a goodness wholly paternal. Seek Jesus with perseverance. Our Lord has spoken a word which we should often reflect upon: "He who would be saved must persevere to the end." It is indeed something to begin well. It is a grand thing for us to have received an education profoundly Christian; it is a happy guarantee for salvation that our youth should be passed in the practice of love and virtue; but this is not enough. We must persevere; and this is the difficulty. Constancy seems to be a virtue unknown to the human heart. Very many begin well but end badly. Do not imitate them, but imitate Mary in her ardor and in her perseverance in seeking the divine Infant. She will not allow herself to be discouraged, but continues her search until she has found the object of her regrets and her tears. You have prayed, it is true, and you still pray, but God seems to turn away from your entreaties; do not be discouraged; continue, multiply your prayers in proportion to the difficulties you may meet with, and God will give you the consolation of His love. He shall keep strict account of your sighs which you have sent towards heaven, of the prayers which were so often a cross, and a cross without unction; the more painful the test shall have been, the greater shall be the recompense.

Third Point—Where shall we find Jesus ? It was in the temple that Mary found her Son, and it is also in the temple that we shall find Jesus when we shall have lost Him. If this loss is the punishment of your sins, there is in His house a salutary pool, on the shores of which He stands ready to heal you. He is not found in those profane assemblies where you go to stifle the remorse which disturbs your conscience. He is not found in those frivolous books which shall only accomplish the ruin of your piety. He is not found among those frivolous people whose dissipation is an excuse for your own; but He is in the temple, and there you must come to find Him. In the sacred tribunal you shall learn what you must do to approach Him, or, rather, He Himself will come to you, and by the mouth of His minister He will speak to you. After the pardon of your faults, He will re-enter your heart, and you will experience happiness in recovering His grace.

If the loss of Jesus is a trial, it is also a joy to know that it is in the temple that you can find Him. In the temple there is an altar—on the altar there is a tabernacle, and love for us holds Jesus enclosed in it. There it is we must seek Him in communion, or at least in prayer. Listen to this voice of sweet friendship, but take no heed of vain terrors which only separate you from your divine Master. "If you have faith," says St. Augustine, "the absence
of the Lord is only seeming. He is there, ever near you, concealed under eucharistic veils.' Go to Him, cast yourself into His arms with a confidence wholly filial; then you shall feel that peace is born again in your heart."

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Feast of the Epiphany - The Faith of the Wise Men

1/5/2019

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IT is faith which, today, leads the Wise Men to the feet of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is faith which can alone lead us to heaven and to God. But,"to attain this happy result, our faith must be marked by the same characters which rendered it so admirable in the Wise Men, viz., docility, generosity, and constancy.

First Point —The faith of the Wise Men has been a docile faith. See with what promptitude they correspond with grace! They say: "We have seen His star in the East, and we have come to adore Him." There is no delay, no hesitation between the promptings of grace and their correspondence to it. This promptitude is one of the first conditions of a return to God. There are in life certain solemn and happy circumstances when grace speaks clearly to our heart. For instance, when we make a retreat, or receive good advice, or see some good example, or listen to a most touching instruction, or hear of the death of some one whom we have loved, or when we learn something which stirs us to the very depths of our heart, this is the star which must lead us to Christ! Happy is he who shall follow it with docility; his conversion is assured. Under the influence of grace which speaks, urges, and solicits, we are all-powerful; there are no bonds which we cannot break, no obstacles which we cannot overcome. The Cananaean woman, Magdalene, and the prodigal son succeeded in the work of their sanctification because they were prompt to follow the inspirations of grace. But woe to him who looks backward, arrested by the countless considerations which the demon never fails to place before our eyes. The light disappears, conscience sleeps again, and the evil penetrates deeper than ever. Is not this your experience?

How many times has grace enlightened your mind and moved your heart, and still you have always deferred your return. You have reason to fear that so much resistance to grace may be punished by its withdrawal.

Second Point — The faith of the Wise Men was a generous faith. What tongue can tell the sacrifices they made? They are idolaters and strangers to the customs and languages of the countries through which they must pass; they are separated from Bethlehem by a great distance, and a respectable tradition tells us they were kings. How many difficulties arise from these different circumstances! They could allege the cares of their kingdoms, attachment to an hereditary worship, the length and difficulty of the journey, the fear of being deceived by the character of the star which served as guide—but no such thought hindered them. In fact, nothing arrests them; they leave everything, and set out on their journey resolutely. What a comparison between your conduct and theirs, and how the comparison should cause you to blush for your conduct!

At length they appear before Herod. Even in the presence of this king, so cruelly jealous, you shall not see the Wise Men dissimulate the object of their journey or conceal their sentiments. They openly declare to him that they have come, not to adore him, but to adore Him whose star they have seen. They are at once apostles and martyrs; and this is still the conduct of Christians really worthy of the name. The world is a master just as cruel and as jealous as Herod ever was; it wishes to be worshipped, or you shall incur its disgrace; but the true Christian smiles at the menace of the world and remains faithful to his God, at the cost of the most sorrowful sacrifices. The coward heart, a slave of human respect, a slave of pride or ambition, instead of openly declaring his faith, conceals it; thus he paralyzes the action of grace, and, deceived by sterile desires, he defers his coming to God until a time that never comes. It is needless to say such conduct is not a model for imitation.

The generosity of the Wise Men was evident, especially in their obedience. God had sent them an angel to warn them. He commanded them to return to their country by another way. At once they obeyed, without thinking of inquiring the reasons for such a strange order, without murmur or complaint. They resume their journey, on the road indicated, although it might be longer or more difficult. But what of the promise given to Herod? What shall the king say, what shall all Jerusalem think of the violation of their word? They are not at all disturbed by this thought; God has spoken: that is sufficient. They know only how to obey. Do likewise in all the circumstances of your life. When you know the will of God, strive to accomplish it, and put aside all human considerations.

Third Point —The faith of the Wise Men is constant. Although their faith was tested severely, still it surmounted every obstacle. The first trial of their faith was the disappearance of the star which had hitherto guided them. It leaves them as soon as they had entered Jerusalem and Herod's court. Hence two thoughts naturally follow from this: the first is, that to enjoy the holy communications of grace, it is necessary to live far from certain people, far, especially, from the society of Herods and the enemies of Christ. Do you wish to find your star, that is to say, to recover your first piety, the fervor of a certain epoch in your life ? Depart from the world, from the tumult of business, from dissipation and pleasures—then shall your star reappear.

The second instruction we must receive is that God does not give extraordinary lights and graces, unless the ordinary means are wanting. The star was useless to the Wise Men when they were in the midst of the doctors of the law, who could have indicated to them the way they should follow to find Jesus. And thus the soul which is in the Church, who has for its guide the priests of the Lord, should not complain of the privation of certain interior lights. The soul has her spiritual guide whom she should consult and abandon herself to his direction. If this aid were wanting, God shall supply it by particular graces. But the faith of the Wise Men must be tested once more. The star at length stops, but where? Doubtless over a magnificent palace, for what other dwelling could be worthy of God? But no; it stops over an abandoned hut. They enter—and find it a stable! And what do they find there? On a little straw a child is lying, scarcely protected from the cold by the clothes which cover Him; near Him are only two adorers, Mary and Joseph. What a test for ordinary faith! Are they not deceived? Was the star they followed indeed the star of Jacob? Was the long journey they made well considered ? But their faith is fortified by the very difficulties which should have shaken it. There is in their heart neither doubt nor hesitation. Behold them at the feet of the divine Infant, kissing with love the little hands which He presents to them, adoring with respect their God concealed under the appearance of infancy. They open their treasures and place at His feet the triple tribute of their homage—gold because He is a king, myrrh because He is a man, and frankincense because He is their God.

O Jesus, my God, concealed through love for me, no longer under the appearance of infancy, but under the eucharistic veils, I come to offer Thee, not gold, but the homage of a heart which loves Thee. I place my offering, not at the foot of the crib, but at the foot of Thy tabernacle. What a happiness for me, O my God, if after having recognized Thee, adored Thee, and loved Thee here below, under the veil which hides Thee from my mortal eyes, I shall merit the happiness to contemplate Thee, to adore Thee, and to love Thee in the bosom of Thy eternity, where Thou manifestest Thyself to Thy elect, face to face, and without veil of any kind.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Feast of the Circumcision - The Holy Name of Jesus

1/1/2019

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                                                              IHS  - THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
IF all the names which, have been given to the children of men, the most august and the most . . . lovable is the name of Jesus. It contains in itself all that the prophets announced as greatest, all that the patriarchs have dreamed of as most gracious; it recalls at once what is most amiable in virtue, what is most tender in love, and what is most august in religion. Besides, it is an angel that has brought this name from heaven to earth; and St. Bernard says that the name of Jesus is at the same time a light, a nourishment, and a remedy.

First Point — The name of Jesus is a light. It enlightens the mind of the priest when preaching to the people. It is by the name of Jesus that the universe has been converted; at this divine name the darkness of idolatry gave place to the light of the Gospel. St. Peter, at his first preaching, converted three thousand persons by the power of Jesus' name. St. Paul, on his way to Damascus, experienced its happy effects; he was struck, as if by a thunderbolt, while he was hastening to put the Christians to death. He heard a voice which said to him: "Why do you persecute Me?'' "And who are you?'' he answered. The voice replied: "I am Jesus." At the sound of this name an unknown light shone before his eyes, and he understood the meaning of it all. ''Lord," says the persecutor, now become a vessel of election, '' what wilt Thou have me to do? Speak, for I am ready." St. Paul, convinced by his own experience of the power of this holy name, made it his support in his apostolic journeys, and without other arms than this divine name he converted the world. Rome, Athens, and Corinth experienced, each in turn, the power of his word. He confounded the learned, astonished the Areopagus, and caused the proconsul to tremble in his tribunal; but it was not by his credit nor by his eloquence that he triumphed; he admitted that he was not skilful in the art of speaking well, but he knew Jesus crucified, and it was to this sacred name he owed all his success. The effects of the name of Jesus are still the same. What light it sheds on the soul! Is it necessary to detach the hearts of the rich from their earthly goods? Reason fails against cupidity, but let the name of Jesus be pronounced and it shall recall Him who became poor through love, and soon love shall lead to a contempt for riches. Is it necessary to instil resignation in the heart of the poor man ? The name of Jesus shall remind him of the poor Infant in the manger, and will make his poverty precious. Do you strive to stifle vengeance in the depth of some outraged heart by reasoning? Then all your efforts shall be in vain; but let the name of Jesus be mentioned, and the vindictive one shall remember the amiable Victim, who, although outraged and insulted, not only pardoned His executioners but excused them. His heart is open to mercy. St. John Gualbert had resolved to avenge his brother, who had been cruelly assassinated. It was on Good Friday he met the murderer, and, taking his sword in hand, he prepared to strike him, when the murderer fell at his feet and asked his life in the name of Jesus crucified. At once John felt the sword fall from his grasp; he lifted his enemy from the ground, embraced him, and pardoned him. In all your doubts, in all your temptations, pronounce the Holy Name of Jesus with faith, and the most precious lights shall dissipate your doubts, and shall show you the way you should walk to find your Saviour and your God.

Second Point — The name of Jesus is a nourishment. There is in this blessed name some hidden virtue which goes to the very soul, penetrates it and warms it, and like some mysterious substance spreads throughout our whole being a certain strength and joy. Who has not experienced this wonderful effect? In the maladies of the soul, when temptations increase to violence, when the sources of holy consolations seem closed, when we feel ourselves growing weak, the heart without strength and the will without energy: everything in the service of God and in the practice of duty is tasteless, insipid, loathsome; then let us come to the foot of the altar, or before a crucifix, and medi- tate on the name of Jesus. At once confidence shall be born in this again, and our forces shall revive. What is the source of this fervor which is experienced at the foot of a crucifix or before an altar? The lover of Jesus is occupied in repeating His name or reflecting on its sweetness. He does not know how to formulate sublime prayers; he only knows how to repeat the name of Jesus, and he repeats it a thousand times without wearying at the repetition, and this adorable name, as some burning flame, warms his heart and consoles him. "I do not know,'' said St. Bernard, "if you understand the marvellous effects of the name of Jesus, but as for me, everything, without this divine name, is insipid and wearisome. I must tell you, a book has no attractions for me if I do not find the name of Jesus in it; a conference or instruction cannot please me if Jesus is not mentioned in it. Jesus is honey to my mouth, melody to my ears, and a joyful song to my heart.'' If you look for the secret of this unspeakable sweetness which the loving heart discovers in the Holy Name of Jesus, you shall find it is born of a mysterious perfume attached to everything which comes from heaven. But should it not come also from the memories which this name awakens in the heart? See what sweet thoughts are grouped about this amiable name, as delicious fruits lie about the tree which produces them! The neglects and the adoration in the manger, the memory of virtues hidden during thirty years in the house of Joseph, the lessons and the blessings of a life which St. Peter sums up in two words, "He went about doing good;" the opprobrium and sorrows of Calvary — all this recalls the name of Jesus. How, then, shall we not feel stirred while meditating on it? O Holy Name of Jesus, sacred and penetrating oil, whose unction has been poured out from the beginning, and only asks to be still poured out, pour Thyself with profusion in my heart, fill it with the infinite sweetness and the charms of Thy love, that, being purified by Thee, united to Thee, and satiated by the happiness of loving Thee, I may see verified in me these words of the Holy Spirit: " Thy name is as oil poured out, and it is why Thy servants have loved Thee exceedingly."

Third Point — The name of Jesus is a remedy. It heals every malady. First, the maladies of the body. The innumerable cures wrought by the apostles are so many consequences of the power of Jesus' name. There is nothing which can resist this divine name. Jesus Himself has proclaimed this truth. " He that shall believe in Me, shall work miracles greater than mine. In My name he shall expel demons. He shall have nothing to fear, neither the serpent's bite nor the effect of poisons. He shall impose hands on the sick and they shall be healed." The name of Jesus heals maladies of the heart. There are in life some cruel moments, when the wearied soul implores death as the only resource. In this sadness the name of Jesus shall remind you of the sadness of the amiable Victim in the Garden   of Olives, and it shall reanimate and strengthen you. If ever you are the victim of ingratitude or of the injustice of men, the name of Jesus shall console you, and strengthen you by recalling the treason of Judas, the abandonment by the apostles, and the unworthy preference given to Barabbas. If despair threatens to invade your soul, then recall the name of Jesus; it is, says St. Ambrose, a name of hope, a name full of sweetness, a name which gives joy. The name of Jesus heals the maladies of the soul. The great malady of the soul, that which must be especially feared, because it attacks the very sources of supernatural life, is sin. The name of Jesus is a sovereign remedy for it. And why? Because it makes us detest sin by recalling its malice; because it makes us avoid sin by giving us strength in temptations; because it makes us weep for sin, by reminding us of the love of Him whom we offend. Learn then to pronounce this blessed name with respect — it is the name of your God; with love — it is the name of your Benefactor; and with confidence — it is the name of your Saviour.

O Name of Jesus, holy and adorable name, how much I love to speak and think of it! Be also honey for my lips, and melody for my heart. In dying, may my lips still murmur this name, and may I never cease to repeat it here on earth, until the moment when with the angels I may forever bless it.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Sunday Within the Octave -         Prophecy of Simeon Concerning Jesus and Mary

12/29/2018

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"THE holy old man Simeon, having blessed Jesus,  said to Mary: ''This Child is set for the fall . . . and the resurrection of many in Israel, and a sword of sorrow shall pierce thy heart." Simeon made these two prophecies, one concerning Jesus and the other concerning Mary. We should reflect on both, since they are calculated to suggest useful reflections.

First Point — The prophecy which relates to Jesus. When Simeon declared that Jesus should be the ruin of many, we must not understand that He shall be the author of their ruin, or that He shall lead men to it. This would be simply impious. The Sacred Scriptures, which this divine Child has inspired, are full of His love for all men, His desire to see them merit it, and to obtain their salvation. Simeon wishes to announce that Jesus shall become, not the cause, but the occasion of loss to very many. Jesus shall be what Isaias announced He should be, and what St. Paul declares He has been, viz., "The stone on which they shall fall, and on which many of the children of Israel shall be injured." You shall find those who shall accuse Him because of their fall on that stone, on which their feet have stumbled. Far from Jesus being the cause of our loss, the cause is traceable to ourselves, because we refuse to hear Him, or to obey Him, or to follow Him. It is in a very different sense that holy Simeon said to Mary that Jesus shall be the resurrection of many. In fact. He is not only the occasion of our salvation, as He is of our loss, but He is the true cause of it; He is the general cause of salvation for all men by the benefit of redemption; and He is the particular cause of salvation for the just, because it is He who, by His grace, has wrought their justification. By His passion and death He has opened for us the gates of heaven; He has shown us the way to heaven by His law; by His example He guides us there, and by His strength sustains us in the journey of life. Our salvation, therefore, comes from Him, while our loss comes from ourselves. If you have been stained by sin, you can blame only yourselves for your faults, while, if you have persevered in justice, you must be grateful to Him for your innocence. And thus, among the children of Israel, Jesus has been the resurrection of one part and the ruin of the other: some He has saved, but others are lost through their own fault. What He has been for the age in which He lived and for the nation which possessed Him, He has not ceased to be for all ages and for the whole human race. He has been the resurrection of those who hear His voice, who believe His word, who conform to His law, and who are attached to Him; but He is the ruin of those who disdain to hear Him who refuse to believe Him, who resist His instructions and who disobey His precepts. The manner in which this oracle of Simeon is ac- complished must suggest to us a very sorrowful reflection. When we consider the number of the Jews for whom Jesus was the ruin, and the number for whom He was the resurrection, what a vast dis- parity there exists! On the one hand we behold a handful of disciples, on the other a multitude of enemies. While almost all the citizens loudly demanded that He should be crucified, what a small number of faithful followers retired apart with Him, trembling for themselves and weeping for the Saviour ! The number was small that preserved for Him a personal attachment. Now what was true in His time has been always true; it is true today. The unfortunate disproportion among those for whom Jesus is the resurrection, and those for whom He is the ruin, has continued from generation to generation, even until now. This has been an object of profound sorrow for the pious souls who are members of Christ's Church, and woe to us if we are insensible to it! This culpable indifference should make us tremble, lest we should be numbered among those unfortunates who could make Jesus the cause of their salvation, but instead make Him the occasion of their reprobation.

Second Point. — Holy Simeon announced to Mary that a sword of sorrow should pierce her heart.   This prophecy of the holy old Simeon has been fulfilled in Mary, and with a cruel precision. It is the destiny of mortals that no one can exempt himself from the law which condemns all to suffer. Even she who by special privilege was exempted from the stain of Adam has been obliged to submit to this severe condition of suffering. Although she had been declared blessed, and that she should see, in the future, all generations publish her honor, still her heart was a prey to the most bitter affliction. Her august character of Mother of God, which proclaimed her the happiest of women, however, ren- dered her the most afflicted of mothers. For other mothers it is a matter of supremest joy to possess a son, but for Mary it was a subject of constant distress and sadness, because she knew for what fright- ful destinies she had given birth to her Son. St. John, in the Apocalypse, records that he saw Jesus under the figure of a lamb immolated. The sorrowful Mother of Jesus had this lamentable spectacle before her eyes during her whole life. The sweetness of those caresses which she lavished on her Son, the tenderness of her cares with which she surrounded Him, were constantly empoisoned by this horrible image. The very circumstances best calculated to excite her joy recalled the sorrows which awaited her. When she rejoiced to have found Him in the Temple, after an absence of three days, the thought that she should one day lose Him in a more sorrowful manner came quickly to her mind. If she rejoiced at having snatched Him from the fury of Herod, at once she thought that it was only for a death still more cruel she had preserved Him. She rejoiced, it is true, to see Him walking through the cities and villages, working miracles, strewing blessings at every footstep, surrounded by multitudes full of enthusiasm and gratitude; but she saw that same multitude turn against Him with fury, demand His death with loud cries, hasten His punishment, and to insult and raillery add their cruelty. Thus, from the day when the fatal destiny of her Son was revealed to her, the life of Mary was only one long and continual agony. If the heart of Mary was so violently disturbed by the sufferings of her Son, and when she could only foresee them, what must have been her cruel agony when she saw His sufferings realized before her eyes? The desolate Agar, wandering in the desert of Bersabee, was crushed by affliction at seeing the state to which her son Ismael had been reduced. This is the ordinary effect of sorrow, it is the natural promptings of a mother's love; but with the Mother of God everything is supernatural. A love like hers demands the greatest sacrifice. She never left this Son, so dear to her, and she shall not abandon Him until His last sigh on the cross. The Virgin of Nazareth walks to the mountain on which her Son is to be immolated. She walks, followed by some other daughters of Sion, weeping with her for their well-beloved Jesus, and while He shall there consummate the holocaust of His life they shall consummate holocausts of their hearts. There nothing is lost for her which can bring her the deepest affliction; she hears all, sees all — all the cruelties of the executioners and the torments of her Son she feels in her own heart. Moreover, although the fury of the Jews had spared her life, the Fathers of the Church do not hesitate to attribute to Mary the glory of martyrdom; and this martyrdom, although not stained by blood, is not the less heroic. The other martyrs suffered with Jesus reigning in heaven; Mary suffered with Jesus while He suffered on the cross; the prospect of His glory sustained their constancy, but the sight of His humiliations disconcerted the Mother. The love of God was for them a solace, but for Mary it was an increase of sorrow.

O Mary, my Mother, engrave deeply in my heart the memory of thy sorrows, that I may better comprehend how much thou hast paid for the sad privilege of having me for thy child. And Thou, amiable Jesus, give me the grace to follow Thee as my Guide, to imitate Thee as my Model, and to obey Thee as my King, that Thou mayst be for me, not the occasion of my ruin, but the cause of my resurrection and salvation. Amen.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Christmas Day - The Stable of Bethlehem

12/24/2018

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THE birth of Jesus in the crib of Bethlehem presents for our consideration a prodigy of humility and a prodigy of goodness.

First Point — The crib in Bethlehem is a wonder of humility. Pride has ever been the source of the greatest misfortunes. Adam wishes to become like to God, and he is forthwith expelled from the garden of delights. The pride of Cain is aroused at the preference which God manifests for the sacrifices of Abel, and Cain becomes the murderer of his brother. The children of Noe construct a tower, which, they say, shall be a lasting monument to their greatness, and this act of pride is punished by the confusion of tongues. Even now, pride begets dissensions, hatred, and wars which desolate empires, and schisms which rend the Church. Since pride is the greatest of all the vices, it was necessary to apply a remedy to it at once, and what more efficacious remedy can there be than the humility of a God? The Divine Word offers Himself for our redemption by saying to God His Father:  "Holocausts for sin are no longer pleasing to Thee. Behold Me, Lord, Thy eternal Son, united to a mortal body; behold Me, the heir of David, poor, forsaken, and reduced to the horrors of misery. For a throne, I have a manger; for a palace, I have a stable; for a royal mantle, I have swaddling-clothes, and for courtiers I have some poor shepherds." What humility! Can you ever comprehend all its greatness? Know it well, nothing would have been easier for this Child than to have been born in a superb palace, of a celebrated or renowned princess, and in the midst of a court eager to serve Him. He could do all this, since the earth, with all that it contains, belongs to Him. "All things under heaven are mine." But has not this example flattered our vices instead of extirpating them ? Is it not an excuse for our pride, instead of a remedy? Men love riches, as they are the source of honors which are often as vain and fleeting as their origin; but the Saviour, by His birth in a stable, has taught men to love poverty. Men attach much importance to an illustrious origin; but Jesus is born of a daughter of David and the world ignores Him; and this royal daughter, who is a spectacle for angels, is unable to find in Bethlehem a friendly hand that shall assist her in her poverty. Men are also proud of their studies and their science; they blush to be found in contact with people without education or instruction; but the God of the manger calls about Him simple and ignorant shepherds. Of what then shall men henceforth be proud? How can a proud man dare to look at the crib? He who possesses every perfection consents to be reckoned as nothing. He who fills all places by His immensity is compelled to seek an asylum in a stable. He before whom all men are as small insects becomes like to them to save them. Can there be an abnegation like to this? O my humble Master! who shall not be instructed by this mystery, when he sees Thee treated as the meanest of men, rejected by every one, relegated to a poor dwelling, and surrounded by vile animals? Why dost Thou hide Thyself under a veil so unworthy of Thy greatness? Thy love answers: it is to confound the pride of men. O man, you are but the dust of the earth, still you dream only of grandeur and frivolity, while your God conceals Himself under the form of a slave. You are but a plaything of vanity, and constantly sigh for new ornaments; while your God is naked and so poor that His mother can scarcely find wherewith to cover His sacred body. If, after this wonder of humility, you still seek to exalt yourself, it would be indeed a wonder, and it would be a prodigy of pride.

Second Point — The crib is a prodigy of goodness. Let us suppose that the only son of the greatest king of the earth, unmindful of his rank, his birth, and all the pleasures of the court of which he is the brightest ornament, should come in the midst of us and share the labors of the most unfortunate; and let us suppose that, wishing to solace them as far as he can, he should ask of his father to charge him with the obligations of all, and to fulfill these obligations he should expose himself to the rigors of the seasons and the fury of a thousand enemies, would he not be a monster, worthy of our anathemas, who should not love such a generous prince? And who is this Son of the great King? He is the Word of God, eternal, equal to His Father in everything, a Father who is truly worthy of the name, and who places in His Son all His delights. The human race, lost by its own crimes, was about to perish. The hand of the Most High was prepared to hurl His thunders against men, but His Son, this merciful Son, restrained Him, and His anger is changed to tenderness. But a sacrifice is necessary. Well, He shall be the Victim. The crib in Bethlehem is the altar on which He is offered. O infant God, how dear Thou art to me! The tears Thou didst shed are for me; the sorrows Thy delicate members experience have been occasioned by me, and still Thy charity makes all these sufferings light and tolerable. To understand this prodigy of goodness well, we should meditate on the sorrowful circumstances which accompany the entrance of Jesus into the world. He is born in the middle of a winter night, — the cold seizes His weak body, — His mother looks about for garments to cover Him, and finds only some poor clothes which scarcely serve their purpose. He is born to be the Saviour of men, and men despise Him and reject Him from their society as the last of all men. Hardly is He born than He at once begins to exercise the functions of a Saviour; His tears are falling in the manger. Do not suppose that the tears of the Infant Jesus come only from a natural cause, as the tears of other children. No; His soul, reasonable at all times, sees all the crimes of men. He weeps for men, and His tears are the tears of penance. And you are the cause of these tears, you unthinking Christians, who, by refusing to receive Him in the sacrament of His love, close the door of your heart against Him, as on the day of His birth the rich closed the doors of their houses against Him. You are the object of those tears, worldly young men, who are plunged in pleasures while He endures for you the greatest sufferings. You, slaves of vanity, you are the objects of those tears, you who seek the esteem and praise of men while He is born in misery and lives in opprobrium for love of you.

O my divine and amiable Master, it is indeed a great prodigy that Thou shouldst come to me and testify so much love for me; but it is a prodigy greater still that I should acknowledge Thy love so little. After all that Thou hast suffered for me, should I find it too hard to suffer something for Thee? Good Jesus, unveil to my heart the mystery of the crib at Bethlehem, make me understand well its divine teachings, that, through love for Thee, I may know how to suffer and be humble, since Thou hast suffered and wast humiliated through love for me.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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4th Sunday of Advent -           The Dispositions for the Feast of Christmas

12/23/2018

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WHEN a king wishes to go through his kingdom and visit his people, an armed herald .... precedes him and announces his arrival. Everything which might inconvenience his passage is removed; triumphal arches are erected in his honor, and flowers are strewn on the way which he shall pass. Well, the King Jesus is coming to visit us; already His herald has preceded Him, inviting you to do Him honor. St. John the Baptist asks of you, in the name of his Master, not indeed to cast flowers on His way or to erect triumphal arches, but he does require that you should fill the void which is in your heart and adorn it with virtues. "Every valley shall be filled." He indicates the virtues you must acquire; but there are two especially viz., humility, which shall bring down your pride, and a spirit of faith, which shall smooth your pathway. " Every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked ways shall be made straight."

First Point — The first disposition which the precursor demands in the name of his Master is humility. '' Every mountain and every hill shall be brought low." These two expressions seem to indicate two kinds of pride. The larger kind increases beyond measure, and seems to lift us up as a high mountain, the weight of which crushes everything else that is near it. This is the first pride of which we must divest ourselves. There is another, more delicate and hidden, represented by the hills, and seems rather to be self-complacency, that raises us above others. This pride, although less crim- inal, no less hinders the coming of the Saviour. If Jesus shall approach you, you must begin by hum- bling yourself in your own estimation. Pride, in all its shades, is the sworn enemy of the Saviour; it has occasioned the loss of the first man, and it is still the cause of all the disorders which disturb the world. Pride of independence is the source of revolts against superiors; pride of ambition is the source of the catastrophes which desolate society; pride of reason is the principle of incredulity which refuses the yoke of faith; pride of science is the cause of schisms which rend the bosom of the Church; pride of human respect makes us blush for our faith and abandon our Christian duties; pride of vanity begets love of the world, taste for dress, luxury, the ruin of families, and the loss of innocence. This must be sufficient to tell you the horror which pride inspires in Him who has come to destroy sin, which is, after all, the pride of our first father. Pride explains the humiliations of the crib, the thirty years of Jesus' life in the house of a poor artisan, the severity of a moral all abnegation and humility, the opprobrium and the humiliations of the cross; to oppose it not only are lessons and precepts necessary, but the force of example is required to remove every excuse and to confound forever all human vanity. Jesus might have been born in the palace of a king and in the midst of opulence. ''If He had wished it," says Bossuet, "what golden coronet could have encircled His head, and what royal purple could cover His shoulders!'' But He has not wished it. He has selected the other extremity, just precisely to teach us, by His example, loving humility. May you comprehend these great and exalted lessons, and, in the school of the divine Master, may you learn the practice of humility.

Second Point— The crooked ways shall be made straight. You find indicated here, under these symbolic expressions, one of those virtues which the world hardly suspects, but which the eye of God contemplates with pleasure; it is purity of intention or a spirit of faith. The man and the Christian, in their reflective acts, have always a motive which determines them. Man acts through self-love, through self-complacency, goodness of heart, or natural inclination; and these acts are wholly natural, without merit before God, because God rewards only what is done for Him. The Christian, on the contrary, finds in his faith the motives of his conduct. He acts for God. Having Him for the object, he wishes to please or glorify Him, and hence his acts are supernatural in virtue of this principle, that an action always participates in the nature of the motive which determines it; and his acts are meritorious before God, since they are performed for Him. When God depicts the just man, He defines him "a man who lives by faith." Jesus, the Just One by excellence, declares, that " His life is to do the will of His Father.'' This is also the life of a Christian who knows how to be faithful to his vocation; it is his glory, it is his true greatness. In fact, true exaltation presupposes continual ab- negation, and to impose silence on the passions; to put aside all interest or self-love, all inclinations and affections, and to seek in the very bosom of God the reason of our acts, of our judgments, and our affections. If this is not true greatness, then where shall it be found ? And precisely because this spirit of faith supposes higher exaltation, it is most rare among men. Not to speak of so many good, though worldly, men who multiply their good works through purely natural motives, how many are there, otherwise pious and regular, who are wanting in their conduct and even in their piety this right intention which seeks only God and His good pleasure? They are kind and good, but rather by their natural goodness of heart than by their charity; they are generous to certain persons, and yet without pity for others. They pray, it is true, but only to find consolation; they abridge or prolong their conversation with God, as they experience in it fervor or dryness; they are interested friends, to whom Jesus could well say, as to the multitude which followed Him: ''It is not for My sake that you follow Me, but in the hope that I shall again multiply the bread for you." It is true they confess and communicate, but it is through habit, or to do as others do, or to please a master or a friend; in a word, they act for others, rather than for God. These are the winding and the crooked ways which the holy precursor invites us to make straight. And so hitherto, perhaps, you have been charitable through caprice, goodness of heart, or through ostentation. Now be charitable to please God, who is charity itself, and to please Jesus, who is in the person of each one who suffers. Hitherto you have brought, perhaps, to the exercise of your zeal dispositions which are wholly human; good and anxious for some, but stormy and intolerant for others; you are ardent when successful, but discouraged when your efforts are sterile. Now seek the will of God, rather than success and the interests of self-love. Then you shall never be cast down. Hitherto you have sought in prayer, in confession, and in communion your consolations and your joys; and hence followed sadness, tears, and perhaps resistance, when your hopes were not realized. Rectify these views, which are wholly natural. Go to God with simplicity of heart, which always obeys when commanded, which submits when forbidden, and finds peace only in holy obedience; then you shall make straight the paths which shall conduct you to God. 

Adorable Jesus, Thou didst come to this world only to enter my heart. Deign to enter there and take possession of it, and make it worthy to receive Thee. Enlighten me on everything which may render me displeasing in Thine eyes. Or rather, O good Jesus! create in me a new heart; fill up what is void, by adorning it with virtue; humble my pride, correct my perverse inclinations, that all the ways may be opened to Thee to come and reign in my heart and possess it forever.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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3rd Sunday of Advent -                  St. John the Baptist, A Model of Humility

12/16/2018

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THE Jews had sent some messengers to ask of St. John the Baptist if he were the Messiah, ... or, at least, if he were Elias, or a prophet. He replied : " No ! I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord." By these simple and modest words, St. John gives us an admirable lesson in humility, and his humility is made manifest by three principal traits: he refuses all kinds of honor, he speaks of himself in the most modest terms, and he eulogizes Him who is considered his rival.

First Point — St. John refuses all honors. At once he refuses those honors to which he has no right. The object of the Jews, in addressing St. John the question, '' Who art thou?" was to compel him to declare if he was, or was not, the Messiah. The mere expression of such a doubt filled the precursor with confusion. He was sorrowfully surprised at the thought that anyone should confound him with the Master. He therefore rejects this supposition with all the strength of an indignant soul, and boldly and emphatically declares that he is not the Messiah — "And he confessed and did not deny, and confessed, I am not the Christ." But they still urge him: ''Who, then, art thou? art thou Elias? and he said to them, I am not. Art thou a prophet? He answered. "No" The humility of St. John had here to undergo a severe trial. In fact the Jews were disposed, if he had wished it, to recognize him as their king, their liberator, and even as the Messiah. He had but to say a single word, and the whole synagogue would have come to do him homage; but St. John is too humble to accept a title and honors which he does not merit, and hence he declares without hesitation that he is not the Christ. His humility goes farther; he refuses even the honors to which he has a just right.  Without being the Christ, St. John the Baptist was great enough to be extolled and praised; without any usurpation he could claim at least the titles which Jesus had given him on several occasions. If he were not really Elias, he was a figure of him. He represented him. and he exercised, in the first coming of the Son of God, the ministry which Elias shall exercise at His second coming. He leads the same life as Elias led, he manifests the same virtues, the same zeal, the same mortifications, and the same fearlessness before the powers of the earth. True, he was not Elias in reality, but he was Elias in spirit and in virtue. With the same truth, he could accept or refuse the title of prophet. He could refuse it, since the minister of the prophets consisted in announcing, from afar, the coming of the promised Messiah. His mission was to show that the Messiah had come to the Judeans. This, however, was not to prophesy, but only to announce what already existed. He could also accept the title of prophet; the Messiah whom he preached existed in truth, but He had not yet manifested Himself. His mission hitherto remained in the class of future things, so that he was really predicting and prophesying what he announced. So that, between the two, St. John, without hesitation, takes the part which is most favorable to his profound humility. But Jesus bestows on him, with superabundance, the glory of which he had deprived himself; He declared that not only was St. John the Baptist a prophet, but that he was more than a prophet, thus realizing what He had so often preached, i,e, that ''he who humbles himself shall be exalted."


Second Point — St. John speaks of himself in the most modest terms. The Jews, dissatisfied by the response which St. John had given, said to him: "Who art thou, what sayest thou of thyself?" He answered: ''I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord. I indeed baptize in water, but there is One in your midst whom you do not know, whose shoes I am not worthy to loose." The holy precursor abstained as much as possible from declaring whom he was, and confined himself strictly to the questions which were proposed to him. He was content to modestly, but positively, avow what he was not. But a precise question puts him to the necessity of an explanation and to say exactly who he is. He speaks of himself, but it is because he is constrained to do so. It is an avowal which is forced from his modesty, and by declaring the truth he shall still more conciliate this duty with his sentiments of humility. He shall say only what is necessary to make known his mission. The interests of his Master demand it, but he shall say it in the most simple terms, and far from all pretension and praise for himself: ''I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord." It was simply impossible for him to speak of himself in a more modest manner. A voice is only a mere sound, entirely without substance. St. John, therefore, declares that he is absolutely nothing by himself. For a moment put yourself in the place of St. John the Baptist. Think that some one comes with authority to demand who you are, what have you to say of yourself? Candidly, what response should you make? Would you, as the holy precursor, be principally occupied in preventing an opinion, too advantageous, which might be formed of you? Would you acknowledge with the same frankness what was wanting in you? And, if obliged to speak of what was advantageous to you, would you do so as simply and as modestly as St. John did?

Third Point — While St. John speaks of himself and of all that concerns him with so much modesty and reserve, he enlarges with pleasure on the grandeur of Jesus, and finds also in praising Him the  means of humbling himself. This is the conduct of one who possesses a truly humble heart. As much as he tries to conceal in secret the gifts which he has received from God, just so much does he love to publish the gifts with which others are adorned. His modesty suffers from the eulogies he receives, while his charity rejoices at those which he gives. Are these your sentiments? Do you love to bestow praise rather than to receive it? Are you eager to extol the good qualities of your neighbor, and to be forgetful of his defects? How rare are dispositions like these, and yet how suitable they are in a Christian soul?

O my God, how far I am from having the sentiments of humility which Thy holy precursor had ! I am as proud as he was humble. Do not permit, Lord, that I should ever forget the nothingness from which Thou hast drawn me; and if I am obliged to extol the good which I possess, let it be only to make known the greatness of Thy power and the magnificence of Thy gifts.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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2nd Sunday of Advent - Jesus an Object of Scandal

12/9/2018

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THE disciples of St. John came to ask of Jesus if He were the Messias so long promised to the . . . world. He answered them by working miracles, and added: "Blessed is he who shall not be scandalized in Me." What a sorrow it is to think that the amiable Son of God could be an object of scandal for any one! We will now consider how frequent is this scandal and how criminal it is.

First Point. — It is indeed strange that Jesus and His religion should be an object of scandal and contradiction among men; yet such was the prediction of the holy old man, Simeon: "Behold this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many, and for a sign which shall be contradicted." Never has a prediction been verified with more constant precision. Jesus was an object of scandal for the Pharisees by the splendor of His virtues. These haughty hypocrites could not endure Him whose wisdom compelled them to blush. They wished Him to be considered as a Samaritan, a sinner, one possessed by the demon, and they put Him to death. His poverty and humiliations were a scandal to the Jewish people. These worldly people imagined the Messias to be a conquering king, who should reduce all other nations under His empire, and they refused to recognize the Messias in the humble Jesus. The Gentiles were scandalized at the Cross, which they regarded as a folly. He had been an object of scandal for the pagan emperors, who persecuted Him for three  hundred years, in the person of His disciples. The bloody persecutions ceased, but the scandal still remains. Even in His Church Jesus is an object of contradiction. The incredulous are scandalized at the mysteries which their proud reason rejects, because they cannot comprehend His mysteries. The libertine is scandalized at the severity of His Christian morality, and which he pretends is above and beyond the strength of men. The heretics are scandalized at the undeniable authority of His Church, and raise against her the standard of revolt. And lax Christians, in still greater numbers, are scandalized at the abasement of His mercies; while slaves of a miserable human respect blush at His name and the duties which that name imposes. Such ingratitude is indeed revolting; but are you wholly exempt from it? Is it true that Jesus is not for you an object of scandal? You love riches and Jesus despised them; you seek after pleasures, and Jesus condemned them; you are fond of the world, Jesus rejected the world. How, then, can you say that you love Jesus, when you love nothing which He has commanded, but, on the contrary, love precisely what He has forbidden? In thus Jesus an  living, you cannot deny that Jesus is for you an object of contradiction. While you do not despise His name, His doctrine and His love are a scandal for you! Yes, Jesus is a scandal for you, O vindictive man! because He has pardoned injuries; Jesus is a scandal for you, vain young woman, because He practiced humility; Jesus is a scandal for you, young man, because He has loved purity; and for you, who do not know how to obey or mortify yourselves, Jesus is also a scandal, because He has practiced obedience even to the death of the Cross.

O my Jesus, inspire in my heart a true love for Thee, that henceforth nothing shall be a scandal to me, in Thy doctrine. Thy life, or Thy humiliations. I shall strive to become like Thee by loving what Thou loved and by despising that which Thou despised, and by practicing the virtues of which Thou hast given an example.

Second Point. — To be scandalized at Jesus is a crime. What greater outrage can there be against God, than to be scandalized at His benefits, and to seek in His infinite goodness some reason for revolt against Him? In fact, what is it, says Bourdaloue, that scandalizes and disheartens us in the religion we profess? Precisely that in which God manifests His love for us. All those mysteries which shock our delicacy — those mysteries of a God made man, a God humiliated, a God persecuted, a God dying — are these anything else than the fulfillment of that grand word spoken to us by God Himself — ''God has so loved the world"...   Pope St. Gregory signalizes and deplores this criminal conduct, when he exclaims: ''Man has taken as an object of scandal against his God the very things which should inviolably attach him to his God." In fact, it is evident, if anything were capable of uniting us closely to God, inspiring us with zeal for Him, and making us ready to sacrifice everything for His honor, it is certainly the thought that God has died for us and was annihilated for us. This thought has produced marvelous fruits in the saints — prodigies of virtue, heroic conversions, renunciation of the world, and dispositions generous enough for martyrdom. And what has done all that? The sight of the God-Man, and of a God sacrificed for the salvation of men. This it is which has gained their hearts and filled them with intensest love. It is also that which has been the occasion of scandal for certain Christians and induced them to lead an idle, impure, and disorderly life. At the sight of this disorder, Tertullian indignantly exclaims: ''Be scandalized, if you will, at everything, but at least spare the person of your Saviour; spare His cross, since it is the source of your life ; spare it, since it is the hope of the whole world.'' If it were the angels who were offended at it, or were scandalized, this would be in a measure tolerable, since Jesus has not suffered for them. But since it is for you that the Saviour has come, and for you He has wished to die, the scandal should recoil on you and upon all crea- tures."  Learn, therefore, at the foot of your Saviour's cross, the sentiments with which the memories of His mercies should inspire you. See, in His voluntary abasement, not a motive for blushing, but a reason for loving Him. It is not necessary to be a Christian to reason in this way, but it is necessary thus to think to be a Christian. The more you enter into these sentiments, the more you will participate in the grace and spirit of Christianity; and in proportion as these sentiments shall grow less in you, so too will the spirit of Christianity decrease in you. Let the worldlings run after the world and its vanities, but as for you, strive to cling closely to the person of your lovable Redeemer. There is no salvation except through Him; love His teaching, love His example, and love His religion, and then you will not make a subject of scandal that which is the principle of your salvation and the foundation of your perfection.

O my Saviour, do not permit that I should ever be scandalized at what Thou hast done for me and the divine teachings Thou hast given me. Impress on my heart such a high esteem for Thy humiliations and sufferings, that Thy cross may be at once my strength, my guide, and my glory.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Prayer to Obtain for the Children the Virtue of Chastity

12/8/2018

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O Most holy God! Who lovest purity and innocence, grant to my children the precious gift of purity.  Woe to them should the vice of impurity take hold of their hearts!  How miserable would they not be! O Lord, do Thou guard them! Keep with Thy powerful hand this monster far from them. Without Thy special help they cannot preserve the virtue of chastity.  O God, grant them this help.  By it let their hearts be like sanctuaries, unprofaned, undefiled by any impure thought or feeling; by it let their eyes be modest, bashful; their ears and mouth unapproachable, and closed to any impropriety in word and deed.  By Thy grace fill them with hatred against whatever may be contrary to decency, and let them persevere, body and soul, in unimpaired purity, so that they may always stretch out to Thee pure hands, and that their bodies may continue to be hallowed temples of the Holy Ghost.  O God, lover of pure souls, let my children belong to the number of Thy favorites; let the blessing and the happiness and prosperity which, according to Thy gracious dispositions, accompany holy purity come upon my children.  Amen.

Holy Virgin Mary, most chaste mother and intercessor of pure souls; St. Joseph, most chaste spouse of the Holy Virgin; St. Aloysius, angel in the flesh; and all ye holy virgins and children, and all ye saints in heaven, assist me with your powerful intercession, so that the Lord, who has given you the grace of unimpaired innocence and chastity, may also bestow this same great gift upon my children.  Amen.

Source: The Christian Mother, the Education of Her Children and Her Prayer,  Imprimatur 1880
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More Precious Than Mountains of Gold and Silver

12/8/2018

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The most precious virtue we can have is that of purity and it isn't even thought of much anymore. Our society is saturated with impurity. One can't even go to the grocery store with out seeing immodesty. It is everywhere. It's a hard job teaching the precious little souls God puts in our care about this most important virtue.  

AS I begin this talk there rises up before me a beautiful picture. I see the Blessed Virgin Mary as a little girl, sitting at the side of her mother, St. Anna, and listening attentively to her instructions. How well instructed Our Lady was! And when we think of her we think of all virtues, surely; but there is especially one that shines forth in her with unequalled splendor. Of this, the pearl of virtues, I am going to speak now.

A good child, as everybody knows, must be obedient, kind and gentle, devout and pious. And now I am going to tell you what else a good child must be-- something without which a child simply cannot be a model of obedience, gentleness, and piety. That something is the lily-like virtue of holy purity—a jewel among the virtues. Yes, a good child must be modest, chaste, and pure. Be sure of this, my little people, for you and for everyone else purity is the most important and most necessary virtue for happiness in this life and in the eternal life to come. Without it you will make no progress in goodness and will never amount to much of anything in any way. Words cannot tell how priceless this virtue is. It is more precious than mountains of gold and silver; all the diamonds and gems of the world are as nothing when compared with this pearl of great price-- holy purity.

We can best understand what purity is telling what impurity is. And what is impurity? You have seen lovely, snow-white lilies on the altar, haven't you? How beautiful, how fragrant they are! Now, take such a lily and throw it into the gutter, into the mud of the street, and trample on it. Then pick it up and look at it. That is a picture of impurity! How ugly! Rather than soil in the least the lily of holy purity you must avoid everything that would endanger it: companions, places, movies, books, pictures. As soon as you feel that a thing is not nice, have nothing to do with it. Be willing to lose everything, even life itself, rather than your pearl of great price. Remember that you are a temple of God and that the Holy Ghost dwells within you. Remember that your body is holy, that it was consecrated to God in Baptism, that it is sanctified in Holy Communion. You are like a church, like an altar. How dreadful it is to desecrate such holy places!

Now, if you would not keep certain parts of your body covered you would blush for shame; and others would cry, "Shame on you!" and turn their faces away. People cover such parts even when they go in bathing. And one who purposely and without necessity or for the sake of impure pleasure uncovers these parts on oneself or others or looks at them or touches them or lets others do this, commits a sin against holy purity. I t can quickly and easily become a big sin, too. Indeed, impurity is so hateful to God that it can even be a big sin only to think willingly and with pleasure of such forbidden things, or willingly to talk about or listen to such things when bad, wicked persons make fun of them or tell stories about them or sing immodest songs. Whenever you are tempted to do anything that is not modest, think of God and say, " I can't and I won't! God is watching me." You cannot go to any place where God and your Guardian Angel do not see you.

But suppose you have lost your pearl of great price already—then what? Ah, then you must not be discouraged and give up and let yourself go. No, never! You can get it back—the pearl of virtue regained. And while you are still young it is all the easier. The chains of bad habit are not yet so strong. You can break them now, with the help of Jesus and Mary. Just make a sincere and sorrowful confession. Your sins will be forgiven and he will help you, so that you never throw that lily into the gutter again.

But maybe you never soiled the lily yet. Maybe you can say—as so many can: "With God's grace I have always been chaste and modest and pure." Oh, how happy you are! You don't know how happy! You cannot imagine from how many sufferings and temptations you are free because of your purity. You have no idea of how lovingly the Lord of heaven and earth looks down upon you, and the Blessed Virgin, and all the angels and saints. Why, you could never even dream of the wonderful reward you'll get for your holy purity in heaven! But you will always have to be careful, always on your guard, especially in our day and country. The devil has traps set everywhere. He wants to catch souls in the net of impurity. So I'll tell you what to do in order to avoid his snares and those of his allies, the world and the flesh.

You must be watchful and keep strict guard over your senses and your imagination. In this you must be resolute and constant. You must carefully observe exterior modesty, especially when dressing or undressing, and also in toilet rooms. But remember that what is necessary for cleanliness or such like reasons is not sinful. Indeed, great cleanliness in this regard is a real help to holy purity. Fight at once all thoughts against this pearl of virtues by turning your mind away and having recourse to prayer; by saying little ejaculatory prayers for help; by pronouncing over and over again the powerful names of Jesus and Mary; by thinking especially of the eternal truths: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

And remember this well: it is no sin when these thoughts come, no sin to have them. They are temptations, and temptation is no sin, but an incentive to sin. As long as you do not really want them, as long as you do not entertain them, as long as your will does not consent to the temptation, you commit no sin. On the contrary, by bravely fighting the temptation you show your love for God in very deed and merit to receive from Him a hundredfold reward in heaven. If you happen to see or hear anything that is dangerous or immodest, turn away from it at once with disgust and refuse to think of it at all. Do not let yourself be led astray by curiosity. Do not keep thinking of such things. What you need to know will be told you in due time; and if there is something that you think you should know, ask it privately of a person who is able to inform you in a nice, helpful way—like Mother, for instance.

Never read a book that is not modest and that causes you temptations against the pearl of virtues; and do not even look at pictures in papers and magazines if they are not decent. Look out especially for bad companions, wicked and nasty persons, who show at once by their conduct and words that they are impure. If you see that they are a danger to others, report them at once to teacher or pastor or parents. Do not let yourself be fooled when children of the devil laugh at you or tell you with scorn that this or that is not a sin, and you know that it really is a shameful and immodest thing. Such persons are liars and deceivers!

Above all, pray every day for the grace of holy purity. Receive Holy Communion often. It is the very best means of remaining pure. And the next best means is devotion to Mary. It is a beautiful and well worthwhile practice to say the rosary every day just for the grace that your soul may ever be lily-like in its purity and your body ever be the unsullied temple of the Holy Ghost. If you cannot say the whole rosary each day you can at least practice the devotion of the three Hail Marys. Every morning, with your morning prayer, say three Hail Marys in honor of Mary's spotless virginity and for the grace of purity during the day. Then add the prayer: "O Mary, my good Mother, keep me this day from mortal sin." And every evening, with your evening prayer, say three Hail Marys for the same intention and add the words: "O Mary, my good Mother, keep me this night from mortal sin."

                                                                      Heart of Mary, bless the way,
                                                                       Keep us all by night and day.
                                                                        Heart of Mary, Mystic Rose,
                                                                          Send us all a sweet repose.
                                                                       Heart of Mary, Morning Star,
                                                                        Ward off danger near or far!
                                                                       Heart of Mary, by thy sorrow,
                                                             Keep us upright through the morrow.
                                                                         Heart of Mary, by thy grace,
                                                                      Give us with the saints a place.

Source: "Talks for Boys and Girls," imprimatur 1931
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1st Sunday of Advent - The Two Advents

12/2/2018

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First Point. - We are naturally led to consider the two comings of our blessed Saviour. The first, when He comes to save men; and the second, when He shall come to judge them. These two comings are attended by very different circumstances. In the first, it is a hidden God, who seems to fear manifesting Himself, and He veils His majesty under the charms of infancy. In the second, it shall be a terrible God, who will appear in splendor. His voice will resound as thunder, and will cause the powers of heaven to tremble. In the first coming the prophets represent Him to us as a gracious King, who comes in all kindness; but in the other coming, they show Him to us with thunderbolts in His hands and indignation in His face. At the first coming, the shepherds and wise men kiss His feet and contemplate Him with love, while the angels invite men to rejoice. ''Behold, I announce to you tidings of great joy." Angels also will come to announce Him at the end of time, but they will announce Him by a terrifying trumpet-sound, which shall awaken the dead in their tombs. At Bethlehem, everything calls for love and confidence, but at the end of the world everything will inspire fear and terror. At His first coming, the poor swaddling-clothes shall be the sign by which He will be recognized, but at His second coming, the sun eclipsed and the moon stained by blood shall be the signs of His advent. The first coming takes place in the silence of the night; the other, amid thunder and lightning. At Bethlehem, He is in a manger, in the stable; but then, He will be on a throne and will come in a brilliant cloud. What relations can these two comings have, so widely different in their circumstances and in their objects, that the Church, which does nothing except in profound wisdom, begins the holy season, when she prepares her children for the coming of Christ the Saviour, by the spectacle of Jesus as our Judge? She wishes that the remembrance of the one should serve as a preparation for the other. By fear of the judgments which Jesus shall render as sovereign Judge of the universe, she wishes to determine our rebellious hearts to profit by the mysteries of love which Jesus our Liberator will teach us. Fear smooths the way to love, and we shall understand better the benefit of redemption in all its extent when we shall be vividly impressed by the rigor of those judgments from which this benefit will preserve us. Let us, therefore, enter into the spirit of the Church, our mother, and by contemplating Jesus in the clouds which will serve as a tribunal, we shall dispose ourselves to adore Him in the manger which serves Him as a cradle.

Second Point. — Let us consider the signs which shall announce the second coming of the Son of God, and the principal circumstances which will accompany His coming. The sun will refuse its light to terrified men; the moon will appear as if stained by blood; the sea in frightful convulsions, threatening to overflow its barriers; densest darkness will cover the earth as with a thick veil of mourning; angels will come to announce that the end of time has arrived — the human race awaiting, in consternation, in frightful anxiety, the end which these sad signs foretell. However, the destruction of the universe is not the most appalling in the last scenes which will terminate all the scenes of the world. For what is it, after all, that the world should be effaced, when we know that it must perish? But on the ruins of the world, the Son of man, announced by so many prodigies, preceded by justice, surrounded by majesty, comes from heaven in all the pomp of His power, in the midst of the acclamations of the heavenly court, who attend Him! What a contrast between glory and destruction, between life and death! Behold the picture which the Prophet Daniel has made of it: "I beheld attentively, until the thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days was seated.  His throne was like flames of fire and its wheels of burning fire. A swift stream of fire issued forth from before Him. A million of angels ministered to Him and a thousand million stood before Him. The Judge is seated and the books were opened. I beheld one like the Son of man advance towards the Ancient of days; and they presented them before Him. And they gave Him honor, power, and kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him. His power is an everlasting power which shall not be taken away from Him, and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed. My spirit trembled. I, Daniel, was affrighted at these things.'' And who shall not be terrified? O my God, behold me at Thy feet, seized with terror at the remembrance of Thy judgments! Have pity on me before the day of Thy vengeance arrives, for on that day there shall be no longer pity or pardon.

Third Point. — Let us consider the rigor with which Jesus shall deal towards impenitent sinners on the day of His justice. He will command His angels to separate the wicked from the elect, as if they were unclean animals. He will place before their eyes the iniquities which have stained their miserable lives; and when He shall have confounded them before the eyes of the whole world, He will turn on them the eyes of His majesty. But who could endure the weight of His avenging looks? How true it is to say that sinners shall implore the mountains to crush them and death to annihilate them! But no, this will not happen; they must endure the agony of His terrible gaze, they must live to render by their sufferings eternal homage to that justice which they have so shamefully outraged. To understand to what extent sinners are hideous in the eyes of God, it will suffice to meditate on the first word He will address them. It is a word of indignation and disgust: "Depart from Me," and His voice, like to thunder-sound, shall resound to the extremities of the earth. At this anathema hell rejoices at the victims which are given and the demons rush forth to receive their prey. A saint thought he heard a voice issue from the throne of God to plead the cause of the sinner, and the following dialogue ensued: "Lord, dost Thou not recognize the work of Thy hands, and Thy privileged creature? O my God, suspend Thy sentence and Thy vengeance. These whom Thou rejectest are the very ones for whom Thou didst die; they are Thy children, the heirs to Thy Kingdom." But He answers: "I do not know them! They have blasphemed My name, they have despised My love, they are ingrates. They have employed My very gifts against Me, and now I have cursed them. Depart from Me forever.'' " But, O my God, behold their tears, hear their lamentations. They form a large part of Thy children! Do not allow them to perish forever." But He answers: " Have they not outraged Me? Indeed they weep, but it is with rage, not in love. How often have I spoken to their hearts, how often have I tried to lead them back to Me, and they have closed their ears to My voice. Now I curse them, let them go far from My presence. Depart, ye cursed!"

O my God, I am not astonished, if the remembrance of Thy judgments has converted so many sinners, peopled the deserts with holy anchorites, and wrung tears from so many holy penitents. Is it possible to weep too bitterly for the faults which must be expiated in hell, unless they are expiated here on earth? My God, what shall be my misfortune, if, after having reflected on the terrors and the regrets which will follow Thy second coming, I shall not profit by the means of salvation which the first coming affords me ! Do not permit it, O my God, and grant that I may never abuse Thy love and Thy mercy.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Plain Lessons in Catholic Doctrine - For God and Eternity

11/28/2018

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"The first and most sacred duty of parents," observes the catechism, "is to bring up their children for God and for eternal life." These words point out to us the foundation on which Catholic parents must build, if they wish to give a successful education to their children.  Both the religious as well as the secular education to the children must rest on this foundation. Why is it the first and most sacred duty of parents to bring up their children for God and for eternal life? First, because it is God who has given them the children, and it is God who will one day demand from them the children He has given them.  Secondly, because the children, once God has called them into existence, will remain in existence forever.  It is God's will that after their life in this world the children should have "eternal life" in heaven.  Catholic parents above all others ought to think of these two reasons frequently; they ought to reflect on them very seriously.

Parents, it is God who has given you your children.  He created them.  By His almighty will He formed their bodies out of the substance of earth.  He formed all the limbs, organs and senses of their bodies, their hands and feet, their hearts and brains, their eyes and ears.  He breathed into their bodies an immortal soul.  Every parent must admit the truth of what the Machabean mother said to her sons: "I know not how you were formed; for I neither gave you breath, nor soul, nor life; neither did I frame the limbs of every one of you. But the Creator of the world, who formed the nativity of man, and who found out the origin of all, He will restore to you again in His mercy both breath and life, as now you despise yourselves for the sake of His laws." (II. Mach 7, 22-23).

Your children are therefore God's property, not yours.  He has merely loaned them to you; and it is His will that you should educate them in such a way that, when He calls them back out of this world, He may keep them with Him in heaven forever. Yes, the time will come when God will demand His property - your children - back from you.

One or the other of your children may go into eternity before you, others of them may follow you.  In either case, when you yourselves appear before God after death to be judged, He will ask you the question: "What have you done with My property, the children I gave you?" How will you feel and what will you say, if even one of your children through your fault is excluded by the justice of God from the unspeakable joys of eternal life in heaven?

Educating the children for a successful career in this world is not the most important part of the task that parents have to fulfill.  Some parents think it is; at least they act as if they believed that to be their first duty.  If God had created man to live forever in this world, then it might be all right for parents to educate their children in such a way that they will be able to enjoy the greatest possible earthly happiness during their never-ending life.  But God created man that he might live only a short while here on earth.  At the appointed time death comes and takes man out of this world beyond the confines of the grave.  There man shall live forever, and it is God's will that the secular education of the children be not neglected; but it is also His will that the religious education of the children be given the preference as being absolutely necessary, and therefore vastly more important than the other. 

How true, then, are the words of the catechism: "The first and most sacred duty of parents is to bring up their children for God and eternal life!"

Source: The BeeHive by the Rev. A.M. Grussi,  December 18, 1910
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24th Sunday after Pentecost - The Trials of the Church

11/25/2018

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"THERE shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be."

FIRST POINT - There is nothing more remarkable than the destiny of the Church of God on earth. She is a vessel launched on the ocean of time, and destined to be buffeted constantly by wind and storm. The persecution which she shall suffer at the end of time shall be, it is true, the most terrible of all, although in every century of her existence persecutors have arisen against her. The first enemy with which she had to contend was Judaism. The Jews, who had put Jesus to death, wished to stifle His religion in its very cradle; the high-priests, the doctors, the scribes, the Pharisees, and the chiefs of all the people were against her. But it may be asked: Was it necessary that so much opposition should be raised against her who was so weak, so small, and on the first day of her existence? The answer is No, emphatically No, if she had been a human institution. But she was not a human institution; she was divine, and God who had founded her sustained her. And far from falling a victim by persecution, she acquired countless disciples. Driven from Jerusalem and Palestine, she sends her apostles to all parts of the world, and to the conquests she had already made she shall add new ones; but she shall purchase them as she did the first — at the price of the best blood of her children. Hardly had the Church spoken to pagan nations that word which announced the glad tidings, than she counted innumerable disciples — at Athens, as well as at Rome; among the Scythians, Arabians, and Persians, as well as among the Egyptians. At the sight of these triumphs idolatry trembled for its false deities. The emperors took up arms against this new power and began the era of blood and persecution. From one corner to the other of the Roman empire the Christians were tracked by savage beasts; denounced as traitors, placed under the ban of the empire as infamous people, they were put to the rack and the flames and the lions; every citizen was ordered to denounce them, and every governor of a province was charged to put them to death. It was a prodigy unheard of, and history would not believe it if it were not compelled to record it in its annals. But the order of things was reversed. Causes have produced effects opposite to those which they should have produced. The Caesars, instead of stifling religion, had given it a new life. Edicts of proscription propagated it more rapidly than it would have done by the peaceful preaching of millions of apostles; the blood of the martyrs had become the seed of Christianity. Who cannot see here the finger of God? But it was not enough for the Church to have combated against Judaism and idolatry. Intestine strife, more terrible for a society and a kingdom than external foes, arose to show clearly that God sustained His Church. The great heresy which threatened the Church with ruin commenced in the fourth century. It was propagated and came to life under different names until the sixteenth century, when it made its grand development. The apostles of heresy were sometimes powerful in words and works. Has it not produced an Arius and a Luther? Heresy opposed the Church more terribly than the Roman emperors. Arius found assistance in the legions of the Emperor Constance. Luther was supported by the German princes and the revolting peasants. But the same power which caused the Church to triumph over the Jews and pagans made her triumph over heresy, and the new triumph was another proof of her divine origin. Rationalism in its turn declared war against the Church, and what a war! As bold as the prince of Jewish priests and Roman emperors, it attacked individuals and went so far as to shed blood. It was more impious than heresy, since it was not limited, to a contest on some disputed point of doctrine. Rationalism attacked everything. Rousseau denied revelation; Hume held that the distinction between good and evil was arbitrary; Helvetius preached materialism; Diderot made Atheists; Voltaire combined them all — at the head of the philosophic cohort he was soldier and general. At this epoch everything was employed to destroy religion — resources of genius and admi- rable talents, scientific studies and historical evidences, calumnies and sarcasm, but the Church triumphed over them all. The triumph she has won in the sequence of ages over all her enemies must assure us, in the midst of trials which assail her now, that she shall rise from them, as ever, purer and more glorious.

SECOND POINT — What we should do in time of persecution. Our first duty is to humble ourselves before God and strive to appease His anger. All the evils which bring sorrow to the Church, all the trials by which human society is afflicted come from the sins of men. Perhaps these trials are provoked by our own personal iniquities. We should then strike our breast, and by our tears appease the tempests which our crimes have unchained. This was the conduct of the saints. The prophet Daniel was not responsible for the sins which occasioned the captivity of the Jews in Babylon; however, he numbered himself among the guilty ones. ''We have sinned," he said;  "we have committed iniquities. We merit only confusion for our sins, we, our kings, and our princes, and our fathers.'' The holy priest Esdras thus spoke to God: "My God, I am covered with shame and I do not dare to lift my eyes to Thee, because our iniquities have ascended to heaven." Strive  to entertain these sentiments so suitable to a Christian heart, and in the trials which beset the Church here below be careful lest you regard yourself guiltless. In the troubles which afflict the Church we should not content ourselves with being humble; but we should pray for her. This duty our blessed Saviour points out in the Gospel of today, when He says: "Pray that your flight be not in the winter." This He recommends most formally in the words of Ezechiel: "I have sought for a man who would restrain my anger against my people, and I have not found him, and I have been forced to give full vent to my vengeance." These words, "I have sought for a man," should make us tremble. Alas, perhaps you are that unthinking soul who betrays the cause of the Church by neglecting its interests and by doing nothing for her glory. When God seeks some one to arrest His anger, it is a sign He wishes to pardon, and if He does not pardon it is our own fault; we have not prayed, or we have prayed without suitable dispositions. Henceforth, fulfil this duty with greatest fidelity. Pray with a pure heart, with fervor, with perseverance, that God may shorten the days of trial for good Christians. Ask that His Church may increase and flourish more and more every day, until the coming of the great day, which shall see all the enemies of our divine Saviour conquered. Our third duty in the time of trouble and scandal is to cling most tenaciously to the teachings of the Church. "There shall arise" says the Saviour, "false Christs and false prophets; if then some one tells you Christ is here, or there, do not believe it.  To follow this warning remember these two principles:

First, the faith of the Church is invariable; that which was believed in the days of the apostles is still believed, and shall be believed to the end of the world. Thus every novelty should be rejected, every new doctrine should be condemned beforehand and should not seduce us. To believe and to be saved: this is all the Christian should know and practice.

The second principle which shall preserve you from all error is that the Church is Catholic, that is to say, is universal. It follows that Christ is neither in this or that sect. Be on your guard against every particular doctrine; remain firmly attached to the Church which is Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman; whose faith is as old as herself and as extended as the world. She is the pillar of truth on which you must stand in the midst of the fluctuating and uncertain teachings of the times in which we live. She is the bark of Peter which has lived through tempest and storm, and which shall securely conduct you to the haven of safety.


Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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6th Sunday after Epiphany - The Establishment of the Church

11/18/2018

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THE grain of mustard seed, of which Jesus speaks today in the Gospel, which is the smallest of all . . . seeds and in time becomes one of the largest plants, is the natural emblem of the feeble beginning and the rapid progress of Christianity. This association of extreme weakness and all-powerful strength in religion is the most striking proof of its divinity. You will comprehend it, if you consider, on the one hand, the obstacles which were opposed to the establishment of Christianity, and, on the other, the seeming weak means which have surmounted every opposition.

First Point — The obstacles which opposed the establishment of religion came from within herself and from the world without. She had against her the obscurity of her dogmas. In fact, she labored to obtain from pagan peoples the abandonment and the sacrifice of all their beliefs, and also to ask them to adopt mysteries which were wholly inexplicable to reason — the mystery of but one God the Creator, and in this only God three persons who participate in the divinity without dividing it, and a unity of nature in a trinity of persons. With this mystery of the Trinity there was another still more incomprehensible, viz., a God made man. To these two great mysteries join the dogma of original sin and all the truths associated with and dependent on it — the human race, whole and entire, tainted by the fault of only one person! even children stained in the wombs of their mothers; a virgin who gives birth and yet without ceasing to be a virgin; a God who dies on a cross, and this first sacrifice to be renewed on our altars from age to age; priests clothed with the power of pardoning sins; and, what is more prodigious still, these priests at the altar distributing to the faithful their God, who after re- deeming them nourishes them with His substance! Behold some of the truths which the apostles preached. What man could have dared to invent such a doctrine? What men would have been so senseless as to preach it, or to believe it, if it had no other support than the mere word of a man? Religion had against her the severity of her morality. There was in her teachings no sweet or con- venient philosophy which smiled on the passions, which promised festivals, or invited her followers to joys and pleasures. No; it is a religion of detachment, abnegation, and penance; her precepts and especially her maxims are fearful to nature. You can form some idea of the opposition that religion must contend against in the world, if you recall the strange words by which the Son of man begins His moral code. "Blessed are they" — but who are they? The rich or the powerful ones of the world?" Hitherto this was the universal belief, but it was an error which the world loved to believe. But Jesus exclaimed: "Blessed are they who mourn! "Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake" He had already said: ''He who wishes to come after Me must deny himself; he must take up his cross daily and follow Me." These maxims and these precepts were far from being attractive, it must be admitted, especially for men who were habituated to the sensuality and luxury which the pagan religion authorized. These teachings were, therefore, a second obstacle — humanly speaking, insurmountable — to the enterprise of the apostles. To these obstacles add the prejudices which the Christian religion must at once develop. It was a new religion; it had just been born; and the dis- graceful punishment of its Author had already attached to it a character of ignominy and disgrace. A religion which attacked every prejudice, every habit, and every popular belief must necessarily have against her the natural repugnances, the force of inclination, the tyranny of habit, the impressions of education and of custom. Humanly speaking, contempt and public ridicule should welcome these twelve miserable fishermen, preaching a God crucified and imploring the homages of a pagan world for a man attached to an infamous gibbet.

Second Point. — You have just seen the obstacles which arose for the apostles from the very nature of their enterprise. Consider the obstacles which they were obliged to overcome from the world with-  out. The epoch when they received their mission to found a new religion precisely coincided with the age of Augustus, — this famous age, which suggests to our mind the idea of exalted tastes, talents, and genius; an age rich in great orators, philosophers, poets, and historians; but, let us add, the age of corruption as well as of science. It was to such men, who were vain of their knowledge, that the apostles came to preach a doctrine whose dogmas appeared shocking to reason. It was to these men, plunged in delicacy and luxury, that they came to prescribe rules of conduct which wounded the most imperious desires of their hearts. But these obstacles, however great they may be, are nothing compared with the efforts which the whole world made to hinder the establishment of Christianity. And what do we see at the birth of the Church? Hell unchained raises against her all the powers of earth. Philosophers and a multitude of sophists, spread out in the East and the West, join their talents and their lights to arrest the progress of Christianity. They pervert its dogmas, revile its mysteries, and ridicule its worship. Celsus, Porphyrus, and Julian compose lampoons, in which they display all the resources of their genius, to uphold idolatry and to decry the new religion. To the perfidy of reasoning and of calumny the bloodiest persecutions are added. The people arise as one man against the faithful; the cities reject them from their walls; while the provinces arm themselves with the firm intent of extermination.  Nor is this enough: legal persecution is organized, public force is opposed as a huge barrier to the progress of Christianity. The emperors, by their edicts, point out what must be the vigilance and cruelty of the magistrates. Persecution becomes general in the whole empire; everywhere the Christians are pursued as public enemies; neither the bosom of their families, nor the crevices of the rocks, nor the solitude of the deserts shall shield them from the rigor of the laws. When the ordinary punishments did not suffice, new torments were invented or the old ones were renewed, which are enough to make one shudder. Neither rank, age, sex, virtue, services rendered to the country, in fact nothing could pardon the crime of being a Christian. The persecution organized against the disciples of Christ was not a persecution of some days, or some years, but it was by ages that we must count the persecutions of the Church. We cannot follow it during three hundred years except by the traces of blood which was shed and by the light of the funeral piles kindled against her. These are the obstacles which Christianity was obliged to overcome even at her very birth. Now that you know both the project of the apostles and the obstacles which opposed them in their enterprise, strive to see if success were possible in the ordinary course of things. On the one hand, there is a religion, sweet, pompous, and agreeable, which is believed to have been established by the gods and which is considered as ancient as the world; on the other hand, a religion severe, mysterious, and wholly new. In the first were the sages, the philosophers, the armies, and the entire universe; in the second there were some ignorant men, without defense, without support, without assistance; on one side there were authority, inhumanity, fury; on the other there were weakness, patience, and death. On what side must victory come? Which one must win? Evidently the palm belongs to idolatry. But no; the emperors from their high thrones ordain that the gods must be adored. But the gods are despised. Twelve Galileans summon the universe to the feet of their crucified Master; and the world hastens to obey them, in spite of tortures, scaffolds, and funeral piles. Can you not see here the finger of God? It is visible to all eyes ; and if this submission of the human race has not been secured by the force of miracles, the conversion of the world would be more strange and astonishing than all miracles.

O my God, how I love to reflect on those prodigies which prove the divinity of the Church; my faith in them becomes livelier and more profound; may my love for them become more ardent and more generous.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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5th Sunday after Epiphany -          The Mingling of the Good and the Wicked

11/10/2018

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THE parable of the cockle mingled with the good grain in the field of the father of the family, . . . furnishes us an occasion of meditating on the mingling of the good and the bad in the Church of Jesus Christ. Consider how some become bad, why God allows the association of the good and the wicked, what duties devolve on you, and how this mixture of good and bad shall terminate.

First Point. — How men become wicked. We cannot accuse God as the cause of this mingling of good and bad which afflicts the Church so much; every sinner must accuse himself only for his perversions. God has done everything for us that we should be good and virtuous. Not to mention here the sacrifice of the cross, which has been the principle of all justice and every virtue worthy of the name, how many graces have followed for us? Grace of the sacraments, grace of holy inspiration, grace of instruction and good example. There has been no admixture; yet after all this the servants of the good master were obliged to say: "Master, have you not sown good grain in your field? How comes it we find cockle there?" Was ever reply more just? "It is my enemy that has done this."  Yes, the demon, ever hostile to Jesus, and the passions ever hostile to our happiness — these are the enemies whose artifices and cruel influence we must always fear. And how does the demon come to pervert even the most virtuous hearts and subject them to his rule? Jesus Himself tells us; he comes in the night, and as a thief. Well does Satan know that, if he presented sin in its true colors to an innocent soul, he should be surely rejected; therefore he presents it under a deceitful color and as if in the night. He persuades us that this thought, this doubt, this society, this association is most innocent, and under the pretext of that pretended innocence we yield and insensibly entangle ourselves in his snares. The evil which is the consequence of our want of foresight is not perceived at once, but it is not the less real. Thus the cockle while it is only in the germ does not appear, but after its growth it saddens our heart. We must constantly watch and be on our guard, if we would protect our hearts from the first attacks of evil; every temptation is easily rejected at the outset, but once let it enter the soul, it will be a difficult thing to drive it out. Therefore it is our blessed Saviour gives us this advice, to which we cannot be too faithful: "Watch," not indeed to hinder the temptation: that is impossible; but "lest you enter into temptation" — that is, not to allow it to enter your heart.

Second Point — Why does God allow this mingling of the good and the wicked? It is through His  bounty for sinners; the tolerance which God manifests for them is a marvel of His mercy. '*The long patience of God" says St. Paul, " invites sinners to repentance." Isaias says "it is to pardon them that he awaits them; and the prophet Ezechiel adds: "God does not wish the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live." We cannot but admire here the unspeakable goodness of God. If divine justice had struck you when you were under the yoke of sin, where would you be now? Alas, even in this very moment where would you go, if the Supreme Judge came to demand the account which you must one day render? With regard to the just, their mingling with sinners serves for their sanctification. It is in persecutions that virtue is purified; it is in temptations it is strengthened; virtue must be exercised if it shall become sustaining. The trials of every kind to which the wicked subject the good keep them in continual activity and hinder them from growing weary in well-doing. Virtue is never more beautiful than when it is victorious over illusions, seductions, bad examples, contempt, threats, and the persecutions of the world, which are always anxious to corrupt and desirous of being corrupted.

Third Point — What should our conduct be with regard to sinners? The tolerance which God man- ifests towards them must oblige us to tolerate them also, and to treat them with sweetness and indul- gence. And by what right could you reject those whom God Himself tolerates? Perhaps this impious one or that sinner, whose conduct is revolting to you, may be destined to become a vessel of election. Perhaps these sinners may be called to a higher sanctity than you whose indiscreet severity would hurl anathemas against them. Alas ! you who have such great need of indulgence, how can you show such little indulgence to others? A second duty towards sinners is to labor as much as you can for their conversion. There are two means to attain this desirable end, and the first is our own example. This means is, the first of all, the most efficacious and most free from all inconvenience. We should give to sinners a salutary horror for vice by the sight of our own virtues, and by seeing what we are they shall learn to blush for what they are. The second means to convert the wicked is prayer. The prayers of the just shall procure for them the grace of conversion. To the prayers of St. Stephen and St. Monica the Church is indebted for her two great lights — St. Paul and St. Augustine. God wishes only to pardon and to bless, but His mercy must be implored by the prayers of the just. By the mouth of His prophet He tells us: " I have sought a man who shall stand between My justice and the sinner, to arrest My arm, but I have not found him." Make it your duty to interpose between God and so many sinners who are rushing blindly to the abyss; this should be a sweet duty to discharge when it is a question of obtaining the conversion of a friend or the salvation of a father So or a mother. How can you refuse to procure for yourself a joy so worthy of a Christian heart?

Fourth Point — How shall the mingling of the good and bad terminate? By the chastisement of the wicked and the recompense of the good. " At the time of the harvest, I shall say to the reapers, Gather up first the cockle and bind it in bundles to burn, but the wheat, gather into my barn." Behold the destiny of both: strive to comprehend the consequences, first with regard to sinners. The words of the parable alone suffice to make you appreciate the rigorous chastisement which awaits them. The time of the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. In the harvest time the cockle is gathered and given to the flames, and so the Son of man, at the end of the world, shall send His angels, who shall take from His kingdom all scandalous sinners and those who have committed iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'' Behold the frightful destiny of the wicked. But oh, how much the destiny of the just is to be en- vied! Jesus Himself says: "Then the just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." He then adds: "He that has ears to hear, let him hear." O my God, who is there that shall not be awak- ened from sleep, in reflecting on these great truths? Let the impious and libertine close their ears, lest they should hear, but it shall be their own folly and  misfortune.

For myself I ask, O my God, a docile heart to profit by such an important lesson. Detach my heart from all that is transitory, that I may comprehend and taste what is eternal. Ah, Lord, grant that Thy justice may terrify me, that Thy goodness may assure me, that Thy law may be my rule, and that, walking here below in Thy light, I may attain, one day, to Thy glory.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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2019 Catholic Liturgical Calendar

11/5/2018

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If anyone wishes to view and/or download and print our family calendar you can find it  here.  Please note: This is not an official calendar of the Catholic Church. It was put together by a lay person for her own family using the Saint Andrew Daily Missal - Imprimatur 1951, The Catholic Girls Guide - Imprimatur 1908 and With God - Imprimatur 1911 and the Blessed Be God Prayer book - Imprimatur 1925.  If you would please bring any mistakes to my attention at:  jwillson61@charter.net, I would appreciate it!  God bless you all!

All prayers used in this calendar are from sources with imprimaturs prior to 1958.  Most of them well before that date.
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4th Sunday after Epiphany - The Tempest Appeased by Jesus

11/4/2018

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Easter being variable, the number of Sundays from Pentecost to the First Sunday of Advent is, of course, variable also; but there cannot be less than twenty-three, nor more than twenty-eight.  The Mass for the Last Sunday after Pentecost is always said on the Sunday preceding Advent. If there are more than twenty-four Sundays after Pentecost, the Introit, Gradual, and Communion of the 23rd Sunday are repeated on all the remaining Sundays.  But the Prayers, the Epistle and Gospel are taken from the Masses of the Sundays omitted after the Epiphany.  If there are 27 Sundays after Pentecost Holy Mother Church directs us to say the prayers, Epistle and Gospel for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany today.

THE sea on which the apostles embarked is the image of the world, — the sea strewn with . . . dangers and countless shipwrecks. The ship which carries them is the figure of your soul in its journey towards eternity. The tempest which threatens to submerge them represents the temptations of every kind, which embarrass us on our way to heaven.

FIRST POINT. - Every one experiences these temptations, the child and the young man, the full- grown man, and the aged; the Trappist in his solitude, as well as the worldly man in the midst of his festivities. The most scrupulous and exact piety is not even a safeguard from their attacks. Did not temptations come to those who were in closest companionship with Christ? Be careful, therefore, lest you believe that your love for God, your fervor in His service, your fidelity in the fulfillment of your duties shall shield you from temptations. This would be a dangerous error. On the contrary, your piety and your innocence shall be the reason for the demon to make greater efforts to bring you under his dominion. There are hearts enough who deliver themselves up as a prey to their enemy. He is assured of these, but he is desirous of choice souls like yours; to make a conquest of them he redoubles his seductive snares. Still you must not be discouraged by temptations, but see in them the consolation that you are not as yet under his dominion. St. Francis de Sales has said that the dogs do not bark after the people who belong to the house, but only after strangers; so the demon leaves in a sad peace those whom he knows belong to him, and wearies the others by his pursuits, and invents a thousand artifices to turn them away from the paths of virtue. Alas, he only succeeds too well! Just cast a glance about you: where are so many souls that were hitherto so fervent? What have become of them? They have become a prey to the demon, and now they languish far from God and from virtue, in a shameful slavery! Weep for them, and conjure our good Lord to keep you far from such misfortunes.

SECOND POINT — While the tempest raged and threatened to engulf the bark on which the apostles sailed, "Jesus slept." This sleep of Jesus is the occasion of our great temptations and the principle of all our falling; it is the symbol of the languor which conducts a soul to those negligences which she permits, the distractions in which she allows herself to be drawn — certain affections which are wholly natural and which have over her too great sway, and especially the facility to commit light faults. True, indeed, these faults do not deprive us of the presence of Jesus, but they diminish the effect of His presence; they do not destroy His grace, but they weaken and diminish it. Grave sins crucify Him in us, while light offenses cause Him to sink into a deep sleep. This sleep of Jesus in our soul is not always a crime, but it is always a misfortune. In fact, it is during His sleep that the storms arise, that the passions are awakened, that the enemy, who never sleeps, renews with greater activity all his dangerous attacks. He is too weak to conquer us when we are divinely assisted, but he awaits the moment to combat with us when we are not assisted by this heavenly aid. If, therefore, you perceive that Jesus sleeps in you, awaken Him immediately. That is to say, if you feel your fervor weakening or your heart growing cold towards God, your courage unequal to the fulfillment of your duties, promptly renew your ardor and take heart again. A soldier should not lay aside his arms when he perceives the approach of the enemy; on the contrary, then it is he should be animated by a new courage. However, be not presumptuous; and never forget that you can do nothing by yourself — your strength comes from God; ask Him for His grace most earnestly. Even as the apostles, have recourse to the divine Master, and cry to Him with a profound feeling of your weakness: ''Lord, save me, for without your aid I shall perish." Be assured, if you are faithful to invoke God in the moment of danger, if you invoke Him with confidence, the same prodigy which was wrought for the apostles shall be wrought for you; Jesus shall again command the tempest to be appeased, and tranquillity and calm shall be restored to your soul.

THIRD POINT — But when the temptation shall have passed be assured your work is not over. Either you have successfully resisted, or you have yielded. If you have been fortunate enough to have resisted, do not claim for yourself the glory of this triumph. Be careful to refer all the honor of your victory to God. Gratitude for benefits received shall gain for you new blessings and attract new graces. Moses, after his victory over the Amalekites, erected an altar on the battlefield and there offered to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. BoSwSuet praised the great Conde, the conqueror at Rocroy, for having intoned the Te Deum on the field of battle, thus recognizing that he was indebted to God for his first victory. Imitate these examples, for, since you are weak, it is impossible to triumph over the enemy by your own unaided strength. It is to the protection of the Virgin Mother and the assistance which God sends you by His angels that you are indebted for victory; why then take the glory as if it had come from yourself? If you are obliged to admit defeat, then deplore it, but be not cast down or discouraged.

Here there are two dangers to be feared: indifference and discouragement. Indifference, alas! is only too frequent. One commits sin and thinks of it no more; one is the enemy of God and remains tranquil. Should you see some loved one die you can- not restrain your tears; but your soul is dead in sin.  Shall you be insensible to this spiritual death ? Be on your guard against this guilty carelessness. You have offended your God? then cast yourself on your knees and ask for pardon. Your soul is stained by sin? then do not remain in sin, but hasten to wash it away in the sacred waters of penance. Also avoid discouragement. This would be nothing less than a new outrage against God. And let us ask, What can be the motive for discouragement? You have sinned; do you think you are impeccable ? Are you stronger than Samson, holier than David, or wiser than Solomon? Whence come, therefore, your discouragement and anger? God opens His heart to you; have recourse to His mercy. Instead of being saddened or unduly discouraged, let the remembrance of your faults serve as a motive of greater humility, since you are so weak; more patience, since you have so much to expiate ; more charity, since you have so much need of indulgence. Oh, then shall your fault be a happy one, and even as God you shall draw good from evil.

O my God, how good Thou art! Thou experiencest more pity than anger at the sight of Thy children's faults. I wish hereafter to entertain for Thee a truly filial confidence. If I have the misfortune to offend Thee, I shall cast myself into Thy arms, feeling well assured that Thou wilt not reject Thy repentant child.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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All Souls Day - November 2nd - Commemoration of the Dead

11/2/2018

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 TO pray and to procure prayers for the dead is at once an act of charity towards our neighbor, and an act of charity towards ourselves.

FIRST POINT — To pray for the dead is an act of charity towards our neighbor. One of the most important acts of charity is almsgiving. Now, St. Francis de Sales says that in praying for the souls in purgatory there is a true almsgiving. When you pray for these poor souls you clothe their nakedness, you furnish food for the hungry, you console the loneliness of those who are abandoned, you dry the tears of those who weep, and console the misfortune of those who are desolate; in a word, by this single act of praying for the dead you fulfil all the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. O charity for the dead, most worthy of exercising our faith and our piety ! How this excels all the other works of ordinary charity ! It has qualities which are wanting necessarily in other works of charity. It is most easy to perform, since we can always pray. It is opportune, since the need of the souls we assist is always real. It has the merit of being well placed, since we assist the elect. It has permanency, since eternal reward results from it, if by our prayer a soul in purgatory ceases to suffer because she has entered forever into the bosom of her God. But there is a more decisive consideration. It is that this almsgiving is not only a duty of charity; it is often a duty of justice. Here let us recall the past. Are there not among the souls in purgatory some parents, relatives, and friends of whom we were the occasion or the accomplices of the faults which they now expiate so rigorously? Are there not in purgatory some friends who suffer because they shared in the tepidity, the vanity, the uselessness of our life? Are there not there a father, a mother, or relatives who are deprived of the happiness of seeing God only to expiate a fatal condescension in yielding to our weaknesses, sparing our sensibilities, by refusing us, through love, a counsel, a reprimand, when religion commanded them to counsel or reprove us? Here there is no question of exercising charity towards them; it is a simple act of justice which we owe them to pray for them. We are now confronted by a great act of reparation. Let us pray, therefore, for these poor souls who are unhappy because of us. We should offer, or cause to be offered, for them the holy sacrifice of the Mass. It was for the dead that at first all the fruits of the sacrifice were applied; since Jesus, after His death, descended into Limbo, whence He delivered the just of the Old Law by applying to them the merits of the blood which He had just shed. The effects of this divine blood are still the same. When the priest, says St. John Chrysostom, offers the sacrifice of the Mass, the angels hasten near the altar; they gather in golden cups the blood of the New Alliance; they then fly towards heaven, penetrate the darkened abodes of the just souls in which they are purified; they pour out on them the precious blood, and their sufferings are lighter.

SECOND POINT — To pray for the dead is an excellent act of charity towards ourselves. Let us cast a look on our past life. How many infidelities we see; how many days, how many years, perhaps, have passed without grace or without the fervor of charity! True, indeed, we have repented; the sacramental absolution, joined to our repentance, has covered, before God, all the iniquities of the past. But if the stain no longer exists in the soul, the debt for the soul always exists; the sin no longer exists, but the obligation of punishment remains. Now, what penance have we done? Although we should give ourselves to God henceforth during our whole life, it shall be no less true that the portion of our existence which is behind that has been taken from Him. It is a void which our tears shall never fill; it is an abyss in which we shall look in vain for works of grace. It depends on ourselves to fill that void which seems irreparable. We have deprived God of a portion of our existence, then let us give to Him in exchange an other existence. We have taken from Him a portion of our soul; let us give to Him in exchange another soul; let us give Him many souls, and as many as possible. Behold how by prayer for the dead we shall repair the past. Prayer for the dead shall be useful for us in the present. When these souls shall have been delivered by our prayers, shall it be possible for them to remain indifferent to those who were here below the occasion and the instrument of their deliverance? Is not heaven the country of reward? Oh, how the delivered soul conjures God not to forget the souls who were on earth her benefactors! Oh, how in glory she intercedes and prays for us! in our temptations, what assistance! in our sorrows, what consolations! in our prayers, what help! in our agony, what support! And on the day of judgment, when we must give an account of our mission to Him who sent us to earth, what an advocate, what an intercessor we shall have prepared for ourselves by our charity! Let us therefore understand that by doing everything for the souls in purgatory we are doing everything for ourselves. And when at length it shall come our turn to quit this earth, and when it shall be necessary for us to suffer in expiation before reaching glory, how we shall rejoice at our charity today ! And then those souls unmindful of their brethren, who forget the dead, and who have in their heart neither a remembrance nor a prayer — God shall permit that they shall be forgotten, as they themselves forgot the dead. But on compassionate souls the words of the Son of God shall be accomplished: "It shall be measured for you, as you yourself have measured for others." Their memory shall be treasured in the minds of the faithful as the memory of the dead remained living in their thoughts. They shall speak their name at the holy altar when they shall have pronounced the names of those who have preceded them in glory! Ah, how they shall then rejoice that they had heard the counsels of the Church and followed them! How they shall praise those practices which were so easy and which shall have been for them so fruitful!

O my God, enkindle in my heart devotion for the dead. To pray for them is to contribute to Thy glory; it is to practice charity towards our neighbor and to labor for ourselves. May I understand it, and seize every opportunity of accomplishing a duty which is as much for the interests of my salvation as for the interests of Thy glory.

Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897
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Feast of All Saints - November 1st -       Difficulties and Recompense of Sanctity

11/1/2018

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WHEN we recall the virtues which the saints have practiced, and the happiness which is now their sweet and glorious recompense, we should reflect how their examples destroy every excuse which our sloth constantly invents to exempt us from walking in their footsteps.

FIRST POINT — The first excuse which we allege to exempt us from being saints is taken from the difficulties of sanctity in itself. We are wont to make of the saints a class of beings apart, a separate race, invested with some perfections inaccessible to the rest of Christians— a sublime exception in Christianity. Nothing is more false than this idea of sanctity. We employ it, however, to be free from the care of being holy. It is a strategy of nature, it is an error employed as a pretext to indulge in sloth. Unquestionably in the lives of the saints we meet with marvelous phenomena; God honors them with a familiarity which seems sometimes to separate them from us; He allows His love to fall on them in a manner which astonishes us, and they oftentimes respond to these gifts of God by an immolation of themselves which not only terrifies but astonishes us. These are, if you wish, recompenses, privileges, and marvels of their sanctity, but it is not their sanctity itself. The saints are what we Christians are, but they are better than we are. We are ordinary Christians, while the saints are eminent Christians; we are only soldiers, they are heroes. We must admit there is in sanctity a certain degree of perfection which only heroic souls attain. But we can be saints without rising so high, and the degree of virtue necessary to be a saint, in the ordinary sense of the word, has nothing which should terrify our courage. The command which I give you, said the Lord, is not beyond you. To observe it, it is not necessary to quit the world and to bury yourself in solitude; but it is within reach of every one, and its observance demands only the simplest requirements and the most ordinary works. How many saints are happy in heaven now who have done nothing on earth which has won for them the admiration of men! St. Augustine says that God is pleased to sanctify them in the obscurity of an ordinary life. Who is the servant in the Gospel whom we see rewarded? Is it not he who has been faithful in little things? Sanctity does not consist in doing extraordinary things. No; but it consists for all in fidelity to the duties of our state and in fulfilling them for God. There is nothing in that which is so difficult. The Christian complains of the difficulty of virtue. But how can he dare to do so with the example of the saints before him. Ah, if we had the choice between apostasy and the scaffold! — if it were necessary for us to sell our goods, abandon our friends, and condemn ourselves to solitude, what should we say? Then it would be indeed difficult to be saints! And yet we should do it, since the saints have. But what sanctity demands of us is much less than all that. It is a question of loving a God who is amiability itself, and not offending a God who is our Friend, our Father, and our Saviour. What is there in that that is above and beyond our strength? The worldling complains of the difficulty of virtue. How does he who serves the world dare to say this? Ah! if there is something difficult, it is to please the world, to bow to its caprices, to submit to all its requirements. But, O my God, Thou art good to all who serve Thee; amiable Master, Thou imposest precepts which are hard in appearance; but it is only a pretext, since Thou hast hidden sweetness under an apparent severity.

SECOND POINT — Excuses drawn from exterior difficulties. Virtue meets in the world with rude and countless obstacles, it is true; but our error is to conclude from that that sanctity is impracticable for us. And, after all, what are the obstacles? They are, first, the attractions of pleasures. But is not the world for saints as well as for us? Have they not found the world as deceitful in its caresses, as contagious in its examples, as false in its maxims, and as seductive in its pleasures? We complain of the tyranny which is exercised over our hearts, the love of worldly joys, the violence which we must do to hinder such amiable seduction; but, let us ask, when was victory achieved without combat? Do you think it cost no violence to Magdalen, to St. Augustine, to St. Jerome, and countless others, to break the bonds which bound them to iniquity and attached them to the world? What, then, hinders you from breaking these bonds as they have done? There is another danger which awaits us, and one that is remarkable for the countless shipwrecks it has occasioned; it is human respect. We could scarcely believe it were not our own eyes the witnesses of it. The fear of the world has become an obstacle to virtue. The Christian who wishes to serve his God must resolve to endure the railleries of libertines and the persecutions of the world; but the saints also met human respect face to face, and with what courage they were able to trample it under their feet! St. Paul was called to preach Christ crucified; but the cross is a folly in the eyes of the Gentiles, a scandal for the Jews, and he knows all this! Still it is nothing to him; Corinth, Rome, and Athens hear him preach the gospel of salvation freely. Let them despise him and calumniate him, let the world rise against him — he regards the judgments of men as nothing. Do you think that this contempt which was shown him cost St. Paul no effort? St. Augustine had also to overcome all that is terrible in human respect. What a sensation was created in the whole city of Milan when he broke away from all his past career ! What railleries on the part of countless young libertines who were formerly his best friends ! But St. Augustine triumphed over these obstacles; and it was not this only he had to conquer, but he had to break with the most ardent passions and the most inveterate habits. This was difficult. He himself depicts for us the violence of his combats, his long irresolutions, when, rolling himself on the earth, tearing his hair, he cursed his slavery without being able to free himself from its bondage. But at last, sustained by that grace which is never wanting to us, he broke his chains and by a generous effort arose above all his weaknesses. When shall you have the happiness to triumph over yourselves?

O my God, Thou who art in the highest heavens, surrounded by the immortal choirs of the elect, Thou who hast combated with so much courage. Thou beholdest my sloth and hearest my vain excuses. What must be Thy indignation! How shall I, one day, justify the monstrous contradiction which exists between my faith and my morals? What excuse shall I allege when Thou shalt point out to me saints of my own age and condition, who, in the midst of the same obstacles which arrest me, have remained faithful in the practice of all their duties? O my God, give me the strength to take them for my models. What happiness for me if, after having imitated their virtues, I may share their felicity and their glory!


Source: Short Instructions for Every Sunday of the Year and the Principal Feasts, Imprimatur 1897


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Prayers for the Repose of a Faithful Soul

9/30/2018

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I would like to ask you dear readers in your charity if you could please pray for the soul of my younger sister Laura Mason.  She passed away on September 28th. She was 54 years young.
Laura Marie Mason, 54, of East Jordan, MI died at Grandvue Medical Care Facility, on September 28, 2018, surrounded by her family. 

 A devout Catholic and loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend, Laura was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was born with cerebral palsy, but never let that stop her. She was an accountant, a dedicated babysitter to a family friend, and an avid quilter. She completed over a hundred quilts, and many of those were gifts to her many nieces and nephews. She enjoyed traveling with her sister Anne, and loved being the aunt to her 38 nieces and nephews. 

She will be missed by us all!

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May her soul and all those of the faithful departed rest in peace.  Amen.
 

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Please Note: - Error in the Planner Calendars

8/17/2018

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Dear Readers,  I am begging your forgiveness for this mistake.  I have found errors in both February and March of the 2019 planner calendars.  I have uploaded new files for all of them with the corrections made.  If you have already printed your copies you can just print those two pages and replace them in your planners.  For those of you who have purchased the planners from me I will be sending you the replacement pages already punched so you can replace them in your planners.  Again, please forgive me for this error, I'm very sorry.  God bless you, Julie
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Two Different Styles of the Student Planners

8/14/2018

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I've had several requests for the design of the planners I shared last year, with a one page layout instead of a two page layout.  So, I also have those available this year as well.  You can find them all here if you wish to download and print yourself, or you can go here to purchase a printed version.  Samples of each planner are below. 

Maidens for Mary - two page layout.  This is the new layout.
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Maidens for Mary - one page spread. This is same layout as last years planner.
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Crusaders for Christ - two page layout.  This is the new layout.
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Crusaders for Christ - one page layout.  This is same layout as last years planner.
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2018 - 2019 Student Planners

7/7/2018

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I'm finally able to work on finishing up the student planners.  I've changed the format a little to give the student or teacher more room to write out their plans.  I have also removed the dates from the top of the pages.  You can view some samples of the Crusaders for Christ planner below.  The cost for the printed planners will be $13.00 + shipping. As always the PDF is free and will be available on our download page.  They will start with September of 2018 and end with June of 2019.

After opening the file below, go to View in the upper left hand corner, click on page display and then two page view. You will then see how the pages will appear in the planner itself.
sample_-_crusaders_for_christ_planner.pdf
File Size: 918 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
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Thank You !

6/13/2018

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I just want to say "Thank You" all so very much for your prayers!  They are very much appreciated. You are all in our prayers as well.  God bless you!
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May the Month of our Mother

5/3/2018

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 In years past I posted a different story, poem or song with a coloring picture in honor of our Blessed Mother for each day in May.  You can find them all here.  In the category section on the right side of the page you can click on the date to find the corresponding post. 
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