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ANT: Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy spirit, and they shall be created. R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let us pray O God, Who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolations, through Christ our Lord. Amen. As a Catholic I feel I must take a stand against this atrocity. The Church cannot in anyway condone this sin. Below you will find a link to a news story that sickened me and beneath that the CATHOLIC Churches teaching on this matter. Remember, the Church cannot err in the teaching of faith or morals and this is definitely a moral issue. http://ncronline.org/news/politics/cardinal-dolan-pope-francis-opened-door-gay-civil-unions-debate Read also: From the Huffington Post WASHINGTON -- Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York said Sunday that Pope Francis' recent remarks on same-sex civil unions should not necessarily be interpreted as an endorsement of those unions. Rather, said Dolan, the pope was suggesting that the Catholic Church should seek to understand why there is growing support for recognizing same-sex unions. "If I saw the reports accurately, he didn't come right out and say he was for them," said Dolan in an interview with David Gregory of NBC's "Meet the Press." "Once again, in an extraordinarily sincere, open, nuanced way, he said, 'I know that some people in some states have chosen this. We need to think about that and look into it and see the reasons that have driven them.'" The pope, said Dolan, was arguing that "rather than quickly condemn" civil unions, "let's just ask the questions as to why that has appealed to certain people." Gregory asked Dolan whether civil unions would make him "uncomfortable." "It would," said Dolan. "Marriage, between one man and one woman forever leading to life and love, that's not something that's just a religious, sacramental concern … It's also the building block of society and culture." "If we water down that sacred meaning of marriage in any way, I worry that not only the church would suffer, I worry that culture and society would," he said. Gregory also asked about Michael Sam, the University of Missouri football star who recently came out. "How did you view it?" Gregory asked Dolan, a native of Missouri. "Good for him. I would have no sense of judgment on him. God bless ya," said Dolan. "Look, the same Bible that tells us, that teaches us well about the virtues of chastity and the virtue of fidelity and marriage also tells us not to judge people. So I would say, 'Bravo.'" My comments: So Dolan thinks "Bravo" that someone came out as gay? Something is very, very wrong with that! SINS THAT CRY TO HEAVEN FOR VENGEANCE Sins that cry to heaven for vengeance are sins of great malice. They are: wilful murder, oppression of the poor, defrauding laborers of their wages, and the sin of Sodom. These sins are of so abominable a nature, that every man's feelings must revolt against them. When Cain killed his brother Abel, God said to him: "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth to Me from the earth " (Gen. iv. 10). Every nation on the face of the earth punishes murder with exceptional severity, generally by the execution of the criminal. The oppression of the helpless Israelites in Egypt was a sin that cried to heaven (Exod. iii. 7). The Pharisees were guilty of this sin; they oppressed the poor and prayed long prayers (Matt, xxiii. 14). God expressly forbade the Jews to injure the widow and orphan (Exod. xxii. 22; Ecclus. xxxiv. 26). To keep back the wages of the needy (Deut. xxiv. 14), is a sin that cries to heaven, also on some pretext or other to defraud them of the whole amount (Jas. v. 4). In the Middle Ages an action brought by a working man took precedence of all others in the law courts, and judgment was given within three days. The sin of Sodom takes its name from the inhabitants of Sodom, who were guilty of unnatural sins, by reason of which they were destroyed by God, Who rained down upon them brimstone and fire (Gen. xix. 24). The Dead Sea is still a mournful memorial of their sin; ONE SO SHAMEFUL THAT IT MUST NOT BE NAMED AMONG US. From: The Catechism Explained by Spirago - Clarke, Imprimatur 1899 Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeance 76. What are the sins that cry to heaven for vengeance/ 1st. Wilful murder. "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth to Me from the earth." (Cor. iii. 15) 2nd. Sins against nature. "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievious." (Gen. xviii. 20) Source: Exposition of Christian Doctrine, Imprimatur 1919 DISCOURSE II ON THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT Thou shalt not commit adultery.-—Exod. xx. 14. HAVING shown you, dear Christians, what you are obliged to by this precept, and what you are forbid, and how great this sin is in Christians, who thereby defile the temple of the Holy Ghost, and dishonor the members of Jesus Christ, I shall proceed to show you the enormity of this vice, by the punishments God has and does inflict upon it in this life. We reasonably judge of the greatness of a fault by the greatness of the punishment, when the judge who inflicts it is just and impartial. To punish a fault more than it deserves, is always injustice, and is usually the effect of some disorderly passion, the weakness of man. But when God punishes, who is the fountain of justice, and in whom there can be no imperfection, we must; conclude from the severity of his judgments, the grievousness of the fault he punishes. I shall only relate some of those punishments, which the justice of God has inflicted upon such as have been guilty of the sin of impurity, to revenge this crime upon them, and to be a terror to future ages. The first remarkable punishment we find in scripture, is that of the deluge, wherein Almighty God drowned the whole world about 1650 years after the creation, and buried under the waters all mankind, with all the birds and beasts upon the earth, excepting' only four men and four women, who were innocent, and reserved for the repeopling of a better world, and some few of the birds of the air and the beasts of the land, to preserve the species. These were secured from the devouring waves, in the ark or ship, which Noah was ordered to build; all the rest of the world perished in the water, which overspread the whole face of the earth. The sea over swelled its banks, and came roaring in upon the land; the floodgates of heaven were also opened upon their heads, and the rain poured down for forty days and forty nights without intermission, and covered the highest mountains as well as the tallest trees. Thus perished all mankind, once the favorites of heaven, made to the image of God, and made for a noble end, to serve him on earth, and to enjoy him in heaven; to share in, and to be happy by the same happiness whereby he himself is infinitely happy. What caused this change? What drew this heavy and universal judgment upon them? It was their sins, and particularly the sins of impurity: "For all flesh," says the sacred text, "had corrupted its way upon the earth;" (Gen. vi. 12.) and God seeing that the thoughts of their hearts were bent upon evil, and being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart; I will destroy man, (says He,) with the birds and beasts, it repenteth me that I have made him and them. It is with great difficulty that Almighty God is brought to these extremities; it is our repeated crimes that force him to it; for he "desires not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; and why will you die, 0 house of Israel?" says he, by the prophet Ezechias, xxxiii. 11. He had used means to reclaim them, but all in vain. Noah had preached to them for an hundred years together, but to little purpose. He admonished them of their crying sins, and the impending judgments of God, but they slighted both. And this is but too commonly the unhappy case of those who are given to the sins of impurity—they are hardly reclaimed either by advice or threats; they run on in their evil ways, without duly considering the greatness of the offence to Almighty God, or their own imminent danger; and this till the just judgment of God surprise their neglect, and bury them in greater floods of woe. One would think this general and severe punishment should have been a warning to the small remains of the world, who were saved in the ark, and that they should have left such impressions of it in their posterity, as never again to dare to provoke the Almighty by such wickedness. But alas! all this water was not enough to extinguish the fire of lust; for as the world increased in number, it increased again in wickedness, and in a little time they attempted the raising of the tower of Babel, which they designed should reach heaven. For the punishing of this insolence, Almighty God was contented to change their language, and disperse them over the earth; but this was soon followed by a more hateful crime, which called for a more remarkable punishment: the impurities of Sodom and Gomorrah grew great, and the cry of their sins grew loud, so that the ,God of purity, not able any longer to bear with these provoking crimes, resolved upon a more frightful judgment than that of the flood, to strike a greater terror into the minds of men, and give them a more lively sense of the greatness of the offence. He once drowned the world with floods of water from heaven, but now he pours down upon them floods of fire and brimstone, and in a moment reduces into ashes all the inhabitants of the towns and country, sending them flaming down to a greater fire below; with them perished all the buildings, and whatever grew upon the ground. The place, remains to this day a filthy lake, called the Dead Sea, so noisome that nothing can live in it. This, no doubt, is left to all posterity as a standing monument of God's great aversion to this sin of uncleanness, as is declared in the Book of Wisdom, 10, 7. "Whose land for a testimony of their wickedness is desolate, and smoketh to this day." When Almighty God, whose nature is goodness, and who has that love for man, as to have made all things in this visible world for him, and man for himself, chastises him in this severe manner, both temporally and eternally; we may be sure the provocation is great; we may be sure the sins that drew down these heavy judgments upon their heads, were heinous in his sight; yes, dear Christians, and they were sins of impurity, as the sacred text expressly mentions; no doubt they were guilty of many other crimes, but these being the blackest, darkened the others, and the most enormous called loudest for vengeance. Had there been any hopes that these people would have been reclaimed, and like the Ninevites, returned to God upon the preaching of a Jonas, they had never been the dreadful victims of God's wrath at that time, nor the terrible mark of his vengeance to future ages; but they were bent on evil, and increased it daily, and laughed at the warning which Lot gave them, as others before ridiculed the preaching of Noah: or had there been but a small number of just, to have appeased the angel of God, Sodom might have stood to this day; for before he destroyed this infamous place, he acquainted Abraham with his design. "I am resolved, (says he, Gen. viii.) to destroy Sodom, this wicked town, that has completed the number of its sins." Lord, says Abraham, is there no means to appease your anger? You are too just to involve the righteous in the same ruin with the wicked; if there be but fifty just persons in the whole town, will not you spare the rest upon their account? Yes, says Almighty God, if there be but thirty, if there be but twenty, or if there be but ten just persons amongst them, I will spare the whole city for their sakes; but that number not being found, Lot and his little family were ordered to leave it. Then showers of fire and brimstone were poured down upon them from heaven, and in a moment set them all on flame. What we read in the book of Numbers is not a little terrible; there we find twenty-four thousand of the people of Israel put to death by the express order of God, for the sin of fornication with the Moabites; and in the last chapter of the book of Judges, it is recorded, how almost the whole tribe of Benjamin was destroyed for an abomination of this nature. The seven successive husbands of the virtuous Sara, were all murdered by the devil Asmodeus, as is expressed in the book of Tobias, the first night of their marriage, for giving more way to their lust, than to the end and design of matrimony. Her and Onan were struck dead also upon the place by Almighty God, as it is recorded in the book of Genesis, for committing a sin contrary to the end and duty of marriage. But there would scarce be an end, should i mention all those particular persons whom Almighty God has made visible examples of his anger, and recorded their punishment in holy writ for the terror of others, that they may avoid that rock whereupon so many millions have been shipwrecked. But I shall pass by all these to come to the greatest of punishments which God inflicts, and but too often upon those who give themselves to this sin, though it appears not to the eyes of men, yet it carries with it all the anger of God and is the mark of his utmost indignation; and this is Almighty God's forsaking them; his leaving them to themselves, to their own passions, and to a reprobate sense. He calls upon them no more, chastises them no more; He no more speaks to their hearts by his preventing grace, or interior inspirations; he no more calls upon them by exterior affliction, or medicinal punishments, to bring them to their duty, but leaves them to work their own wills, and by increasing their sins, to increase their damnation, and that he may punish them in the fulness of their crimes, as the Holy Ghost expresses it. This is what we find in St. Paul's epistle to the Romans, (c. 1.) speaking of those who know God, but did not honor him according to the knowledge they had of him, but gave the honor due to the incorruptible God, to corruptible creatures. " Wherefore, (says the apostle,) he delivered them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonor their own bodies;" and again, (v. 28.) he delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those those things which are not convenient." To punish a sinner, and to punish him indeed, one would not expose him to the rage of wild beasts to be torn in pieces by lions and tigers; one would not set up gibbets or racks to fasten him to; one would not prepare ropes to hang him, fire to burn him, or the sword to destroy him; one would not expose him to the miseries of plagues, famine, or war. No; but to abandon him to himself, and his own passions, to fill the measure of his sins, that his damnation may be deeper and surer. The rage of wild beasts, fire or sword, plague, famine, or war, are temporal punishments, and of no long continuance: whereas the being abandoned by God is a spiritual punishment, and drawing many crimes after it, whereby he fixes and determines himself to an eternity of the greatest punishments; wherefore God delivered them up to their depraved desires, unto the passions of ignominy, unto a reprobate sense, filled with all iniquity. We read in Ezechiel, of a strange figure of this truth; this prophet, surprised to see God abandon his temple, could not hold from saying: "Why Lord! will you no more remember your ancient promises, will you thus leave the place you once chose to dwell in? Yes, I am too much provoked, I will depart far from my sanctuary; and to shew thee that I have reason, look through this wall and see what passes there; and he beheld in vision seventy of the ancients of the House of Israel offering incense to false Gods. Come farther, and I will shew thee greater abominations;. and he saw women that sat mourning for the death of Adonis, the god or idol of impurity, &c. Can I stay here—is this a place for the God of purity? I will go; I will depart far from my sanctuary." The application, dear Christians, is easy. Are not our bodies, by grace, made the temples of the Holy Ghost; and our souls the sanctuary which Christ has chosen? It is in us, and by us, that he would be known, adored, and loved; it is in us, and by us, he would have our passions sacrificed to him And what do we do, if instead of this we be found offering incense to Venus or Adonis? If instead of sacrificing our passions to him, we sacrifice him to our passions ? What can we expect from him, will he bear with these abominations for ever? Will his patience never be tired? Yes, dear Christians, he will depart far from this sanctuary, and leave them to themselves, to their infamous passions, which they have made the idols of their hearts. He could send them temporal afflictions, but he finds they grow worse upon them; they are so far from reclaiming them from evil, that they occasionally increase it; for, as St. Gregory says, " Great afflictions have one of these two effects, they either make a saint like Job, or a reprobate like Antiochus." He could speak to their hearts by interior grace, as he has often done, but alas! they resist it all; he many times called upon them, and they as often refused to hear him. The word of God that was once the food of their souls, now makes no impression upon them; they hear the most terrible truths, and they little regard them; they hear the great and obliging promises of God reserved for his servants in another world, but the satisfactions of this stifle all sense of another. What shall God do when they are not to be gained by promises, nor overawed by threats? When heaven does not relish with them, nor hell affright them? when they continue in sin without remorse, and play with eternity without fear? when all past judgments are slighted, and present afflictions abused? when by continuance they grow obstinate in their evil ways, and deaf to all good counsel? they hear divine truths without any sense, and pray without any devotion? when all the means of salvation are neglected or abused, and the care of their souls has the least share in their thoughts? What shall God do with these, but leave them to themselves to take their own course, and by that means become their own greatest enemies ? Yes, God delivers them up, says the apostle, to a reprobate sense, to ignominious passions, to be their own executioners, and by daily augmenting their sins, to treasure up wrath in the day of wrath. We have a remarkable confirmation of this truth in the second book of Machabees, where the author of it, after he had reckoned up the many calamities, oppressions, and extraordinary persecutions that nation suffered under Antiochus, gives this admonition to the reader. I beseech all, says he, that shall read this book, that they be not astonished at our adversities, but that they look upon those things that have happened to our nation not to be for the destruction, but the chastising of our generation; for not to suffer sinners a long time to do as they will, but forthwith to punish them, is a make of a great favor. For it is not with us as in other nations, that our Lord patiently expecteth, that when the day of judgment shall come, he may punish them in the fulness of their sins. It is evident from hence, that there are those, whom God patiently expects not to repentance, for he foresees they will never seriously amend, but till they have completed the measure of their sins, that he may eternally punish them not for two or three crimes, but in the fulness of their sins, that their damnation may be so much the .greater, as their sins are more numerous". Certainly, this is the greatest punishment God ever inflicts upon an obstinate sinner. The general flood that overflowed the whole earth; the fire and sulphur that rained down on Sodom, and the neighboring country; plagues, famine, war, or any other temporal punishments whatever, are small to this. As far as eternity exceeds time, as far as the torments of hell surpass the afflictions of this life, so far this punishment is greater than any we have named. And therefore, above all, sinners have reason to dread this, and all those evil dispositions which lead to it; as the neglect of prayer, contempt of instructions, the hearing the word of God without fruit, or desire of amendment, neglect or abuse of the sacraments, and obstinacy in sin. It is these which lead a sinner to a hard and obdurate heart, and it is these which force Almighty God to refuse them his grace and abandon them to their own passions, according to that of the psalmist, "The sinner has exasperated our Lord, and in the severity of his anger he looks not after him." Here you have heard some of the most remarkable punishments which God has inflicted upon such as have given themselves to the sin of impurity; they are recorded in holy writ, and made public to the world, to be a lasting monument of God's great anger, and a continual warning to all ages. Those who were the first examples of the divine vengeance, no doubt, deserved what they suffered; but those who will not take warning by other's misfortunes, as they are more to blame, so they shall be more severely punished. These, I say, are the public judgments of an offended God; but besides them, no doubt, there are innumerable private ones upon particular persons, in many sudden and unprovided deaths, or by being left in errors, or to a hard heart, and a reprobate sense, by bringing them to a sudden and an untimely end, or by an angry patience, leaving them to fill up the measure of their sins for their greater damnation. I hope, dear Christians, that these judgments of Almighty God may make such an impression in your heart, that you may fly to his mercy in time, and, by a sincere and speedy repentance, obtain pardon for what is past, and, by a pious and exemplary life, deserve a reward for the time to come. Source: The Commandments and Sacraments Explained, 1819  7. MATRIMONY
The Institution and Nature of Matrimony "What food is to the individual, matrimony is to humanity in general. For as food serves to maintain the life of the individual, so marriage serves to maintain the life of the human race. Since the principal object of marriage, the right training of children, can only be attained when a man and a woman are united together by an indissoluble bond, the wise Creator in the beginning only created two human beings, saying : " They two shall be one in flesh " (Gen. ii. 24). 1. God Himself instituted matrimony in the beginning of the world, for the procreation of the human race, and the mutual assistance of husband and wife. Matrimony was instituted by God for the propagation of the human race; for He said to our first parents: "Increase and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen. i. 28). St. Francis of Sales calls matrimony the nursery-ground of Christianity, destined to fill the earth with believers, and complete the number of the elect in heaven. It was also instituted for the mutual support of the parties contracting it, for God said before Eve was created: "It is not good for man to be alone, let us make him a help like unto himself" (Gen. ii. 18). The woman being the weaker, needs some one on whom to lean; the man needs some one to care for him. The man is characterized by greater strength and energy; he seeks a sphere of activity in the world. The woman's nature is cast in a softer mould; her sphere of work is beside the domestic hearth. Thus the two complete each other, and each acts beneficially on the other. Matrimony has also a third object, that of preventing the sin of which the Apostle speaks in the first Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. vii. 2). He who would set marriage aside, would give free rein to impurity. Many take a low view of marriage; they consider it as affording a legitimate means of indulging their lusts. Such persons will not be happy or contented, and will neglect the duties of their state. The happiness of matrimony depends to a great extent on taking an exalted view of its object. Matrimony is a divine and by no means a human institution. It is because matrimony was ordained of God that the Church calls it a "holy and godly state." The opinion of the Manichees, that marriage was to be rejected, was condemned by the Church. Even the most uncivilized nations considered matrimony to be a divine institution, for they practised religious ceremonies of some kind on the occasion of a marriage, offering sacrifices or prayers. God Himself appointed the laws of marriage first through Moses and afterwards by Our Lord. 2. Christian marriage is a contract between man and woman, binding them to an undivided and indissoluble partnership, and conferring on them at the same time grace to fulfill all the duties required of them. Marriage is therefore not merely a contract; it is at the same time an act by which grace is conferred. This contract is not concluded in the presence of a minister of the Church solely for the sake of obtaining the ecclesiastical benediction upon the betrothed couple, but in order that they may be truly united together before God in wedlock. It was this covenant, entered into in presence of a minister of the Church, which Our Lord raised to the dignity of a sacrament. Marriage contracted without the solemnities required by the Church in all countries where the decree of the Council of Trent has been duly promulgated is invalid and null (Council of Trent, 24, 1). In the absence of a priest a valid marriage can be had by following the Church laws of Canon 1098. A contract which is invalid cannot become a sacrament, any more than wine, if it be not really wine, can be converted in the Mass into the blood of Christ. Matrimony is a type of the union between Christ and the Church (Eph. v. 32). As the Church, the Bride of Christ is one, so the man has but one wife. As Christ and the Church are inseparably united, so the union of the married is perpetual and indissoluble. As the union of Christ and the Church is a covenant of grace, so also is the union of husband and wife. Christ is the Head of the Church, and the man is the head of the woman. The Church is subject to Christ, so the wife is obedient to the husband. Christ and the Church are animated by one spirit, and so it should be with husband and wife. Christ never abandons the Church, and the Church can never be unfaithful to Christ; so married people must never be unfaithful to one another. Matrimony is declared to be a sacrament by St. Paul, and the early Fathers of the Church. St. Paul calls matrimony a great sacrament, because it is typical of the union of Christ with the Church (Eph. v. 32), a union by which grace is imparted. St. Augustine says that the superiority of marriage among the people of God consists in the sanctity of the sacrament. "The heathens," says St. John Chrysostom, "estimated the happiness of marriage by the number of children, whereas the Christian considers rather the sanctity of the sacrament." Some of the Fathers are of opinion that Christ raised matrimony to a sacrament at the marriage of Cana. At any rate the Church expressly declares that it is truly and properly one of the seven sacraments of the evangelical law instituted by Christ (Council of Trent, 24, 1). 3. Civil marriage is to be distinguished from Christian marriage, inasmuch as it is no sacrament, and consequently in the sight of God no true and real marriage for Catholics. Civil marriage may be said to have originated with Luther, for he prepared the way for the State to legislate concerning marriage. What he began, the French revolution completed; for marriage was then declared to be a civil contract, concluded before a government official. Civil marriage is obligatory or compulsory when, as is the case in some countries, the marriage is otherwise not recognized by the State; it is optional, when the parties are free to choose whether the ceremony shall be civil or religious, as in America; finally it is unavoidable, if on account of the priest being debarred from marrying them through political reasons, or on other obvious grounds, the persons desirous of being married cannot be united otherwise than by the secular authorities. Civil marriage is not a sacrament, because it is not contracted in the manner ordained by God and the Church; it is nothing ,more or less than a legal form, which must be gone through in order that the marriage may be recognized by the State, and Catholics must submit to it, if there is no other means of having their union recognized by the State. They should, however, see that the ecclesiastical ceremony takes place as soon after as possible; for until their marriage has been solemnized by the Church, they are bound to live apart, as in the sight of God they are not really husband and wife. Catholics who contract a civil marriage and are not afterwards married in a church, cannot obtain absolution, and are excluded from the sacraments until they obtain the sanction of God and of the Church upon their union, or give it up altogether. Catholics who prefer civil marriage when it is optional, or content themselves with it when it is unavoidable, are excommunicated. The Holy See condemns civil marriages in no measured terms; Pope Pius IX. declares that the union of man and woman, if not a sacrament, is a shameful concubinage, although perfectly legal according to the civil code.* Civil marriage has disastrous results for the State, for it undermines faith, authority, and morals. If you would like to finish reading this you can find it here: https://ia600209.us.archive.org/23/items/catechismexplain00spiruoft/catechismexplain00spiruoft.pdf Source: The Catechism Explained, Imprimatur 1899  We are told so little of him, and yet we seem to know so much. We are told nothing of his birth, nothing of his death, and nothing, except by inference, of his life at Nazareth. But then we know his office, and we know that God endows a man according to his rank, and that as St. Joseph was chosen Guardian Spouse of Mary Immaculate, foster-father to Jesus the Son of God, he must be privileged above all other mortals.
A lily of purity was St. Joseph because he had to guard the Virgin Mother and the Spotless One; the most prudent of councillors, for he had the secrets of the Most High in his keeping; the most tender of fathers, for he had to foster the Babe of Bethlehem, feed Him, and guard Him and hide Him; the most Godlike of workmen, for he had to teach the Divine Boy. All this was St. Joseph, Carpenter of Nazareth. Must we not look to him in our striving after holy purity, to him when oppressed with care, to him when the trials of life weigh us down, to him—Father—when our hearts are sore? Will not the remembrance of the little arms once twined round his neck, the little hands held in his with loving confidence, rouse us to confidence and love! If there were only space, how we could linger with these holy three, how we would learn from them, be rested by them, and enjoy their company. They would never be tiresome nor tedious, nor selfish. Why do we not oftener turn our eyes upward and pick out one or other heavenly companion and live with them not in imagination, but in very truth? It only wants an effort; let us try to make the effort. Source: Manual of the Holy Catholic Church, Imprimatur 1906
 Saint Patrick's own Lorica (or Breastplate), also called The Cry of the Deer (in Irish, Fáed Fíada) is written in Irish and Latin; there are variations aplenty. A few have the line referring to Jordan although there seems to be no such original reference (whatever 'original' may be). The Old (all right an old) tradition has it, that Saint Patrick and his companion missionaries were to travel to the court of King Laoghhaire. Along the way, waiting in ambush, were druid or druid henchmen who intended to attack and kill Saint Patrick and all his followers. As Patrick and his companions walked, they chanted the Lorica. When they passed the would-be attackers, they appeared as a doe and twenty fawns - hence the title. Did Saint Patrick actually write the Lorica? There, apparently, is no way for us to know - definitively. As Thomas Cahill so well puts it "Characteristics of the language would assign it to the seventh, or even to the eighth, century. On the other hand, it is Patrician1 to the core...The earliest expression of European vernacular poetry, it is, in attitude, the work of a Christian druid, a man of both faith and magic." 1Cahill means 'of, or related to, Saint Patrick'. So, decide for yourself. We think Cahill guides us well when he says: "If Patrick did not write it (at least in its current form), it surely takes its inspiration from him." Fáed Fíada - The Cry of the Deer I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. I arise today through the strength of Christ with His Baptism, through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension, through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom. I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim in obedience of Angels, in the service of the Archangels, in hope of resurrection to meet with reward, in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets, in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors, in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men. I arise today, through the strength of Heaven: light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendour of Fire, speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea, stability of Earth, firmness of Rock. I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to secure me: against snares of devils, against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature, against everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and anear, alone and in a crowd. I summon today all these powers between me (and these evils): against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul, against incantations of false prophets, against black laws of heathenry, against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry, against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul. Christ to protect me today against poison, against burning, against drowning, against wounding, so that there may come abundance of reward. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of Christ. May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us. As moving as the lorica is, it leaves me thinking to lighten up the mood a bit. So, toward that end here is a poetical explanation for the date (March 17th) we choose to celebrate the good saint himself. St. Patrick's Birthday On the eighth day of March it was, some people say, That Saint Patrick at midnight first saw the day. While others declare 'twas the ninth he was born, And 'twas all a mistake between midnight and morn; For mistakes will occur in a hurry and shock, and some blam'd the babby—and some blam'd the clock-- Till with all their cross questions sure no one could know If the child was too fast—or the clock was too slow. Now the first faction fight in old Ireland, they say, Was all on account of Saint Patrick's birthday. Some fought for the eighth—for the ninth more would die, And who wouldn't see right, sure they blacken'd his eye! At last both the factions so positive grew, That each kept a birthday, so Pat then had two. Till Father Mulcahy, who confessed them their sins, Said, "Ye can't have two birthdays, unless ye be twins." Says he, "Don't be fightin' for eight or for nine, Don't be always dividin'—but sometimes combine; Combine eight with nine, and seventeen is the mark, So let that be his birthday." "Amen," says the clerk. "If he wasn't a twins, sure our hist'ry will show That, at least, he is worth any two saints that we know!" Then they all drowned the shamrock—which completed their bliss, And we keep up the practice from that day to this. (Edited and adapted from Dick's Irish Dialect Recitations, Wm. B. Dick, Editor, New York, Dick & Fitzgerald, Publisher, 1879) An Ancient Irish Litany to the Holy Mother of God (Translated from the Irish of the Eighth Century.) His HOLINESS Pius IX., of Blessed Memory, granted a special indulgence to all the Faithful of Ireland who devoutly recited it. With the Approbation of His Eminence McCloskey, 1880 This Litany dates back to the middle of the eighth century. O Great Mary, Pray for us. * O Mary, the greatest of Mary’s, * O Most exalted among women, * Queen of the Angels, * Empress of the Heavens, * Woman replete and overflowing with the grace of the Holy Ghost, * Blessed and thrice Blessed, * Mother of eternal glory, * Mother of the heavenly and earthly Church, * Mother of love and mercy, * Mother of the golden effulgence, * Honour of the sky, * Harbinger of peace, * Gate of Heaven, * Golden Ark, * Couch of charity and indulgence, * Shrine of the Divinity, * Beauty of the Virgins, * Lady-Chief of the tribes, * Fountain of the gardens, * Cleansing of sins, * Purifying of souls, * Mother of the orphans, * Refuge of the poor, * Star of the sea, * Handmaid of God, * Mother of Christ, * Abode of the Godhead, * Graceful as the dove, * Serene like the moon, * Resplendent like the sun, * Thou who dost cancel Eve's disgrace, * Perfection of women, * Head of the Virgins, * Garden enclosed, * Fountain ever-refreshing, * Mother of God, * Perpetual Virgin, * Holy Virgin, * Prudent Virgin, * Comely Virgin, * Chaste Virgin, * Temple of the Living God, * Royal Throne of the Eternal King, * Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, * Virgin of the root of Jesse, * Cedar of Mount Lebanon, * Cypress of Mount Sion, * Crimson rose of the land of Jacob, * Blooming like the palm, * Fruitful like the olive, * Glorious son bearer, * Light of Nazareth, * Glory of Jerusalem, * Beauty of the world, * Noblest born of the Christian fold, * O Queen of life, * O Ladder of Heaven, * Hear the petition of the poor; spurn not the wounds and the groans of the miserable. Let our devotion and our sighs be carried through thee to the presence of the Creator, for we are not ourselves worthy of being heard because of our evil deserts. O powerful Queen of heaven and earth, wipe out our trespasses and our sins. Cancel our wickedness and depravity. Raise the fallen, the miserable, and the fettered. Loose the condemned. Repair through thyself the faults of our unworthiness and our iniquity. Bestow upon us through, thyself the brightness and ornaments of good actions and virtues. Appease for us the Judge by thy prayers and thy supplications. Allow us not, for mercy sake, to be carried off from thee among the spoils of our enemies. Allow not our souls to be condemned, but take us to thyself for ever under thy protection. We, moreover, beseech and pray thee, O Holy Mary, to obtain, through thy great power with thy only Son, that is, with Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, that He may guard us from all dangers and temptations. Obtain also for us from the God of all creatures, the forgiveness and remission of all our sins and trespasses; and may we receive from Him further, through thy intercession, the everlasting dwelling in the heavenly kingdom, through all eternity, in the presence of the saints and the saintly virgins of the world: which may we deserve, may we enjoy, in saecula seculorum. Amen.  Hymn to St. Patrick
All praise to Saint Patrick, who brought to our mountains The gift of God's faith, the sweet light of His love! All praise to the shepherd who showed us the fountains That rise in the heart of the Savior above! For hundreds of years, in smiles and in tears, Our Saint has been with us, our shield and our stay; All else may have gone, Saint Patrick alone, He hath been to us light when earth's lights were all set, For the glories of Faith they can never decay; And the best of our glories is bright with us yet, In the faith and the feast of Saint Patrick's Day. There is not a Saint in the bright courts of heaven; More faithful than he to the land of his choice; Oh, well may the nation to whom he was given, In the feast of their sire and apostle rejoice! In glory above, true to his love, He keeps the false faith from his children away: The dark false faith, that is worse than death, Oh! he drives it far off from the green sunny shore, Like the reptiles which fled from his curse in dismay; And Erin, when error's proud triumph is o'er, Will still be found keeping Saint Patrick's Day. Then what shall we do for thee, heaven-sent Father? What shall the proof of our loyalty be? By all that is dear to our hearts, we would rather Be martyred, sweet Saint! than bring shame upon thee! But oh! he will take the promise we make, So to live that our lives by God's help may display The light that he bore to Erin's shore: Yes, Father of Ireland! no child wilt thou own, Whose life is not lighted by grace on its way; For they are true Irish, oh yes! they alone, Whose hearts are all true on Saint Patrick's Day. "Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ, for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporally"—Col. ii, 8, 9.
The Christian community at Colossa had been founded by Epaphras, one of St. Paul's disciples, but false teachers soon arose, who attempted to mislead the Christians. Like the socialists of the present day, they maintained that no one ought in his religious opinions or in his life to be influenced by the Divine revelation of Christianity, but by the dictates of human reason or by philosophy. St Paul was at this time undergoing his first imprisonment in Rome, and, on hearing the state of affairs at Colossa, he determined to write to the Colossians, to warn them most emphatically against these false doctrines. I have taken as my text one of the many beautiful and vigorous passages contained in this epistle: "Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ; for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporally." That is to say: Beware of human wisdom that is not concerned with revealed truth, for human wisdom is vain, with no firm basis, and revelation comprises i n itself all truth. Human wisdom is deceptive, resulting in error and falsehood more often than in truth, depending upon the judgments of men liable to error, and still at the stage where they need to be instructed like children in the fundamental teaching of religion, whereas this is no longer seemly, now that the world has come to maturity and has been enlightened by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The words addressed by the Apostle to the Colossians are equally applicable to you. There are amongst men many who declare that there is no need for a Divine revelation, since the reason of each individual tells him what to believe and what to reject, what to do and what to avoid. They openly say that the doctrines taught by Christ were suited only to the childhood of the human race, and now, when men have attained to self-consciousness and have reached a higher stage of civilization and education, these doctrines ought to be superseded by the light of reason; religion is a matter for the individual in his private life, and churches and public worship are altogether superfluous. It may seem to you strange and incomprehensible that after 1900 years of Christianity there should still be people who refuse to admit its authority, and yet such is the case. You have only to look at one of the works written by modern unbelievers or to come in contact with these men in everyday life, and you will soon find that statements, such as I have mentioned, are made quite openly. They are put forward even from the pulpit in many churches professing to be Christian, though not Catholic, and this, too, is one of the signs of the times, to which I must draw your attention. Today I wish to discuss (1) the weakness and untrustworthiness of human reason, and (2) the benefits of Christian revelation. Let us begin by invoking the assistance of the Holy Spirit of God. 1. Human reason is a precious gift bestowed on us by God, and we can not be thankful enough for it . By its aid men have accomplished many great, glorious and admirable works; the most useful inventions, the most exquisite works of art, the treasures of science and learning and the innumerable things that contribute so much to the comfort, welfare and prosperity of mankind are all the result of human reason. It can reach up and calculate the magnitude, course and distance of the stars in heaven, and it can also descend into the depths and investigate the hidden secrets of the earth. It can control the waters of the ocean and subjugate the forces of lightning, steam and wind. It searches out the cause and action of things, and makes all creation serviceable to men. Yet, however great may be the achievements of human reason, we must beware of idolizing it and of shutting our eyes to its limitations. There are indeed many things which it is capable of investigating and establishing, but there are still more which it is powerless to examine or test. As soon as reason passes from what is earthly and finite to what is eternal and Divine, its strength fails, its insight is obscured, its judgment is shaken, and it becomes involved in a web of difficulties that it can not solve. Man is finite and unable to know fully the Infinite God, who dwells in unapproachable splendor. The vast, inexplicable, all-embracing Being, who first created, and still preserves and governs the world, is invisible to our eyes, intangible to our hands; none of our senses can perceive Him. We see His works, but He who designed them remains hidden from us. That there is a God is made known by our reason, felt by our heart, acknowledged by our conscience and proclaimed by all the wonders of the universe. "Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, and the birds of the air, and they shall tell thee; speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee, and the fishes of the sea shall tell. Who is ignorant that the hand of the Lord hath made all these things?" (Job xll, 7-9). "That which is known of God is manifest in them, for God hath manifested it unto them," says St. Paul, "for the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, His eternal power also and Divinity, so that they are inexcusable" (Rom. i , 19, 20). "Only the fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.'" If, however, we go further and try to find out what God is, where He dwells, why He created us and in what relation we stand towards Him, reason either is silent or suggests only hypotheses. King Croesus once asked the famous philosopher, Thales, what the Deity was. Thales begged for a day in which to consider the matter. At the end of that time Croesus repeated his question, and Thales asked for a further delay of two days. When these were over, and the same question was again propounded to him, he begged for four days, then for eight, then for sixteen, and so on. At last the king; grew impatient and wanted to know why he thus delayed giving an answer, so Thales replied: "Marvel not, O great king, that I am so long in answering your question. It is too vast for my feeble intellect. The more I ask myself what God is, the more do I perceive my own inability to give an adequate answer. Fresh difficulties continually present themselves, and the further I carry my investigations, the greater becomes my lack of comprehension." We have here an explicit acknowledgment, made by one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity, that human reason is too weak and powerless to probe the depths of the Godhead. Thales' words are in complete harmony with those of the prophet Isaias: "Verily thou art a hidden God, the God of Israel," and with St. Paul's exclamation: "How incomprehensible are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor?" (Rom. x i , 33, 34). You need only read the history of the human race to be convinced that the reason of man is weak, blind, untrustworthy and apt to make innumerable mistakes. Have not men at various times believed the most absurd and foolish things? The pagans worshipped not only sun, moon and stars, but also dead persons notorious for their outrageous vices, and Divine honors have been paid to brute beasts, and lifeless stones and images. The early Germans regarded the oak as a sacred tree and thought the rustling of its branches betokened the presence of some Deity. Men often fashioned for themselves gods of wood or stone, and i n their honor temples were built and altars set up, upon which not only animals, but even human beings were offered in sacrifice. Mothers often slew their children, hoping thus to appease the anger of some offended god. O, what terrible mistakes have been made by the intellect of man! Not only individuals or isolated nations have blundered, but all the nations of antiquity went astray, with the exception of the Jews, and this state of error was not a passing phase, lasting a few years only, but it continued during 4,000 years, until the coming of Jesus Christ. Even the most highly civilized races, whose intellect had been very perfectly developed, fell into the most deplorable mistakes. As long as the world lasts the writings of the Greeks and Romans will be considered models of style, and it is a difficult matter for the most brilliant scholars at the present day even to approach them; they need not hope to surpass them. If, therefore, the human intellect was ever capable of evolving a rational religion, it must have been amongst these people. And yet their religion was a mass of folly and inconsistency, when it was not actually vicious. In proof of this statement, I need only remind you of the hundreds of gods whom they worshipped, whilst at the same time they ascribed the most shameful actions to these gods, or performed such actions in their honor. There were, of course, amongst these pagans some wise men with greater insight, who perceived the absurdity of idolatry and abhorred the vices prevalent in their time, but they too often made mistakes, did not agree with one another, and were always in a state of uncertainty. The most enlightened among them realized their own ignorance, and those who were honest confessed that it was impossible for men to arrive at certainty and truth, unless God Himself spoke and instructed them. But some one may say that he is willing to grant Divinely given instruction to have been necessary for the ancients, who were still at a low stage of civilization, yet, at the present time, when everyone is enlightened and educated, such instruction can no longer be needed. In reply, let me ask whether the enlightened scholars of the present day can be compared with the Greeks and Romans. Is the human reason now less liable to error than it was 4,000 years ago? Is there less folly and senseless behavior now than there was of old? No one can read the history of our own times without seeing that even men of vigorous intellect often fall a prey to lamentable errors. The writings of modern philosophers show them to be involved in a bewildering confusion of opinions, and each one accuses the other of being mistaken, each is eager to demolish the other's theory, and no one is able to discover in his own intellect any firm foundation or certainty. How could it be otherwise? Ever since Adam's fall there has been inherent in the human race a kind of corruption that paralyzes the faculties of our souls. Our understanding is clouded by sensuality, and borne down and thwarted by our passions and worldly interests, whenever it attempts to soar aloft, and to rise to the light of truth. If our own reason fails us, whither can we turn for a certain trustworthy answer to all the questions suggested by our thirst for truth? Who can solve our difficulties and give peace to our hearts? Who can teach us to know God in His essence and perfections? Who can tell us whence evil originates, and how shall we be preserved from despondency and despair, when it weighs us down with its burden? Who can instruct us as to the reason of our creation and our final end? Is man, like the beasts, destined to toil and labor during his brief span of life simply in order to supply his bodily needs, and then, when at last he rests in the grave, is everything at an end for him? Have all his interests, joys, sorrows, memories and hopes perished with him? Who can assure us of the forgiveness of sins, when, like Cain, burdened with guilt, we wander in despair? Who can lift for us the dark veil separating this world from the next? We long for answers to these and many other questions; we want certainty, and if our own reason fails to supply it, how should that of other mortals give us what we desire? What man is infallible and free from the influence of his passions? No matter whither we turn, we must be afraid of falling into the hands of one who is either deceived or a deceiver. Those who trust the wise men of this world are themselves blind, at the mercy of blind guides; and we know that when one blind man leads another, both will probably fall into the pit. Where, then, can we find help? Where shall we discover an infallible teacher, able to dispel the darkness of our minds, to solve our difficulties, to support our weakness, and to answer those questions, which, as long as they remain unanswered, leave us no peace or happiness? 2. Bless the Lord, O ye people, and praise His mercy without end; He hath sent forth His spirit and renewed the face of the earth! He could not behold with indifference the countless errors of mankind, and none but God Himself was able to teach us aright what we ought to know about God and our relation to Him, since "the things which are of God no man knoweth, but the Spirit of God; no one knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal Him." Consider how God first loved us, and gave us His only-begotten Son. The Word that in the beginning was with God, and that was God, was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory. He was the light of men, the light shining in the darkness, the true light, which enlightened every man that cometh into this world; and to as many as received Him, He gave power to be made the sons of God (John I ) . The darkness of ignorance was thenceforth removed, for the light, the Sun of Righteousness, had dispelled it; Jesus Christ, the Son of God, blessed for evermore, appeared upon earth, and all obscurity vanished when the Divine Master came down from heaven, speaking the truth and being Himself the way, the truth and the life. For three years He went up and down Judaea, teaching in the towns and villages, in the fields and on the sea, in synagogues and houses, wherever there were people willing to listen to Him. He sent His Apostles forth into all the world to preach the Gospel, the good tidings of the Kingdom of God, and He gave them at Pentecost the Holy Ghost to teach them the truth and to comfort, counsel and sanctify them, promising that He should remain with them and their successors to the end of the world. Christ founded the infallible Church, which, being guided, governed and protected by Him and the Holy Ghost, was to keep His doctrine pure and unalloyed for ever and make it known to men, as well as administer the Holy Sacraments, the channels of grace. This Church is, as St. Paul says, "the pillar and ground of the truth" ( I. Tim. iii , 15). We can dispense with Moses and the prophets; we need not have recourse to philosophers and ask them to deliberate, to lay down hypotheses and deduce conclusions. We understand now the nature of God, for His voice has gone forth to the ends of the earth, and from His own lips we have learned all truth. It has been revealed to us that our soul is not liable to death, that our hopes do not perish when we die, that a better home than the grave awaits us. We are quite certain as to our destiny, and as to the ways and means of attaining it. We have no doubt regarding our fate, the value of our joys and the significance of our troubles. We now know more of God than our reason could tell us; we know Him as our Father, ready to guide, console and reward us; we know that Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son, became Man, in order to redeem us and bring us to eternal happiness; we know whither to betake ourselves when our conscience is burdened with sin, and where to obtain pardon; we know that the Holy Ghost enlightens, comforts, strengthens and sanctifies us. A Christian possesses assurance and knowledge on the points where the wisdom of our ancestors so often went astray, and a Catholic child can tell us more about God and the destiny of man than the greatest of the Greek philosophers could have done. Is it not true that "He that is mighty hath done great things to us?" and may we not apply to ourselves the words addressed by our Saviour to His disciples: "Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them" (Matt, xiii, 16). All these blessings are secured to us in the greatest abundance by Christianity, which you all profess, and which affords you so much happiness that it is impossible for you to understand what evil spirit can have taken possession of those who reject it , trample it under foot and venture to substitute for it their own reason as the sole teacher of truth and lawgiver. Christianity has for nearly 1900 years been extolled by countless millions as the light of the world, and regarded as the only anchor in time of tempest; it has stood firm, and proved its truth and Divine origin, in spite of all the attacks of scholars and the most cruel persecutions on the part of the world; and yet now men dare to assail her. I will tell you what impels them to do so. It is not that they are convinced that the doctrines of Christianity are untenable, for they have often no convictions of any kind, but it is pride that prevents them from obeying Christ, and it is sensuality, intolerant of the yoke that His Commandments would lay upon them. (a) Because the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ are offensive to their pride, they heap insults and scorn upon Him who for Igloo years has been the object of reverent worship of mankind, whose Cross they have embraced with love and veneration as their sole token of salvation and whose Name overshadows all human fame. As long as He is great, they are nothing; as long as He is the Teacher of the world, they, with all their boasted wisdom, are but pupils; as long as He rules the world they are His subjects, and this they refuse to be. They will not accept anything that they are required to believe, and so, setting up their own reason as supreme, they fall down and worship it . A man dominated by pride has no God but self, and hence the socialists maintain religion to be the private concern of the individual; hence, too, men boast nowadays of despising religion, and the denial and rejection of Christianity is considered the mark of an enlightened intellect. Any foolish, ignorant speaker can now win a cheap reputation by railing against what he calls the obscurantism and spiritual constraint and tyranny of the papacy. There is a certain pleasure in being known as a free-thinker, and many a person, who would otherwise never become in any way conspicuous, can not resist the temptation to win fame in this manner. (b) Self-indulgence and sensuality also cause men to rebel against the yoke of Christ. "Men," says St. Augustine, "love truths that attract, but they hate the truth that amends." Christianity is the truth that aims at amending mankind. People want to have and enjoy all that their unbridled fancy suggests, but Christianity interposes her veto, and condemns luxury, drunkenness, envy, avarice, fraud, guile and malice, in short it abominates all evil inclinations, habits and passions, all sins and vices, and praises those only who are pure in heart. The socialists and others like them can not endure this, for they wish to be left free to act and think as they choose. Hence they shut their eyes, lest they should see the light, and stop their ears, lest they should hear the precepts, warnings and threats of Christianity. When the voice of conscience is utterly stifled by their sins and enormities, they speak of Christianity as a superstition, of conscience as a delusion, of virtue as folly, of obedience as slavery, and then by means of their reason, corrupted as it is by their self-love and passions, they devise for themselves a religion that sanctions all their wildest extravagances and sets no limits upon their evil desires. "The sensual man," says St. Paul, "percieveth not the things that are of the Spirit of God, for it is foolishness to him, and he can not understand it " (I. Cor. ii, 4). Two never-do-wells were once talking about religion, and after they had both told several abominable stories regarding it, one said to the other: That's enough; after all what is the good of our stupid doubts? We should have more faith if we were not such rascals. A very true remark, worthy of careful consideration! No one recognizes the truth of Christianity who is unwilling to act according to its laws; and nothing strengthens our faith so much as living in conformity with it. This is why Christ said to the Jews: "My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me; if any man will do the will of Him (the Father), he shall know the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself" (John vii, 16, 17). After what has been said, need I give you any further warning against those who put human intellect in the place of Divinely revealed religion? You are aware that there are men corrupted in mind, who are destitute of the truth; to them may be applied our Lord's words: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in, and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter" (Matt, xxiii, 13). If such people had honestly examined themselves and discovered their own weakness and misery, they would never have been puffed up with pride and imagined that intellect alone was sufficient and required no assistance from God in order to understand what is Divine. If , however, we too are to realize what the royal prophet meant when he said: "In Thy light, O God, we shall see light" (Ps. xxxv, 10); if we are to recognize the truth, we must henceforth not rely merely on our own intellect or take counsel of men like ourselves, but we must be enlightened by the Divine light that shines in the Church of Jesus Christ, and submit our intellect in obedience to Him, for "God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble" (James iv, 6 ) . In all humility let us hear and follow Him who is the way, the truth and the light, since those that follow Him, walk not in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John viii, 12). Then we shall be safe from error and deception, for we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free (John viii, 32); for the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth (Rom. i , 16). Source: The Signs of the Times - A Course of Lenten Sermons, Imprimatur 1915  What I am going to tell you now happened many, many years since; in fact, as long ago as 1264. And it goes to show once again the tender goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, truly present in the Holy Eucharist under the appearance of bread and wine.
We know, of course, that the bread when consecrated during Holy Mass becomes the true Body of Christ and the wine His true Blood. And we believe it most firmly because Jesus, Eternal Truth, tells us, "This is My Body." "This is My Blood." So did the saintly priest whom we are going to speak of in this little story. He believed. But God permitted him to be troubled with cruel doubts, so that his belief in the real Presence of Jesus under the appearances of wine suffered great temptations. Day and night the pious priest prayed to God to be relieved from this temptation. But his supplications seemed to be of no avail. So, sorely troubled, he finally set out for Rome to see the Vicar of Christ, the Holy Father, and get advice, strength, and consolation from him. For, being unable to fathom the mystery, he could no rid himself of his terrible doubt, though he prayed so much to God. Now, while passing through Italy on his way to Rome, he stopped at a little town called Bolsena, not far from Orvieto. There he said Mass in the church of St. Christina; and there it was that God was pleased in a striking manner to answer his prayers and dispel his doubts. For at the consecration of the chalice, when the substance of the wine was changed into the substance of the Blood of Christ, that sacred Blood suddenly became agitated and trickled over the rim of the chalice. As it fell upon the corporal it took on the appearance of blood drops. Naturally, the priest was filled with reverential fear. He tried to conceal the fallen drops by folding the corporal together, but four drops fell upon the marble pavement at the foot of the altar. Seeing he could conceal the miracle no longer, and hearing that the Pope, Urban IV, was at that moment at Orvieto, the priest hastened thither with the blood-stained corporal, explained everything and received absolution, The Pope, convinced of the miracle of the blood-besprinkled corporal, had it borne to the cathedral in solemn procession. But the marble stones upon which the four drops had fallen were kept in the church of St. Christina at Bolsena and are there treated with greatest reverence to this day. In 1290 the erection of an immense, magnificent church was begun, in which the miraculous corporal was then exposed for veneration. Our religion is eternal truth, because it is the word of God; and though we do not see with our bodily eyes, yet with eyes of faith we penetrate the veils of hallowed mystery. Sometimes, indeed, as at Bolsena many years ago, God helps our faith in wondrous ways, but mostly He wants perfect faith. "Blessed," you know, "are they who see not and yet believe." Source; Tell Us Another- Imprimatur: 1925  We would like to share with you our Stations of the Cross coloring book. Please feel free to download and print it for your own family. You can find it on our Download page under coloring pictures.  O Lord Jesus, I offer up to Thee my fasting and self-denial, to be united to Thy fasting and sufferings, for Thy glory, in gratitude for so many benefits received from Thee, in satisfaction for my sins and those of others, and to obtain Thy holy grace that I may overcome my sin and acquire the virtues that I need. Look upon me, O Jesus, in mercy. Amen. We will be out of town for a few days and will catch up on our posts when we return on Wednesday, March 5th.
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Holy Mother Church dedicates the month of July to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
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