I have added some new books to Catholic Reading. They are: The Christian Trumpet, Return of the King, Course in Religion, Manual of Christian Doctrine and some volumes of the Catholic Library - Moral and Dogmatic series. You can find them here.
 THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
"I will rejoice in the Lord, and I will joy in God my Jesus." HEB. 3, 18. Jesus Christ is marvelous, glorious and adorable, as our Redeemer, High Priest and King. And just as marvelous, glorious and adorable as Jesus is as our Redeemer, High Priest and King, so also must His Name be marvelous, glorious and adorable. What are all the celebrated names of men in comparison with this one name Jesus! With admiration the world of today pronounces the names of great conquerors and princes, and calls to mind their glorious deeds. With pride distinguished families call themselves after the names of great heroes, statesmen, and scientists, whose renown and honor belong to them. With reverence we Christians pronounce the names of the saints who filled the world with the glory of their virtues and their life, who are the honor of God and the glory of the Church; and thus amongst every nation the names of their heroes continue to live. The higher and the grander the calling was to which God has chosen individual men for the salvation of nations and the world, the more glorious are their names. God Himself gave to them their names. He gave to Abraham and John the Baptist their names, and Our Divine Saviour Himself changed the name of the Apostle Simon into Peter on account of his living and firm faith, and called him the rock on which He would build His Church. Still more glorious, sweeter and more marvelous is the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which embraces within itself a fullness of mysteries, graces and beauties, and fills the whole world with reverence, love and hope, lives on every tongue and in every heart, and disseminates peace and joy. And yet, my beloved, what are all the glorious names of men, of the saints and even of the Blessed Virgin Mary in comparison with the one name Jesus which reveals the whole fullness of divine mercy, redemption and grace, and makes known to us the Divine Saviour in all His adorable greatness? Of this great name the Apostle St. Peter says: "Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4, 12). This is the Name that is above every name, in which, according to the Apostle St. Paul, every knee must bow, in Heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue must confess that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. I will therefore, speak today for our edification on the meaning and power of the name Jesus. O Jesus, assist us with Thy grace ! 1. No man, no prophet, no saint, not even Joseph and Mary could give to the Divine Child a suitable name, which would truly correspond to His future name and glory. God alone could give this glorious Name and hence Joseph was commanded through the angel: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus" (Matt, 1, 21 ). In fact, this Name is the sum, or the epitome, of all the glories and perfections which are found in Jesus Christ. It reveals all perfections which are proper to Jesus as God, and all the graces and virtues which Jesus united in Himself as man. It unveils before us all the works which Jesus as God and as man accomplished for us men. If, therefore, the Redeemer is and means Jesus, He is infinitely wise, good, omnipotent, just, holy and merciful, as God is eternal Goodness, Wisdom, Omnipotence, Justice, Sanctity and Mercy. These divine perfections Jesus shows also towards us. Therefore the Apostle St. Paul says: "But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification and redemptio (1 Cor. 1, 30). But if we consider the Redeemer as man, the name Jesus tells us everything, that He became for us as man, therefore an example of all virtues, marvelously humble, patient, meek, amiable and obedient. As man Jesus is truly become for us an Example and Exemplar, as He Himself says : "For I have given you an example that as I have done to you, so do you also" (John 13, 15). O how touching was His life from the crib to the Cross ! How winning His childlike obedience, His zeal in prayer, His love of His enemies, His meekness and His silence! What was more dignified and admirable than His intercourse with the Apostles, with sinners, with children, with the people, even with His enemies ! In the mirror of His peace and of His love, into His eye, even His enemies gladly looked ; and no matter what sufferings overtook Him, even in suffering and pain, in life and in death, He is a most admirable example for all who suffer, are in sorrow, or struggling in the agony of death. Therefore the Apostle St. John exclaims : "Of His fullness we have all received," from the fullness of His example and His virtues. He has truly become a mirror for all men in which all can behold themselves and the Exemplar Jesus, and recognize themselves as they really are in Him. If the Redeemer is as God and as man Jesus, then is He truly, according to the meaning of the name, our Master, Teacher, Shepherd, Physician, Father, Judge and Mediator, so that we find everything in Jesus, and can with truth often repeat: "O Jesus, my all." If we are sick, He is our Health; if we are hungry and thirsty, He is our Food and Drink for eternal life; if we are poor, He is our Riches ; if we are weak, He is our Strength; if ignorant, He is our Teacher and our Wisdom; if sinners, He is our Justice, Sanctification and Redemption. Jesus, our All. 2. The name Jesus therefore embraces within itself all the glorious names which the prophets gave to the Messias centuries before His coming. Isaias foretold : "And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the World to come, the Prince of Peace" (Is. 9, 6). How truly and gloriously do these designations and qualities correspond to the name Jesus ! If He were not God, He could not have redeemed us; if He were not a mighty Hero, He could not have overcome Satan, nor have born His bitter Passion; and if He were not our Counsellor He could not have given to us His heavenly teaching and His commandments. Everything in Him is marvelous, His Incarnation, His Life, His Death, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. He is the Father of the past ages, since all men from Adam on hoped in Him; He is the Lord of the present, since He rules everything; He is the Lord of the future and of eternity, since He pronounces judgment; and eternal bliss or eternal pain are decreed to men according as they have loved Him or have hated Him. For this reason the Apostle St. Peter says to the Jews : "Neither is there salvation in any other name, for there is no other name under heaven given to man whereby we may be saved," or as the Apostle St. Paul in his glorification of the Saviour of the world testifies : "God hath given him a name which is above all names ; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth : and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus is in the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2, 9,11). For this reason, centuries before the events, the prophet Habacuc rejoiced at the coming of the Blessed Saviour, and at all His glory : "I will rejoice in the Lord, and joy in God my Jesus!" He, the prophet, reviews in his mind all the promises of God, all that the former prophets and patriarchs had foretold, all the longing of the just, and the expectation of the nations. Therefore he cannot restrain his feelings, and He rejoices in God his Jesus. And with him rejoices the whole ancient world; with him rejoices Limbo where the souls of the just waited with indescribable longing, until Jesus should have come down to them as their glorious Redeemer. And yet, what is the joyful cry of the prophet Habacuc, what is the longing of the ancient world, in comparison to the joy of the Blessed Virgin, and with her the whole Christian world over Him whom they should call Jesus? "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour," in my Jesus ! She alone, the Blessed Virgin, was at that time able to grasp the immeasurable greatness, glory and sanctity of Him whom the angel bade her to call Jesus. And in fact, my beloved, the whole Christian world shares in her joy, and joins in her praise of God the Saviour. Millions and millions of Christian souls feel themselves most fortunate, consoled and strengthened in every position of life, in joy and in sorrow, in life and in death, at the thought of Jesus. This Name is a Name which is above every name, which the Apostle declares that no one can with advantage, grace, salvation and blessing for time and eternity so much as pronounce, except by the Holy Ghost. 3. And, truly, the name Jesus has a remarkable power and efficacy. In it is united all the brilliancy and blessing of Christianity; in it all graces, all merits, all virtues, all prayers, all sacrifices; in it are faith, hope and charity, peace, joy and justice, temporal and eternal weal. Jesus is the admiration of Heaven, the gratitude of earth, the terror of Hell. Jesus is music to the ear, honey to the mouth, joy to the heart. Jesus, Saviour, Redeemer, High Priest and King; Jesus, Teacher and Exemplar, Physician and Shepherd, Food and Drink, Jesus the true Life on earth, true Bliss in Heaven ! Who can count all the souls that have been redeemed through Jesus and made happy? Who can number all the sinners who have found forgiveness for their sins in the name of Jesus? Who could count all the sorrowful and the sick who have been consoled by the Name of Jesus, who all the poor and the miserable who have found help in the Name of Jesus? Who could count the numberless sighs, tears and prayers that have gone from earth up to the throne of God, and found a hearing on account of Jesus? Yes, even the prattle of innocent children, when they fold their hands for the first time and recite the Our Father, becomes precious in the sight of God on account of Jesus. Who can recount all the glorious, magnificent works of Christian mercy, the deep love of God and neighbor, such as the world never witnessed before the Christian era? The Name of Jesus called them into existence. Yes, as the sun in the morning and evening glorifies everything and floods all things with charming beauty, forest and field, hill and dale, pasture and meadow, so, too, the Name of Jesus glorifies, beautifies and ennobles all life, all virtue, all time, Heaven and earth. May we also, my beloved, give honor to Jesus by our Christian life, by observance of His commandments, by gratitude and joy. May we also join in the song of praise of the prophet, or in the joy of the Blessed Virgin, at the very thought of such a glorious Redeemer. Therefore when you speak the Name of Jesus speak it not in scorn by misuse or contempt, by sin or unchristian life. Just as the Name of Jesus was spoken for the first time on earth by the pure lips of the Archangel Gabriel, and at its first utterance was destined only for the ear of the purest of virgins, Mary, in precisely the same manner should we with pure mouth and pure heart utter this Most Holy Name, that it may become for us salvation and blessing, grace and redemption. "Jesus my Love," was the favorite utterance of the holy bishop Ignatius. And he repeated it in his sufferings, and when the pagans threatened to behead him if he uttered it again, he said : "In that event you would find engraven on my heart the words : Jesus my Love. May Jesus be also our Love. May Jesus rise with us, accompany us to our work, to prayer, to devotions; Jesus in life and in death, Jesus praised and blessed forever. Amen Source: The Beauty and Truth of the Catholic Church, Volume IV, Imprimatur 1916  THE EPIPHANY
Gospel. Matt. II. 1-12. When Jesus, therefore, was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and are cometo adore him. And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him: and assembling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. But they said to him, in Bethlehem of Juda: for so it is written by the prophet: And thou Bethlehem, the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them: and sending them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently inquire after the child: and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I also may come and adore him. Who having heard the king, went their way: and behold, the star which they had seen in the East, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was. And seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down, they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country." One day, nearly two thousand years ago, a miraculous star of astonishing brightness appeared in the East. Three pious wise men of the East, kings we are told, since known as the Magi, saw it, and, inspired by heaven, they at once knew that the birth of the long-promised King of the Jews had come to pass, and that they were called upon to adore Him. This star appeared through the infinite goodness of the Messias. Not only did He want the homage of poor shepherds, but He also wanted that of the great and the learned ones of this world. He wished to make known His humble birth to all classes of men, and though He was born in an obscure town, in a stable among the meanest surroundings. He wished that all men should recognize Him as the Messias. On this day, the Epiphany of Our Lord, we should rejoice with a new joy because He made known His birth to all the world. This was the first time that the Gentiles were called, the class to which we belong, for we are not Jews nor descendants of Jews, but descendants of pagans. Let me tell you in a few words how the Magi left their own country and set out to find the Child Jesus; and how we too should go forth in search of this divine Infant, and like the Magi, make Him a fitting offering. The Magi saw the star, knew its meaning and started on their journey without any delay. They abandoned their kingdoms and all their earthly interests and gave themselves up to the guidance of the star. There is a great lesson in this, my dear young friends; remember that it is necessary to respond to the divine call without delay; you must not say I will do it at some future time; I will go to confession soon; I will repent after a while. You must say I will repent now, I will confess my sins now and make my peace with God. Woe to the man that does not obey the divine will at once, but continues obdurate in his sins. When the Magi, after a long journey, arrived in Jerusalem they made the inquiry, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we .have seen His star in the East and are come to adore Him." There reigned at that time in that country King Herod, called the great, not for his magnificent works, but for his vices and enormous crimes. He had heard of the arrival of these men, and their errand, and he was greatly disturbed by it. Are there, he asked, other kings in Judea, am I not the only king of the Jews? Then he called the Scribes and wise men of the law together, and asked them which place the prophets had designated as the birthplace of the Messias. They pointed to the text of the Prophet Micheas, "And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be the Ruler in Israel." These words struck terror into Herod's heart, but he concealed his fears, and having called the Magi to the palace, he asked them the time of the star's appearance; he then told them that the new King was to be born in Bethlehem; that they should go there, and search for Him, and when they had found Him, to return to him (Herod) so that he also could go and adore Him. What a hypocrite Herod was! He had resolved in his heart to murder that Child, but before the Magi he puts on the appearance of humility, piety and devotion, in order to succeed the better in his dark designs. The murder of the innocents clearly showed what would have been the fate of the new-born King had He fallen into Herod's hands. This divine Child, Herod, has many ways of guarding Himself against thy blood thirsty plans, and even though He escape your cruelty the chastisement of heaven will fall upon you; so great will be your pains that in your anguish you will seek relief in suicide, and when this life is over, hell will be your eternal habitation! My dear young friends, are there any Herods among you, who outwardly profess piety and devotion, but inwardly are resolved on the spiritual destruction of the innocent? Those who sully their tongues with vile language and then, unrepentant and uncorrected, receive the immaculate Lamb on that same tongue? Ah! if there be such here, let the fate of the impious Herod be a warning to them; for God's vengeance will not fail to follow them. After the Magi had heard Herod's announcement, they went on toward Bethlehem, and raising their eyes to heaven saw there the guiding star, which beckoned them to follow. They were filled with inexpressible joy at this favor of God, and started once more on their journey. The joy of the Magi was great because now they knew they were on the right road. If you have trodden the way of vice and sin and have wandered far from God, you will never feel true peace and happiness. As Isaias says, "There is no peace to the wicked." The Magi journeyed on with a light step until they reached the city of Bethlehem, and going through the winding streets, the star stood over a poor hut, as if to say, here is the spot in which you will find the new-born King; here your journey ends. What a building in which to look for the King of the Jews! Nothing but a stable, a cave which served as a refuge for animals. What did the Magi think when they stood there, and what did they say? Did they turn to one another and say we have been duped, and thus ends this great farce? Our modern scientific and learned philosophers would certainly have said so, but the Magi were a different people; they were pagans, it is true, but they had learned on their journey all about God; and now that they were there before this miserable stable, their faith was not shaken. They entered the place and found the Child Jesus, seated on the knees of the Blessed Virgin. He held out His little arms to His visitors, welcoming them, and bidding them approach. A supernatural power forced them to see that this Child was God, the Messias, the King of the Jews, and falling down they adored Him. What a beautiful sight, to see the wise men show their love of God! We are often too proud to show any signs of religion; it seems as if a little wickedness is acceptable to all. Then the Magi brought out their treasures and their offerings; gold, incense, and myrrh, which were the products of their country. They were allowed to kiss the feet of the Infant, and they wept in sympathy at the poverty of the Child and His Mother. Like the Magi, we, too, must offer gifts to the new-born Babe of Bethlehem. What gifts are most grateful to Him? Let us give Him our hearts, but before we give them let us cleanse them by contrition and confession. This little Child will help us to purify our souls so that they will be as pure as refined gold, and as valuable. Let us then arise, and carrying our hearts in our hands, hold them out to Him. He will gladly accept them, He will bless us, and give us that peace which we can find only in God. Behold us, dear Child Jesus, prostrate at Thy feet; willingly we offer Thee our hearts, poor ones as they are; but Thou wilt make them suitable to Thyself. Of ourselves we promise that we will never again offend Thee. The bad habits we have indulged in will, by Thy grace, be eradicated, so that we may live better lives. Accept these cold hearts, inflame them with Thy sacred love; make them desire to love Thee sincerely, so that from this glorious day we may do nothing but what is to Thy greater glory. Source: Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900 TWELFTH DAY, EPIPHANY
In Staffordshire, fires were lighted on this day "in memory of the blazing star that conducted the three magi to the manger in Bethlehem." In Irish homes there was the same insistence on light. In a sieve of oats, surrounded by twelve burning candles, a single large candle was lighted. But generally speaking, all the festivities of the day were based on the idea of kingship and bent on honoring the three kings, so that lots were drawn to determine who should be the king for the day. Here was one way of marking the day. An Epiphany cake was made, traditionally of flour, honey, pepper and ginger, and a halfpenny put in it. When it was baked it was cut into as many pieces as there were members of the family, while portions were also assigned to our Lord, to Mary and to the three Magi. These were given to strangers, preferably to people in need. Whoever found the halfpenny in his piece of cake was saluted as king, placed in a chair of honor, and three times raised up to the ceiling, on which with his right hand he drew a cross. A carol was sung and the king ruled the party that followed. An Epiphany party might easily become a feature of this day in any Catholic youth club or school or family. After a brief re-telling of the story of the Wise Men, those arranging the party could follow the custom of having in the cake three beans, each of which will represent a king. On their being chosen, the three kings rule the party, which should end with a carol-singing procession and the giving away to someone in need of some food which had been held back for this purpose. "A Candle is Lighted" - Imprimatur 1943  I salute Thee, O divine Heart, with the three Magi who offered their homage to Thee. Regard me, I beseech Thee, with the same love and kindness with which Thou didst receive them, that I may offer with my heart, gold, frankincense and myrrh; that is to say, my intellect, my memory and my will, in complete subjection to Thee, in faith, hope, charity, in thought, word and deed. Accept my offering, accept my heart, and grant that I may live and die thanking Thee for the invaluable favor of being called to the true faith. Hence, I beg of Thee, by the joy which filled Thy heart, when Thou didst see the first of the Gentiles at Thy feet, to hear my prayer and grant the request I make in this Novena. Amen. Hymn: Crudelis Herodes, Deum Why impious Herod, vainly fear That Christ the Saviour cometh here? He takes no earthly realms away Who gives the crown that lasts for aye. To greet His birth the Wise Men went, Led by the star before them sent; Called on by light, towards Light they pressed, And by their gifts their God confessed. In holy Jordan's purest wave The heavenly Lamb vouchsafed to lave; That He, to whom was sin unknown, Might cleanse His people from their own. New miracle of power divine! The water reddens into wine: He spake the word: and poured the wave In other streams than nature gave. All glory, Lord, to Thee we pay For Thine Epiphany to-day: All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete. The Adoration of the Magi by St. Alphonsus Liguori Jesus is born poor in a stable; the angels of heaven in deed acknowledge him, but men abandon and forsake him on earth. Only a few shepherds come and pay him homage. But our Redeemer was desirous of communicating to us the grace of His redemption, and begins therefore to manifest himself to the Gentiles, who knew him least. Therefore he sends a star to enlighten the holy Magi, in order that they may come and acknowledge and adore their Saviour. This was the first and sovereign grace bestowed upon us, our vocation to the faith; which was succeeded by our vocation to grace, of which men were deprived. Behold the wise men, who immediately, without delay, set off upon their journey. The star accompanies them as far as the cavern where the holy Infant lies: on their arrival they enter; and what do they find? They found the child with Mary. They find a poor maiden and a poor Infant wrapped in poor swaddling-clothes, without any one to attend on Him or assist Him. But, lo! on entering into the little shed these holy pilgrims feel a joy which they had never felt before; they feel their hearts chained to the dear little Infant which they behold. The straw, the poverty, the cries of their little Saviour, oh, what darts of love! oh, what blessed flames are they to their enlightened hearts! The Infant looks upon them with a joyful countenance, and this is the mark of affection with which he accepts them amongst the first-fruits of His redemption. The holy kings then look at Mary, who does not speak she remains silent; but with her blessed countenance that breathes the sweetness of paradise she welcomes them, and thanks them for having been the first to come and acknowledge her Son (as indeed He is) for their Sovereign Lord. See also how, out of reverence, they adore Him in silence, and acknowledge him for their God, kissing His feet, and offering Him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Let us also with the holy Magi adore our little King Jesus, and let us offer Him all our hearts. AFFECTIONS AND PRAYERS O amiable Infant! though I see Thee in this cavern lying on straw poor and despised, yet faith teaches me that Thou art my God, who camest down from heaven for my salvation. I acknowledge Thee, then, for my sovereign Lord and Saviour; but I have nothing, alas! to offer Thee. I have no gold of love, because I have loved creatures; I have loved my own caprices, but I have not loved Thee, O amiable infinite One! I have not the incense of prayer, because I have lived in a miserable state of forgetfulness of Thee. I have no myrrh of mortification, for I have often displeased Thy infinite goodness that I might not be deprived of my miserable pleasures. What then shall I offer Thee? I offer Thee my heart, filthy and poor as it is; do Thou accept it, and change it. Thou camest into the world for this purpose, to wash the hearts of men from their sins by Thy blood, and thus change them from sinners into saints. Give me, therefore, I pray Thee, this gold, this incense, and this myrrh. Give me the gold of Thy holy love; give me the spirit of holy prayer, give me the desire and strength to mortify myself in everything that displeases Thee. I am resolved to obey Thee and to love Thee; but Thou knowest my weakness, oh, give me the grace to be faithful to Thee! Most holy Virgin, thou who didst welcome with such affection and didst console the holy Magi, do thou welcome and console me also, who come to visit thy Son and to offer myself to him. O my Mother, I have great confidence in thy intercession! Do thou recommend me to Jesus. To thee do I intrust my soul and my will; bind it forever to the love of Jesus! Music: Magi Viderunt Stellam by Tomas Luis de Victoria The magi, [having seen] the star, said, each in turn: "This is the sign of a great king! Let us go and look for him and offer him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh." With the beautiful holyday of Christmas not that far off I've been doing some thinking. This is one thing I've been mulling over in this head of mine. The Catholic church teaches us that it is a sin to tell a lie. In the Baltimore Catechism (Imprimatur 1891) I find: 379 Q. What are we commanded by the eighth Commandment? A. We are commanded by the eighth Commandment to speak the truth in all things, and to be careful of the honor and reputation of every one. 380 Q. What is forbidden by the eighth Commandment? A. The eighth Commandment forbids all rash judgments, backbiting, slanders, and lies.
Christmas is Jesus' birthday, a very special holyday. A day that the whole world anxiously awaited for 4000 years. All that sweet little Infant asks of us is our love in return for all that He has done for us. Please keep Christ in Christmas!
Santa (Satan) Claus verses Jesus Christ Jesus is the reason for the Season Keep Jesus Christ in Christmas Have you seen this article on Santa Claus? The letters of S-a-n-t-a spell S-a-t-a-n when arranged correctly. Satan's Cause (better known as Santa Claus) is one of the best tools of SATAN to destroy the true meaning of Christmas. Remember that the real symbols of Christmas are the Star, the Stable and the Crib not Santa and his reindeer! How sad that far more people "decorate" with PAGAN symbols than with the CHRISTIAN Nativity Scene with Jesus, Mary, Saint Joseph, the Shepherds and Wise Men! Santa has replaced the great St. Nicholas. Santa has, as well, usurped the place of the Christ Child and transformed the meaning of Christmas. Gift giving and holiday cheer is now referred to as "happy holidays" or "xmas", whereas Christmas means Christ's Mass, the coming of Christ. It is also disturbing that Santa has been given attributes of the One True God. 1. God is Eternal. Santa appears as an old man; he has always been, and will always be. He seems Eternal. Vs. Jesus IS eternal. 2. God is Omniscient (all-knowing). Santa, it is said "sees you when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake... he knows if you've been bad or good." 3. God is the Remunerator (Just Rewarder). Santa is said to give his gifts according to whether you are good or bad. Christ says, " I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." (Apoc. 2, 23) and "Behold I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his works." (Apoc. 22, 12) 4. God is Omnipresent (present everywhere, at all times). Santa can be in one billion homes in 24 hours; that is 11,057 per second, virtually omnipresent. Jesus said "For where there are two or three gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matt. 18; 20) 5. God is Omnipotent (all-powerful). Santa is said to be powerful enough to carry presents for all the children of the world: that's Omnipotence. Jesus is Omnipotent. "And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying; All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth." (Matt. 28; 18) 6. Christ, in His Resurrection: Santa is said to come though the doors are locked. After Our Lord's resurrection, He passed through shut doors with His glorified body. "Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you... 7. Christ in His Ascension: Santa goes into the air and gives gifts. Jesus ascends on high and gives gifts, especially the gift of eternal life. "Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Wherefore He saith: Ascending on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." (Eph. 4) 8. Christ will come again: Advent (the four weeks before Dec. 25) is the time to prepare for Christ's three-fold coming: commemoration of His Coming as Babe at Christmas; His coming by grace into our hearts; His coming as Judge at the end of time. Indeed, it is not Santa who is coming to town soon; IT IS CHRIST! "Surely I come quickly." (Apoc. 22) Note: Scripture even mentions a city in the north, and that Christ will appear clothed in red, with white hair. "With the joy of the whole earth is Mount Sion founded, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." Psalm 47;3. "He was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood: and His name is called the Word of God." (Apoc. 9, 13) "His hairs were white as wool, and as white as snow." (Apoc. 1, 4) The truth is that it is OUTRIGHT LYING to promote the Satanic belief in Santa Claus! Most adults in the world LIE to their children and grandchildren, and those children in turn LIE to their children and grandchildren when they grow older - as everyone promotes the Satan inspired theory of Santa Claus and his reindeer! Why continue repeating the BIG LIE over and over until nearly everyone sometime during their lifetime believed in the lies concerning Santa Claus, etc. Even most people who say they are Christians are promoting this work of the Devil! They say they believe in God and Sacred Scripture as teaching the TRUTH! But do they actually believe the eternal Truth? Listen to what the Eternal Truth has to say about their habitual lying concerning Santa Claus. “Lie not one to another.” CoI. 3, 9. “You are of your father the devil; and the desires of your father you will do. He stood not in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speakest a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.” John 8, 44. “Wherefore, putting away lying, speak ye the truth every man with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.” Ep. 4, 25. “All liars shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Apoc. 21,8. “You shall not lie, neither shall any man deceive his neighbor.” Lev. 19,11. Why do people send out Christmas Cards when the pictures and words and contents of the card have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? Why do people continue to decorate for Christmas without using anything to remind one of the Nativity of Jesus Christ? If you drove around the towns and cities on Christmas Eve (at least in the USA) you will probably find less than 5 percent of the homes and stores with a Nativity Scene! Yet people want us to believe we live in a Christian Nation! A Christian Nation indeed!!! The majority of even the "Christians" are promoting the deceptive LIES of Satan. Remember that the Christmas Season has to do with the CHILD Jesus and not the KID Jesus. It is very common today that parents speak of their children as kids. Do they think about what they are doing? They are again promoting another deceptive trap of the devil. The offspring of humans are children, whereas the offspring of goats are kids. Now what is one of the main symbols of the Freemasons if not the goat whose offspring is the kid? Is it not a principle goal of the Freemasons to destroy that which pertains to Jesus Christ and Christianity? When Catholics have their children Baptized, they become a child of God! But the next thing you hear is the fact that they fell into the trap of the Freemasons and call the child of God a Freemasonic goat offspring! Instead of Merry Christmas to celebrate and commemorate Mary's joys with the Christ CHILD, it is now Happy Holidays to celebrate Satan's day with the KIDS under the guise of Santa Claus. May God have mercy on us and on the whole world! CHRISTMAS OCTAVE PRAYERS
December 25th to January 1st HOLY MOTHER CHURCH observes the feast of Christmas with an octave. During these eight days she gathers around the crib those who have shed their blood for Christ. In union with these saints of Christmas-tide ask for the special grace to become as "little children" so as one day to be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. First Day - Christmas O sweet Jesus, Who didst become a little child for us, having been born of the Virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, give us the grace to imitate Thy humility, purity, patience, and charity, so that we may become more pleasing to Thee. Sweet Infant Jesus, be Thou my love! End with the concluding prayers and Aspirations Second Day - St. Stephen O St. Stephen, first of the glorious army of martyrs to shed thy blood for Christ, and who didst plead with our Lord for the forgiveness of thy persecutors, obtain for us the grace to imitate thee and to learn to love our enemies. St. Stephen, pray for us! End with the concluding prayers and Aspirations Third Day - St. John, Apostle O St. John, beloved Apostle of Christ, lover of the Incarnate Word, favorite Evangelist, obtain for us a great love for Jesus, a tender devotion to Mary, and courage to remain steadfast in all trials and sufferings of body, mind and soul. St. John, pray for us! End with the concluding prayers and Aspirations Fourth Day - Holy Innocents O all you Holy Innocents, who gave your lives for the Child Jesus, obtain for us the grace to profess our faith not only with our tongue, but mostly by our lives and through our actions, so that like you we may give praise and glory to God. All you Holy Innocents, pray for us! End with the concluding prayers and Aspirations Fifth Day - St. Thomas of Canterbury O great St. Thomas glorious Confessor, who didst fall a victim to the sword of the wicked in the defense of the Church, obtain for us the grace always to defend the divine rights of the Church and never to be ashamed of our faith. St. Thomas of Canterbury, pray for us! End with the concluding prayers and Aspirations Sixth Day - Of the Octave of Christmas Grant we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that as the Saviour of the world, Who was born on this day, is the Author of our divine generation, so He may Himself be to us the giver of immortality. Sweet Infant Jesus, be Thou my love! End with the concluding prayers and Aspirations Seventh Day - St. Sylvester O great St. Sylvester, Pope and Confessor, under whose pontificate the Church began to enjoy the great boon of liberty; obtain for us a great love and devotion to the Divinity of Christ which thou didst defend so ardently. St. Sylvester, pray for us! End with the concluding prayers and Aspirations Octave Day - The Circumcision O sweet Jesus, in Whose Holy Name every knee should bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, give unto us a perpetual fear and love of Thy Holy Name, that we may praise and magnify it forever. Concluding Prayers O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary hast bestowed upon the human race the reward of eternal salvation ; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the author of life, Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen. Aspirations to the Infant Jesus O sweet Jesus, with the angels let me praise Thee; with the shepherds let me see Thee; with St. Joseph let me find Thee. O sweet Jesus, with Thy holy Mother I will embrace Thee; with the Magi I will adore Thee. O sweet Jesus, with Thy spouses let me love Thee; with the servants let me serve Thee, live for Thee, honor Thee, and follow Thee. O sweet Jesus, with all Thy chosen friends especially the saints of Christmas-tide, let me proclaim Thee, suffer for Thee, and finally die for Thee, O Jesus, Who art my Model, my Master, and my King. Amen. Nihil Obstat John A. Schullen, S.T.D. Censor Liborum + Imprimatur ALBERT G. MEYER, S.S.J. Archbishop of Milwaukee Feast of St. Albert, November 15, 1955 THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD
(January 1.) GOSPEL. Luke II. 21. At that time: After eight days were accomplished that the child should be circumcised: his name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." Here we are, my dear young friends, at the beginning of a new year. When we look back on the days that have been vouchsafed to us, so full of graces and blessings, we feel that we ought to be filled with gratitude. But when we look at the past, we find that we have frequently done our work badly; that we have outraged God by our carelessness, coldness, and sinfulness. When we consider all this wasted and misspent time, we begin to feel some concern for the future. How ungrateful we have been to God! Many of us have to bewail lost time, time spent in idleness, pastimes, recreations, and useless occupations; yes, even time spent in sin. Let us now correct all this; be sorry for the past and make firm resolutions for the future. As St. Paul tells us, "See how you walk circumspectly, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time." In order that you may be convinced of your great ingratitude to God's kindness, and that you may be determined to remedy the past days of the year, let us examine ourselves a little further. How have you spent all the days of your life? How much good might you have done, and yet have omitted it! How many prayers could you have said, but you were careless about them! How often could you have listened to a sermon and you did not make the effort! You could have frequented the sacraments of confession and commmunion, but your indevotion and coldness kept you away. How many charitable works could you have done! The opportunities for acts of kindness to others are so frequent, and so pleasing to almighty God and yet you did not perform them. Many and many a day we have lost in looking for recreation, and in performing mere human actions which have no merit attached to them. We read in the Book of Proverbs, "The way of the slothful is as a hedge of thorns." How have you accomplished the little good you have done? You have said prayers, but in a distracted way and carelessly. You have been to church, but you never thought of the presence of God. You went to hear the word of God, but very little good did you derive from it. And then your sins: of how many have you been guilty? I hope you have not sullied your souls with awful, wicked crimes that make the soul of the youth like hell itself. Can you tell how often you have been disobedient to your superiors; the number of impudent answers given them; the curses, blasphemies against God, the bad example to your companions, those many wilful thoughts against purity? Can you give an account of those wicked words by which you have taught sin to others? What a multitude of sins have you not committed! We read in St. Luke that a gardener had planted a fig-tree in his garden; one day he went to look at the plants and shrubs and trees with which his garden was stocked. He came to this tree, and saw that it bore no fruit; it was a healthy, green, luxuriant tree, and yet it bore no fruit; like a lazy, well fed, careless man who takes everything given to him, but makes no return. "Well," said the master, "just look at this tree; for the past three years I have come here and expected at least a little fruit; but there has never been any. Why does this tree take up good space uselessly? Cut it down, and throw it into the fire, and let us have done with it." But the servant said, "Ought you not to try this tree one year more? I will dig about it and cultivate it carefully; perhaps it will surprise us next year." You, my dear young people, are trees planted by almighty God in the garden of His holy Catholic Church, that you may produce good fruit. Here is a three-year-old tree, and the farmer is tired of waiting. How old are you? You are old enough to have done something long ago. Instead of fruit you have produced thorns. St. Augustine says, "Up to the present I have lived my years badly; they are years lost to me; when I cast a glance on what I have done, my heart fails me, for I see nothing but sin, that cries out against me and rebukes me. My former years have been useless.'' All the creatures of the universe, ministers of divine justice, at the sight of your wickedness have been calling on God to be allowed to vindicate His outraged goodness and mercy by inflicting on you death or sickness. But again the goodness of Our Lord put it off. "Allow that tree to stand one year more." Yes, let him have another year; perhaps he will change his mode of life, will sin no more, but will be converted; will become a good tree and produce beautiful fruit. In the meanwhile, however, the good are injured to a certain extent by this delay; that bad tree ruins the good ones. A youth who neglects devotions, no longer goes to the sacraments, and gives scandal to others, gets into a habit of cursing and swearing, is a tree that produces such unwholesome fruit that other souls are brought to death; why should it not be cut down at once? Yes, the divine Justice says, that tree ought indeed to be cut down; but where there is life there is hope. Our Lord says He desires not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted from his ways and live. In the meantime years and months pass by; he continues at enmity with God; but the divine mercy never deserts him; it follows him always, is about him with heavenly inspirations and clear light, which makes him understand that interior voice which is sometimes amiable, sometimes severe: if amiable, it invites him to Our Lord's embrace and promises reward, consolation and peace; if, on the contrary, it is severe, it threatens punishment and death. His pleasures are turned into bitterness; his conscience gives him no rest, but fills him with a thousand fears; his memory constantly recalls the years of his childish happiness, when he went to church joyfully, and when he prayed to the Blessed Virgin. What joys did he not experience in his prayers! what consolation did he not find in going to holy communion! it was like the peace and happiness of paradise. Such were the means which the divine goodness used to gain the sinner to God, and perhaps all that time he was hard and obstinate in his sins. Perhaps this may even be your case. And if it is, will you not give over your obstinacy and practise Christian virtue? Go to your Father, your tender Friend, to the loving Jesus who has been waiting for you with such a love and who has stretched out His arms to you, to press you to His bosom. Should there be some among you who ought to think of doing better, they are foolish if they do not profit by the time which God has set for them; for that time will soon pass away and then will come the time of reckoning. "For time shall be no more." Oh, have a little sense, and use it for the purpose of your highest interest, the salvation of your soul. "Whilst we have time let us do good. Blessed," says St. Philip Neri, "are ye young people that have a long time before you in which to do good." What great good you can do in your youth and strength; the old man has but a short time before him. Do not wait for the night when you cannot work. " The night cometh when no man can work." St. Anthony says that if the damned had the time we throw away, and had another chance to live, they would become saints. If they could return to the earth, would they sleep and fool their time away? No; with the experience gathered in the other world they would work day and night, for they know the value of these occasions to gain merits. Thank divine providence that has watched over you with so great care; pray to the Holy Ghost that He may send into your soul that ray of light which will make known to you how important this opportunity of conversion is; that you may be inspired by Him with a strong will to persevere in good. With St. Augustine let us exclaim, " Too late, infinite goodness, too late have we begun to love Thee! infinite love of God, what did we love, when we did not love Thee? Too late have we known Thee and loved Thee, infinite loveliness of God! " And you, my good young friends, for good I can consider the most of you to be, who constantly endeavor to conquer your bad inclinations and the temptations of the devil; rejoice on this day, for you have cause to be glad at the merits you have gained and which have been laid up for you in heaven; continue to pray to the Holy Ghost that He may give you the grace of perseverance. Source: Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900 CHRISTMAS DAY.
(December 25) Gospel. Luke ii. 1-14. "At that time: There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus the governor of Syria: And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night-watches over their flock. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them, and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people; for this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will." Who does not rejoice with a holy joy on this great feast, when we celebrate with the Church the appearance of the Son of the eternal Father, our most amiable Redeemer! Behold the expectation of ages has at last made His appearance among us! Come then, all ye Christian nations, to see the new-born Messias, and prostrate yourselves in adoration before Him. Adore Him with Mary, His Virgin Mother; with St. Joseph, His foster-father; with the angels who surround the manger, and sing "Glory to God in the highest." mystery of divine love, that a God should descend from heaven and become man for us! St. Francis of Assisi, while giving a discourse on this very subject, was so moved that he could not utter another word, and he and his audience wept floods of tears. My dear young people, I also feel moved on this subject, and would rather give a sermon in tears than in words, when I think that God so loves the world that His eternal Son became a mere infant for us. what can I do to set your hearts on fire for Him? I confess I am not equal to the task; but with the aid of the Child Jesus, I will relate in a few words the history of His birth, and make some humble and loving comments on it. Who knows but that you will be touched by the great condescension of our good Lord, and may offer Him a few tears of gratitude! Let us go, my dear young friends, to Bethlehem, and ask the shepherds who were so privileged as to hear the first news of the birth of Christ from the angels, what they saw and heard. "Oh joy and gladness!" they will say. "We have seen the new-born King, we have seen the Child, the most beautiful of the world, wrapped in swaddling-clothes; we have heard His childish cries, and falling down in adoration we have kissed His sacred feet with the greatest veneration. if you could see how beautiful He is! His rosy cheeks, His golden hair, the pearls of tears in His eyes: all more beautiful than an angel of paradise. Above the Child hover angels. His servants, praising Him, singing hymns of glory and announcing peace to men of good will. We have seen Him born and the choirs of angels praising God." And where is that divine Infant to be found, in a house or in a palace? Oh, He is to be found in a poor stable; He is laid in a manger, wrapped in swaddling-clothes and exposed to the cold air! Two animals, an ox and an ass, keep Him warm with their breath and seem to recognize their Creator. A man with a radiant face, weeping tears of joy, and full of wonder, adores Him. A young mother, in ecstasy, is busied about the little Child's necessities; she covers Him with what she has about her, to keep away the cold, she kisses His little feet as a recognition that He is her God, and then His face to show that He is her Son. The little Infant holds out His hands toward His Mother, and looks at her with a joyous smile. Happy shepherds, what were the gifts that you brought to this divine Infant? In our poverty we had but little that we could give; we brought Him fruit, milk, cheese and a young white lamb. If you could have seen that dear Child, with a smile and a grateful look, receive these poor gifts; He appeared to thank us with His cries and to ask us to give Him our hearts with our other gifts. We could hardly tear ourselves away from that dear Child. This is what these poor, simple people would say. But you, my dear young people, what are your thoughts about that holy Child? This poor Child, who is only a few hours old, is the Son of the Most High. Before there was a heaven or an earth. He existed; the home of that Infant is heaven. Though you see Him wrapped in swaddling-clothes. His vesture is a mantle of purest light; though you see Him between two animals. His usual companions are the angels of heaven. This beautiful Child is God; these small members are the strong arms of a God. But if He be God, why is He in such poverty? He is born poor because He wants it so, and to gain our love and confidence. He might have come into the world in a palace, surrounded by servants; but He preferred a manger for His cradle and a little straw for His bed. He wished to begin His infancy in tears. "Oh, truly happy tears," cries out St. Thomas of Yillanova, "which obtain for us the pardon of our sins; when we were all lost to God, this Child comes to save us." But what does this Child of infinite love ask of us in return? He asks gratitude, acknowledgment and love. The shepherds adored Him indeed, but the rest of mankind did not recognize Him. All the inhabitants of Bethlehem turned Him from their doors; "the foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head! The prophet says, " The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib, but Israel hath not known Me." Even in our time many Christians do not give Him the honor which is His due; they heap insults on Him, blaspheme His sacred name, and live in enmity with Him, or do not believe in Him. Yes, my dear good children, you understand now that the Child Jesus, in return for the great love He showed us, should have gained all hearts on this earth. How many sinners are there in the world and how many sins are committed by them still! Does this look as if Christ had conquered our hearts? Perhaps more sins than usual are committed on Christmas day. The feasts of the Church seem to give occasion for sin, such as going to places of amusement that are dangerous to morals. But let me beg of you, my dear young people, no longer to be ungrateful to the Child Jesus. See, this little Child God has already begun to suffer for you; He is doing the penance which you refused to do, and which you should not omit. Do you hear the cry of the Child? He is already making reparation for those wicked conversations in which you sometimes indulge. Go now to the manger in which Our Lord is placed, and take a good look at Him. See in what poverty He is placed all for you, and then give yourself up to God. Will you not give your heart, your affection to Him? Love this little Jesus with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul; no longer give yourself to the devil; be sorry for the past, throw yourself at the feet of Jesus, and make an entire offering of yourself to Him, saying, "Here we are, dear Infant Jesus, at your feet, with our gifts in our hands, the gift of our hearts; but such miserable hearts, that the gift is unworthy of Thee. But, dear Infant, Thou art omnipotent; Thou canst, if we co-operate with Thy grace, make them pure, holy, and acceptable in Thy sight. Thou canst fill them with virtues and then they will be fit gifts for a God that is in search of souls. We volunteer to give our own souls first, and then we will go forth and gather many others. We now leave our hearts at Thy feet; do not despise them. Thou didst not despise the poor gifts of the shepherds; then take also this gift of our hearts, keep them and make their entrance into heaven sure." Source: Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900 Douay Translation of Luke 21:25-28 25. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves. 26. Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; 27. And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty. 28. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand."
Our sermon will be on today’s gospel, which consists entirely in the doctrine and instruction of Jesus Christ Himself. In this gospel He warns us of the great evils and tribulations which are to come at the end of the world, and tells us of the signs which will precede His coming in judgment. This subject will, I think, be of service to us. Let us begin with the Hail Mary. “There will be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars.” By study of Holy Scripture and by factual experience we know that when any great and heavy affliction is about to come on the world, often some warning sign is shown in the sky or in the upper air. And this happens by the mercy of God, so that people forewarned of impending tribulation by means of these signs, through prayer and good works, may obtain in the tribunal of mercy a reversal of the sentence passed against them by God the judge in the heavenly courts; or at least by penance and amendment of life, may prepare themselves against the impending affliction. So, before the coming of any great mortality, phantom battles are seen in the sky; before famine there are earthquakes; and before a country is laid waste dreadful portents are seen. We are told of the terrible signs shown to the Jews for a length of time before the destruction of Jerusalem under Antiochus. “And it came to pass that through the whole city of Jerusalem for the space of forty days there were seen horsemen running in the air, in gilded raiment armed with spears like bands of soldiers. And horses set in ranks, running one against another, with the shakings of shields, and a multitude of men in helmets, with drawn swords, and casting of darts, and glittering of golden armor, and of harness of all sorts,” (2 Macc 5:2,3). After this, Antiochus plundered the temple and slew the Jews. Therefore we read in Exodus: “And shall multiply signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,” (Ex 7:3). Now among all afflictions, three of the greatest and most terrible are shortly to come upon mankind: first, the affliction of Antichrist, a man but a diabolical one; second, the destruction by fire of the terrestrial world; third, the universal judgment. And with these tribulations the world will come to an end. Therefore, according to the rule of divine Providence, as set out above, before these three, there will be warning signs in the heavens, in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, as is set out in our text. The first affliction to come on the world in a short space of time is the advent of Antichrist, a diabolical man, who will bring distress on the whole world as is implied in. today’s gospel where it is said: “And upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves.” In my text there are four clauses in which we are warned of the four ways in which Antichrist will deceive Christians. The first clause is this: “There will be sign, in the sun.” You must know that in Holy Scripture Christ is called the Sun, and this is because, by the evidence of your own eyes, the sun is among the most beautiful of the creatures made by God. Taking the word etymologically, we have: S-O-L (Super omnia lucens), “Shining above all things.” In the same way, Christ is more beautiful than all the saints, and shines above them all in the brightness of glory, not only inasmuch as He is God, but also as man. And as all the stars receive their light from the sun, who depends on nothing for its own brightness, so all the saints receive from Christ the brightness of glory, strength, sanctity, wisdom, understanding and influence. This is the reason why Christ is called the Sun, and under the same name of “Sun” God the Father sent Him into the world, saying: “But unto you who fear my name the Sun of justice shall arise” (Mal 4:2). This is not said of the natural sun. For the Church says in praise of the Virgin Mary: “For thou art happy, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise, for out of thee has arisen the Sun of Justice, Christ, Our Lord.” The first clause tells us that there will be signs in the sun in the time of Antichrist; that is, there will be signs in Christ, and the precise sign is given by Saint Matthew saying: “The sun will not give its light.” Such darkening does not happen with regard to the sun itself, for it is not in the nature of the sun to be darkened in itself. But by the interposition of clouds and vapor between the sun, and the earth the sun appears to be obscured. In the same way, in the time of Antichrist, the Sun of justice will be obscured by the interposition of temporal goods and the wealth which Antichrist will bestow on the world, inasmuch as the brightness of faith in Jesus Christ and the glow of good lives will no longer shine among Christians. For, lest they should lose their dominion, temporal rulers, kings and princes will range themselves on the side of Antichrist. In like manner, prelates for fear of losing their dignities, and religious and priests to gain honors and riches, will forsake the Faith of Christ and adhere to Antichrist. Now he will be a veritable man, but so proud that, not only will he desire to have universal dominion in the whole world, but will even demand to be called a god, and will insist on receiving divine worship. This we may gather from the second Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians (2:3): “For unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and is lifted up above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, spewing himself as if he were a god.” This will come about because Antichrist by the ministry of demons will possess all the gold and silver of the earth and seas, and pearls and all the precious stones that are in the world. As we read in Daniel (11:43) : “And he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver and all the precious stones of Egypt.” With this wealth he will gather together in arms all the nations of the world, to fight against those who oppose him. As we read in the Apocalypse (20:7) : “He shall go forth and seduce the nations which are over the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog; and shall gather there together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” Observe that he will seduce the peoples, that is, with gold and silver and honors; Gog which signifies “hidden,” and Magog which signifies “that which is disclosed,” because both hidden and open evil are on his side. Then temporal lords and ecclesiastical prelates, for fear of losing power or position, will be on his side, since there will exist neither king nor prelate unless he wills it. For the same reason, religious, priests and laity will also uphold him. “There will indeed be signs in the Sun of justice, for then it will be obscured in the hearts of Christians, since from those hearts it will not give forth the light of Faith; all preaching of a better life will cease, owing to the interposition of the vapor and clouds of temporal goods. As we are told in Daniel (11.39) : “He will multiply glory and will give them power in many things and divide up the earth at his pleasure.” I am asked why God permits this error among Christians, since He is God and the strongest cannot stand against Him? I answer by a dictum of theology taken from the Book of Wisdom (11:17) : “By what things a man sinneth, by the same also is he tormented.” How do the peoples of the world sin against God today? They sin in order to gain honors, dignities and riches. Therefore, by honors, riches and dignities, God permits that Antichrist shall deceive them. If therefore you do not wish to be deceived, now with all your hearts contemn and despise all earthly goods, and long for those of heaven, considering that the goods of this world are transitory and empty, while heavenly and celestial goods are eternal. In this way you will be strong. Saint John gives this counsel: “Love not the world nor the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world the charity of the Father is not in him. And the world passeth and the concupiscence thereof” (1 Jn 2:15-17). The second clause says that there will be signs in the moon. You must understand that in the Holy Scriptures the moon signifies our holy Mother the Universal Church, which implies the world-wide union of Christians; for when men speak of the Church, they do not speak of the material building, or the stone and the walls which compose it, but of that gathering of the faithful under one Head, which is the Church in reality. The Church is signified by the moon and its five phases: first there is the new moon, then the waxing moon, next the full moon, to be followed by the waning moon, and lastly the old moon. > The Church passes through these phases. The new moon signifies the Church of Christ in His own time; and as the new moon when first seen is like a bow-shaped thread with two horns following the sun, so the Church in the time of Christ had at first only two horns: Andrew and Peter who followed Christ. The waxing moon typifies the twelve Apostles, then the seventy-two disciples, then the three thousand converted by Peter on the day of Pentecost and so on. The full moon typifies the acceptance of the Gospel of Christ in every part of the world, in every kingdom and province. David says (Ps: 18.5) : “In the whole world their sound is gone forth, and their words to the ends of the earth.” The waning moon typifies the inability of men to preserve what the Apostles had acquired. In the first place, the Church was lessened by the loss of the whole of India, by means of him they called John the Presbyter; the second, Assyria by means of one of their tyrants; the third, Africa by means of Mahomet; the fourth, the Greeks under their Emperor Constantine; the fifth, the Armenians with their king; the sixth, the Georgians with a certain pseudo-prophet; the seventh, the bad example of the Christians led by a certain heresiarch [Probably the Waldenses whom Vincent evangelized in the Alpine countries. We do not know the name of the individual heresiarch]; the eighth, the Italians with Bartholomew of Bari; the ninth, the French with Peter of Candia. The old moon, because the horns are reversed, typifies that the Church is no longer in the state in which Christ founded it. Christ founded the Church in great lowliness and poverty; now all this is turned round to pride, pomp and vanity, as may be easily seen in every rank of the Church. Mercy and liberality are changed into simony, usury and rapine; chastity becomes licentiousness, uncleanness and corruption; the brightness of virtue is changed into envy and malignity; temperance has become gluttony and voracity; patience has given place to anger, war and divisions among the peoples; diligence is superseded by negligence. Nothing is now left to make matters worse but an eclipse which is caused by the interposition of the earth between the sun and moon such as only occurs at full moon. As Isaiah says in 59:2: “Your sins have put a division between us.” In the time of Antichrist, the Church, typified by the moon, will be eclipsed; because then she will not give her light, since Christians will no longer work miracles by reason of their sanctity; but Antichrist and his followers will work miracles, not true miracles, but false ones having the appearance of true miracles, in order that they may deceive the people. As Saint John says in the Apocalypse (13:13) : “And he did great signs, so that he made also fire to come down from heaven unto the earth in the sight of men,” that is, balls of fire, such as it is within the power of the devil to send down, if God should permit this and does not prevent him; as we read in Job (1:16) : “And while he was yet speaking another came and said: A fire of God fell from heaven and striking the sheep and the servants hath consumed them.” O! The wonder of the people, this will be the downfall of many. You must know that Antichrist will perform other prodigies by the power of demons, and these will be true miracles according to the nature of things in themselves, but false in regard to the definition of miracle (i.e. by the power of God). For he will cause both images and babes of a month old to speak. The followers of Antichrist will question these statues or babies, and they will make answer concerning this lord who has come in the latter times, affirming that he is the savior. The devil will move their lips and form the words they utter when they declare Antichrist to be the true savior of the world; and in this way he will cause the destruction of many souls. And the Church, typified by the moon, will perform no miracles. Some say that such phenomena are not real miracles in the sense that raising the dead to life is a real miracle. I can give concrete examples of the dead being apparently raised to life, but such are only phantoms. For instance, in the same way as Christians raise dead people in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, so your dead father or mother may appear to speak to you; but in these latter times Christians will not be able to work similar miracles. Christ has warned us of these false miracles and signs, saying: “There will arise false christs and false prophets.” That is to say, the sons of Christians who have already made shipwreck of their faith owing to the gifts of Antichrist. As Saint Matthew says (24:24) : “And they will show great signs and wonders in so much to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Behold I have told you beforehand.” Suppose someone should ask: Why does Christ permit these works of destruction of Christianity by the devil? I answer according to the rule of Theology: “By what things a man sinneth, by the same also is he tormented.” Since the people of the world sin against God by having recourse to the works of the devil, such as divination and fortune telling in their necessities—for instance, in order to find things they have lost, or to obtain health or children, instead of laying their needs before the omnipotent God—therefore God permits them to be deceived by the works of the demons. If you do not wish to be deceived, then place the whole of your faith and confidence in the name of Jesus Christ., and refuse to acknowledge any miracle unless it is worked in that same name; and so you will be strong against seduction. David says (Ps 39:5) : “Blessed is the man whose hope is in the name of the Lord; and who hath not regard to vanities and lying follies.” The name of the Lord is Jesus. “And thou shalt call His name Jesus,” (Lk 2:21). If you should receive any wound or hurt you should sign it devoutly with the Sign of the Cross. Antichrist arrogates to himself every other name of Christ, but as many of the saints tell us, he flies from the name of Jesus. Therefore, for that reason, the name of Jesus should receive the greatest respect from all Christians. Moreover, all the names of God, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, should be honored in a sevenfold manner. Because the name of God is great it is to be feared; because it is holy it should be venerated; because it is sweet it should be savored in meditation; it is strong to save; rich in mercy; efficacious in impetration; and hidden in order to be discovered and known. He says also that the name of the Son of God is also the name of the father in a threefold way: for by it he is honored, invoked and manifested. He also says that in all the names given is also signified the name of Jesus, which is the sign of salvation, and therefore exceedingly to be honored. The third clause says that there will be signs in the stars. In the Sacred Scriptures “star” signifies “light-giving”; and so it is the appellation of Masters, Doctors, and Licentiates in Theology. This signification is found in Daniel (12:3) : “And they that are learned shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that instruct many to justice, as stars for all eternity.” In these stars, that is learned men, there will be signs in the time of Antichrist; because, as Christ says in the Gospel of Saint Matthew (24:29) : “Stars shall fall from heaven”; and this is the third combat waged by Antichrist, that of disputation. Then stars, that is the learned, shall fall from heaven, that is, from the truth of the Catholic Faith. The disputations of Antichrist with the learned will be based entirely on the text of the Old Testament, and these doctors, so far from being able to answer him, will not even be able to speak. Then the stars, the masters, will fall from heaven, that is from the heights of the Faith. For, according to Daniel (11.36) : “And the king, Antichrist, will do all according to his will and will lift up and magnify all against God, and against the God of Gods he will speak great things;” that is, the matter of his blasphemies will be insoluble so far as men are concerned. You may ask again why Christ allows this, that those who defend the Faith should fail so utterly? I answer that Christ allows this for two reasons: first, according to the rule of theology: “By what things a man sinneth, by the same is he tormented;” and this follows from the fact that masters and teachers no longer care for study of the Bible, but prefer the study of the poets and other profane works. The second reason why Christ permits this, is because of the scandalous and wicked lives and the many sins of learned. men; for in the case of many of them, the greater their knowledge the greater also is their sin and the worse their consciences; for they are proud, puffed-up, wine-bibbers and the rest. He who can bind a lioness can easily bind a sheep; if therefore the devil can hold in chains the minds of the learned by reason of their evil lives, how much easier is it for him to bind the sheep that is their tongues—so that they cannot speak.. The ignorant are in much better case, for knowledge puffeth up, if therefore you wish to be strong, embrace the counsel of the Apostle Paul (1 Cor 2:5) : “That your faith might not stand on the wisdom of men but on the power of God.” Reasoning and disputation are good for strengthening the intellect, but not for fortifying belief, since faith must be held from the motive of obedience, because Christ Himself has commanded us, announcing the gospel which the Apostles preached and Holy Mother Church has ordained. Therefore, O Lord, I believe. The fourth clause tells us: “And on earth distress of nations by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves.” Behold these are the tortures which Antichrist will inflict, and on the earth distress of nations by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves. That is the preparations for battle, the sanding of the arena before the combat, which will be the work of the lords who are already on the side of Antichrist; because then no one will dare to name Christ nor the Virgin Mary under pain of death; and the waves are those of torments which have never in the past been so dreadful as those which will be inflicted by Antichrist. In Saint Matthew, Christ warns us (24:21): “For there shall then be great tribulation such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be. And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened.” We read in the Apocalypse (17:10): “And when he shall come he must remain a short time,” The Doctors in general say that Antichrist will reign for three and a half years only; which is the measure of a thousand and two hundred days and ninety days; “and from the time when the continual sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination unto desolation shall be set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel: 12:11). If I am asked why Christ permits the Christians to be so terribly persecuted, I answer : “By what things a man sinneth, by the same also is he tormented.” Because now, at the present time, people are offending God by wars, divisions and false flattery, by feuds and duels, so Christ permits them to be torn in pieces and slain by Antichrist. If therefore, you do not wish to be slain and destroyed, be at peace and concord now with everyone, according to the counsel of the Apostle: “Have peace with all men; revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved; but give place to wrath, for it is written : “Revenge is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord” ” (Rom 12:18). The second evil or retribution will be the conflagration of the earthly world which is mentioned in the second part of the gospel of this Sunday: “Men withering away for fear and expectation of what is to come on the whole world; for the powers of heaven will be moved.” After Antichrist has been slain by lightning on Mount Olivet and his death has been made widely known through out the world, this our earth will exist for forty-five more days; I do not say years, but days. This is clearly to be seen in Daniel (12:11) : “And from the time when the continual sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination of desolation shall be set up, there shall be one thousand, two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh unto the one thousand, three hundred and thirty-five days.” The Doctors say that these forty-five days will be given by God for the conversion of those who have been seduced by Antichrist, but Antichrist will have left behind him so great riches and pleasure that hardly any of the nations will be converted to the Faith of Christ. For there is no savior but Christ, and yet they will not be converted. Then in the four parts of the earth, east, and west, and north, and south, fire will blaze forth by thee divine power, and as it presses forward, the whole world in succession will be set on fire until nothing of the other three elements will remain. Then, when men are made aware of the tumult and the fire and see the lightnings bursting forth from it, they will wither away for fear of the fire, and expectation of eternal damnation. The Apostle Paul, in the epistle to the Hebrews (10:27) says of this: “But a, certain dreadful expectation of the judgment and the rage of a fire shall consume the adversaries.” “For the powers of heaven shall be moved.” This is said to imply that the fire has no natural cause, as some people erroneously imagine, for they say that for forty years before the consummation of the world it will not rain. This fire, however, comes from the rigor of divine justice and acts through the ministry of angels, as it is shown in the saying: “For the powers of heaven shall be moved.” This fire comes down, likewise, for the purification of the other three elements—earth, air and water—which have been infected and corrupted by the sins of men. Concerning this, David says (Ps 96:3): “A fire shall go before him and shall burn his enemies round about. His lightnings have shone forth to the world; the earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord; at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.” You understand how sinners are the enemies of Christ; but why do they say, “and shall burn his enemies round about,” when the good as well as the bad will be destroyed by the fire? The good and the friends of God will die in the fire it is true, but they will die without pain or suffering; but the wicked and God’s enemies will die in the greatest pain and torment. Therefore, the enemies of God are named. Saint Thomas Aquinas speaks beautifully of this when he says that this last fire, inasmuch as it precedes the Judgment, will act as an instrument of God’s justice. It will also act like natural fire, inasmuch as, in its natural power, it will burn both wicked and good and reduce every human body to ashes. Inasmuch as it acts as an instrument of God’s justice, it will act in different ways with regard to different people. For the wicked will suffer intensely through the action of the fire, but the good in whom nothing is found which must be purged away will feel no pain from the fire, just as the three children felt nothing in the fiery furnace, although the bodies of these others will not be preserved as were those of the three children. And this will come to pass by the divine power, that without pain or suffering their bodies will be resolved into ashes. But the good in whom there is some stain to be purged away will feel the pain of this fire, more or less according to the merits of each. But they will be swiftly purged for three reasons. The first reason is that in them little evil is found, for they have been already in great measure purged by the preceding tribulations and persecutions. The second is that the living will voluntarily endure the pain; and suffering willingly endured in this life remits much more quickly than suffering inflicted after death. This is seen in the case of the martyrs, for if, when they came to die, anything worthy of purgation was found, it was cut away by the pruning knife of their sufferings. And the sufferings of the martyrs were short in comparison with the pains of purgatory. The third reason is that the heat of the fire gains in intensity what it loses through the shortness of the time. But in so far as the fire is active after the judgment its power only extends over the damned, since all the bodies of the just will be impassible. “This is a serious thought for those who will not do penance. In that last day, how greatly the temporal lords and prelates of the Church will desire to do penance when they see the fire. But then such repentance will avail them nothing, because they are acting not from charity, but from servile fear. Therefore, do penance now, forgive injuries, make restitution of any ill-gotten goods, live up to and confess your religion; and let priests obtain breviaries. If it were certain that in a short time this town was going to be destroyed by fire, would you not exchange all your immovable goods for something that you could take away with you? So it is with the world, which in a short while is to be destroyed by fire. Therefore place your hearts in heaven, and your lips by speaking with reverence of God, and your works by doing good. This is Christ’s counsel, saying: “Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth where the rust and moth devour and thieves break in and steal.” Notice the word “rust,” which is Antichrist, and “moth,” which is fire, for these will devour all. The third evil will be the tribulation of the universal Judgment which is mentioned in the third part of this gospel. “Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and majesty.” After the destruction of the world by fire, Christ the Lord Judge, with the Virgin Mary and all the saints, will come to the judgment seated on a throne in the air. And the Archangel Michael will cry with a. loud voice, saying: “Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment.” Then suddenly, by the divine power, all the dead, both good and wicked, will arise, children will rise with grown people and all will be gathered to the judgment. Even those who died in their mother’s womb will be there, as Saint Thomas teaches, to accuse those through whose fault they died without Baptism. And the age at which all will rise will be thirty years. Christ Himself says concerning the General Judgment: “When the Son of Man shall come in His majesty, and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the seat of His Majesty. And all the nations shall be gathered together before Him; and He shall separate them one from another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He shall set the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left” (Mt 25:31-33). And the creed of Saint Athanasius: “At Whose coming all men must rise with their own bodies; and it will be rendered to every man according to his own deeds; those who have performed good works will go into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.” The sheep are the good and the goats are the wicked. Christ will say to the sheep on His right hand: “Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess ye the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” To the goats on His left He will say: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.” The wicked will go into eternal punishment, the just into eternal life. But for the rest, no one will dwell in this world, because those things which are transitory and finite have passed away in their finite condition; movement has passed away. Therefore, the Church in the person of every Christian makes petition in the Office for the Dead: “Deliver me, O Lord, from everlasting death, in that tremendous day when the heavens and the earth are moved, when Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.” Source: Angel of the Judgment: A Life of Vincent Ferrer, by S.M.C., Ave Maria Press. Chapter XI, pp. 102-117. FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
December 8 Gospel. Luke I. 26-28. And in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David,and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace : the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. "Thou art all beautiful, Mary! and no stain of original sin is in thee; thou art the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel, the honor of our people." Such is the anthem of the Church in today's festival in honor of Mary. Today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin and we are therefore full of joy. From time immemorial the Church has conceded this privilege to Mary; the ancient doctors and saints taught it; but it was only in our day that it was made an article of faith, when Pius IX., in the year 1854, supported and surrounded by two hundred cardinals and bishops assembled in Rome from all parts of the world, proclaimed it as a dogma that Mary the Mother of God was preserved from original sin from the first instant of her conception; that she did not need to be purified from stain of sin; that God had created her pure and immaculate. The decree was applauded by all, amid demonstrations of the most profound respect and liveliest enthusiasm. No less should be our joy at the recurrence of a festival that marks so wondrous a grace. But will you content yourselves with joy and exultation? Do you think it will suffice to Mary to know that you are happy? Mary desires above all that you imitate her purity. If your souls have been stained with sin she wants you to seek pardon at once, and in order that you may succeed the better she is anxious to come to your assistance. She herself wants to intercede for your pardon at the throne of the Most High. She herself wishes to be your advocate, for she is the refuge of sinners. Under this title invoke her today; with the grace of God I will prove to you how well she merits that title. Mary, who is all pure and all holy, deserves that we all should be pure and free from sin. Sin renders us abominable in the sight of God. Our soul is like a horrid desert filled with wild beasts; the vile passions of anger, revenge, and impurity dwell in it. Mary sees our unhappy condition, feels the greatest pity for us, and seeks to make us know the miserable state we are in. Many feel this and are converted, but, on the contrary, many, and among them a larger number of young people, have hardened their hearts and live in the indulgence of their vices because they prefer to walk in the broad road of sin which eventually leads to eternal death. They get further and further away from that influence which could lead them back to conversion; they avoid the church, the sacraments, the word of God, the counsels of pious people and associates, and give up the little devotion they had to the Blessed Virgin. Mary has great compassion on even the most wicked men, and she does not desert them. She is the refuge of sinners, and provided they have a wish to lay aside the habit of sin, provided they say at least a little prayer, that bright immaculate Queen will strike off their fetters and they will be converted to God. St. Bridget says that this sweet Mother is a bait to catch souls for heaven. Honor her then, ye sinners! Find a joy in doing it and she will obtain for you grace and salvation. A criminal once said, "What has the Blessed Virgin ever done for me?" "What has she ever done for you, ungrateful creature!" answered an interior voice. "Do you remember the sudden death of this and that sinner? It might have been the same with you, but she obtained for you the grace of a longer life and an opportunity to do better." She thus does good, even to those who are ungrateful. Mary of Egypt, when twelve years old, went to the wicked city of Alexandria against the express command of her mother, and there she lived a most sinful life for seventeen years. One day she saw a big crowd going to the shore to embark for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. She took a notion to go along. On the ship she behaved most scandalously and led many of the pilgrims into sin. The feast came, and she wished to witness these festivals also. When she arrived before the church she made an attempt to enter, but she felt a hand restraining her. Three times she attempted to cross the threshold, and though she made the greatest effort she could not succeed. Then she understood that her great sins were the cause of the mysterious force that prevented her from entering the church; that in her condition she was not worthy to enter the house of God and look upon the sacred relics of the Cross of Christ. She wept at the remembrance of her sins; she did not know what to do, when by the side of a house she saw a painting of the Blessed Virgin. Throwing herself at the feet of Mary she exclaimed, "Holy Virgin, who didst conceive an omnipotent God, I know well that since thou lovest purity so much and wert so pure thyself, thou oughtest to abhor such a person as I am. But Oh, most merciful Mother, have mercy on me! The greater my misery, the greater is my right to thy intercession. Obtain for me the grace of seeing that holy wood of the cross; and I will go where thou leadest me to do penance." Mary heard her prayer, and obtained for her the grace to enter the church and adore the holy cross. Having come out of the church the sinner went to the desert and there did penance and became a great saint through the intercession and help of the Blessed Virgin. Thus you see that Mary feels compassion for the greatest and most disgusting sinners. A youth of twenty-five years was dying. He had led a most sinful life, but having been converted, he was very devout to the Blessed Virgin, and became a model young man. He was on his sick-bed and held in one hand a crucifix and in the other an image of the Blessed Virgin. He looked from one to the other and in turn kissed them. When he had received the last sacraments he confidently said: " Father, I am going to heaven, for Mary has obtained for me this grace." You also, my dear young friends, if you commend yourselves to Mary, if you are converted with a sincere heart and abandon sin, you will surely go to heaven. But you, my dear young friends who are still innocent, do not forget on this beautiful day of the Immaculate Conception to pray to Mary. You, too, have need of Mary's protection that you may preserve your baptismal purity. Pray to her in this wise: "Obtain for me, immaculate Virgin, that no sin may come into my soul. Obtain for me that my eyes may be preserved from the contamination of impurities; obtain for me that my ears may not hear any impious discourses against religion, purity, or charity; obtain for me that my tongue may not utter bad words, that my hands may do nothing wrong. Obtain for me, immaculate Virgin, that my whole heart and my body may be the temple of the Holy Ghost fitted for this divine habitation by the most scrupulous purity." "Thou art all fair, Mary, and no stain of sin is to be found in thee." Source: Sermons for Children's Masses, Imprimatur 1900 My dear Children: In your catechism you have learned under the Second Commandment what blasphemy means. By blasphemy we mean speaking injuriously of God, or His saints and angels, or sacred things. This is, indeed, a crime which we should expect to find only among the devils in hell. For can it be possible that man, the creature of God, redeemed by the Blood of the Son of God, receiving daily his existence and innumerable benefits from the hand of God, should be capable of speaking injuriously of God, or what immediately relates to Him. And yet, unhappily, it is so.
Many, indeed, blaspheme that which they know not; for example those who, not belonging to our holy religion, and misled by prejudice and false teachers, misrepresent Catholic Doctrine, mock at the ceremonies of the Church, or speak disrespectfully of our Blessed Lady, or the saints, or the holy Sacraments ; but there are others, alas ! Catholics in name, who blaspheme that which they do know, by murmuring against the Justice or Providence of God, jesting about holy things, or mocking at the ministers of the Church. You can easily understand how heinous this crime is in the sight of God. In the Old Law the blasphemer was, by the command of God Himself, sentenced to death, and stoned in sight of all the people, and in the laws of many Christian nations we find the severest punishments enacted against this crime, as, for example, in the laws of St. Louis, king of France, who ordered the tongue of the blasphemer to be pierced with a red-hot iron. Many instances are likewise recorded, in which God took it upon Himself at once to avenge His own honor, and struck the blasphemer dead in the very act of insulting Him. Some years ago the town of Nottingham was visited by a most awful thunderstorm, the effects of which were most disastrous. The lower part of the town was flooded, and the poorer classes, who inhabited cellars, as well as many shopkeepers, suffered severely. Among those who sought shelter from the pitiless storm in the Milton's Head public-house, was a young man, a lace-maker by trade. For some time he amused himself with ridiculing the fears of the people, but his language, which was from the first light and unbecoming, became at last impious and profane. He used the Holy Name of God in the most blasphemous manner, and, with bitter oaths, expressed a wish that a thunderbolt might come down and strike his companions blind. Then raising himself, he looked through the skylight over the room in which they were sitting and, with profane gestures, defied the lightning. At that moment a vivid flash entered the room, and in an instant he was lying speechless on the floor. He was taken up by the trembling bystanders, none of whom were injured, and laid upon a couch. The first words he uttered on recovering his speech were: "God forgive me!" He had become blind. God is blasphemed when we wish Him evil, or when we curse creatures, in so far as they are God's works. He who wishes that there was no God, or that He had not the power to punish the wicked, is guilty of the most horrid blasphemy. He who curses men, cattle, or anything else, such as the weather, is guilty of blasphemy,' according to St. Thomas of Aquin, since these are creatures or works of God; for dishonoring that which God has made is in fact dishonoring God Himself. But God can be blasphemed not only with words, but also with signs and gestures; when a man, for instance, full of rage, raises his clenched hands towards heaven, gnashes his teeth, spits upon holy things, as the soldiers did when they spat upon Jesus,' bent their knees before Him and in derision saluted Him as their king. Children, this sin can also be committed in thought, when we voluntarily think something of God or His saints which is to their dishonor. Persons who are troubled with involuntary blasphemous thoughts must not allow themselves to be disquieted in their devotion. They should often say "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost." A very holy man left his cell in the desert to visit a sick friend of his youth who dwelt in Alexandria, and who wished to see him before he died. Most of the inhabitants of that city were pagans, who hated the Christian religion. As soon, therefore, as he entered, they knew by his dress that he was a Christian hermit, and began to mock him. Some carried their hatred so far as to strike him, and to abuse him in other ways. But the good man passed on without uttering a word of complaint, and bore all patiently for the love of God. Some of them cried after him in mockery : "Did Jesus Christ ever work a miracle?" A man who was passing and who was a Christian said: "Yes, Jesus Christ did work many miracles; but even if He had not wrought any, the conduct of this holy man is enough to prove the truth of the Christian religion. What greater miracle could you desire to see? You have insulted and abused the good man because he is a disciple of Jesus Christ, and yet he has borne it all without murmur." These words silenced the people : they were ashamed of what they had done. And some of them, touched by the meekness of the good monk, were led to believe in God and to renounce forever paganism. Children, by blasphemy God is attacked personally, and His honor violated. One who offends a king personally, commits a greater crime than if he transgresses one of his laws, so the blasphemer commits a far greater sin than some sinner who sins not immediately against God, but only against His law. Now if a man dares to insult and blaspheme God, whom the Cherubim and Seraphim adore with the most profound veneration, must it not be a horrible sin? If a Catholic who is a member of the true Church of God, curses God despite of all graces and evidences of His love, instead of praising and glorifying Him, is it not the most atrocious crime? Very sad to say that even some children, who scarcely know how to make the Sign of the Cross, know how to give themselves to the devil ; they learn how to curse sooner than to pray. Oh, that parents would carefully guard against cursing and blaspheming, so as not to give scandal to their children. My dear boys and girls, I beg of you avoid the company of blasphemers, they are living devils. Furthermore, consider what you would have to reveal before the throne of God, when you must give an account of every idle word. Let the divine praises be constantly on your lips : "Blessed be God, blessed be His Holy Name." Source: Story Sermonettes for the Children's Mass, Imprimatur 1921  We have uploaded an updated file for our Study Guide on the Mass. When I printed it for my children I found that the file was not printing right. I hope that I have fixed the problem. You can find the file here. Grant me, O God, thy grace that in these evil days of false doctrines I may remain steadfast to Thy holy gospel which in the holy Catholic Church remains pure and unchanged; never let me be deterred from obeying its precepts, neither by the charms of the world nor by the mockery and reproaches of the wicked.
Source: Goffine's Devout Instruction, Imprimatur 1896 30. Q. What did the pagan world do in order to check the rapid spread of Christianity?
R. The Roman emperors, who governed the world, decreed ten great and bloody persecutions. 31. Q. Name these persecutions. R. First persecution, under Nero, about the year 64. He had set Rome on fire, but cast the blame on the Christians. They were killed by thousands in the streets; many were sewed in sacks, besmeared with pitch and burned alive at the nightly garden feasts of Nero. St. Peter and St. Paul died in this persecution. Second persecution, under Domitian, about the year 95. During this persecution St. John was cast into a caldron of boiling oil, but was miraculously preserved. He was then banished to the isle of Patmos, where he received divine revelations about the future of the Church and the glory of Heaven, and wrote the Apocalypse. Third persecution, under Trajan, about the year 107. Pope St. Clement was one of the first victims; Simeon, second bishop of Jerusalem, was crucified; St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was cast before the lions in the amphitheatre at Rome. The Christians of Rome gathered the bones of St. Ignatius and sent them to Antioch with the message: "We have made known to you the day of his death, so that we may unite on his anniversary to celebrate his memory, hoping to share his victory." (A. D. no.) This proves the veneration of martyrs and relics in the ancient Church. Pliny, governor of Bithynia, sent to Emperor Trajan a remarkable report about the Christians, in which he said: "They assemble on certain days before sunrise to sing hymns of praise in honor of Christ, their God, they take an oath to abstain from certain crimes and partake of a common, but blameless meal" (i. e, holy communion). This persecution was continued under Hadrian, who condemned St. Symphorosa and her seven sons to death. He profaned the holy places in Jerusalem and erected statues of false gods on Calvary and over the holy Sepulchre of our Lord. Fourth persecution, under Marcus Aurelius, about the year 167. St. Polycarp, a disciple of St. John and bishop of Smyrna, suffered martyrdom at the stake in the 86th year of his life. The persecution was terrible in Lyons and Vienne, France, where St. Pothi- nus, first bishop of Lyons, and Blandina, a heroic young slave, were martyred. Although the famous Christian legion called "Fulminatrix" saved the army in a miraculous manner by its prayers, the emperor remained unrelenting towards the Christians. The influence of St. Polycarp was so great, that his pagan and Jewish accusers stated: "He is the teacher of Asia, father of the Christians and destroyer of our Gods." When asked to deny Christ, he answered: "I have served Christ for six and eighty years, and never has he done me evil. How, then, can I blaspheme my King and Saviour." His ashes were gathered by the Christians and placed in a tomb, where they annually celebrated the day of his martyrdom. Fifth persecution, under Septimius Severus, about the year 202. This emperor had been cured by a Christian; nevertheless he turned against them. St. Clement of Alexandria said of this persecution: "We see daily many martyrs burned and crucified before our eyes." St. Irenaeus suffered at Lyons, St. Perpetua and St. Felicitas at Carthage. Perpetua's father, a pagan and senator of Carthage, begged her on his knees to abjure Christ for the sake of his gray hair and her own little babe, but with heroic fortitude the noble Christian lady refused. She was led with St. Felicitas into the arena, where they suffered a glorious martyrdom by the horns of a maddened bull and the sword of the executioner. Sixth persecution, under Maximinus Thrax, about the year 236. On account of repeated earthquakes, which the heathens ascribed to the neglect of their gods, they demanded another persecution of the Christians with the cry: "The Christians to the lions." The two popes, Pontianus and Antherus, and many others suffered martyrdom. Seventh persecution, under Decius, about the year 250. This most bloody and systematic persecution which was directed especialy against the bishops and the clergy, was decreed by Decius on the plea that Christianity and the Roman Empire could never be reconciled. Among the holy victims were the virgins St. Agatha and St. Apollonia. St Cyprian wrote at that time : " Emperor Decius had become so jealous of papal authority that he said: I will rather have a rival in my empire, than hear of the election of the priest of God (Pope Cornelius) in Rome." Eighth persecution, under Valerian, about 258. In Rome, Pope Sixtus II. and his deacon St. Lawrence were martyred. When the treasures of the Church were demanded from him, St. Lawrence assembled the poor and showed them to his persecutor with the words: "Behold the treasures of the Church." He suffered death with serene fortitude, being roasted alive on a gridiron. At Utica, Africa, 153 Christians were cast alive into pits and covered with quick-lime. Ninth persecution was ordered by Emperor Aurelian, but soon came to an end on account of his violent death. Tenth persecution, under Diocletian, about the year 303. It surpassed all others in violence and cruelty. St. Sebastian, tribune of the imperial guard, suffered a lingering death, being shot with arrows. St. Anastasia, the youthful St. Agnes of Rome, St Lucia of Syracuse, and many other consecrated virgins obtained the martyr's palm. St. Catherine, a noble and learned virgin of Alexandria, who had fearlessly reproached Caesar Maxentius for his cruelty against the Christians and refuted the pagan philosophers of his court, died by the sword. When Bishop Felix, who had refused to deliver the sacred books, was led to execution, he said: "It is better that I be cast into the fire, than the sacred volumes. I thank Thee, O Lord, for fifty-six years of my life were spent in Thy service. I have preserved sacerdotal chastity, have guarded the holy gospels, and preached Thy truth. For Thee, O Jesus, God of Heaven and earth, I offer myself as victim." So great and general was the bloodshed, that Diocletian had a coin struck: "Diocletian, emperor, who destroyed the Christian name." A vain boast. His favorite, Caesar Galerius, was attacked by a loathsome disease, and, fearing the vengeance of God, he repealed the edict of persecution. 32. Q. How did the popes rule the Church during these persecutions? R. The popes stood at their post and died for the faith as true shepherds of Christ's suffering flock. Although persecution rendered the ruling of Holy Church extremely difficult, the records of the time bear witness to the authority and watchfulness of these martyr pontiffs. See list of popes, Sts. Clement, Anicetus, Victor, Cornelius, Stephen. 33. Q. What torments did the Martyrs suffer? R. They were scourged, put to the rack, cast before wild beasts, burnt at the stake, crucified and tortured in many other ways, according to the cruel custom of pagan times. The acts of the martyrs furnish reliable accounts of the glorious confession and death of these Christian heroes. They were either copied from the records of the imperial law courts or written down according to the testimony of eye-witnesses. Pope Clement had divided Rome into seven districts, with notaries appointed to keep these sacred records. A large number perished during the persecution of Diocletian, but many have been preserved to the present time and are of great value as proofs that the faith of the early martyrs was that of the Church of today. 34. Q. What did these persecutions prove? R. These persecutions proved that a religion, which for three hundred years passed safely through such trials and victoriously withstood the bloody onslaught of the world's greatest empire, must be from God. 35. Q. How did Almighty God avenge the persecutions of His Church? R. 1. Nearly all of these persecutors died a miserable death. 2. Barbarian nations laid waste the frontiers and the distant provinces of the Roman empire. 3. Earthquakes, floods, droughts, famines, and dreadful diseases visited the nation. Nero had to fly before the open revolt of the people and stabbed himself in despair. Domitian was assassinated. Hadrian became insane from despair. Marcus Aurelius, heart- broken over the ingratitude of his profligate and only son Commodus, starved himself to death. Septimius Severus, whose life had been attempted by his own son, died in despair. Decius ended miserably in a swamp during an unlucky battle with the Goths. Valerian was taken prisoner by Sapor, king of Persia, and flayed alive. Maxentius was drowned in the Tiber, and Diocletian starved himself to death. 36. Q. What was the attitude of the first Christians during these persecutions? R. While thousands of martyrs bore torture and death with heroic fortitude, the Christians worshipped in hidden places (catacombs) with unflagging zeal, and their learned men defended the faith in numerous writings. Catacombs are underground passages and rooms, carved into the soft rocks, outside the gates of ancient Rome. They were used by the early Christians for burial and for the celebration of the holy mysteries. Pictures, medals, and inscriptions which were found there, prove the identity of the faith in that age with ours; f. i. prayers for the dead, invocation of the saints, and the Real Presence. Remarkable is the emblem of the fish, used during that perilous time to designate our Lord; for the Greek word "ichthys" means fish, and its composing letters are the initials of the words : Jesus Christ, God's (theou) Son (yios), Saviour (soter). To "receive the fish" meant, for the initiated, Holy Communion. 37. Q. Name some of the early writers, or apologists. R. St. Justin, a philosopher and afterwards martyr, wrote two excellent apologies and presented them to the Emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. (A. D. 150.) St. Clement of Alexandria and his great disciple Origen, refuted* in profound works the teachings of Celsus and other philosophers, who had assailed Christianity. Tertullian, formerly a Roman lawyer and later a Christian, and St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage and martyr, showed in learned works the emptiness of paganism and the just claims of the Christian religion to philosophical and political recognition. St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons and disciple of Bishop Polycarp, (who was a disciple of St. John, the Apostle), wrote a famous work against the heresies of his time. (A. D. 180.) In order to show the importance of St. Irenaeus as a witness of divine tradition, we quote from his letter to Florinus, an imperial courtier, written about the year 177 : "I saw thee in thy youth with Polycarp in Asia Minor, and I remember so well, that I can describe the place in which he sat and preached, and his walk and face, and how he related his fa- miliar intercourse with St. John and others who had seen the Lord, how he recalled what he had heard about the Lord, his miracles and teaching from those who had beheld the Word of Life with their own eyes,— all in accordance with Holy Scripture." From the first apology, delivered by St. Justin (A. D. 147) before the Roman Emperor, we quote the following description of holy Mass, as celebrated at that early age: "After the reading of the writings of the prophets and the apostles, followed by the bishop's address and prayers, bread and a chalice, containing wine mixed with water, are handed to the bishop. He, taking it after praise and thanksgiving to God, the Father, through the Son and the Holy Ghost, continues the sacrifice for some time. "Then the deacons give to the faithful of this food which we call Eucharist; and nobody is admitted to partake, unless he believes our teaching and has been baptized to the forgiveness of sins and to regeneration. "For we do not receive these things as common- bread and drink, but as Jesus Christ, our Saviour was made flesh by the word of God, even so we have been taught, that this food, blessed by prayer, is the flesh and blood of the same incarnate Jesus; for the Apostles have recorded in their memoirs, which we call Gospels, that the Lord said over this food and drink: 'This is my body; this is my blood' and commanded us: 'Do this for a commemoration of Me.' " 38. Q. What heresies afflicted the Church in those times? R. 1. Gnosticism, which claimed to possess the secret of a higher knowledge and taught the eternity of matter, its formation into the world by an evil spirit, and the sinfulness of material things. 2. Manicheism, which assumed two eternal principles, light and darkness, or good and evil, and taught that all material things come from the evil principle. NOTE.— Persecutions and martyrdom are distinguishing traits in the history of the Church and will continue as long as time will last, because Christ has said: "The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you." (St. John XV, 20.) But from every persecution the Church has risen in new, divinely infused vigor and sanctity; and the blood of the martyrs became, as Tertullian has written, "the seed of Christians. CHAPTER I
BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH 16. Q. How did the Church begin her divine mission to the world? R. On Pentecost day, after the miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost St. Peter and the other Apostles began to preach the gospel in Jerusalem and converted 3000 Jews. The number of believers grew daily, and the Church spread steadily over Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and into the surrounding countries. At Antioch, the capital of Syria, the faithful were first called Christians. 17. Q. Did the Apostles confine their labors to the Jews? R. No; they taught the gentiles also; for 1. Christ had commanded them to go into the whole world and teach all nations; and the Holy Ghost bestowed upon them the gift of preaching in divers tongues. 2. St. Peter was instructed by a heavenly vision to baptize the gentile captain Cornelius. 3. The council of the Apostles, held at Jerusalem about the year 51, decreed that converted gentiles should be dispensed from observing the mosaic rites. Thus the Church showed from her very beginning the mark of Catholicity, so that St Paul could truly say: "There is neither Jew nor gentile, barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all." (Col. 3.) 18. Q. Describe briefly the career of the Apostles? R. St. Peter labored in Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor. As head of the Church, he presided over the election of Matthias to the apostleship left vacant by Judas, and over the first council held at Jerusalem. He established his see at Antioch; but removed it about the year 42 to Rome, the capital of the world, which became the seat of the papacy and the center of Christendom. There he died the death of a martyr, being nailed to the cross, as he had humbly requested, head downward. (June 29, A. D. 67.) St. Paul, formerly called Saul, and a persecutor of the Church, was converted near Damascus by the voice of Jesus speaking to him from heaven. Having become a zealous apostle, he made four great voyages and brought the gospel to Cyprus, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and Spain. After a life of labor and trials, he obtained the crown of martyrdom, dying by the sword at Rome on the same day on which St. Peter was crucified. St. John, the beloved friend of our Lord, took under his care the Blessed Virgin, entrusted to him under the cross. He became bishop of Ephesus and directed the churches of Asia Minor, until his holy death about the year 100. A burning love for God and man filled his great, innocent soul, and he constantly repeated the sublime admonition: "My little children, love one another." St. James, the brother of St. John, labored in Judaea, and as tradition states, also in Spain. He was beheaded under King Herod Agrippa (A. D. 43). St. James, the Less, became bishop of Jerusalem and was called the Just on account of his Holiness. For professing that " Christ sitteth at the right hand of God," he was cast from the wall of the temple and slain with a fuller's club in the year 63. St. Andrew preached in Southern Russia and on the coast of the Black Sea. He was crucified at Patras in Greece. When he beheld the cross, he greeted it with the beautiful words: "O dearest cross, honored by the body of my Master, long desired by me, take me hence from men and give me to my Lord !" St. Philip died at Hierapolis in Phrygia, Asia Minor. St. Bartholomew went to Armenia, where he received the crown of martyrdom, being flayed alive. St. Thomas is said to have gone to India; St. Jude Thaddeus to Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia; St. Simon to Egypt, Northern Africa, and Babylon. St. Matthias is said to have come into the countries south of the Caucasus, and St. Matthew to the countries south of the Caspian Sea. 19. Q. How was the preaching of the Apostles confirmed? R. The preaching of the Apostles was confirmed by numerous miracles, by the sublime holiness of their lives, their heroic sacrifice of all earthly things, and especially by the shedding of their blood in testimony of the truth. 20. Q. What was the success of the Apostles among the Jews? R. Although many were converted, the majority and the leaders of the nation not only remained obstinate, but even persecuted the Christians. Therefore they were rejected by God and delivered into the hands of their enemies. In the year 70, Jerusalem was destroyed by a Roman army under Titus. A million of Jews perished in the war, forty thousand were crucified, many were sold as slaves, and the rest were scattered throughout the world. With the destruction of Jehovah's temple, the divinely ordained worship of the Old Law ceased for ever, to make room for that of the New Law of which it had been the type. Since that time Israel, exiled from the land of promise, its priesthood extinguished, and its sacrifices at an end (as Malachy prophesied), has lived dispersed among the nations. But Divine Providence keeps it in existence, an unwilling witness to the revelations, prophecies, and judgments of God, until shortly before the end of the world, He will lead back in mercy His repentant people to the faith. 21. Q. What was the success of the Apostles among the heathens? R. The Apostles converted great numbers of heathens in many lands. In the prominent cities of the Roman empire congregations were formed over which they placed their disciples as bishops and priests, and from these the Christian religion spread in ever-widening circles. For instance, St Paul appointed his disciple Titus as bishop of the island of Crete, and instructed him to ordain and send bishops to the different districts. St. Peter sent his disciple St. Mark to Alexandria, whence Christianity spread over all Egypt. St. John ordained Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and St Ignatius, bishop of Antioch. Maris, a disciple of St. Jude, established the Church in Seleucia and among the Chaldeans. From Rome disciples of the Apostles spread the faith to the cities of Italy, Sicily, Northern Africa, Gaul, Spain, and even to parts of Germany and Britain. St Justin wrote about the year 150: "There is no people, neither among the barbarians, nor the Greeks, nor any known tribe, where prayers and thanksgivings are not offered to God in the name of Christ Crucified." 22. Q. From whom came this wonderful success? R. Such wonderful success could come from God alone; for to the proud and immoral heathen the doctrine of Christ Crucified seemed folly, and the practice of humility and Christian virtue, a moral impossibility. Acts 24. St Paul was invited to preach the faith before Felix, pagan governor of Syria, but "as he treated of justice and chastity and the judgment to come," Felix, being terrified, answered: "For this time go thy way." 23. Q. How was divine worship practiced by the first Christians? R. We learn from Holy Scripture, and Tradition, that Holy Mass with Communion and instruction was regularly celebrated: "They were persevering in the doctrines of the Apostles and in the communication of the breaking of bread and in prayers " (Acts 2. 42). After Baptism the sacrament of Confirmation was conferred by imposing hands and invoking the Holy Ghost as St. Peter and St. John did in Samaria and St. Paul in Ephesus (Acts 8. 17 and 19. 6). The sacrament of Penance included Confession of sins. "Many of them that believed came confessing and declaring their deeds " (Acts 19. 18.) The sacrament of Holy Orders was conferred, as in the case of Saul and Barnabas, by " fasting and praying and imposing their hands upon them" (Acts 13. 3). St Paul called Matrimony " a great sacrament in Christ and in his Church," and admonished such as married to "marry in the Lord" (Eph. 5. 32, I. Cor. 7. 39). St. James describes the sacrament of Extreme Unction (St James 5. 14). Fasting was practiced at certain times, so that St. Augustine traced the Lenten fast back to apostolic institution. St. Ignatius (fA. D. 107) wrote about the hierarchy of the apostolic age : " Let all be obedient to the bishop as Jesus to the Father, to the priests as to the Apostles, and to the deacons as God's law." He calls the Church of Rome the head of the great union of Charity (i. e. the head of the whole Church). 24. Q. Which of the Apostles have left sacred writings? R. St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, St. Matthew, St James, St. Jude Thaddeus, and two disciples of the Apostles, St. Luke and St. Mark. Their writings form the New Testament, and have been placed by the Church on her list of inspired books, called the " Canon." Four gospels by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, St. John. The acts of the Apostles by St. Luke. Fourteen epistles of St. Paul: To Romans (1), Corinthians (2), Galatians (1), Ephesians (1), Philippians (1), Colossians (1), Thessalonians (2), Timothy (2), Titus (1), Philemon (1), Hebrews (1). I epistle of St. James, 2 of St. Peter, 3 of St John, I of St Jude. Apocalypse of St John. 25. Q. About what time were they written? R. The Church had been evangelizing the world for about 17 years, St. James and St. Stephen had been martyred, and the persecution by the Jews had passed, when the Apostles began to write. The gospel of St. Matthew was compiled about the year 50, and that of St. John about the year 96. The other books of the New Testament were written during the intervening time. 26. Q. How were the books of the Old Testament received into the canon of the Church? R. The books of the Old Testament were received into the canon of the Church as they had been handed down by ancient Jewish tradition, recognized by Christ and his Apostles, and sanctioned by the councils. The canon of the Old and New Testament such as it is today, was defined in a council held at Rome under Pope Damasus (A. D. 374) and also in the African councils of Hippo (A.D. 393) and Carthage (A.D. 397). 27. Q. Did the Church have published translations of the Bible for the people? R. Translations of the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek text were made under supervision of the Church even during the first centuries. The Septuagint or Greek translation of the Old Testament, made about 200 years before Christ, was used by the Apostles and first Christians. For the Roman Empire a Latin translation of the entire Bible, called Itala, and for Egypt an Egyptian or Coptic translation appeared as early as the second century, and an Ethiopian and Armenian in the fourth and fifth centuries. Translations either total or partial followed for the barbarian nations of Europe, after they had been converted, f. i. A Gothic translation was made by bishop Ulfila, who invented the letters of the Gothic alphabet. (A. D. 360.) Sts. Methodius and Cyril, apostles of the Slavs, translated the Bible into Slavic, for which they also invented the characters of the alphabet. Venerable Bede, a learned Benedictine monk in England, finished on his deathbed an Anglo-Saxon translation of the gospel of St. John (A. D. 735). St Bridget of Sweden had a Swedish translation of the whole Bible in her library (A.D. 1373). 28. Q. Did the disciples of the Apostles leave us any writings? R. Several disciples of the Apostles, called also Apostolic Fathers, left important writings; for instance, St. Clement of Rome, third successor of St. Peter, wrote a letter to the Corinthians ; St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch and disciple of St. John, left us seven letters, and St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and also a disciple of St. John, one letter. There is also a letter of St. Barnabas, the early companion of St. Paul. These writings are the earliest witnesses of Tradition. In regard to the celebration of Sunday, St. Barnabas gives the reason, why Christians discard the Sabbath, and then continues: "But we celebrate with festive joy the eighth day on which Jesus rose from the dead;" St. Ignatius also writes: "They (Christians) have the new hope and do not keep the Sabbath, but regulate their lives according to the Lord's day." Magnesians C. 9.) In the letter of St. Ignatius to the Philaelphians (C. 4) we find the words: "Partake of the one Eucharist; for one is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and one is the chalice of his blood, one altar and one bishop with the priests and the deacons." 29. Q. Did any heresies arise in the apostolic age? R. Yes; for St Paul warned against false teachers, and St John wrote his gospel against Cerinth and others who attacked the divinity of Christ. St. Peter refuted Simon Magus, who is called the father of heresy. Simon offered money to St. Peter, in order to obtain the power of imparting the wonderful gifts of the Holy Ghost; but he was rebuked with the words: " Keep thy money to thyself to perish with thee." Hence the name " Simony " for the sin of selling and buying spiritual and holy things. NOTE.— The apostolic age has left upon the Church the distinguishing mark of apostolicity. Her popes hold the legitimate and unbroken succession in the apostolic see, which St Peter, as head of the Church, established in Rome; the lines of her bishops can be traced with undeniable certainty to apostolic origin; she received and guarded the writings of the Apostles and thus formed the canon of the New Testament; the bodies and relics of the Apostles rest under her altars. Of her, therefore, St Paul says: "Built upon the founda- tion of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being Himself the cornerstone," (Eph. II, 20.) I have added a great number of Catholic books to the site. Many more catechisms, sermons and history. I will be adding many more on Sunday. Most of them have the imprimatur near the turn of the century. ENJOY!! You can find them here.
Short Catechism of Church History for the Higher Grades of Catholic Schools - Imprimatur 19048/16/2024 I will be sharing over the next several weeks Church History from the above titled book. Author: Rt. REV. MGR. J. H. Oechtering, V. G. Preface The Catechism of Church History which is herewith presented to the public, will receive a cordial welcome from our Catholic teachers. The educational value of history is universally conceded, and no history has such lessons of wisdom and conduct to teach as that of the Church, which is the continuation of the life and work of Our Divine Lord. It is His permanent, visible presence in the world. It is the continuous verification of His words that the gates of hell shall not prevail. It is all-important, therefore, that the young be made acquainted with the leading facts of Church History, and a Catechism of Church History offers the simplest and most effective means of imparting to them this knowledge. The author of the present volume has had long experience as a pastor and teacher, and it is confidently believed that in publishing this work, he renders a genuine service to our schools. J. L. Spalding, Bishop of Peoria. Peoria, March 10, 1899. INTRODUCTION
CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH 1. Q. What is the central and greatest event in the history of God's dealings with man? R. The central and greatest event in the history of God's dealings with man is the Redemption of the world by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2. Q. Was this event foretold in ancient times? R. The coming of the Redeemer was promised by God to our first parents after their fall, and this promise was renewed to the patriarchs of old. 3. Q. Did the hope of the Redeemer to come remain alive in the ancient world? R. The heathen nations, who had apostatized from God and fallen into idolatry, retained only an obscure and distorted tradition of the future Incarnation of God and the Redemption. Their ancient belief, that their gods had appeared in human form among men, was such a distorted tradition of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Greeks, for instance, preserved in their legend of Prometheus (their name for Adam) an old prophecy that the son of their highest god would become man and be born of a virgin-mother in order to redeem our fallen race. We read that in the year 64 after Christ Mingdi, emperor of China, sent ambassadors westward to search for the divine teacher, foretold in ancient Chinese books. Having come to India they found there the religion of Buddha, which they embraced, mistaking it for the true. The coming of the wise men from the East proves most clearly that the tradition of a Saviour to come lived among the gentiles. Suetonius and Tacitus, writers of ancient pagan Rome, have left it on record that, at the time of the birth of Christ, the world was full of rumors about a mysterious power, which, according to old traditions, was to rise in Palestine and rule the whole world. 4. Q. Which people was chosen by God in this general apostasy to preserve fully the hope of the coming Redeemer? R. The people of Israel was chosen by God to preserve fully the hope of the Redeemer to come, and to prepare and foreshadow the future kingdom of God on earth. Israel was brought by God to Palestine into the middle of the great historical nations of antiquity. The Babylonian, Assyrian, and Persian kingdoms east and north, Egypt south, the Macedonian and Roman empires west, all made Israel share in their world-moving history. Hence Ezekiel, the prophet, called Jerusalem " gate of the nations." Palestine lay on the great thoroughfare, leading from Africa into Asia, while the Red and the Mediterranean seas gave it a waterway to India and the great nations of the west. Thus Israel's children, bearing the Messianic hope, eventually spread into all lands, thereby preparing the way for the apostles, who set forth from Jerusalem to evangelize the world. 5. Q. How did God sustain Israel in this mission? R. God sustained Israel in this sacred mission by frequent prophecies and by His miraculous protection and guidance of the nation. 6. Q. When did God fulfill His promise concerning the Redeemer to come? R. God fulfilled His promise and prophecies about the Reedemer to come, when He sent His only begotten Son, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. 7. Q. How did Christ redeem the world? R. Christ redeemed the world by His passion and death on the Cross. 8. Q. What did Christ do in order to insure for all time to the world the fruits of His Redemption? R. In order to insure for all time to the world the fruits of His Redemption, He established His Church. The fruits of the Redemption are two-fold: 1. Divine grace (sanctifying and actual), which is dispensed mainly through the sacraments of the Church. 2. Divine truth, entrusted by Christ and his apostles to the Church and called the deposit of faith. It is contained in the Bible or written word of God, and in Tradition or the unwritten word of God, which is handed down in the uninterrupted teaching and practice of the Church. The witnesses of Tradition are the ordinary teaching of the Church, the decrees of the councils and of the popes, the writings of the Fathers and Doctors, the liturgy, the administration of the sacraments, the feasts of the Church, the acts of martyrs, the documents and relics of the past. From these can be gathered what has been believed in the Church always, everywhere and by all. (Vincent of Lerins.) 9. Q. How did Christ establish His Church? R. Christ established His Church by choosing and appointing His apostles as bishops over His flock, making one of their number, St. Peter, the supreme head. "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church." (Matt. 16, 18.) 10. Q. Which powers did Christ give to His Church, in order to bring the fruits of the Redemption to mankind? R. Christ gave to His Church a three-fold power: 1. To teach all nations His divine truth. (Matt. 28, 19-20.) 2. To dispense His grace through the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar and the Sacraments. (St. Luke, 22, 19; St. Matt. 28, 19; St. John, 20, 23.) 3. To guide and rule the lambs and sheep of His flock. (St. Jolin, 21, 17.) 11. Q. How did Christ enable His Church to fulfill this divine commission? R. 1. He promised that He would be with His Church even unto the consummation of the world. (Matt. 28, 13.) 2. He sent the Holy Ghost to abide with His Church forever. (St. John, 14, 16.) 12. Q. What, therefore, is the character of the Church? R. The Church is a divine institution consisting of men, but possessing the abiding presence of Jesus Christ and the continual assistance and guidance of the Holy Ghost. The divine element of the Church appears in her indestructible existence through all ages, in her unchanging and infallible teaching of divine truth, in her uninterrupted dispensation of God's grace, by which innumerable souls obtain holiness, and in the miracles marking her career through history. The human element of the Church appears in the weaknesses and shortcomings of many of her children, especially in the scandals and sins committed by her unworthy members. Christ Himself tolerated Judas for three years amongst His disciples in order to warn us, that scandals will occur in the history of His Church. In spite of sin and scandal and in spite of the law of decay overruling all things human, the Church continues for ever in her constitution and in her sacred ministry of grace and truth; this is another proof of the divine element within her. 13. Q. By what titles has the Church been called in Holy Scriptures? R. 1. In the old testament the prophet calls her the kingdom of the Messias, which is to be without end. (Is. 9, 7.) 2. Jesus Christ calls her His Church, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail (Matt. 16, 18) ; the one fold under one shepherd (John, 10, 16); the light of the world, the city seated on a mountain that cannot be hid (Matt. 5, 14) ; the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16, 19). 3. St. Paul calls her the ground and pillar of truth (1. Tim. 3, 15) ; the flock of Christ, over which the Holy Ghost hath placed the bishops to rule (Act. 20, 28). In his letter to the Ephesians (Chap. 5) he describes her as the immaculate spouse of Christ, and in 1. Cor. 12 as " the visible body of Christ, of which the faithful are the members." 14. Q. What was the condition of the world, when the Church commenced her mission? R. All nations, except the Jews, adored false gods, idols and beasts. They worshipped them by committing foul crimes and offering even human sacrifices. Immorality prevailed and the rights of God and man were spurned. Even ancient Greece and Rome, the ruling and most cultured of pagan nations, had gods whom they worshipped by impurity (Venus), drunkenness (Bacchus) and bloody revenge (Mars). Family life was totally demoralized by divorceand the degradation of woman. War was merciless according to the rule: "Woe to the vanquished." Slavery held over two-thirds of the population of the ancient world in such misery, that the question was seriously asked : "Is the slave a human being? In the public games of the circus thousands of gladiators and captives were forced to kill one another for the amusement of the people. 15. Q. What was the attitude of the Jews? R. They retained the belief in the one true God, but rejected and crucified the Son of God, the Messias, who had been promised to them by God and announced by their prophets. Note.— The history of the Church is the record of her career through time and of the fulfillment of her divine mission on earth. According to His promise Christ is with her, teaches, gives grace and rules through her; and she shares with Him the hatred of hell and the opposition of the world, but she is also destined to share His eternal glory in heaven. .This sermon is very relevant in our day. There is so much that we need to guard not only our eyes but all our senses from.
“And now you shall not see me.” John 16: 16. Humanly speaking, these are strange words. Who could ever imagine that the sacred presence of our Lord Jesus Christ could ever be injurious to his disciples? And yet he says expressly, I am going away from you, and you will not see me any more; “but I tell you the truth; it is expedient to you that I go;” it is better for you not to see me any more. “If I go not,” added our Lord, “the Paraclete will not come to you.” The consolation you have in my presence is only a sensible one; this must be taken away from you, if you wish to receive the consolation and grace of the Holy Ghost. Now, if the consoling presence of our Lord on earth was incompatible with the presence by grace of the Holy Ghost, how, then, can that grace abide with willful, carnal glances at vanities, earthly beauties, or dangerous objects? Oh, certainly, a necessary means of guarding the heart and keeping it in the grace of God is watchfulness over our outward senses, especially the eyes. Hence, I. He who allows his eyes to wander about curiously on all sides will not long remain free from sin; and II. In order to persevere in grace, we must all keep custody over our eyes, I. Amongst all the outward senses there is none from which we can better judge the state of the soul, as to whether it is healthy or not, than from the eyes. “The fornication of a woman shall be known by the haughtiness of her eyes, and by her eye-lids;” (and the same is to be understood of men); therefore, “take heed of the impudence of her eyes” (Ecclus. 26: 12, 54). It is a rare and unusual occurrence for the fire of lust not to be ignited, when the eyes are allowed to rest needlessly and with satisfaction, on a person of the other sex. Bad thoughts are so many treacherous letters which the enemy of our souls sends to our hearts, to stir up impure images therein, and to persuade us to give up our souls to him. The spies who bring those letters are generally the eyes. “Death is come up through our windows” (Jerem. 9: 21). The look is followed by the thought, the thought by pleasure, and pleasure by consent. It is an undoubted truth, discovered even by besotted heathens, that the eyes first lead to impure love; therefore Seleucus, a pagan legislator, commanded that, as a first punishment for adulterers, their eyes should be plucked out, because, as he said, that part should first suffer which was the first cause of the crime. The Holy Scripture often alludes to and condemns the eyes alone, as the chief cause of sin. Thus God, by the prophet Ezechiel, speaking of idolaters, declares: “I have broken their heart, that was faithless and revolted from me, and their eyes, that went a whoring after their idols” (Ezech. 6: 7). In the same way he reproaches, not the envious themselves, but their eyes: “The eye of the envious is wicked” (Ecclus. 14: 8). He calls, not the avaricious, but their eyes, insatiable: “The eye of the covetous man is insatiable in his portion of iniquity he will not be satisfied till he consume his own soul, drying it up” (Ibid. 9). In a word, in order that we may avoid all transgressions of the law, God warns us to mortify our eyes: “Let every man cast away the scandals of his eyes” (Ezech. 20:7). Do you intend to avoid sin, and to keep on the right road to heaven? If so, what about your eyes? Do you allow them to wander about unhindered? Do you give them full liberty to gaze on everything that presents itself to them? Do you permit them to look with deliberate curiosity persons of the opposite sex, and to take pleasure in such looks? Do you wish to see and to be seen? Alas! if so, I venture to prophesy, no matter how innocent, pious, and firm may be your present good resolutions, your piety will not last long. You will not have a chaste heart, if your eyes are not modest. In a short time, you will be forced to sigh forth, with the prophet Jeremias: “My eye hath wasted my soul!” (Lament. 5: 51.) My soul was once rich in the treasures of divine grace which it had arduously collected. Alas! one curious look has robbed me of all those riches, “I saw and was lost,” you will have to acknowledge with the poet. In the morning, I confessed my sins with the firm resolution rather to die a thousand times than again offend my God. Yet, on the very same day, I looked on a dangerous object, and stained my conscience by a new sin: “I saw and was lost.” After hearing that sermon on the eternal truths, I thought heaven and earth would perish before I would consent to offend my God again; but, alas one imprudent glance has made me forget my resolution: “I saw, and was lost.” I went into the church in a state of innocence, to hear holy Mass, and to beg many graces from God, but I came away laden with mortal sin, the result of a single lustful glance at another’s beauty. “I saw, and was lost.” “Lust,” says St, Thomas of Aquin, “can hardly be avoided, unless its beginning, namely looking at a woman’s beauty, be avoided.” Therefore, the Holy Ghost warns us: “Look not upon a woman, lest thou fall into her snares: gaze not upon a maiden, lest her beauty be a stumbling block to thee; look not round about thee in the ways of the city, nor wander up and down in the streets thereof: turn away thy face from a woman dressed up, and gaze not upon another’s beauty” (Ecclus. 9: 3, 5, 7, 8). “What?” Some will say: “must we, then, go about like blind men? Why has my Creator given me eyes, if not that I may use them? And what harm, is it for me to look at what pleases me? I answer: Your Creator has given you ears to hear; are you, therefore, allowed to hear anything you please? He has given you a tongue to speak; can you therefore say whatever you like? He has given you hands to stretch forth, but not to take everything you please. And yet you are not obliged to go about deaf, dumb, or lame. Truly, you have eyes to see with, but not to look at everything you please. Otherwise, the Holy Ghost would not warn you so often to keep from gazing at another’s beauty; yet you are not forced on that account to go about like a blind man. “What harm is therein it?” you ask. And I ask you: What harm is it for a little child to take a sharp knife in its hand? And yet you do not allow him to keep it. Why? He has not yet cut himself with it. “That may be,” you reply; “but it is very dangerous, and he might hurt himself with it.” Seeing in itself is not sinful; but take care lest it be the beginning of sin. What harm was it for Eve to look at the forbidden fruit in paradise? And yet, that one look brought death to her and to us all. Ah! Said Eve, let me look at it! Do not be afraid I will only admire the fruit. I will not stretch forth my hand to pluck it. I am not forbidden to look, but only to eat. Alas, if Eve had not looked, she would not have eaten, and she and all of us would not have lost paradise! Eating followed seeing, and the sin was consummated. What harm was it for the wife of Putiphar to look at her servant Joseph? Yet when she did so, shame, honor, and conjugal fidelity were cast to the winds. What harm was it for David that holy king, to look out through the windows of his palace at Bethsabee? And yet, if he had not done so, he would not have become an adulterer and a murderer. What harm was it for Ammon to look at his own sister? And yet those looks of his led him into incest. But what need is there of further proof? Often enough in our own days, we hear converted sinners giving expression to this heartfelt wish: “Ah! Would that I had never seen that person; I would not have fallen into sin!” Therefore, keep the windows closed, if you do not wish to be robbed of your greatest treasure! Guard your eyes carefully, if you really wish to persevere in the friendship of God! If an angel had foretold to our first mother in paradise what would follow if she looked at the forbidden fruit, would she have been so incautious as not to have mortified her eyes? If the prophet Nathan had said to David when the latter opened the window of his palace, and was about to look out into his garden: “O David, what are you about to do? It would be better for you to fall down and break your neck than give that one unguarded look! You will forget your God, you will become a murderer and an adulterer, your favorite child will die ; dishonor will come upon your house, your son Absalom will drive you from your throne and persecute you until he dies on a tree in the state of sin and is lost forever; you will be made a laughing-stock to your own subjects, who will vilify and throw stones at you like a hunted dog, and all this will be as a punishment for your sin!” If such a dreadful announcement had been made to that then pious king, would he have been so foolish as still to have gratified his curiosity? That is not likely. And yet, one incautious glance, without his foreseeing any harm, or having the least bad intention, brought all that evil on him. Dissolute young man! Vain girl! Weak mortals! I am neither a prophet, nor an angel; yet, I warn you that if you do not learn to keep your eyes always in check; if you give them full liberty to gaze at everything that offers itself to them; if you cast them freely on persons of the opposite sex; if you mix unrestrainedly in all kinds of company, you may be assured that it will soon be all up with your purity of heart. You will be guilty of murder and incest, if not in reality, at least in inclination and desire. Some of you will be tormented, day and night, by the spirit of impure love, which will give you no rest; some will seek opportunities, and consume the best years of their lives in impurity; some will be addicted to that vice till their old age, nay, till their death some will perhaps indulge in it publicly, before the whole town, And then, hear what follows: “Thus saith the Lord: If any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which you are.” II. If curiosity of the eyes is to be avoided with regard to dangerous objects, or persons, it is even more necessary with regard to dangerous reading. Just as there is nothing more useful for us if we wish to persevere in good, and to become more devout, than the reading of spiritual books, so also there is nothing more injurious, especially to holy purity, than the reading of books that treat of unchaste subjects and impure love. This is an accursed invention of the devil, with which he endeavors to infect hearts, as with a pestilence. His attacks in this way are directed chiefly against the young, whom he tries to bewitch, and to lead a-stray; nor is he hardly ever disappointed. If he can but induce a person to read a bad book through curiosity, he is tolerably sure of his soul. Alas, he scatters those abominable books abroad in all places, at all times, by wicked agents. Are not we poor mortals already versed enough, by our own corruption in this filthy knowledge, without being taught it by these agents of the devil? The crafty tempter well knows that with the ordinary run of good Christians be can do little by openly immoral books. Such books would rather disgust than attract them. In order then to ensnare their souls, he places before their eyes amusing comedies, well-written romances, sensational love-stories, full of passion, which are in reality more dangerous to soul, the more cunningly they conceal the filth they contain the more they are able to amuse, and the more eager they make the reader to know the end of the story; for they fill the heart and mind with violent and unruly desires and softly fan the flames of impure passion, feeding it and keeping it alive. Eternal truths, which should and ought to lead us to heaven, are often explained in sermons, and are sometimes listened to with pleasure! But, alas, how soon are they lost sight of! Hardly is the sermon over, when they are forgotten! But these love stories and romances generally so captivate the imagination and the memory of young people, that sometimes they are never forgotten. But, one may say: There is nothing wrong in those books, Father I read them only for the sake of the style,—for the skill shown in developing the plot. A fine excuse, indeed! You must be a great admirer of elegant language! There are enough Lives of the Saints and like spiritual books published (good specimens even of a better style, and filled with still more wonderful and true incidents), which elevate the mind and heart to heaven and heavenly things, and teach us how to a-mend our lives. Why do you not read those books with the same pleasure and eagerness? They are not mere fictions, which betray your understanding; they are true, and can instruct you not only in the beauties of style, but also in the duties of a Christian life. Ah I tell the truth, do you not slight those good books because their contents do not gratify your sensuality? And even if those romances and love tales were better written, should you not be more anxious about the purity of your soul than about the elegance of your style? More careful to live well, than to speak well? To be learned in the school of Christ, than in that of the demon of impurity? Do you wish to act as a good Christian? Then pitch those filthy books at once into the fire, as an agreeable burnt-offering to God. Better for you to do that, than for one soul to be cast by them into the fire of hell. “Woe to the man by whom the scandal cometh!” I must cry out here, in the threatening words of God to all those who give to others occasion of sin, by placing bad books in their way, or by allowing them to look at indecent statues or bad pictures, or by not observing the rules of modesty in their own dress; for all those things are so many snares to catch souls and to betray them into the clutches of the devil. Theologians teach that a woman (and the same is to be understood of a man) who knows for certain that she is the object of an impure affection commits a mortal sin if, without necessity or reasonable cause, she puts herself deliberately in the way of being seen by that person, although she has no intention or wish to excite an impure passion in him. Now, if the law of Christian charity binds every one, to avoid giving others such an occasion of sin, even when clad with a due regard to modesty, how shall they answer to God for their actions, who deliberately place in the way of others objects that, of their nature, are apt to incite them to sinful thoughts and desires ? All the sins others commit through his instrumentality will be recorded against him, although he may not have had the deliberate wish or intention to lead others into sin. I might here give vent to a bitter complaint against those careless parents, who allow their innocent little children to see things that would be unlawful amongst unmarried people. Let no one tell me that the children are too young, and that they do not understand. Granted that they do not understand it now, are not the impressions of such things imprinted on their imaginations and memories, so that they will never be eradicated? If you have not another room in your house for your children, it were better to let them go and stay in the pig-sty, than see what could be an occasion of scandal to them, and ruin their precious souls. There are parents who toil and moil from morning till night, while their daughters do nothing but deck themselves out in the latest fashions, and let themselves be seen. Parents, watch over your children more carefully! Fish are never safe, unless when in water. If they leave their own element, they die in a short time. Never are your daughters safer that at home, under your own eyes, and occupied with some work befitting their condition. The goods exposed constantly in the shop windows are either damaged, or are in a fair way to become so. No matter how pious, devout, and innocent your daughters may be, if they are fond of seeing and being seen, although they may not do anything wrong outwardly, yet they will have wickedness enough in their hearts. When young maidens begin to go about too freely, they soon lose their virtue, as their hearts become sullied with sinful thoughts and desires. Christian parents, I beseech of you, listen to the warning of holy Writ: “On a daughter that turneth not away herself, set a strict watch; lest, finding an opportunity, she abuse herself” (Ecclus. 26: 53). Father, look after your son! Mother, watch over your daughter, and keep her constantly at work at home: “Take heed of the impudence of her eyes, and wonder not if she slight thee” (Ibid. 14). If you let her have too much of her own way, you must not be surprised to find her dead to all shame in the end. And know, that the Lord will require her soul at your hands. Christians, of whatever condition, sex, or age you may be, guard your eyes from all curious and vain glances, if you wish to persevere in the grace and service of God. Alas! In what fragile vases we carry about the precious treasure of sanctifying grace! Our own carnal desires of themselves are always dragging us down into sin, and we are often forced to complain of our weakness and evil inclinations. Why, then, should we open the doors and windows to further temptations? Say to yourselves, each one of you: Have a little patience, O my eyes! Restrain yourselves for a short time! The beauty of creatures is not worth your consideration! In a little while, I will give you pleasure enough in heaven, where you may gaze forever on the infinite loveliness of God, on Jesus Christ, the most beautiful of the children of men, on Mary, the beautiful Spouse of the Holy Ghost, and on all the glories of the elect of God ! Reserve your curiosity till then I beg of you. Amen. Source: The Penitent Christian, Imprimatur 1889 The Student planners for the school year 2024 - 2025 are ready. They are a free PDF for you to print yourself. I am sorry but I am no longer able to offer printed copies. Please look over the file before printing and if you find errors please let me know and I will make the corrections. God bless all of you in your homeschool ventures! Julie
We have added a few new book titles to our Catholic Reading section. The Catechism in Examples all five volumes. Holy Communion, Catholic Life and Dangers of the Day. You can find them all here.
 CHAPTER XV
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION "If any man shall hear My voice, and open to Me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."—Apoc. iii, 20. THESE talks on communion would not be complete if nothing were said of spiritual communion. Now, the catechism of the Council of Trent, called also the Roman Catechism, because it is the official formulary of the Roman doctrine, uses the following words: " The shepherds of souls should teach their flock that there is not one manner only of receiving the admirable fruits of the sacrament of the Eucharist, but that there are two: sacramental communion and spiritual communion." Spiritual communion is little known, and still less practiced; and yet it is a special and incomparable source of graces. " It is, by itself," says Father Faber, " one of the greatest powers of the world." By it," writes St. Leonard of Port-Maurice, "many souls have attained a high perfection." To derive from this inestimable treasury all the wealth which it contains it must be under- stood: (i) in what spiritual communion consists; (2) what graces it confers; and (3) in what manner it may be practiced. In what does spiritual communion consist ? It is, in the first place, a communion; the Council of Trent states this expressly. It is therefore an actual participation in the graces of the Eucharist, although distinct from the sacramental participation properly so called. We have already seen what graces flow into souls from the Eucharist; so that it is enough, in order to estimate the value of spiritual communion, to know that it does truly confer upon us a considerable proportion of those graces. We shall presently see in what measure and to what extent. This communion is effected not externally, as in sacramental communion, but spiritually; that is, internally and mentally, without any material and corporal action; spiritually, that is, again, supernaturally or divinely. It is also called " interior communion," communion of the heart, invisible or mystical com-munion, because it unites us with Jesus in a secret and mysterious manner, without a visible sign as in sacramental communion. It is also called " virtual communion," because it has the power of making us participate in the fruits of the Eucharist. What must one do in order to communicate spiritually ? Is it enough to make acts of faith and love toward Jesus present in the Eucharist ? No. We must expressly formulate the desire to communicate; and in order that this desire may be sincere we must be so disposed that we could communicate sacramentally, if it were possible. On the other hand, a simple desire, if deep and sincere, no matter how brief and rapid, is sufficient to constitute spiritual communion. Obviously, the longer the desire is prolonged the more fruitful is the communion. But by a simple impulse of the heart toward Jesus present in the Eucharist we communicate spiritually, we participate in the graces of sacramental communion. How can this be ? I will explain. Our Lord is in the Eucharist for us; and His desire to come into us, to be wholly ours, to possess us, to live in us, is a supreme desire that asks only that it may satisfy itself. "I am consumed with the desire to give Myself to thee," said our Lord to the venerable Jeanne Marie of the Cross; " and the more I give Myself the more I desire to give Myself anew. After each of thy communions I am like the pilgrim devoured with thirst, to whom a drop of water is given, and who is thereby made to thirst yet more. It is thus that I aspire continually to give Myself to thee." Jesus addresses these very words to each of you. Jesus wishes to enter your heart every day by sacramental communion; yet even that does not suffice Him; He would come again and again, without ceasing. This divine desire is realised by spiritual communion. "Every time thou desirest Me," He said to St. Mechtilde, "thou dost draw Me to thee. A desire, a sigh, is enough to make thee possess Me." Our Lord has often revealed to saintly souls, and in different ways. His ardent desire to unite Himself with us. To the blessed Margaret Mary He said: "Thy desire to receive Me has so sweetly touched My heart, that if I had not already instituted this sacrament I should have done so at this moment, in order to give Myself to thee." Our Lord charged St. Margaret of Cortona to remind a monk of the word of St. Augustine: "Believe, and thou wilt have eaten;" that is to say, make an act of faith and desire towards the Eucharist, and you will be nourished by that divine food. To the blessed Ida of Louvain, during a mass at which she could not communicate, Jesus said: " Call Me, and I will come !" "Come, O Jesus!" she cried at once, and felt herself filled with happiness as though she had really communicated. And after a spiritual communion of which she tasted the full delight, St. Catherine of Siena heard our Lord say to her: " In such manner and place as may please Me I can, I will, I am able marvellously to satisfy the holy ardours of a soul that desires Me." This desire of Jesus to unite Himself to us is infinite and all-powerful; it knows no other obstacle than our liberty. Jesus has multiplied miracles in order to enclose Himself in the host that He may give Himself to us. What does it cost Him to work one miracle the more, to give Himself to us directly without the intervention of the sacrament ? Is He not master of Himself, of all His graces, of His divinity ? And if, being called by a few words, He descends from heaven into the host between the hands and at the will of the priest, will He not descend directly from heaven into our hearts if He is called by the ardour of our desire? O marvellous power of the human soul ! O power of a sincere desire, inspired by love ! Power which allows each one of you to realise for herself, in a certain manner, what the priest accomplishes for all the faithful ! Hagar, flying to the desert and seeing that her child was dying of thirst, sent up a despairing cry to heaven, and a spring of pure water welled forth immediately to save mother and child. Cry, therefore, to God, telling Him your desire, and God will reply to you in causing a spring of eternal life to well forth from His heart to sanctify your soul! A poor savage has no priest to baptize him, but he sends the voice of his desire up to God: behold him baptized ! A poor sinner turns to God. In the midst of her confusion she lifts her eyes towards the infinite Goodness; she thirsts for love and forgiveness: behold, she is forgiven ! You cannot approach the holy table; either you have already communicated or some obstacle prevents you. Gaze upon the host in the tabernacle with eyes of longing; declare your hunger and thirst to Jesus. Say to Him : "Jesus, come; I die without Thee!" Jesus will hasten: you will have communicated. During mass the priest takes the host between his hands; he recollects himself, he bows himself, and he speaks a few words. Immediately the heavens open; Jesus hastens, at the voice of His friend who calls Him: behold Him between the hands of the priest ! And you, pious soul ! Meditate profoundly; shape an ardent wish within your heart. Touched and urged by this desire, Jesus will hasten to His well-beloved : behold Him in your heart ! O ineffable Goodness, O infinite generosity, O unbounded munificence, O bewildering love ! It is no longer God who is sovereign Master; and the creature is no longer servant. The creature becomes the sovereign mistress of God; and God makes Himself the eager and obedient servant of the creature. "I come not among you," said Jesus, " to be served, but to serve." Spiritual communion is truly an infinite power given to the creature over the Creator, to the pious soul over Jesus! Father Faber is right: "Spiritual communion is one of the mightiest powers in the world!" How express the innumerable fruits which spiritual communion brings us ? All is summed up when we say that it is a communion; that is, a participation in the Eucharist and the graces of sacramental communion. The Council of Trent, speaking of the usage of the admirable sacrament of the Eucharist, distinctly states that "some receive it spiritually: these are those who, partaking in desire of the celestial bread which is set before them, taste the fruits and the benefit of the sacra- ment." Thus, according to the Council of Trent, and according to all theology, spiritual communion is a spiritual manducation of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore all that we have said of the fruits of sacramental communion. The first effect of spiritual communion is therefore to increase our union with the human-ity and the divinity of the Word made flesh. This is its principal effect, its essential advan- tage; all other graces received proceed from this. Briefly they are as follows: Fervour is revived. " Spiritual communion," says the Cure d'Ars, "revives the soul as a bellows does the fire which is covered with ashes and about to die. When we feel the love of God growing cold, let us make hastily a spiritual communion!" Poor heart ! it so easily loses its heat, so soon becomes covered with ashes ! Spiritual communion revives the fire and makes the flames of fervour break forth anew. In the midst of our trials during this pilgrimage here below sadness is forever taking possession of us; and our hearts become filled with heavy mists. Spiritual communion dissipates this mist like the morning sun; it brings joy back to the heart and sets the soul at peace. It also keeps us in a state of recollection; it is the best means we have to preserve us from the dissipation of our thoughts, from frivolity and all the wanderings of the spirit and imagination. It accustoms us to keep our regard fixed upon Jesus, to preserve a sweet and constant intimacy with Him, to live always heart to heart with Him. Our Lord one day showed the pious Paula Maresca a golden ciborium containing her sacramental communions and a silver ciborium containing her spiritual communions; He thus marked their relative value. It detaches us from all that is merely sensible and earthly; it makes us disdain passing vanities, the pleasures of this world, which are only for a time. " It is the bread of the heart!" said St. Augustine. " It is the healing of the heart !" It keeps the heart from all that is impure and imperfect, it transforms it and unites it closely to the heart of Jesus. It renders our relations with Jesus more tender and familiar. It makes our devotion to Him warmer and deeper. It enables us to taste more fully the charm and sweetness of His presence. " When I make the sign of the cross," writes St. Angela of Foligno, " and place my hand on my heart, in saying "The Son '. . . I experience a rush of love and a great tenderness, because I feel that Jesus is there." Spiritual communion places Jesus there, in the very centre of our heart; His presence is permanent and brings us infinite happiness. Spiritual communion has also a wonderful efficacy in effacing venial faults and remitting the penalties of sin. Pious souls who communicate spiritually often and well will be exempt from the flames of purgatory. Jesus will bear them straight from earth to heaven, as He did the soul of Joan of Arc, which was seen at the moment of her death to mount directly to paradise in the form of a pure white dove. Spiritual communion will give to those souls which have communicated well a surprising glory in heaven. Our Lord told St. Gertrude that every time we regard the sacred host with devotion we augment our eternal happiness, preparing for ourselves blessings above in proportion as we have multiplied our desires full of love and longing for the Holy Eucharist here on earth. Souls that have often communicated in spirit will shine in heaven with peculiar splendour, and will taste especial joys, sweeter and more holy than those known to others. Spiritual communions, day by day increasing our desire to receive Jesus, urge us to sacramental communion, prevent us from missing it by our own fault or negligence, send us to com-munion more frequently, and dispose us to communicate better and to receive more abun- dant fruits therefrom. Spiritual communion is, according to the testimony of all the saints, the best preparation for sacramental communion. Remember, too, that spiritual communion may be offered for the sake of our neighbour; either on behalf of the living or the dead. St. Margaret Mary recommended spiritual communion on behalf of the souls in purgatory. " You will greatly comfort these poor afflicted souls," said she, "by offering spiritual communions on their behalf, in order to redeem the bad use they have made of sacramental communions." Finally, you must understand that you receive all these benefits and graces which flow from spiritual communion according to your dispositions; that is, according to the value of your desires. The more intense your desire to communicate, the purer, the more prolonged, the more fully will you participate in the fruits of the Eucharist and all the favours which we have enumerated; and this without other limits than the ardour, extent, and keenness of your desires. The saints are unanimous in exalting the marvels of spiritual communion. They go so far as to say, with the venerable Jeanne Marie of the Cross, " that God by this means often fills us with the same graces as in sacramental communion"and with St. Gertrude and Father Rodriguez, that " sometimes the graces are still greater, for," says the latter, "although sacramental communion is in itself of a greater efficacy, yet the fervour of desire may compensate for this inequality." What more precious encouragement to spiritual communion could be given ? How can one urge you further to make such communions frequently .'' When will you make them ? You will do so always during mass, when you attend without being able to communicate sacramentally. " You must," says Rodriguez, " devour the divine food with the eyes of the spirit. You must open the mouth of the soul, with an ardent desire to receive the celestial manna, and to savour its sweetness slowly in the heart." You will make a spiritual communion, according to the advice of St. Alphonsus Liguori, at the beginning and the end of your visits to the blessed sacrament. What a wonderful manner of employing this precious time ! Jesus is really there, a few paces distant, filled with the desire to come to you. Long for Him with the same ardent desire, and He will come and unite Himself to you in a consoling intimacy. You will leave the church inflamed with love. You will make a spiritual communion in the morning, as soon as you have awakened from sleep. "At your awakening," said our Lord to St. Mechtilde, "long for Me with all your heart. Draw Me to you by a sigh of love, and I will come, I will perform in you all your works, and I will suffer in you all your pains." You will communicate in spirit after your prayer, or at the end of your meditation, on finishing your spiritual reading, before or after reciting the rosary, and at night as you fall asleep. You may communicate spiritually ten times, twenty times a day, as often as you will; for a few short moments suffice, a few words of prayer directed to Jesus present in the Eucharist imploring Him to come to you. It is not the time that signifies; it is the ardour, the vehemence of the desire, the hunger and thirst of the soul, the eagerness of the heart. As for the formula, the best will be that which comes most spontaneously, most sincerely from the inmost recesses of your being. That in which you put the most love, and above all the most tender, pure, generous, and disinterested love; that in which you feel most sure of making Jesus feel that you love Him for Himself. You will say to Him : "O Jesus, come; oh, come ! I have need of Thee; my soul sighs and languishes apart from Thee; I hunger and thirst after Thee; all is dreary when Thou art not here ! " O Jesus, I cannot live far from Thee; I die without Thee. O Father, Friend, O Well- beloved, come, I beg Thee, come ! O Love, Love, instil into my heart all the ardour of the seraphim and all the most radiant feelings of Thy divine Mother !" "O infinite Love, come Thou Thyself and love in me; come, and kindle in my heart all the most ardent desires that have consumed Thine own !" " Above all, O Love, may I love Thee for Thyself ! May I forget myself, lose sight of myself, lose myself in Thee ! Enter into me, that I may live no longer, that Thou alone mayst live in me ! As Thy Father is glorified in Thee, so be Thou glorified in me ! Take all that is in me to make it Thine forever !" " Enter into me to continue Thy works. Thy prayers, Thy virtues, Thy sufferings. Thine expiations. Thy merits ! " O Jesus, O Well-beloved, nothing for me, but all for Thee, and forever ! Enter into me, live in me, that we may be consummated in one" Thus you will make your spiritual communions, or in other terms still warmer, with expressions yet more ardent. Often even you will say nothing, you will remain silent, for the lips become incapable of formulating the desires of the heart when the heart is carried away and ravished by divine love ! Then it is unspeakable suffering not to be able to express what one feels. But Jesus sees this inner suffering, and to Him it is perfect homage; it fills Him with joy, for it reveals more love than all the words and cries of the most impassioned heart. And all these desires, all these impulses, all these feelings that Jesus Himself awakens within you, and which He feels more than you—I leave you to think whether He will not reward them. By the ardour of their desires for spiritual communion, the saints have often obtained miracles. Hosts have left the hands of the priest and given themselves spontaneously to them. Angels, sometimes the Blessed Virgin, or St. John, or our Lord Himself, have appeared to them and given them the sacrament. You will not be granted such miracles. No matter, if you do really, though invisibly, obtain the same graces. And these graces you will receive, if you consider, on the one hand, the worth and value, the excellence and the nature of spiritual communion; and if, on the other hand, you will remember with what ease you can effect it, at any hour of the day or night. How ungrateful then you would be, how culpable and inexcusable, if, understanding spiritual communion and the incalculable riches which it contains, you were not to resort to it, at least once a day, and much oftener still ! For of all the means of sanctification is there one which is more within your reach, more efficacious, and more marvellous! *However, spiritual communion must not be confounded with sacramental communion ; still less must the latter be dispensed with on the pretext that the former will take its place communion is also true of this, although in a different manner and in a less degree.* Source: Holy Communion by MONSEIGNEUR DE GIBERGUES Bishop of Valence, Imprimatur 1923  Just wanted to remind anyone who may be interested that Friday after Ascension Thursday is the day to start a novena to the Holy Ghost that will finish on the eve of Pentecost. The novena in honor of the Holy Ghost is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian. To encourage devotion to the Holy Spirit, the Church has enriched this novena with the following indulgences: Those who make a private novena in honor of the Holy Ghost, either before Pentecost or at any other time in the year, may gain: An indulgence of 7 years once on any day of their novena. Source: Novena to the Holy Ghost, Imprimatur 1948 A file with the Novena is below. 
 Cardinal Pie of Poitiers (1815-1880) CARDINAL PIE: A VOICE FOR OUR APOSTATE TIMES ”People can talk all they like of the Rights of Man: there are two of them that must never be forgotten. Every man is born with the right to death and the right to hell.” Cardinal Pie [Rights of Man: Masonic slogan in frequent use during the masonic French Revolution.] Louis-Edouard Cardinal Pie, Bishop of Poitiers, is certainly one of the greatest figures of the Church of France in the XIX century. He was the champion of orthodoxy against the error of liberalism and rationalism and a great leader in the battle against the Revolution. He wrote two synodal instructions against “the errors of the present days and of philosophy” that would become a basis for the Encyclical Letter Quanta cura and the Syllabus of Pope Pius IX. He was also a great artisan of the proclamation of the dogma of Pontifical Infallibility. In France, he contributed in a large measure to the restoration of religious life. “He created many parishes, established in his seminary a canonical faculty of theology, founded for the missions of the diocese the Oblates of Saint Hilary, and brought the Jesuits to Poitiers and the Benedictines to Solesmes and Ligugé.” (Catholic Encyclopedia by Herbemann) In 1879, Leo XIII created him Cardinal, just one year before he passed away. Pope Saint Pius X was a fervent admirer of Cardinal Pie and paid a tribute to him when he gratified the Cathedral of Poitiers with the title of minor basilica in 1912. Referring to “Saint Hilary, the intrepid champion of the divinity of Christ against the Arians,” the Pope added: “but alongside of him it is sweet to remember Louis-Edouard Pie, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, who, like a second Hilary-alter Hilarius-avenged the integrity of the Faith against the modern Arians by his victorious eloquence.” We know that the writings of Cardinal Pie were among the favorites readings of Saint Pius X. Here are some excerpts of the Cardinals works that are very relevant today. "Hear this maxim, O you, Catholics full of temerity, who so quickly adopt the ideas and the language of your time, you who speak of reconciling the faith and of reconciling the Church with the modern spirit and with the new law. And you who accept with so much confidence the most dangerous pursuits of what our age so pridefully labels ‘Science,’ see to what extent you are straying from the program set out by the great Apostle, ‘O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding the profane novelties of words, and oppositions of knowledge falsely so-called’ (I Tim. 6:20). But take heed. With such temerities, one is soon led farther than he first had thought. And in placing themselves on the slope of profane novelties—in obeying the currents of so-called science—many have lost the Faith. Have you not often been saddened, and taken fright, my venerable brothers, on hearing the language of certain men, who believe themselves still to be sons of the Church, men who still practice occasionally as Catholics and who often approach the Lord's Table? Do you still believe them to be sons, do you still believe them to be members of the Church, those who, wrapping themselves in such vague phrases as modern aspirations and the force of progress and civilization, proclaim the existence of a ‘consciousness of the laity,’ of a secular and political conscience opposed to the ‘conscience of the Church,’ against which they assume the right to react, for its correction and renewal? Ah! So many passengers, and even pilots, who, believing themselves to be yet in the barque, and playing with profane novelties and the lying science of their time, have already sunk and are in the abyss. (Homily , Nov 25th 1864) "Is not ours an age of miss lived lives, of unmanned men? Why?...Because Jesus Christ has disappeared. Wherever the people are true Christians, there are men to be found in large numbers, but everywhere and always, if Christianity wilts, the men wilt. Look closely, they are no longer men but shadows of men. Thus what do you hear on all sides today. The world is dwindling away, for lack of men; the nations are perishing for scarcity of men, for the rareness of men...I do believe: there are no men where there is no character; there is no character where there are no principles, doctrines, stands taken; there are no stands taken, no doctrines, no principles, where there is no religious faith and consequently no religion of society. Do what you will: only from God you will get men." (Homily for Christmas 1871) "My brothers, all of you, if you are condemned to see the triumph of evil, never applaud it. Never say to evil: you are good; to decadence: you are progress; to death: you are life. Sanctify yourselves in the times wherein God has placed you; bewail the evils and the disorders which God tolerates; oppose them with the energy of your works and your efforts, your life uncontaminated by error, free from being led astray, in such a way that having lived here below, united with the Spirit of the Lord, you will be admitted to be made but one with Him forever and ever: But he who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit." "Do you know why during the past half century we have seen perish among us every form of government, including even that to which we are returning today? I am going to tell you. All these forms in which society has dressed itself have perished because, beneath the forms, a soul was lacking. Now, it may be wonderfully provided with joints and a network of muscles, but a body without a soul is a cadaver, and it is the lot of a cadaver eventually to fall apart. The soul of every human society is belief, doctrine, religion, God. Our modern societies have been too long divorced from God.” (1848) "Neither in His Person, nor in the exercise of His rights, can Jesus Christ be divided, dissolved, split up; in Him the distinction of natures and operations can never be separated or opposed; the divine cannot be incompatible to the human, nor the human to the divine. On the contrary, it is the peace, the drawing together, the reconciliation; it is the very character of union which has made the two things one: 'He is our peace, Who has made both one. . .' (Eph. 2:14). This is why St. John told us: 'every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God. And this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh: and is now already in the world' (1 John 4:3; cf. also 1 John 2:18, 22; 2 John: 7). When I hear certain talk being spread around, certain pithy statements [i.e., 'Separation of Church and State,' for one, and the enigmatic axiom 'A free Church in a free State,' for another- both masonic mouthings!] prevailing from day to day, and which are being introduced into the heart of societies, the dissolvent by which the world must perish, I utter this cry of alarm: Beware the Antichrist !" [underline added] "France will be Christian, or she will not be!" [Sadly she chose not to be!] "When The Lord taught His Apostles the Our Father, He made it clear that none of His followers could accomplish the first act of religion, which is prayer, without putting himself in relation with all that can advance or retard, favor or hinder, the reign of God on earth and he must do this in proportion to his intellectual attainments and to the extent of the Horizon open before him." The Kingship of Christ - Cardinal Pie of Poitiers "Keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding the profane novelties of words and oppositions of knowledge falsely so called. Which some promising, have erred concerning the faith."—I Tim. vi, 20.
Our Divine Saviour frequently compares His Church to a field and Himself to the sower who went out to sow good seed. He has indeed cultivated this field in the bloody sweat of His brow and sown the seed of His divine doctrine and of His grace. His labors were well repaid by the splendid harvest which He reaped in the faith of the first Christians, and in the holiness of the martyrs, confessors and virgins. But "his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way" (St. Matth. xiii, 25). The cockle is not only sin, but also error. This cockle will remain in the field of God, the Church, until the end of time. It is, therefore, the height of injustice to doubt the truth and sanctity of the Catholic Church because, forsooth, a few of her children, and even some of her priests and bishops, have been guilty of heresy or of crime. For the very reason that the Catholic Church is God's field, the wheat and the tares must grow side by side, until the time of the harvest, the day of general judgment comes. But in spite of the fact that the cockle and the wheat grow in the same field, the Church retains her truth and holiness. Her doctrines and sacraments sow only wheat; the enemy sows the cockle. Our Divine Saviour Himself tells us that the cockle is spared until the time of the harvest only because of the wheat. Because of the good Christian, God spares the sinner; because of the true believer, He spares the infidel and the heretic. God waits patiently until they be converted, or until they die, when He will reward them according to their deeds. The wheat is, therefore, the greatest benefactor of the cockle. It is on account of His faithful followers that God tolerates scoffers, sinners, heretics and infidels. The godless should, therefore, thank God on their knees that there are still so many faithful on earth. However, still another truth makes itself manifest in this parable of the wheat and the tares in the field of God. Just as the sower cannot tolerate the cockle in his field, so the Church cannot tolerate the cockle, namely sin and falsehood. Her zeal for the truth and for the salvation of souls compels her to be intolerant of error under what guise soever it may appear, but for the sinner and the erring she is merciful and compassionate, and she prays for them. We must never forget that weeds will always be weeds and wheat always wheat. Weeds can never become wheat, unbelief can never be placed on the same footing with faith, sin and crime can never claim equal rights with Christian virtue, and for all of them the day of the harvest will come, when the cockle will be cast into the fire and the wheat will be gathered into the granary of heaven. I will endeavor to show you today what is really meant by religious intolerance. O Jesus, assist us with Thy grace! 1. We frequently hear in our day the mass of unthinking men, especially her enemies, accuse the Catholic Church of intolerance against all those who profess a belief different from her own. What do we mean by intolerance? We can have a true and a false conception of its meaning. Our enemies give it the false interpretation; we will try to explain its true meaning. In its true conception, my dearly beloved, religious intolerance is the solemn avowal that God alone can give mankind the true religion and reveal those heavenly truths which are absolutely necessary for eternal salvation. Every child can understand this. Hence religious intolerance condemns every religion and doctrine that does not come from God, that has its origin in the vagaries of the human mind, and must by that very fact be false and detrimental to the salvation of souls. In this meaning God Himself must be intolerant, if we may so express ourselves. He cannot tolerate that man change the eternal truths and precepts to suit his fancy, or that he adore strange gods. God in His infinite love and mercy can never reward eternally those men who willfully transgress His divine law, who mutilate His divine truths, or who completely throw off the allegiance they owe Him. On the contrary His infinite justice demands that He inflict everlasting punishment on them. If God did not do so, He would thereby admit that He is not the only true God, that His commandments are not necessary and that His truths are not required to obtain eternal life. Who will dare utter such blasphemy? Therefore, even on the part of God, there must be a necessary and essential intolerance. But even man is intolerant, and he cannot be otherwise without surrendering the rights that belong to him by nature or condition. No ruler can allow his subjects to alter or abrogate his laws at pleasure, nor can he permit them to decide for themselves whether they will obey the laws of the land or not. Whither would such a state of affairs lead us? To the ultimate overthrow of every duly constituted authority, and to boundless license. Public order and the security of life and property demand that all those responsible for the enforcement of the law be intolerant, that is, punish all law-breakers and disturbers of the peace. No father can allow his children to gainsay his commands, ridicule his admonitions, or repudiate their obligations. He must be intolerant in all these matters. No teacher can permit his pupils to maintain the opposite of what he has taught them, or to uphold their personal opinions as the only correct ones. No good could result from such a method, and so the teacher also is obliged to be intolerant. The same condition prevails between master and apprentice, between employer and servant, between superior and inferior. Human society could not exist if all these were not intolerant, for in that case order, peace, obedience and duty would be things of the past. Even the individual must be intolerant once he has recognized where truth and duty lie, that is, he cannot allow falsehood and wrong to be represented to him as truth and right. 2. There is, therefore, an intolerance which is absolutely necessary. This, Holy Writ, as well as human reason, declares. The intolerance of God is made manifest through the whole Bible. Whenever men fell away from God and gave themselves over to a life of unbelief, of idolatry and vice, we see that God sent heavy visitations upon them, not to destroy them, but to save them from a greater evil, eternal damnation. Adam bears eloquent testimony to this fact, for he was driven out of Paradise because of his fall into sin. The deluge which swept away the ancient race of men is another powerful proof. The history of the Jewish people is an unbroken record of visitations and chastisements for their desertion of God and their relapse into idolatry. Reward and punishment are in turn meted out to this people, which God wished to keep for Himself until the coming of the Redeemer, according as they were true or false to their God. Nothing better shows how God hates and punishes sin, falsehood, and unbelief, than the cross of Christ on Calvary. The cross on which Our Divine Saviour bled for the impiety of man is the strongest protest which God raises before the world against religious indifference and infidelity. The cross tells us that God abhors every religion which He has not revealed to man, and that the infinite justice of God will punish all those who refuse to accept the grace and the doctrine of the divine Redeemer, or who falsify them according to the caprices and the desires of their hearts. God is obliged to hate and punish sin and religious error, because He is infinite holiness and eternal truth. If God were indifferent to them He would thereby deny His own essence and being. If it be true that it is a matter of little consequence whether we possess the true faith and the true religion or not, why then did God not spare His only begotten Son, but give Him up to the ignominious death of the cross? Again, who can doubt the infinite love, and mercy of Jesus toward all men, but especially sinners andnthe erring? And yet how intolerant Our Divine Saviour was of every deliberate error and contradiction in matters of revealed truth. How often and emphatically He pronounced judgment against all those who will not believe. "He who does not believe is already judged." "If he will not hear the Church let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican." St. John, the disciple of love, writes: "Whosoever revolteth and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. . . .If any man come to you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house, nor say to him, God speed you" (1 St. John i, 9). But he also gives the reason for this. "He that believeth not the Son, maketh him a liar, because he believeth not in the testimony which God hath testified of His Son" (1 St. John v, 10). 3. And in fact, my dearly beloved, what other purpose did the Saviour have in view when He came into the world, than that of raising the human race out of the pit of infidelity and idolatry into which it had fallen, by means of the truths which He brought from heaven, and leading it back to God and salvation? If it were a matter of such complete indif- ference to what religion or religious error we give allegiance, is it not true that the Incarnation of Christ and His public ministry would be entirely superfluous? But who will dare to make so blasphemous an assertion? Since without Jesus there can be no truth, no eternal life, it follows that Our Divine Saviour was obliged to condemn openly every teach- ing that did not proceed from Him and, was for that very reason dangerous to the salvation of souls. Today, as always, He must be intolerant of every false religion that can only lead to perdition. For this alone "is eternal life," says Our Divine Saviour, "that they know Thee the only true God and Him thou hast sent, Jesus Christ." To be indifferent to religious error and to be tolerant of every false doctrine is equivalent to a denial of the veracity of God and of His revelation. The Church then, cannot permit false teachings to arise; she must be intolerant. Just as God hates and punishes falsehood, so must the Church combat and condemn heresy, because she is the kingdom of truth. If she did not do so, or was lax in the accomplish-ment of this plain duty, she could no longer be the kingdom of God and of redemption on earth. She would be untrue to her vocation and fail to attain the purpose for which she was instituted, that is, to be the teacher of the human race, and she would thus accomplish her own annihilation. Indeed, if she also were indifferent, if she also asserted the equality of truth and falsehood, of revelation and heresy, if she also maintained that it mattered little whether one were Catholic or Protestant, Turk or Jew, she would be the first to deny the necessity of Redemption and of the true faith and likewise of the true Church. Can anyone imagine for a moment that the Church could ever subscribe to a doctrine so monstrous and at the same time so suicidal to herself ? She is, therefore, obliged by the very nature of things, and in justice to the Redeemer and to herself, to be intolerant of error. 4. There are two further reasons why God Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, and, consequently, the Church must necessarily exercise this true intolerance, namely, the salvation of souls and the removal of temporal disturbance and evils. As a matter of fact, what would become of mankind if proud or unbelieving individuals might with impunity transform the religion of Christ, curtail His doctrines or abolish His commandments? The Church cannot tolerate so rep rehensible a course without betraying the sacred trust reposed in her by Jesus Christ, Grace and eternal life depend on the integrity of the faith, and therefore she could not tolerate any tampering with it without committing the most frightful treason against humanity and the salvation of souls. What would become of the unity of Catholic faith, of the sacraments, of divine worship, whither would Christianity have drifted if the Church had not constantly combated and condemned heresy? Hundreds of heresiarchs have sprung up in the course of nineteen centuries. Each one attacked a different dogma of the Church, each one asserted that his position was the correct one, each one arrogated to himself the right to teach the Church, the pillar and the ground of truth. Is, then, the Church to yield and be tolerant of heresy and thus betray Jesus Christ and the souls she was instituted to save? Any child can see that such a thing is radically impossible. The Church is obliged to be intolerant of error. Teachers of heresy, at the expense of their fellowmen, seek only to satisfy their pride, ambition, and passions, and to sow divisions, discord and hatred. I do not speak here of those who have been led into error, of those who without any fault of theirs have been born and reared in heresy. They are deserving of our compassion, our love and our prayers. But I speak of those who knowingly and deliberately disseminate false doctrines. Such as these know perfectly well where they obtain the seed that they sow in the field of the Church. They know well that the doctrine which they try to spread by craft and violence is naught else than but the fabric of their own brain. They know that they are in conflict with the faith of the Catholic Church. They know that they are assailing Our Divine Saviour in His commandment and in His person—in His command to hear the Church, and in His person that has promised to abide forever in His Church. Do you think, my dearly beloved, that it is proper for the Church to say nothing about these presumptuous practices of the teachers of error? Should she quietly abandon the Catholic faithful to temptation and thereby expose them to the danger of eternal perdition? Who will expect the Church to be so recreant to her duty? In such a case she would cease to be the true Church of Christ, she would no longer be the mother of the faithful, she would degrade herself to the level of her betrayers. In goodsooth, the Church can never do this! Hence, as a warning to her children, she must exclude all heretical and godless men from her pale, she must condemn heresy. A father must exclude from the bosom of his family every person, every book that threatens to corrupt the morals of those who are entrusted to his care; the teacher must eradicate every evil influence from the midst of his pupils; a prince, a ruler must banish from among his people every element of disorder. This must be done lest misfortune and ruin overtake the family, the school, or the nation. So must the Church drive out heretics from among her children. She owes it to the Saviour, she owes it to herself, and, most of all, she owes it to the faithful, so that on the one hand they may recognize the false doctrine and, on the other, they may not lose their souls. 5. There is a still more cogent reason why the Church should excommunicate heretics. The experience of centuries teaches us that heretics have always and everywhere been the cause of terrible discord, of revolt, of persecutions against Catholics and of bloody wars. It has been thus from the time of Arius in the third century down to the days of Luther, who sowed the seeds of the Thirty Years' War in Germany, with all its attendant horror and ruin. No country where heresy has gained a foothold has ever remained at peace; it has either been rent asunder or has gone completely to ruin. Poland, Germany, France, Austria are sad examples of this. Protestant countries in our day furnish an apt illustration of the bitterness with which the Church is hated and of how little justice and fair play a Catholic may expect when his religious convictions come into conflict with the prejudices of his fellow citizens. Is then, my dearly beloved, the Catholic Church, that has lived through nineteen centuries with all their happenings and knows the heart of man only too well, is she to look quietly on while heresies arise, and extend to them the tolerant hand of welcome? She cannot and must not do so, because of the salvation, the tranquillity, the welfare of the nations. She must be as uncompromising towards error as the father is towards the seducers of his children, or the ruler towards the rebels who incite his people to revolution. Let the enemies of the Catholic Church accuse her of intolerance as much as they please. This uncompromising attitude of the Church toward the seducers of her children shows a large measure of wisdom, justice and mercy. She thus proves her right to the title of true kingdom of Jesus Christ, for her divine Founder can tolerate no revolt against His teaching and His commandments. The Church cannot give up the most precious heritage of Jesus Christ for the sake of a few proud or vicious men. Love as well as truth, obliges her to proclaim to all that the Catholic faith is the only true faith, and that he who lays a sacrilegious hand upon it attacks eternal truth itself, and that for him there is no hope of salvation unless he do penance and return to the faith. She is the Church of the martyrs, the Church of the holy Fathers, of the confessors and virgins and of all the saints. She has never to the present day hesitated to suffer and to shed her blood for the sake of her faith. She cannot, therefore, hesitate to defend the faith against the teachers of error, and declare them the enemies of her children, yea, even of the human race, and cast them out of her midst. And we who are anxious to obtain everlasting life must be intolerant of ourselves, of our sins and shortcomings, we must cast them off, weep over them and flee from them. The deposit of faith has been kept intact in the Church until the present day because she has never entered into compromise with error. We too can maintain ourselves in grace, and in the faith by waging a relentless war against sin and falsehood, and thus we shall live to see the happy day when God Himself will forever separate the cockle from the wheat, and in recompense for our sturdy resistance against error and sin, will receive us into the realms of everlasting bliss. Amen. Source: The Beauty and Truth of the Catholic Church, Vol I, Imprimatur 1911 |
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