Catholic Harbor of Faith and Morals

All of the individual pages devoted to the saints, including prayers, devotions and biographical sketches have been replicated and moved to the Index of the Saints listed below.

Alphabetical Index of the Lives and Teachings of the Saints. Over 200

Sermons of the Saints and for
Various Sundays and Feast Days
Throughout the Year

God Will Punish You!

The End of the World: Parts 1 - 6

Death and the Importance of Salvation

The Providence of God and why He permits evil

The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori

The Value of Time by St. Alphonsus Liguori

The Danger of Human Respect
by St. Alphonsus Liguori

The End of Man

The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them?

Consideration of Last End

How Blind the Sinner Is

The Bad Death

Prisoners of Sin

On the Abuse of Divine Mercy by St. Alphonsus

On the Number of Sins, by St. Aphonsus Di Liguori

What is the Sin Against the Holy Ghost

The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

Causes of Relapse into Sin

Mortal Sin

Time is No More

They that Live in Sin

The Necessity of Self-Examination

Feast of the Sacred Heart: Sermons by Fr. Weninger

Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost: The General Judgment & 2nd Coming of Christ

23rd Sunday After Pentecost

22nd Sunday After Pentecost
On the danger of Human Respect

21st Sunday After Pentecost: Forgiveness necessary for Heaven and the Eternity of Hell

20th Sunday After Pentecost
Sickness: anOpportunity for Merit & the Dangers of Delaying Conversion

19th Sunday After Pentecost
Marriage Feast: Many are called, but few are chosen.--Matt 22

18th Sunday After Pentecost: The Malady of Sin, Sacrilegious Confessions & Indulgences

17th Sunday After Pentecost
The Love God and Neighbor

16th Sunday After Pentecost: The Sin of Impurity

15th Sunday After Pentecost by Fr. Francis XavierWeninger

14th Sunday After Pentecost

13th Sunday After Pentecost

12th Sunday After Pentecost

11th Sunday After Pentecost

10th Sunday After Pentecost

9th Sunday After Pentecost

8th Sunday After Pentecost

7th Sunday After Pentecost

6th Sunday After Pentecost

5th Sunday After Pentecost

4th Sunday After Pentecost

3rd Sunday After Pentecost

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Saturday in Whitsun

Friday in Whitsun

Wednesday in Whitsun

Tuesday in Whitsun Week

Monday in Whitsun Week

Whit Sunday/ Pentecost

Pentecost Sunday Sermons

Children's Sermon for Pentecost Sunday

Vigil of Pentecost

6th Sunday After Easter

Children's Sermon for 6th Sunday After Easter

Sermons: The Ascension

5th Sunday After Easter: How we should pray

Children's Sermon for 5th Sunday After Easter

4th Sunday After Easter

Children's Sermon for 4th Sunday After Easter

The Sin of Scandal

3rd Sunday After Easter

Children's Sermon for 3rd Sunday After Easter

Good Shepherd Sunday Sermons by Fr. Weninger

Duties of Parents as Shepherds of their Flock

Children's Sermon for Good Shepherd Sunday

Saturday After Easter: The Holy Sepulchre

Friday After Easter

Thursday After Easter

Wednesday After Easter

Tuesday After Easter

Children's Sermon for Easter Sunday

Sermons: Low Sunday

Prayers and Devotions
to the Holy Ghost

Quinquagaesima Sunday

The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger

Children Prayers for Christmas

Catholic Christmas Carols

The Flight into Egypt

Sermons for the Purification

The Purification (Candlemas)

6th Sunday After Epiphany

5th Sunday After Epiphany

4th Sunday After the Epiphany

3rd Sunday After the Epiphany

2nd Sunday after the Epiphany

The First Sunday after the Epiphany

The Octave of the Epiphany

The Epiphany: Christ is King by Fr. Weninger

Homilies for the Epiphany

The Vigil of the Epiphany

The Circumcision of our Lord Sermons for Children's Masses

Octave of Christmas

The Holy Innocents

The Nativity

Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity

6th Day within Octave of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876

The Practice of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876

The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876

Christmas Day
Prayers and Devotions

Christmas Novena

Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus

Christmas Day Homilies

Christmas Eve

Christmas Carols

The Story of Silent Night

The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi

4th Sunday in Advent: The Fullness of Time

Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Love of God

Third Sunday of Advent: Three-fold Hope

Third Sunday of Advent

2nd Sunday of Advent:
Are you truly converted?

Second Sunday of Advent

Advent Reflection by St. Alphonsus de Liguori

First Sunday in Advent: Fear of the General Judgment

Are you prepared for the 2nd Coming of Christ?

First Sunday of Advent

The Season of Advent

Advent Calendar with Traditional Meditations

The First Noel Video

Pueri Concinite Video

Polish Christmas Video

Mary Walks Amid the Thorn

Devotions to the Infant King

Meditations on the
Precious Blood

Meditations on the
Our Father

Meditations on the
The Great Truths

Meditations on the
The Holy Angels

Meditations on the
The Poor Souls in Purgatory

Advent Calendar,
December Meditations

Meditations on the Holy Infancy

Meditations on the Hidden Life of Christ

"God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.

"My spirit is overwhelmed within me, my heart within me is troubled.

"One thief said to the other: We, indeed, receive the due reward of our deeds; but what has this man done? Remember me, O Lord, when thou shalt come into Thy kingdom.

"When my soul shall be in trouble, O Lord, thou wilt be mindful of Thy mercy.

"Remember me, O Lord, when thou shalt come into Thy kingdom.

"He has made me dwell in darkness. Like them that have been dead of old.

"They put over His head His cause written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

"Christ became obedient to death for us, even to death on a Cross."

Daily Meditations in April on Humility by Rev. R.F. Clarke, S.J.

Music: Crux Fidelis, O Crux Ave and O Sacred Head

Please refresh the page
for most recent updates.

The 14 Holy Helpers and in particular St. Christopher are powerful intercessors in times of natural disasters. Please pray for the victims of Typoon Haiyan from the Philippines.

Novena to the 14 Holy Helpers St. Christopher, Martyr

A Prayer in Times of Threatened Calamity

O Jesus Christ, we call upon Thee, Holy, Immortal God. Have mercy upon us and upon all men. Purify us by Thy holy Blood, forgive us by Thy holy Blood, save us by Thy holy Blood, now and for ever. Amen

Prayer in Time of Urgent Necessity

April 18th, Good Friday

Devotions for Good Friday:

The hours of twelve noon through three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday are most solemn, as these are the hours our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for our redemption. The following links are recommended for devotions and readings during these hours.

Devotions and Prayers
for Good Friday: the Words of Jesus on the Cross The Holy Hour Clock of the Passion Liturgical Commentary
for Good Friday Good Friday Sermons
by Fr. Weninger, 1876 Sermon by Bishop Ehrler:
The Greatest of All Sorrows The Death of Our Lord Passion of Christ The Greatest Suffering on Earth The Steps of Our Savior's Passion The Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine

Litany of the Holy Cross Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus Devotions and Litany of the Holy Face of Jesus 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas The Psalter of Jesus Stations of the Cross Seven Penitential Psalms Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary I. Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary II. Spiritual Communion Litany of Penance Litany of the Saints Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Video: O Sacred Head Surrounded Video: Stabat Mater

The Sacrament of Penance

Sacrament of Penance The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition The Nature of Sin Conscience Index of the Ten Commandments Sermon on Keeping the 10 Commandments The Conversion of Sinners Time is No More They that Live in Sin The Sinner Seeks God The Sinner at Death The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners

Recommended Reading:

The Sinner's Guide by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Penitent Christian The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875 Introduction to a Devout Life
written by St. Francis De Sales

Please remember the departed souls of your family in your prayers today

Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Look down, we beseech Thee, O Lord, upon this Thy family: for which our Lord Jesus Christ hesitated not to be delivered up into the hands of wicked men and to undergo the torment of the Cross. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

This day was formerly for the Jewish people a day of preparation for Easter, and was called by them the Passover; for Christians it is the anniversary of the death and burial of our Lord Who on this day, being Himself both hight Priest and Victim, offered Himself upon the Cross for the salvation of the world.

Because Christ died for Jews and Gentiles, the first Lesson is from the Prophet Osee and the second Lesson is from Exodus. From them we infer that by the bloody death of the immaculate Lamb Jesus we are healed of our sins, and redeemed from death.

The second part of these Ceremonies consists of the unveiling and Adoration of the Cross. In the versicles which are chanted alternately by the choir, Christ tenderly and lovingly reproaches the people who crucified Him. They are, therefore, called reproaches, words of complaint, and continue during the Veneration of the Cross by the Priest.

The third part consists of the Procession and the Mass of the Presanctified. The Sacred Host consecrated on Holy Thursday and kept in the chalice is brought by the Priest in procession from the repository to the main Altar, incensed in sign of adoration. The Mass of the Presanctified begins now with the Pater Noster and ends with the Communion.

Crux Fidelis

Faithful Cross, thou stand'st alone, None like thee in our woods is grown, None can with thy rich growth compare, Or leaves like thine, or flowers bear, Sweet wood, sweet nails, both sweet and fair, Sweet is the precious weight ye bear.

Pange Lingua

Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory,
Of His flesh the mystery sing;
Of His Blood, all price exceeding,
Shed by our immortal King,
Destined, for the world's redemption,
From a noble womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
Born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
Then He closed in solemn order,
Wondrously His life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
Seated with His chosen band,
He the Pascal victim eating,
First fulfills the Law's command;
Then as Food to all His brethren,
Gives Himself with His own hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature,
By His word to Flesh He turns;
Wine into His Blood He changes;
What though sense no change discerns,
Only be the heart in earnest,
Faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son who reigns on high,
With the Holy Ghost proceeding
Forth from Each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Amen. Alleluia.

†

April 17th, Maundy Thursday

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that we who are continually afflicted through our excesses, may be delivered by the Passion of Thy only-begotten Son: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Liturgical Commentary: Maundy Thursday Holy Thursday Sermons
by Fr. Weninger, 1876
Newly Added
The Holy Hour The Sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist God the Teacher of Mankind: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, 1884 Behold the Lamb, A Book for Little Folks About the Holy Mass, 1912 The Sacrament of Holy Orders Why the Mass is in Latin On the Number of Sins, by St. Aphonsus Di Liguori Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Passion of Christ Clock of the Passion The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Dying Spiritual Communion Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Litany of Penance The Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament or Exorcism of Nicola Aubry, by Fr. Michael Muller To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger

Holy Thursday:

The Mass today commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Ordination of the Apostles. On this day only one Mass may be celebrated in each church at which two Hosts are consecrated, one of which is borne in procession to the Altar of Repose and placed in the repository to be used on the following day at the Mass of the Presanctified.

During the Mass, the Church lays aside for a moment the penitential purple, and assumes festive white vestments. The Altar is decorated and the Gloria is sung. The ringing of bells ceases after the Gloria until Holy Saturday, and after Vespers the Altars are stripped.

The Mandatum or Washing of the Feet takes place on this day because our Lord washed the feet of His Apostles before the institution of the Holy Eucharist from which this feast derives its name and most characteristic feature.

Meditation by:
St. Alphonsus De Ligouri

The Last Supper of Jesus

Jesus knowing that his hour was come to pass out of this world to the father; having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Knowing that the time of his death and departure from this world was come, and having hitherto loved men even to excess, he wished to give them the last and the greatest proof of his love. Behold him seated at table, all on fire with charity, turning to his disciples and saying, With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you? My disciples (and he then said the same to us all), know that I have desired nothing during my whole life but to eat this last supper with you; for after it I shall go to sacrifice my life for your salvation.

Then, O my Jesus, dost Thou desire so ardently to give Thy life for us, Thy miserable creatures? Ah! this Thy desire inflames our hearts with a desire to suffer and die for the love of Thee, since Thou dost condescend to suffer and die for the love of us. O beloved Redeemer, make known to us what Thou willest from us: we are willing to please Thee in all things. We sigh to give Thee pleasure, to correspond at least in part to Thy great love for us. Increase always more and more this blessed flame within us: may it make us forget the world and ourselves, that from this day forward we may think only of pleasing Thy enamored heart.

He riseth from supper, and layeth aside His garments, and having taken a towel girded Himself. After that He putteth water into a basin. and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded? My soul, behold thy Jesus, rising from the table, laying aside his garments, taking a white cloth and girding himself with it; he afterwards puts water into a basin, kneels down before his disciples, add begins to wash their feet. Then the sovereign of the universe, the only-begotten of God, humbles himself so as to wash the feet of his creatures. O angels, what do you say? It would have been a great favor if Jesus Christ had permitted them, as he did Magdalene, to wash his divine feet with their tears. But no; he wished to place himself at the feet of his servants in order to leave us at the end of his life this great example of humility, and this proof of the great love that he bears to men.

And, O Lord, shall we be always so proud as not to be able to bear a word of contempt, or the smallest inattention, without instantly feeling resentment, and thinking of seeking revenge, after we had by our sins deserved to be trampled on by the devils in hell? Ah, my Jesus, Thy example has rendered humiliations and insults amiable to us. I purpose henceforth to bear every injury and affront for the love of Thee.

Institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion

And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke it, and gave to His disciples and said. Take ye and eat, this is My body. After the washing of the feet, an act of humility the practice of which Jesus recommended to his disciples, he took his garments, and, sitting down again to table, wished to give men the last proof of the tender love that he had for them, and that was the institution of the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar

He took for that purpose bread, consecrated it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying. "Take and eat, this is my body." He then recommended them as often as they should communicate to remember the death which he suffered for their sake. As often as you shall eat this bread . . . you shall show the death of the Lord. Jesus Christ did then, what a dying prince who tenderly loved his spouse would do: he selects among all his gems and jewels the most beautiful and costly; he then calls his spouse and says to her, O my dear spouse, I am going to die; and, that thou mayest not forget me, I leave thee this gem as a memorial of me: when thou dost look at it, remember me and the love I have borne thee.

"No tongue," says St. Peter of Alcantara, in his meditations, "is able to express the greatness of the love which Jesus bears to every soul. Hence, that his absence might not be an occasion of forgetting Him, He left, before his departure from this world, to His spouse this Most Holy Sacrament, in which He Himself remained, wishing that between them there should be no other pledge than Himself to keep alive the remembrance of Him." We may then imagine how pleasing it is to Jesus Christ that we remember His Passion, since He has instituted the sacrament of the altar, that we may preserve a continual remembrance of the immense love which He has shown us in his death.

O my Jesus, O God enamored of souls! Has Thy affection for men enraptured Thee to such a degree as to make Thyself their food? Tell me what more remains for Thee to do in order to oblige us to love Thee? In . the Holy Communion Thou givest Thyself to us entirely and without reserve: it is then but just that we give our whole being unreservedly to Thee. I wish to be all Thine, I wish to love nothing but Thee, my God. Thou hast said that he who eats Thy flesh lives only for Thee. He that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me. Since then Thou hast so often permitted me to eat Thy flesh, make me die to myself that I may live only for Thee, only to serve Thee, and give Thee pleasure. My Jesus, I wish to fix all my affections in Thee: assist me to be faithful to Thee.

St. Paul remarks the time in which Jesus Christ instituted this great sacrament, and says, The Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said. Take ye and eat: this is My body. O God, on the very night in which men were preparing to put him to death, the loving Redeemer prepared for us this bread of life and of love to unite us entirely to himself, as he declared when he said, He that eateth My flesh abideth in Me, and I in him.

O love of my soul, worthy of infinite love! Thou canst not give greater proofs of Thy affection and tender love for me. Ah, draw me entirely to Thyself: if I know not how to give Thee my whole heart, take it Thou to Thyself. Ah, my Jesus, when shall I be all Thine, as Thou dost make Thyself all mine when I receive Thee in this sacrament of love? Ah, enlighten me, and unfold to me always more and more Thy amiable qualities, which render Thee so worthy of love, that I may be always more and more enamored of Thee, and may be wholly employed in pleasing Thee. I love Thee, O my sovereign good, my joy, my love, my all.

†

April 16th: Wednesday in Holy Week

Liturgical Commentary Wednesday in Holy Week On the Number of Sins, by St. Aphonsus Di Liguori Prayers Honoring the Passion and Death of Jesus Passion-tide and Holy Week Newly Updated
Clock of the Passion with Meditations from St. Alphonsus Liguori The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Dying Spiritual Communion Index of Prayers and Devotions for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

The History of Judas

Among the Apostles called by our Lord to be the first Bishops and pillars of His infant Church, was the traitor Judas Iscariot. This unhappy man was entrusted with the care of the purse, in which was placed the money intended to supply the necessary wants of Jesus Christ and His Apostles. Judas, unhappily, had a besetting sin, a bad passion, which he kept carefully concealed within his own breast. He strove to hide it from our Lord himself, but He well knew all that passed in the heart of the wretched man, and would have taught him how to fight against and overcome the temptation had he been, willing to own it. Thus it is that a false shame of mentioning our sins and temptations in confession is frequently the cause of the eternal ruin of the soul.

To return to Judas--the fatal passion which led him by degrees to his ruin was an ardent love for money. He kept the purse, and like a miser he gloated over the money that was in it, and began at first to hoard it as if it were his own. He next commenced to pilfer from it little sums to add to his own private store; by and by these sums became larger, and at last he became a confirmed thief. When the penitent Magdalen poured the precious ointment over the feet of our Blessed Redeemer, Judas took offense, and hypocritically said, "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor?" But "he said this," the holy Scripture adds, "not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein" (John XII. 5, &c.).

Blinded by his passion for money, the wretched man next agreed to betray his Master, his Saviour and his God, into the hands of his blood-thirsty enemies, for the miserable bribe of thirty pieces of silver. Leading a band of ruffians into the Garden of Olives, where our Blessed Redeemer was weeping for the sins of men at the silent hour of night, Judas, with barefaced effrontery, went up to our Lord and saluted him with a kiss; having previously warned the Jews, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he, hold him fast" (Matt. xxvi. 4b). Wounded to the heart by this base ingratitude, on the part of one whom he had so highly favoured, Jesus tenderly reproached him in these touching words, "Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss? "(Luke xxii. 48.) After his innocent victim had been condemned to death, the unhappy Judas, stung with remorse, and yielding to despair, put an end to his wicked life by hanging himself with a halter.

See the terrible consequences of venial sin, unchecked and unrepented. His love of money made Judas dishonest, first in little things, then in greater. He became a confirmed thief, a hypocrite, a dissembler. He next became a traitor and a murderer--the murderer of his Saviour and his God. Finally, he became his own murderer, and died in despair.

†

April 15th: Tuesday in Holy Week

Prayers Honoring the Passion and Death of Jesus Passion-tide and Holy Week Newly Updated
Clock of the Passion with Meditations from St. Alphonsus Liguori The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Dying Spiritual Communion Index of Prayers and Devotions for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

On the folly of living
enemies of God

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Sinners call the saints, who, in this life, fly from honours, riches, and the pleasures of sense, and embrace poverty, contempt and mortification, fools. But, at the day of final retribution, they shall confess that themselves have been fools, in judging the lives of the saints to be folly: We fools esteemed their life madness. Wis. v. 4. And what greater folly can there be than to live without God? which is to live a miserable life in this world, to be succeeded by a still more miserable one in hell. No, I will not wait till the last day to confess my folly; I now confess it: how great has it been in offending Thee, my sovereign good! Father, I am not worthy to be called thy son. Father, I am not worthy to receive thy forgiveness, but I hope for it through the blood which Thou hast shed for my sake. My Jesus, I am sorry for having despised Thee, I love Thee above all things.

Unhappy sinners; blinded by their sins, they lose all judgment. What would be said of a man who should sell a kingdom for the smallest coin? And what should be said of him who, for a momentary pleasure, a vapour, a caprice, sells heaven and the grace of God? They think only of this life, which will shortly end, and in the mean time deserve hell for that life which will never end. O my God, permit me not to become any more so blind as to prefer, as I have hitherto done, my own unlawful gratifications before Thee, and for the sake of them to despise Thee, my sovereign good! I now detest them, and love Thee above all things.

Miserable worldlings! the time will come, when they will bewail their folly; but when? when there shall be no longer any thing to prevent their eternal ruin. Then shall they say: What hath pride profited us? or what advantage hath the boasting of riches brought us? All those things are passed away like a shadow Wis. v. 8, 9. Behold, they will exclaim, how all our delights have passed away like a shadow, and nothing remains to us now, but suffering and eternal lamentation. Dear Jesus, have pity on me. I had forgotten thee, but thou didst not forget me. I love thee, with my whole soul, and I detest above all evil, whatever sins I have committed against thee. Pardon me, O God, and remember not my offences against Thee. And since Thou knowest my weakness, do not abandon me; give me strength to overcome all things to please Thee. O Mary, mother of God, in you do I place my hopes.

†

April 14th: Monday in Holy Week and St. Justin Marytr, Martyr and St. Tiburtius and Companions, Martyrs

St. Justin Martyr Passion-tide and Holy Week Newly Updated
Clock of the Passion with Meditations from St. Alphonsus Liguori The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Dying Spiritual Communion Index of Prayers and Devotions for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

O God, Who by the foolishness of the cross didst wonderfully instruct blessed Justin Martyr in the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ: grant that through his intercession we may drive forth the deceits of error and become steadfast in faith. Through the same etc.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Justin was born of heathen parents at. Neapolis in Samaria, about the year 103. He was well educated, and gave himself to the study of philosophy, but always with one object, that he might learn the knowledge of God. He sought this knowledge among the contending schools of philosophy, but always in vain, till at last God himself appeased the thirst which He had created. One day, while Justin was walking by the seashore, meditating on the thought of God, an old man met him and questioned him on the subject of his doubts; and when he had made Justin confess that the philosophers taught nothing certain about God, he told him of the writings of the inspired prophets and of Jesus Christ Whom they announced, and bade him seek light and understanding through prayer.

The Scriptures and the constancy of the Christian martyrs led Justin from the darkness of human reason to the light of faith. In his zeal for the Faith he travelled to Greece, Egypt, and Italy, gaining many to Christ. At Rome he sealed his testimony with his blood, surrounded by his disciples. "Do you think," the prefect said to Justin, "that by dying you will enter heaven, and be rewarded by God?" "I do not think," was the Saint's answer; "I know." Then, as now, there were many religious opinions, but only one certainty of the Catholic faith. This certainty should be the measure of our confidence and our zeal.

Reflection--We have received the gift of faith with little labor of our own. Let us learn how to value it from those who reached it after long search, and lived in the misery of a world which did not know God. Let us fear, as St. Justin did, the account we shall have to render for the gift of God.

†

April 13, Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday I. Palm Sunday II. Children's Sermon for Palm Sunday Index of Children Prayers:
the Season of Lent Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Our Redeemer & Messiah Passion-tide and Holy Week                Newly Updated
Clock of the Passion with Meditations from St. Alphonsus Liguori The Psalter of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Dying Spiritual Communion Index of Prayers and Devotions for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Almighty, everlasting God, Who didst cause our Savior to take upon Him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the Cross, that all mankind should imitate the example of His humility; mercifully grant that we may deserve both to keep in mind the lessons of His patience, and also to be made partakers of His resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

In today's liturgy the twofold point of view from which the Church regards the Cross is expressed in two ceremonies, one marked by joy and the other by sadness. First comes the Blessing and Procession of Palms in which everything overflows with a holy joy which enables us after nineteen centuries to revive the spirit of the magnificent scene of our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Then follows the Mass whose chants and lessons relate exclusively to the sorrowful memory of our Redeemer's Passion.

The Blessing of palms takes place at St. Mary Major which in Rome represents Bethlehem, the birthplace of Him whom the Magi hailed as "King of the Jews." Thence the procession goes to St. John Lateran, in which church in former times the Station took place since, by its dedication to St. Saviour, it calls up memories of the Passion which is the subject of today's Mass".

The Redeemer's triumph must be preceded by His humiliation "even to the death of the cross" (Ep.), which is to serve as a model for us, that "instructed by His patience", we may "partake in His Resurrection".

Explanation of the Passion according to the four Evangelists

Events preceding the Passion

Towards evening on the Tuesday in Holy Week, after leaving the Temple, our Lord ascended the mount of Olives; "You know" He said to His disciples, "that after two days shall be the Pasch, and the Son of Man shall be delivered up to be crucified." Now among the Jews the days are reckoned to begin on the previous evening; Wednesday had already begun and it was on the following Friday that our Lord was put to death. The Passover corresponded with the full moon of the Spring equinox since it was then that the Hebrews left Egypt. In the hurry of their departure they had no time to prepare unleavened bread, in memory of which fact the Jews abstained from leavened bread throughout this Feast.

The Last Supper in the Cenacle

When the Evangelists speak of the "First day of the Azymes" they mean Thursday evening, that is, in the Jewish reckoning, the beginning of Friday. It was on Thursday that Peter and John were sent by the Master to prepare the supper in the "upper room" of a certain house and there at the fall of evening, that is, during the first watch lasting until nine o'clock, our Lord went with His disciples. They reclined round the table in eastern fashion on low couches, the left hand supported on cushions, so that John, on our Lord's right, could easily rest his head on the Master's breast. During the meal, taking one of the great cakes of unleavened bread, about eight inches across and very thin, our Lord changed it into His Body, uttering the Eucharistic prayer or grace, just as the father of the family was accustomed to do when eating the Passover lamb, he thanked almighty God for having delivered Israel from her captivity.

And then, after supper, when there still remained one more cup to drink, He changed it in the same way into His Blood, using the same words by which Moses had sealed the Old Covenant made in the blood of creatures: "This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you, to which our Lord added two words: This is my Blood of the New Testament". It was when speaking of the Passover, the centre of the whole religious life of the Jewish people, that the great Lawgiver of Israel said: "You shall keep it a feast to the Lord in your generations with an everlasting observance. "In the same way our Redeemer commanded the Apostles, "and therefore" adds the Council of Trent," all their successors in the priesthood, to consecrate in the same way this bread and cup of wine in memory of Him".

For the lamb sacrificed for more than fifteen hundred years by the children of Israel is substituted the Lamb of God which will be sacrificed by us to the end of the world, and the Mass, which is identified with the Passover and Calvary, becomes the religious centre of all Christian people.

Our Lord's last discourse -- Gethsemane

The Supper over, Jesus uttered the sublime discourse which is the last testament of His love, the second part of it being spoken while He was on His way from the Cenacle to leave the city. Passing through the gate which stood not far from the Pool of Siloam, He traversed the valley of Cedron, by the suburb of Ophel, to enter the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The three apostles who had been witnesses of His Transfiguration were here also as part-witnesses of His thrice renewed agony, and Judas, who had sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, came with the captain and soldiers of a Roman cohort accompanied by guards commanded by Temple police, sent by the Sanhedrim. In the depth of night they entered Jerusalem with our Lord, climbing the slopes to the north east of the city and went straight to the palace of the High Priests.

Ecclesiastical Trial before Annas and Caiaphas

Here the ecclesiastical trial was about to take place since it pertained to the Jewish religious authorities to examine Jesus on what they called His assumed title of the Son of God. The Sanhedrin consisted of seventy members, at the head of which were the chief priests and their supreme head the High Priest, which office Annas had succeeded in obtaining for his five sons in succession, and then in the year of our Lord's death for his son-in-law, Caiaphas. Faithless to their mission, these official representatives of the Jewish religion no longer looked for any Messias other than a warrior king who should deliver them by main force from the Roman yoke.

Our Lord was at first taken before Annas, the father-in-law as we have seen of the High Priest, but since he was no longer in office it was beyond his competence to judge our Lord when He appeared before him. The affair had been mismanaged and had to be referred to the tribunal of the real High Priest, Caiaphas. He awaited Jesus, in another wing of the Palace, seated, according to custom, with legs crossed, on a slightly raised platform. Around him on the ground, on cushions set in the form of a semicircle, were grouped the other priests. The proceedings were illegal because while they should have taken place in the day-time with witnesses present, it was actually two o'clock in the morning, and such witnesses as there were detected in flagrant imposture.

Then Joseph Caiphas, overpowered by rage, solemnly called upon our Lord to tell him if He were the Christ, a measure quite contrary to the Roman Law which in such a case invalidates the confession of the accused; and our Lord who had waited for this moment before speaking, formally declared His Divinity before the Jewish religious authority in full council assembled. They then found Him worthy of death, a sentence which He accepted since it was precisely His character as Son of God which enabled Him to give an infinite value to the sacrifice which He was about to offer to God the Father for His brethren, the sons of men.

The servants of the High Priest -- Saint Peter -- Judas

Our Lord was then given over to the mockeries of the High Priest's servants who, uttering blasphemies, covered Him with spittle. It was during this night that Peter, who had followed Jesus afar off, was brought by John into the High Priest's palace where he denied his Master three times, and after the cock had crowed for the second time, he went out from the palace, and as the Greek text implies, "he wept with a loud voice, with sobs". Towards morning the Sanhedrin met again in order to give some semblance of legality to its sentence which according to law, had to be passed in the day-time. Our Lord appeared before the court and having declared Himself the Son of God was condemned afresh.

Judas now understood the magnitude of his crime, and being consumed with remorse approached the Council of Priests which was still sitting and confessed that he had "sinned in betraying innocent blood". Then the traitor seized with despair, threw down the pieces of silver in the Temple and going out to the pool of Siloam, lost himself in the deep valley through which flows the mountain stream of Hinnom. In this narrow place known as the Gehenna (Ge-Hinnom) "he hanged himself" and "burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out".

The Civil Trial before Pilate

But it was Rome, of whom Palestine was at that time a dependency, that had the sole power of life and death. It was necessary to refer a case of this kind to the Roman Procurator and our Lord was taken to the Judgment Hall of Pontius Pilate, in the fortress of Antonia. Here the Jews did not enter, since in the house of a pagan they would have contracted legal defilement, at this time of the Passover Feast.

Our Lord's civil trial was, in its turn, about to commence. But before this new tribunal a political charge was a necessity. In the Jewish view the Messias was to be an earthly monarch, so they accused Jesus, who said that He was the Messias, of being a rival king to Caesar.

On this new ground was reproduced, point by point, the same procedure as that of the night before, the same silence of our Lord in the face of false witnesses, the same formal assertion of His spiritual kingship before the pagan world, represented this time by those who actually held the world power; the same ill-treatment by subordinates, in this case the Roman soldiery. Our Lord, who in reality guided the whole proceeding, would be condemned only as the Son of God and King of souls. He put the question again on religious ground, when He said: "My kingdom is not of this world."

This was to remove the matter from Pilate's province, and he, up to the very end, declared our Lord perfectly innocent. The Jews then had recourse to intimidation, and Pilate who was too much of a coward to use his authority in the teeth of a mob who would avenge itself by accusing him in high places, looked round for means to safeguard his own interests without altogether ignoring the protests of some remnant of conscience, informed as it was by pagan superstition, which vaguely feared the chastisement of the gods.

Herod -- Pilate -- Barabbas -- The Scourging

As a first expedient, Pilate learning that Jesus was a Galilean, despatched him to Herod the Tetrarch of Galilee. This was the son of Herod the Great who had ordered the massacre of the innocents when the Magi announced that the "King of the Jews" had not long been born. Mortified by our Lord's silence, he sought in his turn to humble the Jews by clothing Jesus in the white robe worn by those who laid claim to that royalty which they denied Him.

Pilate's second plan was to propose the exchange with Barabbas. This attempt to establish a parallel between Christ and a murderer met with no better success. His third scheme was to order our blessed Lord to be scourged. This was a shameful punishment reserved only for slaves. The culprit, stripped of his garments, had his hands tied to the iron ring attached to a low pillar, while the executioner armed with a scourge of supple thongs with bone tips, with calculated deliberation lashed with it the back of his victim, bent and taut. The thongs bending pliantly about the body passed from shoulder to breast, ploughing deep furrows from which, while the blood gushed forth, pieces of flesh fell away.

In this state our blessed Lord was brought forth to the mob, wearing His crown of thorns and with a reed for His sceptre. The irony of the scene was not lost on the Jews. How dare they pretend any longer to see Caesar's rival in such a king?

The condemnation of Jesus

They reject Him, therefore, with contempt, on His claim to be the Son of God which was to be the sole cause of His death, and Pilate, shaken by the decisive argument "We will denounce you to Caesar", thinks about finding a last expedient to quiet his conscience. By the symbolic act of washing his hands he shows the Jews that, before his tribunal, Jesus is innocent and that he gives Him up to them only because of their claim that He is condemned by their laws. In this declaration he persisted up to the very last moment when he caused to be attached to the Cross an inscription in three languages, pointing out according to custom, the ground on which the prisoner was condemned. It bore these words: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

Pilate, in his cowardice was guilty of homicide but the Jews in their hatred attacked the Son of God and were the murderers of God Himself.

The Way of the Cross The Crucifixion The Last Agony

At about eleven o'clock, our Lord leaves the Judgment hall of Pilate. The sorrowful way of the Cross begins with the path which leads down into the valley of Tyropoeon and traverses towards the east a steep slope leading up to the gates of the city itself. There, outside the walls, was Mount Golgotha, the spot where executions generally took place, and here in the midst of the intense darkness which reigned from noon until three o'clock and which was noted everywhere in the Roman Empire, our blessed Lord underwent His last torments.

Death on the cross was the most cruel and terrible of tortures, for the victim necessarily compelled to remain in one position, had for several hours to support the whole weight of his body on his out stretched arms. The horrible tension thus inflicted, congested the blood at the face and neck, causing intolerable pain of which the chief feature was a burning thirst. To die by crucifixion was to die of pain alone, in anguish of the most agonizing kind.

Towards evening it was the custom to hasten death by breaking the sufferer's legs, the feet being a little more than three feet above the ground.

Jesus' Death and Burial

Then came the decisive moment which was to mark the hour of redemption for the human race. Our blessed Lord is about to sign as with a seal, the seal of His Blood, all the acts of His life that they may become redemptive in character. Further, to show that it is not by constraint but through love for His Father and for men that He allows death to work its will upon Him, He utters a loud cry and expires. Our Divine Redeemer is dead. With Mary His Mother and with St. John let us remain at the foot of the Cross, and like the handful of Jews who were converted at this moment, strike our breasts, since it is to make satisfaction for our sins that He has offered His life to God.

It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. About five o'clock our Lord was taken down from the Cross and buried in haste since the Sabbath, this week "a great Sabbath Day", began at six. As a matter of fact it coincides with the 15th. Nisan, the most important day of the Passover, thus perfectly symbolizing the rest into which our Lord had entered for ever.

The Jews had no cemetery but were accustomed to prepare a monument on their own property, often on both sides of the high road. Joseph, who came from Arimathea, a Judean town, had Jesus laid in the sepulchre which he had made for himself and which stood in a garden near the scene of our Redeemer's death; while Nicodemus brought about "an hundred pound weight of myrrh and aloes" with which to embalm Him provisionally. They then closed the sepulchre with a great stone, shaped like a millstone, which could only be moved with the greatest difficulty. This done the holy women returned to the city where they bought spices, intending to complete our Lord's burial with greater care after the Sabbath rest. The next day, Saturday, the Jews sealed the tomb and placed guards there.

Let it be our joy today to repeat with our Lord the Communion prayer: "Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must drink it, Thy will be done."

       †

April 13th: St. Hermenegild, Martyr

St. Hermenegild, Martyr

Matters of Faith:

How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? The Catholic Church's Teaching on Justification Saints: the Gift of Miracles Refuting Protestant Errors of Private Interpretation

O God, Who didst teach Thy blessed Martyr Hermenegild to choose the kingdom of heaven rather than an earthly kingdom: grant, we beseech Thee, that, following his example, we may despise things that perish and pursue those that are everlasting. Through our Lord etc.

(Roman Breviary)

Leovigild, King of the Visigoths, had two sons, Hermenegild and Recared, who reigned conjointly with him. All three were Arians, but Hermenegild married a zealous Catholic, the daughter of Sigebert, King of France, and by her holy example was converted to the faith. His father, on hearing the news, denounced him as a traitor and marched to seize his person. Hermenegild tried to rally the Catholics of Spain in his defence, but they were too weak to make any stand, and, after a two years' fruitless struggle, he surrendered on the assurance of a free pardon. When safely in the royal camp, the king had him loaded with fetters and cast into a foul dungeon at Seville. Tortures and bribes were in turn employed to shake his faith, but Hermenegild wrote to his father that he held the crown as nothing, and preferred to lose sceptre and life rather than betray the truth of God. At length, on Easter night, an Arian bishop entered his cell, and promised him his father's pardon if he would but receive Communion at his hands. Hermenegild indignantly rejected the offer, and knelt with joy for his death-stroke. The same night a light streaming from his cell told the Christians who were watching near that the martyr had won his crown, and was keeping his Easter with the Saints in glory. He died in 586 A.D.

Leovigild on his death-bed, though still an Arian, bade Recared seek out St. Leander, whom he had himself cruelly persecuted, and, following Hermenegild's example, be received by him into the Church. Recared did so, and on his father's death labored so earnestly for the extirpation of Arianism that he brought over the whole nation of the Visigoths to the Church. "Nor is it to be wondered," says St. Gregory, "that he came thus to be a preacher of the true faith, seeing that be was brother of a martyr, whose merits did help him to bring so many into the lap of God's Church."

Reflection.---St. Hermenegild teaches us that constancy and sacrifice are the best arguments for the Faith, and the surest way to win souls to God.

†

April 12th, Ferial Day

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus The Psalter of Jesus The Prodigal Son, the Sinner's Return to God

Links to Assist with
Making a Good Confession

The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Book of the
Most Holy Child Jesus Includes Preparation for Confession Sacrament of Penance The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition The Nature of Sin Conscience Sermon on Confession by St. John Vianney The Sinner's Guide by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. The Penitent Christian Newly Added
The Necessity of Mortification

Third Word of Jesus: "BEHOLD Thy Mother!"

Ist Prel. Look at our Lady and St. John at the foot of the cross. 2d Prel. Ask for an increase of love for Jesus and Mary.

Point I

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, His Mother, and His Mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene." (St. John 19:25.) Note: The cousin of the Blessed Virgin, so called according to the custom of the Hebrews, who gave the title of brother and sister to cousins german.

Consideration.--His Mother stood by the cross. Here we must pause and consider two admirable and apparently incompatible things: Our Lady's extraordinary grief and her heroic courage. It is difficult to conceive how she, the most loving of mothers, could behold her Son nailed alive to the cross, and suffering a three hours' agony, and remain standing beneath it. Many painters, it is true, have depicted her fainting and overwhelmed at its foot, but without any scriptural warrant. St. John says explicitly she stood; and the Fathers agree that, standing thus, though, according to the prophecy of Simeon, her whole soul was pierced through as by a sword, she united herself to the sacrifice of her Divine Son.

Application.--This supernatural strength was certainly the effect of a miracle of grace; but was no less also the fruit of her fidelity under all the trials which her faith and constancy had before suffered. God gives His graces in proportion to our correspondence with them. Let us also be generous and steadfast under our more ordinary trials, and we shall be strengthened under greater ones. Look back on your past life, and you will be convinced of this truth.

Affections.--Let us admire and venerate, in the person of the Blessed Virgin, the valiant Woman, the admirable Mother, the Queen of martyrs, of Holy Scripture and of the Church.

Resolutions.--Let us be ever faithful and generous in the service of God. Thus shall we obtain from Him the grace of perseverance.

Point II

"When Jesus therefore had seen His Mother and the disciple standing whom He loved, He saith to His Mother, Woman, behold thy Son." (St. John 19:26.)

Consideration.--Admire the calmness of Jesus, who forgets Himself in the midst of His agony, to recommend her to the care of His virgin disciple, who was henceforth to sustain and console her to the end of her life. "Woman, behold your Son! " and at that moment He filled the heart of the beloved St. John to overflowing with the tenderest and most generous love that ever son felt for this admirable Mother.

Application.--Here our Lord teaches us to rise above our own sorrows, or rather to put them aside and forget ourselves for others. Here also, He gives an example of the consideration due to parents from their children, whatever may be the age of the latter, or however great their own trials.

Affections.--Pray for the spirit of sacrifice and complete self-denial.

Point III

"After that, He saith to the disciple, Behold thy Mother." (St. John 19:27.)

Consideration.--Our Lord, having cared for His afflicted Mother, bethought Him of His beloved disciple, and wishing to give him a last mark of His love, places our Lady from henceforth under his protection. "Behold thy Mother," are the words with which He turns His dying eyes on St. John; words full of consolation for us all, for the Fathers unanimously concur in believing that our Lord here used St. John as the representative of all the faithful, and that from this moment He filled the heart of Mary with an overflowing love for mankind, to the end that the maternity of Mary should be the most perfect image of the paternity which is in God himself.

Application.--Let us strive ever more and more to love and honor our Holy Mother, and to lead others to venerate her.

†

April 11th, Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   I. Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary   II. Our Lady of Sorrows What is it to be a Mother? Stabat Mater Video The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Set Forth in Her Titles from the Litany of Loreto 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas 2014 until Advent 2014 The Christian Mother Litany of the Holy Cross Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875 Sorrowful Mysteries Spiritual Communion Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas The Necessity of Mortification Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

O God, at whose Passion, as foretold by Simeon, a sword of sorrow pierced the most sweet soul of glorious Mary, Virgin and Mother: grant in Thy mercy, that we who reverently call to mind her anguish and suffering, may be helped by the glorious merits and prayers of all the saints who faithfully stand at Thy Cross, and win the happy fruit of Thy Passion: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Eve when placed by the hand of God in a garden of delights, received but one precept to be obeyed so as to be forever happy--a precept easy of accomplishment, the non-observance whereof should needs be inexcusable, inasmuch as neither urgent want nor strong inclination led to its violation; there was conjoined, moreover, the assurance of death following inevitably upon the transgression of the precept. But the serpent, kindling with jealousy and hate, came to tempt her. She gazed on the forbidden fruit, gathered thereof, and carried it to her husband, and together they ate, incurring the fatal loss, and involving mankind in their downfall. Mary, preceded by the God made man, went toiling with Him up the arid steep of Calvary, in order to accomplish the most heart-rending of all sacrifices.

Eve had rebelled: Mary surrendered her will. Eve had yielded to the enticing voice of the tempter; Mary heard the voice of the same demon of jealousy and hate, uttering by the mouth of the impious Jews blasphemies and maledictions, but she was not frightened from her purpose. Eve, in her disobedience, stretched forth her hand toward the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; Mary, in her submission to the designs of God, stretches forth hers to the tree of the cross. Eve had sacrificed to her caprice the spouse through whom she had received being; Mary assists at the sacrifice of the Son to Whom she has given being. Eve was born of man without the agency of a mother; Mary gave birth to the Man-God without the intervention of a spouse. Eve, after her disobedience, became the mother, in the order of nature, of a race accursed; Mary, through her submission, has become, in the order of grace, the Mother of a race sanctified.

These points of resemblance and contrast offer themselves spontaneously to the mind, provided we ponder somewhat over the remembrance celebrated by the Church on the Friday in Holy Week, under the title of "The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin." A mother's heart can alone comprehend the agony of torture endured by this Mother at the foot of the cross whereon her Son was immolated; we do not attempt to describe, nor are any mere human lips, indeed, able to express it.

Reflection.--Let us adore this divine and mysterious abyss of charity, in whose depth our salvation was worked out at the price of so much suffering; and let us bear in mind what we have cost that Mother to whose guardianship we were made over even from the sublime height of the cross.

April 11th: St. Leo I, Pope, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Leo I. Pope, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Leo Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Leo was born in Rome. He embraced the sacred ministry, was made Archdeacon of the Roman Church by Pope Saint Celestine, and under the same Vicar of Christ and Saint Sixtus III, had a large share in governing the Church. On the death of Sixtus, Leo was chosen Pope, and consecrated on Saint Michael's day, 440, amid great joy.

It was the time of terrible trial which preceded by thirty years the definitive fall of the Roman Empire. Vandals and Huns were wasting the provinces of the empire, and Nestorians, Pelagians, and other heretics wrought still more grievous havoc in souls. While Leo's zeal was making headway against these perils, there arose the new heresy of Eutyches, who confounded the two natures of Christ. At once the vigilant pastor proclaimed the true doctrine of the Incarnation in his famous "tome"; but fostered by the Byzantine court, the heresy gained a strong hold upon the Eastern monks and bishops. After three years of unceasing toil, Saint Leo brought about its solemn condemnation by the Council of Chalcedon, the Fathers all signing his tome, and exclaiming, "Peter has spoken by Leo."

Soon after, Attila with his Huns broke into Italy, and marched through its razed cities upon Rome. Leo went out boldly to meet him, and prevailed on him to turn back. His chieftains were astonished to see the terrible Attila, the "Scourge of God," fresh from the sack of Aquileia, Milan and Pavia and with the rich prize of Rome within his grasp, turn his great host back to the Danube at the Saint's word. They asked him why he had acted so strangely. He told them he had seen two venerable personages -- who are generally supposed to be Saints Peter and Paul -- standing behind Saint Leo; and impressed by this vision, he withdrew. Two years later the city fell a prey to the Vandals, but Leo saved it again from total destruction. He died in 461 after having ruled the Church for a little over twenty years.

†

April 10th, Ferial Day

The Greatest Suffering on Earth The Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Devotions and Litany of the Holy Face of Jesus Devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus The Psalter of Jesus Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Index of Children Prayers:
the Season of Lent

On the near approach of death

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Every one knows that he must certainly die, yet many delude themselves by imagining that death is at such an immense distance from them that it will scarcely ever reach them. No, our life is indeed short, and death is very near us. The days of our sojourning here are few, and perhaps much fewer than we imagine. What else is our life but a light vapour which is driven away and disappears with the wind? a blade of grass which is dried up in the heat of the sun? O God, thou wouldst not suffer death to overtake me when I was under Thy displeasure, because Thou didst love me and didst desire my salvation; wherefore I will also love thee.

My days, said holy Job, have been swifter than a post. ix. 25. Death is hasting towards us more rapidly than a post, and we at every step, and every breath and moment are drawing nearer and nearer to death. At the time of our death, how shall we wish for one day or one hour of the many we now squander away to no purpose! Ah, Lord, if death were now announced to me, what should I find that I have done for Thee? Alas! come to my assistance; let me not die ungrateful to Thee as I hitherto have been. Grant me true sorrow for my sins, the gift of Thy love, and holy perseverance.

Death hastens towards us; wherefore we must also hasten to do that which is good, and to put our accounts in order against the day of its arrival. When death comes, it precludes all remedies for what has been done amiss. How many are now in hell who thought of amending their lives at some future period, but were prevented by death and consigned to eternal torments! My dear Redeemer, I will no longer resist Thy calls. Thou offerest me pardon and I am desirous of obtaining it, I pray for it, and hope for it, through that death which Thou, my Jesus, hast suffered that Thou mayest be able to impart it to me. I am sorry, O infinite goodness, for having offended Thee. Thou, my Jesus, hast died for me, and I have postponed Thy friendship to my own wretched inclinations. For the future, I hope with Thy assistance always to love Thee. I love Thee, O God, I love Thee. Thou art now and shalt be for ever my only good, my only love. Mary, mother of God, watch over me and take pity on me.

†

April 9th:
Solemnity of St. Joseph

Solemnity of St. Joseph The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859 The Patronage of St. Joseph St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church St. Joseph Additional Prayers St. Joseph Husband of Mary and Intecessor of the Universal Church The Christian Father The Flight into Egypt Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Family Sermons on St. Joseph Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying The Espousal or Marriage of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Joseph A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph Joseph Dearest Video

Other Links in Honor of St. Joseph

The Flight into Egypt Instructions for the
Catholic Family The Christian Family March Meditation on St. Joseph

The Greatest Suffering on Earth 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Devotions and Litany of the Holy Face of Jesus Devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus The Psalter of Jesus Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Index of Children Prayers:
the Season of Lent

O God, Who in Thy unspeakable providence wast pleased to choose blessed Joseph for Thy most holy Mother's spouse: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may become worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector upon earth. Who livest etc.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Joseph was by birth of the royal family of David, but was living in humble obscurity as a carpenter when God raised him to the highest sanctity, and fitted him to be the spouse of His Virgin Mother, and foster-father and guardian of the Incarnate Word. Joseph, says the Holy Scripture, was a just man; he was innocent and pure, as became the husband of Mary; he was gentle and tender, as one worthy to be named the father of Jesus; he was prudent and a lover of silence, as became the master of the holy house; above all, he was faithful and obedient to divine calls. His conversation was with angels rather than with men. When he learned that Mary bore within her womb the Lord of heaven, he feared to take her as his wife; but an angel bade him fear not, and all doubts vanished. When Herod sought the life of the divine Infant, an angel told Joseph in a dream to fly with the Child and His Mother into Egypt. Joseph at once arose and obeyed. This sudden and unexpected flight must have exposed Joseph to many inconveniences and sufferings in so long a journey with a little babe and a tender virgin, the greater part of the way being through deserts and among strangers; yet he alleges no excuses, nor inquires at what time they were to return.

St. Chrysostom observes that God treats thus all His servants, sending them frequent trials to clear their hearts from the rust of self-love, but intermixing seasons of consolation. "Joseph," says he, "is anxious on seeing the Virgin with child; an angel removes that fear. He rejoices at the Child's birth, but a great fear succeeds: the furious king seeks to destroy the Child, and the whole city is in an uproar to take away His life. This is followed by another joy, the adoration of the Magi; a new sorrow then arises: he is ordered to fly into a foreign unknown country, without help or acquaintance." It is the opinion of the Fathers that upon their entering Egypt, at the presence of the child Jesus, all the oracles of that superstitious country were struck dumb, and the statues of their gods trembled and in many places fell to the ground. The Fathers also attribute to this holy visit the spiritual benediction poured on that country, which made it for many ages most fruitful in Saints.

After the death of King Herod, of which St. Joseph was informed in another vision, God ordered him to return with the Child and His Mother into the land of Israel, which our Saint readily obeyed. But when he arrived in Judea, hearing that Archelaus had succeeded Herod in that part of the country, and apprehensive that he might be infected with his father's vices, he feared on that account to settle there, as he would otherwise probably have done for the education of the Child; and therefore, being directed by God in another vision, he retired into the dominions of Herod Antipas, in Galilee, to his former habitation in Nazareth. St. Joseph, being a strict observer of the Mosaic law, in conformity to its direction annually repaired to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Our Saviour, now in the twelfth year of His age, accompanied His parents thither. Having performed the usual ceremonies of the feast, they were returning with many of their neighbors and acquaintances towards Galilee; and never doubting but that Jesus was with some of the company, they travelled on for a whole day's journey before they discovered that He was not with them. But when night came on and they could hear no tidings of Him among their kindred and acquaintance, they, in the deepest affliction, returned with the utmost speed to Jerusalem.

After an anxious search of three days they found Him in the Temple, discoursing with the learned doctors of the law, and asking them such questions as raised the admiration of all that heard Him, and made them astonished at the ripeness of His understanding; nor were His parents less surprises on this occasion. When His Mother told Him with what grief and earnestness they had sought Him, and asked, "Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold Thy Father and I sought Thee in great affliction of mind," she received for answer, "How is it that you sought Me? did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But though thus staying in the Temple unknown to His parents, in all other things He was obedient to them, returning with them to Nazareth, and there living in all dutiful subjection to them. As no further mention is made of St. Joseph, he must have died before the marriage of Cana and the beginning of our divine Saviour's ministry. We cannot doubt that he had the happiness of Jesus and Mary attending at his death, praying by him, assisting and comforting him in his last moments; whence he is particularly invoked for the great grace of a happy death and the spiritual presence of Jesus in that hour.

Reflection--St. Joseph, the shadow of the Eternal Father upon earth, the protector of Jesus in His home at Nazareth, and a lover of all children for the sake of the Holy Child, should be the chosen guardian and pattern of every true Christian family.

†

April 8th, Ferial Day

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Jesus on Calvary

The Soldiers Give Jesus Gall to Drink, and Strip Him of His Garments

1st Prel. Imagine you see Jesus surrounded by His executioners, who strip Him of His garments.

2d Prel. Ask for grace to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus, who suffered in so many ways, and with such great love for me.

Point I

"And they came to the place that is called Golgotha, which is the place of Calvary." (St. Matt. 27: 33.)

Consideration.--There are numerous mysteries connected with the place which our Lord chose for consummating His sacrifice: it was the spot where God commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac; where the Jews were accustomed to execute great criminals; and where, according to tradition, Noah buried Adam's head, which he had taken in the Ark with him, the Hebrew word Golgotha signifying "chief," or "head." The special mention by the four Evangelists, of the Hebrew name Golgotha, together with the Latinized Greek "cranium," the place of Calvary, appears to give authority to the tradition always maintained by the Jews, according to the testimony of Tertullian, Origen, St. Athanasius, and the greater number of the Fathers.

Application.--Let us meditate on these mysteries, for they are full of instruction. The sacrifice of Jesus, recalling to mind that of Abraham, should inspire us with love and gratitude to Him and His eternal Father, who thus fulfilled the typical sacrifice of the great patriarch; next, our Lord's choice of the place used for the execution of criminals should remind us that He suffered for the sins of the world, and for each one of us; and lastly, His dying on the spot where lie the ashes of our father Adam should show us how His death destroys the empire of death, and gives us a right to life eternal.

Affections.--Admire, praise, and adore the wonderful and merciful ways of Providence, manifested even in circumstances which escape our observation.

Resolutions.--I will strive to discern and bless the hand of Providence in every detail of my life, and in all that occurs daily before me.

Point II

"And they gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall. And when He had tasted, He would not drink." (St. Matt. 27: 34)

Consideration.--It was the custom to give those condemned to death wine mixed with myrrh, either to strengthen them or to partly destroy their sense of feeling; but by a refinement of cruelty, gall was mixed with the wine given to our Lord. He took it; He tasted it; but, as the Gospel says, "He would not drink."

Application.--Why did our Lord thus taste this bitter draught, and then refuse to drink it? He tasted it --first, to suffer in the sense of taste, which His executioners had not been able to touch; second, to expiate our intemperance and sensuality in the use of food; thirdly, to encourage us, by His example, to mortify our taste, or at least to resist our appetites, and never to exceed the bounds of temperance. On the other hand, He would not drink, because He would not in any degree assuage the sufferings which it was His will to endure to their utmost extent.

Affections.--Ask pardon for your sins of gluttony and intemperance.

Resolutions.--Always to mortify yourself in some particular at meals, or at least not to seek what is most gratifying to the appetite.

Point III

Jesus Stripped of His Garments

Consideration.--The Roman law ordered that those condemned to be crucified should be stripped of their garments, thus adding shame to their other torments. Therefore Jesus, having tasted the bitter draught his executioners gave Him, was despoiled of His garments, which adhered so closely to His bleeding form that they could not be removed without opening His wounds, and causing Him fresh agony.

Application.--Why did our Lord will to suffer this fresh martyrdom of confusion and pain? To teach us, and to encourage us by His example, never to withdraw from any sort of shame, suffering, or privation in His service, should we even become a laughingstock to the world, and be deprived of everything, like the dead man carried out to burial. This renunciation must be absolute in fact, or at least in affection. Jesus Christ requires it. He says, "If any man will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (St. Mark 8: 34.)

†

April 7th, Ferial Day

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Motives for Penance Drawn from the Thought of Judgment

1st Prel. I will imagine myself before the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ.

2d Prel. I will ask for grace to know myself, that I may be able to judge myself here, "according to the counsel of the Apostle." (1. Cor. 11: 31.)

Point I.

Consideration.--Three things are to be feared in the particular judgment: 1, the Judge; 2, the account to be rendered; 3, the sentence.

By penance we may make the Judge favorable to us. The Judge is our Lord Himself, whom we have neglected, offended, and injured, with all the malice of sin, and so often, so deliberately, even when He loaded us with benefits. Now He is misericordiarum Dominus, a God of mercy, ready to pardon at the first sign of repentance; but then He will be only ultionum Dominus, a God of justice. As His mercy was infinite, so will be His justice; not the smallest fault, not an idle word, He has said, will pass unperceived, or remain unpunished. These thoughts filled holy Job with fear. "Quid faciam cum surrexerit ad judicandum Dominus?" "For what shall I do," said he within himself, "when God shall rise to judge?" (Job 31 : 14.)

Application.--What have you not to expect, or rather to fear, from your Judge, you who have perhaps lived long in a state of tepidity, which blinds man as to the number and gravity of his faults, and maintains him in false security? What, then, should we do? Our Lord tells you, "Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him," (St. Matt. 5: 26;) that is, according to St. Augustine, with God who is your Judge, and whose enemy sin has made you; and you can do so, if "ye be humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God." (i. St. Peter 5:6.) To use St. Peter's words, "Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." (Acts 3: 19.)

Affections.-- Humbly acknowledge your ingratitude and your many infidelities. Repent, and offer yourself with sincerity to do penance for them.

Resolutions.-- Persevere in the practices of penance and mortification which you imposed on yourself on the first Monday of Lent.

Point II.

Consideration.-- By penance we may lighten the account we shall have to give. What an account! All will be passed in review by One from whom nothing can be hidden: the time lost in useless things; the good left undone, the good ill-done; all our thoughts, intentions, words, and actions; and, what is worse for the religious, all the means of salvation and sanctification lavishly bestowed upon him daily and hourly. Gratiam sequitur judicium. The judgment will be severe in proportion to the grace received, says St. Cyprian, following the words of our Lord, " Cui multum datum est, multum quaeretur ab eo." "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required." (St. Luke 12: 48.)

Application.--These truths filled even the penitents of the desert with fear; they never thought they had sufficiently atoned for their past lives. Their only means of consolation under this dread were tears and constant mortification, a life of continued penance until death. Imitate them; try to lighten by such a life of penance and mortification your heavy account of sin, imperfection, and negligence; and do it with special generosity during this holy season, two-thirds of which are already gone.

Affections.--"Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis, et omnes iniquitates meas dele." "Turn away Thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities." (Psalm 50: 10.)

Resolutions.-- As in the preceding Point.

Point III.

Consideration.-- By penance we may insure a favorable sentence. The sentence of the Judge will be irrevocable-- life eternal or death eternal; the first securing to the soul of the just, endless glory and the delights of heaven, although it may be for a while detained in a place of expiation; the second condemning the soul of the sinner, to Satan and the eternal pains of hell.

Application.-- You earnestly desire to be amongst the number of the elect, to enter into the immediate possession of heaven. It is in your power, with the grace of God. Endeavor to live as a holy religious, expiating by constant penance and mortifications all that yet tarnishes the purity of your soul. This is the only efficacious means you have of insuring what you so much desire. What happiness will you not experience at the hour of death, if you have adopted this means of securing salvation! Why, therefore, should you not do so?

†

April 6th, Passion Sunday

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Passion Sunday

"We are not unaware," says St. Leo, "that among all Christian celebrations the Paschal mystery holds the first place. Our manner of living throughout the whole year, by reforming our ways, ought to give us the dispositions for keeping it worthily and in a fitting manner. These present days which we know to be close to that most sublime sacrament of divine mercy, require devotion in a yet higher degree" (Second Nocturn).

The mystery of which St. Leo speaks, is our Redeemer's Passion, whose anniversary is close at hand. Priest and Mediator of the New Testament, Jesus will soon ascend His Cross, and the blood which He will shed He will offer to His Father, entering into the Holies which is heaven itself (Epistle). The Church sings: "All hail, thou Mystery adored! Hail, Cross! on which the Life Himself died, and by death our life restored!" (Hymn of Vespers). The Eucharist is the memorial of this boundless love of God for men for when instituting it our Lord said: "This is my Body which shall be delivered for you; this chalice is the new testament in My Blood. Do this... in commemoration of Me" (Communion).

What is the response of man to all these divine favours? "His own received Him not," says St. John, speaking of the welcome which the Jews gave Jesus. "For good they rendered Him evil and prepared for Him nothing but insults. "You", our Lord told them, "dishonour me," and in fact, the Gospel shows us the ever growing hatred of the Sanhedrin.

Abraham, the father of God's people, firmly believed the divine promises which heralded the future Messia; and in Limbo his soul, which, as believing was beyond the reach of eternal death, rejoiced to see these promises fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

But the Jews, who ought to have recognized in Jesus the Son of God, greater than Abraham and the prophets, because eternal, misunderstood the meaning of His words, insulted Him by treating Him as a blasphemer and possessed, and tried to stone Him (Gospel). And God tells Him, in the person of Jeremias: "Be not afraid at their presence: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord... For behold I have made thee this day a fortified city and a pillar of iron and a wall of brass, over all the land, to the kings of Juda, to the princes thereof and to the priests and to the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee and shall not prevail: for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee" (First Nocturn).

"I seek not my own glory," says Jesus, "there is one that seeketh and judgeth" (Gospel). And by the mouth of the psalmist He goes on: "Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. This "lying" people our Lord declares to be the Jews. The psalmist continues: "Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies... from the unjust man Thou wilt deliver me" (Gradual).

"The Lord who is just will cut the necks of sinners" (Tract). God will not permit men to lay their hands on Jesus until His hour is come (Gospel), and when that hour of sacriflce came, He snatched His Son from the hands of evil men by raising Him from the death. This death and resurrection had been foretold by the prophets and typified in Isaac when, on the point of being sacrified at God's command by Abraham his father he was restored to life by almighty God, his place being taken by a ram who became a type of the Lamb of God, offered in man's stead (c. p. 257). Thus our Lord, in His first coming, was to be humbled and made to suffer; not until later will He appear in all His power.

But the Jews, blinded by their passions, could appreciate only one kind of coming, a coming in triumph, and so scandalized by the Cross of Christ, they rejected Him. In their turn, almighty God rejected them, while graciously receiving those who put their trust in the redemption of Jesus Christ, uniting their sufferings to His. "Rightly, and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost," says St. Leo, "did the holy Apostles institute these days of more rigorous fasting, so that by a common sharing in the Cross of Christ, even we ourselves may do something towards uniting ourselves with the work that He has accomplished for us. As St. Paul says: "If we suffer with Him, we also shall be glorified with Him." Where we find our Lord's sufferings being shared, there we can look on the attainment of the happiness promised by Him as a thing safe and assured."

Today's station is in the Basilica of Saint Peter, raised on the site of Nero's circus where the prince of the Apostles died, like His Divine Master on a cross. In recalling our Lord's Passion, the anniversary of which draws near, let us remember that if we are to experience its saving effects we must, like the Master, know how to suffer persecution for justice sake. And when as members of God's family, we are persecuted with and like our Lord, let us ask of God, that we may be "governed in body" and "kept in mind".

†

April 5th, St. Vincent Ferrer, Confessor

St. Vincent Ferrer I. St. Vincent Ferrer II.

St. Vincent Ferrer, his life, Spiritual Teaching, and Practical Devotion

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O God, who didst vouchsafe to make Thy Church illustrious by the merits and preaching of blessed Vincent Thy Confessor: grant to us Thy servants, that we may be instructed by his example, and through his intercession may be delivered from all harm. Through our Lord, etc.

(Roman Breviary)

This wonderful apostle, the Angel of the Judgment, was born at Valencia in Spain in 1357. At the age of eighteen, he was professed in the Order of Saint Dominic. After a brilliant course of study he became Master of Sacred Theology, and began to preach. For three years he read only the Sacred Scriptures, and came to know the entire Bible by heart. He brought the light of Christ to the Jews of Valencia, and their synagogue became a church.

Grief at the great schism then afflicting the Church reduced him to the point of death at the age of forty, but Our Lord Himself whom he saw in glory, healed him and bade him go forth to convert sinners, for My judgment is near. In the language of Scripture, a judgment is a time of trial during which the good become better by prayer and abandonment to God's Providence, and the impious blaspheme. The judgment which was to fall upon Europe, the rending of the robe of Christ through the still greater fragmentation of the Church, would follow soon after Saint Vincent's time; his passage preserved large numbers of souls from its fatal dangers.

This virtually miraculous apostolate lasted twenty-one years. He preached throughout western Europe, in the towns and villages of Spain, Switzerland, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland. Everywhere tens of thousands of sinners were reformed. Infidels, heretics, Jews were enlightened and warmed by the Sun of Justice. Stupendous miracles enforced his words. Twice each day the miracle bell summoned the sick, the blind, the lame to be cured, and the most obdurate sinners became Saints. Speaking only his native Spanish, he was understood in all tongues. Processions of ten thousand penitents followed him in perfect order. Convents, orphanages, hospitals, arose where he passed.

Amid all the honors which came to him, his humility remained profound, his prayer constant. He always made prayer his principal preparation for preaching. Once, however, when a person of high rank was to be present at his sermon, he neglected prayer for study. The nobleman was not particularly struck by the discourse which had been thus carefully laid out. But he came again to hear the Saint, and the second sermon, for which Saint Vincent's supplications before the Crucifix were the preparation, made a deep impression on his soul. When Saint Vincent heard of his reaction, he remarked that in the first sermon it was Vincent who had preached, but in the second, Jesus Christ.

Saint Vincent fell ill at Vannes in Brittany, and received the crown of everlasting glory in 1419.

Reflection. Whatever you do, said Saint Vincent, think not of yourself, but of God. In this spirit he preached, and God spoke by him; in this spirit, if we listen, we shall hear the voice of God.

†

April 4th, St. Isidore, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

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O God, Who didst give blessed Isidore to be a minister of eternal salvation to Thy people: grant, we beseech Thee, that we who have had him on earth as Teacher of life, may be worthy to have him for advocate in heaven. Through our Lord, etc.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Isidore was born of a ducal family, at Carthagena in Spain. His two brothers, Leander, Archbishop of Seville, Fulgentius, Bishop of Ecija, and his sister Florentina, are all recognized by the Church as Saints. As a boy Isidore despaired over his poor success in study, and ran away from school. Resting in his flight at a roadside spring, he observed a stone, which had been hollowed out by the slow but constant dripping of water. This lesson decided him to return, and then, by determined application, he succeeded.

He went back to his master and with the help of God became, even as a youth, one of the most learned men of the time. He assisted in converting Prince Recared, the leader of the Arian party; and with his aid, though at the constant peril of his own life, expelled that heresy from Spain. Then, following a call from God, he turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of his friends, and embraced a hermit's life. Prince Recared and many of the nobles and clergy of Seville went to persuade him to come back, representing the needs of the times and the good he could do, and had already done, among the people. He refused, and, as far as we can judge, his retreat gave him the necessary opportunity of acquiring the virtue and power which afterwards made him an illustrious Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

On the death of his brother Leander, he was called to fill the vacant see. As a teacher, ruler, founder, and reformer, he labored not only in his own diocese, but throughout Spain, and his influence attained foreign countries. He died in Seville on April 4, 639, and within sixteen years of his death was declared a Doctor of the Catholic Church.

Reflection. The strength of temptation usually lies in the fact that its object is something flattering to our pride, soothing to our sloth, or in some way attractive to the baser passions. Saint Isidore teaches us to listen neither to the promptings of nature nor the plausible advice of friends, when they contradict the voice of God.

       †

April 3rd, Ferial Day

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On Eternal Salvation
by St. Alphonsus Di Liguori

Our most important affair is that of our eternal salvation; upon it depends our happiness or misery for ever. This affair will come to an end in eternity, and will decide whether we shall be saved or lost for ever; whether we shall have acquired an eternity of delights, or an eternity of torments; whether we shall live for ever happy, or for ever miserable. O God, what will my lot be? Shall I be saved, or shall I be lost? I may be either. And if I may be lost, why do I not embrace such a life, as may secure for me life eternal? O Jesus, Thou didst die to save me; yet have I been lost, as often as I have lost Thee my sovereign good: suffer me not to lose Thee any more.

Men esteem it a great affair to gain a law-suit, to obtain a post of honour, or to acquire an estate. Nothing, however, which will end with time, deserves to be esteemed great. Since therefore all the goods of this world will one day end in our regard; as we shall either leave them, or they will leave us; that affair alone should be esteemed great, upon which depends eternal happiness or eternal misery. O Jesus, my Redeemer, cast me not away from Thy face, as I have deserved! I am indeed a sinner; but I am grieved from the bottom of my heart for having offended Thy infinite goodness. Hitherto I have despised Thee, but now I love Thee above all things. Henceforth, Thou alone shalt be my only good, my only love. Have pity on a sinner who penitently casts himself at Thy feet and desires to love Thee. If I have grievously offended Thee, I now ardently desire to love Thee. What would have become of me, if Thou hadst called me out of life, when I had lost Thy grace and favour: Since Thou, O Lord, hast shown so much mercy to me, grant me grace to become a saint.

Let us awaken our faith in a heaven and a hell of eternal duration: one or other will be our lot. O God, how could I, knowing that by committing sin I was condemning myself to eternal torments, how could I sin so often against Thee and forfeit Thy grace? Knowing that Thou art my God and my Redeemer, how could I, for the sake of a miserable gratification, so often turn my back upon Thee? O God, I am sorry above every evil for having thus despised Thee. I love Thee above every good, and from henceforth, I will suffer the loss of all things rather than lose Thy friendship. Give me strength to continue faithful. And do Thou, O Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for me and assist me.

       †

April 2nd, St. Francis Paola, Confessor

St. Francis of Paula, Confessor

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†

April 1st, Ferial Day

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The Salvation of the Soul
by St. Alphonsus Liguori

We read in the history of the Church, that formerly many holy penitents, impressed with the belief of the nothingness of every thing earthly, and the importance of eternal truths, withdrew into solitary places, that they might give themselves up without distraction to the meditation of these holy truths. Separated from each other, and buried in gloomy caverns, as if already in their graves, they occupied themselves only with such thoughts as these:--that death is certain;-- that no man knows when, where, or how he will die? and that any moment may be the last of our life;-- that at the moment when a man dies, he is judged by God, and must give an exact account of all his thoughts, words, and deeds, which alone, of all he has, will follow him into the next world;--that after this life, which passes so quickly, comes eternity, which has no end, and which will be forever blessed, or forever miserable --that we come into this world only to work out our salvation, ard if we fail in this, we cannot make good our loss in sterility;--that one mortal sin--alone is enough to make us eternally miserable, and that sin is the only real evil, the only misfortune that we have to fear.

Penetrated by these solemn thoughts, they watched through whole nights, fasted, wore hair cloth, and used every instrument of penance to bring the body into subjection to the soul. They lived on roots and herbs or at best, on bread., moistened with their tears. Pale and emaciated, like living skeletons, they passed through a life which seemed more like a slow death, and after twenty, thirty, or forty years thus spent, having reached the end of their course, they asked each other, trembling and full of holy fear, with broken accents: "Think you, ah! think you, that God will have mercy on my soul, and will forgive my sins? Do you really think that there will be any consolation for me in death? that the Eternal Judge will soften the rigor of His judgment against me? Can I hope to escape the terrors of an eternity of misery, and share in the bliss of the elect?"

What dispositions! "What an example! But also, what a condemnation, perhaps, for us! Let us weigh this well. For if God does not call us to such extraordinary things, to which men are drawn only by a peculiar and powerful grace, we are all, without exception, called to a spirit of penance, without which, there is no salvation; for eternal wisdom has said: "Except ye do Penancc, ye shall all likewise perish." (St. Luke, xiii.) We are called, first, to seek the kingdom of God, not to give our heart to the world, to mortify the body, subject it to the control of the spirit, and work out our salvation with fear and trembling. But why are we doing nothing of all this? These holy penitents, at whose life we wonder so much, had they another gospel to follow than ours, another religion to practise than we? Had they not the same God to serve, the same eternity to hope for or to fear? What, then, is the cause of so singular a difference? These saints possessed a degree of faith which we have not. And, therefore, they were careful to secure the salvation of their souls, while we neglect ours. They constantly meditated upon the greatness of God, the enormity of sin, the uncertainty of life, the fearful depths of divine judgment, an eternity of happiness or misery, approaching nearer at every moment; and we!--how much we fear to occupy ourselves with these high and holy subjects. In a word, they lived like saints, and we live like worldly-minded sinners.

Let us think of these things while there is yet time. What are we to expect, if we refuse to consider? What a consolation will it one day be to us, that we have reflected on these things! Let us occupy ourselves with them now, that in eternity, where these great truths will hurst upon our minds with irresistible force, we may not despair, but rather may reap the eternal fruit of these salutary meditations.

A person who had passed his life in the service of an excellent prince, fell dangerously ill. His master, who loved him very much, visited him, and found him in great danger. There he lay, in his agony, just ready to breathe his last. Moved by this spectacle, the prince said to him: Can I do any thing for you? Ask freely whatever you wish, and do not fear that I shall refuse you any thing. My Lord! said the dying man, I know only one thing which, in my present condition, I would like to ask of you. Prolong my life for one quarter of an hour! Alas! said the prince, that is not in my power. Ask for something else; something that I can procure for you. See! said the dying man, for fifty years I have served this master of mine, and now he cannot prolong my life for one quarter of an hour. O! if I had only served my God as well, he would grant me not a quarter of an hour only, but a whole eternity of happiness! Very soon after that, he breathed his last.

Shall we not, by and by, have the same fate ? We wear and wear ourselves out in the service of the world; we even sacrifice ourselves for it, and when our last hour comes, what will the world do for us, and what will remain to us after all we have done for it, if we have neglected the service of God, and the salvation of our soul? Let us consider this, and more sincereiy and firmly than ever before, say: I am resolved to save my soul, and for this I will labor the remainder of my life! Hitherto I have neglected this too much! Have I not reason to look upon it as a great favor, that God still gives me the time and the grace to meditate seriously on these things?

†

March 31st, Ferial Day

Newly Added
The Art of Dying Well
by St. Robert Bellarmine Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory The Sacrament of
Extreme Unction Death General Judgement Heaven Hell The Thought of Eternity The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them? Spiritual Communion

Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Psalter of Jesus

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

Reflection for the 4th
Week of Lent

by Fr. Athanasius, O.F.M.

The things our Lord said on that occasion were no doubt impressive enough. Easter was not far off. The hour of His suffering and our redemption was at hand. In preparation for Easter you too should harbor serious thoughts. Meditate once again upon the Last Things. Are you afraid to die? Do you perhaps foolishly play ostrich at the thought? It will avail you nothing. Your turn will come. "It is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb. 9, 27). Look about you in nature. The changing seasons speak to you in unmistakable terms. The spring of your life is going, if not gone; presently you shall have the summer of your maturity, the autumn of senility, and the winter of the grave. Look about you in your parish! Your own cemetery, the bells of your church are ready for your funeral service, any time. Look at your watch! Some 150,000 people are said to die every twenty-four hours. Nearly two every time your watch ticks. One of those ticks will be your last. For you time shall be no more.

When will Brother Death take your arm for the dance into eternity? You do not know. Our Lord Himself has called your attention to this uncertainty, repeatedly: "You do not know the day nor the hour. At an hour when you do not expect it, the Son of man will come. The Son of man shall come like a thief of the night." The papers tell you of great numbers who are taken unawares every day. And you know that many of your confreres have died a sudden death. Are you immune from the lot of sudden death? And death will decide your fate. For all the long ages of eternity. It will be Heaven or Hell. No other alternative! Either: Beati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur (Apoc. 14, 13).Or: Mors peccatorum pessima (Ps. 33, 22).

Today your fate is still in your hands. "Man shall go into the house of his eternity" (Eccles. 12, 5). Let the warning of the Holy Ghost constantly resound in your ears: "Give charge concerning thy house, for thou shalt die" (4 Kings 20, 1). Prepare by keeping your books and files in perfect order. Prepare by paying all your bills and honest debts.Prepare by keeping your distance from mortal sin. Prepare by praying devoutly for the grace of a happy death--particularly to St. Joseph, the patron of the dying. "Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching" (Lk. 12,37).

†

March 30th, Fourth Sunday of Lent

4th Sunday Lent Sermons for the Fourth
Sunday in Lent Children's Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent The Gift of Mircacles Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Psalter of Jesus

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

The Four Last Things

Death General Judgement Heaven Hell The Thought of Eternity The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them?

On the moment of death

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

O Moment, on which depends eternity!" Oh! how much depends on the last moment of our lives, on our last breath! either an eternity of delights, or an eternity of torments; a life of happiness or a life of misery. What folly therefore must it be for the sake of a wretched momentary pleasure in this life to run the risk of making an evil end, and commencing a life of misery, which will never terminate! O God! what will become of me in the last moment of my life? O Jesus, who didst die for my salvation, suffer me not to be lost for ever, suffer me not to lose Thee, my only good.

Oh God! how do those miserable criminals who are condemned to cast lots for their lives tremble when they throw the dice, upon the cast of which depends their life or death. Tell me Christian, if thou wert in such a situation, how much thou wouldst give to be liberated from it? But faith teaches thee that thou wilt one day arrive at that last moment, on which will depend thy eternal life or death. Thou wilt then say: "Alas I must now be either happy forever with God, or in despair for ever without Him." No, my God, I will not lose Thee; if I have hitherto forfeited Thy friendship, I am sorry for it and sincerely repent of it; I will never lose Thee more.

Either we believe, or we do not believe. And if we believe that there is an eternity, that we can die only once, and that if we die ill, the consequences will be eternal, without the least hope of remedy; why do we not resolve to separate ourselves from all danger of being lost, and to use all the means in our power to secure for ourselves a happy death? No security can be too great when eternity is at stake. The days of our lives are so many favours from God, by which He allows us time to prepare our accounts against the arrival of death. Delay not, for thou hast no time to lose. Behold me, O God, tell me what I must do to be saved, for I will do all that Thou requirest of me. I have turned my back upon Thee; and for this I am exceedingly sorry, and for having done so would willingly die of grief. Pardon me, O Lord, and suffer me not to forsake Thee any more. I love Thee above all things, and will never more cease to love Thee. Holy Mary, Virgin of virgins, obtain for me the grace of perseverance in virtue.

†

March 29th, Ferial Day

Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Psalter of Jesus

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

The Four Last Things

Death General Judgement Heaven Hell The Thought of Eternity The fewness of those saved. Will you be one of them?

Links to Assist with
Making a Good Confession

The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Book of the
Most Holy Child Jesus Includes Preparation for Confession Sacrament of Penance The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition The Nature of Sin Conscience Sermon on Confession by St. John Vianney The Sinner's Guide by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. The Penitent Christian

Pilate Tried to Save Jesus from the Fury of the Jews

1st Prel. Imagine you see Pilate pleading with the crowd in behalf of Jesus.

2d Prel. Beg the grace to persevere till the end in your holy vocation.

Point I

"Pilate saith to them, What shall I do, then, with Jesus, that is called Christ? They say all, Let Him be crucified." (St. Matt. 27:22, 23.)

Consideration: The efforts that Pilate made to rescue Jesus from His enemies only incensed them the more against Him. Of the three classes who were concerned in bringing about this death, Pilate, the people, and the priests, the last had the greatest guilt. Yielding to a base jealousy, they invented and sustained the accusations, they excited and seduced the people, they overpowered the judge by the cries of rage and fury which they put into the mouth of the crowd: their sin was very terrible; for the sanctity of their office, and the greater light and grace they had received, ought to have made them models to their people instead of a scandal.

Application: Here is another melancholy proof of the truth of the ancient saying, Corruptio optimi pessima--The best when corrupted become the worst; and this we unhappily see too often in our own days, when priests or religious become infidels or apostates; they seem as if they wanted to deaden their own consciences, or entirely to efface the seal of their sacerdotal consecration or religious profession.

Affections: Beg of Jesus Christ to preserve you from ever abusing the graces of your holy vocation, from losing its spirit, or ceasing to esteem it. Ask that it may not be your lot to swell the number of those unhappy souls who, unfaithful to that holy vocation, have lost it, and losing it, have lost all.

Resolutions. I will frequently declare before God my determination to relinquish all rather than forfeit the grace of my vocation.

Point II

"The governor said to them. Why, what evil hath He done?" (St. Matt. 27:23.)

Consideration. This question ought to have opened the eyes of the Jewish people. It reminded them of the public life of Jesus, every part of which had brought down blessings on them. Even among this very multitude there might have been found many whom He had miraculously cured to whom He had given sight, hearing, or the use of their limbs and a still greater number whom He had delivered from the possession or temptations of the devil.

Application. During the whole of our lives, we can remember nothing but wonderful graces and blessings; they constantly flash across our minds, and the memory of them ought to increase our love and devotion to Jesus, our Divine Lord. How is it, then, that we correspond so little with these graces, that we are so lukewarm in His service? Let us search into the causes of this, fight against it, and overcome it if possible.

Affections. Detest the monstrous ingratitude of the Jews, and lament before God the many instances in which your conduct has been similar to theirs.

Resolutions. I will henceforward strive to serve God with increased generosity and fervor, and so to return Him love for love.

Point III

"And he said to them the third time, I find no cause of death in Him. I will chastise Him, therefore, and let Him go." (St. Luke 23:22.)

Consideration: Pilate was guilty of the grossest injustice. Three times had he declared that the prisoner brought before him was innocent, and yet he condemned Him to a cruel and shameful punishment. His aim was to save Him at least from death, by exciting compassion for His sufferings, under the punishment to which He was sentenced. He did not see that he was actually clearing the way for the death by crucifixion, which the Jews were aiming at, for it was often the custom to precede crucifixion by scourging.

Application: How often have our passions made us act like fools! Have we not, from pride or sensuality, tried to escape the humiliations and mortifications which we ought to seek after, especially in religious life? or have we not sought for pleasures and distinctions which we knew well would do us harm? Are we, then, on our guard against our passions, and do we fight manfully against them?

†

March 28th, St. John Capistran, Confessor

St. John Capistran, Confessor Stations of the Cross The Steps of Our Savior's Passion St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross by Henri Boudon, 1875 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Devotions and Litany of the Holy Face of Jesus The Psalter of Jesus Devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Necessity of Mortification

The Sacrament of Penance, All of Your Questions Answered Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Book of the
Most Holy Child Jesus Includes Preparation for Confession Sacrament of Penance The Conversion of Sinners Penitent's Consolation Examination of Conscience Rite of Confession General Confession Contrition The Nature of Sin Conscience Sermon on Confession by St. John Vianney The Sinner's Guide by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. The Penitent Christian

O God, who through blessed John didst make Thy faithful, in virtue of the most holy Name of Jesus, to triumph over the enemies of Thy Cross: grant, we beseech Thee, by his intercession that we may overcome the snares of the enemies of our souls, and be found worthy to receive the crown of righteousness from thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

†

March 27th, St. John Damascene, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. John Damascene The Church Triumphant Veneration of the Saints

The Practice of Lent, by Prosper Gueranger 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas The Psalter of Jesus Devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus Index for the Season of Lent Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent Index of Children Prayers The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Necessity of Mortification

Almighty, everlasting God, Who didst fill blessed John with heavenly learning and with a spirit of wonderful strength, that he might spread devotion to holy images: grant us through this prayers and example, to imitate the virtues of those whose images we venerate and to experience their protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint John was born in the late 7th century, and is the most remarkable of the Greek writers of the 8th century. His father was a civil authority who was Christian amid the Saracens of Damascus, whose caliph made him his minister. This enlightened man found in the public square one day, amid a group of sad Christian captives, a priest of Italian origin who had been condemned to slavery; he ransomed him and assigned him to his young son to be his tutor. Young John made extraordinary progress in grammar, dialectic, mathematics, music, poetry, astronomy, but above all in theology, the discipline imparting knowledge of God. John became famous for his encyclopedic knowledge and theological method, later a source of inspiration to Saint Thomas Aquinas.

When his father died, the caliph made of him his principal counselor, his Grand Vizier. Thus it was through Saint John Damascene that the advanced sciences made their apparition among the Arab Moslems, who had burnt the library of Alexandria in Egypt; it was not the Moslems who instructed the Christians, as was believed for some time in Europe. Saint John vigorously opposed the ferocious Iconoclast persecution instigated by the Emperor of Constantinople, Leo the Isaurian. He distinguished himself, with Saint Germain, Patriarch of Constantinople, in the defense of the veneration of sacred images.

The Emperor, irritated, himself conjured up a plot against him. A letter was forged, signed with Saint JohnÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚Â¡ÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â's name, and addressed to himself, the Emperor of Constantinople, offering to deliver up the city of Damascus to him. That letter was then transmitted by the Emperor to the Caliph of Damascus, advising him as a good neighbor should do, that he had a traitor for minister. Although Saint John vigorously defended himself against the charge, he was condemned by the Caliph to have his right hand cut off. The severed hand, by order of the Caliph, was attached to a post in a public square. But Saint John obtained the hand afterwards, and invoked the Blessed Virgin in a prayer which has been preserved; he prayed to be able to continue to write the praises of Her Son and Herself. The next morning when he awoke, he found his hand joined again to the arm, leaving no trace of pain, but only a fine red line like a bracelet, marking the site of the miracle.

The Saint was reinstated afterwards to the favor of the local prince, but he believed that heaven had made it clear he was destined to serve the Church by his writings. He therefore distributed his property and retired soon thereafter to the monastery of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem, where he spent most of his remaining years in apologetic writings and prayer. Occasionally he left to console the Christians of Syria and Palestine and strengthen them, even going to Constantinople in the hope of obtaining martyrdom there. However, he was able to return to his monastery. There he died in peace at the age of 104, and was buried near the door of the monastery church, in the year 780.

†

March 26th, Ferial Day

Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Psalter of Jesus

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

The Wonderful Silence of Jesus Before Pilate's Judgment-Seat

1st Prel. Behold Jesus standing calm and silent in the midst of the clamor and accusations of the people who were stirred up against Him.

2d Prel. Beg for grace faithfully to imitate the great example which our Lord then gave us.

Point I

"And when He was accused by the chief priests and ancients, He answered nothing." (St. Matt. 27:12.)

Consideration.--The first accusations which the Jews brought were so vague and untruthful that Pilate rejected them, and declared our Lord's innocence. It was beneath our Lord's dignity to reply to some of the points which really added nothing to the first accusations, and besides, the sanctity of His life answered for Him, not only confounding His calumniators, but proving His Divinity. He did indeed try to hide it under His humanity, but it was revealed by His answers to the judge.

Application.--Happy is the religious whose conduct is an unanswerable defense against the false accusations of the wicked and envious! Happier still if his conscience bears witness to his constant endeavor to be spotless before God. Are we among this happy number?

Affections.--Let my heart be undefiled before Thee, O Lord! and I will not fear what man can do unto me. (Psalm 118: 80; 117: 6.)

Resolutions.--To attend to the practice of solid virtue.

Point II

"Then Pilate saith to Him. Dost thou not hear how great testimonies they allege against thee? And He answered him to never a word, so that the governor wondered exceedingly." (St. Matt. 27:13, 14.)

Consideration.--The astonishment of Pilate was not surprising. What would seem more natural for an accused man standing before a tribunal from which there was no appeal, and whose death was eagerly sought after, than to defend himself, and exert every effort to declare his innocence, especially when called upon to do so by a judge favorable to his cause? But Jesus was silent. He who often by a single word had confounded His enemies and turned the anger of the people against them, now would not utter one. Pilate could not understand the calm dignity of our Lord's silence, seeing clearly that it did not proceed from pride or resentment.

Application.--We are better off than Pilate, for we know why our Blessed Lord kept that heroic silence. He was determined to die for us; and having manifested the truth, He would not say a single word to save His own life. And also, He chose by this painful silence to expiate our sins of the tongue, and to teach us to control our desire of answering our superiors haughtily when they reprove us, or our wish to give a sharp and angry retort to those who wound our feelings, or injure us in any way.

Affections.--Acts of admiration and gratitude to our Lord. Ask His pardon for having been so unfaithful in following His example.

Resolutions.--Examine yourself with regard to sins of speech, and resolve to avoid them.

Point III

"But they were more earnest, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place." (St. Luke 23:5.)

Consideration.-- When Pilate had seen and acknowledged that the accused was innocent, his duty was to silence the accusers, and dismiss them with the contempt they deserved. But this he dared not do. The Jews, perceiving his weakness, tried to take advantage of it. They began to clamor and importune him to grant the request which was against his conscience ; and they succeeded only too well.

Application.--Our great enemy the devil acts in the same way toward us: as soon as he sees us hesitating between God and creatures, or conscience and our passions, he takes advantage of our weakness, and grows bolder than ever. He pours his arguments into our ears, terrifies us with the sight of imaginary difficulties, and lets us have no peace till we consent to sin. Let us, then, taught by Pilate's example, be on our guard against our own weakness, let us dread making the slightest concession to the tempter, and vigorously resist his first suggestions, arming ourselves, as the Apostle says, with the shield of faith and with prayer.

Colloquy with Jesus Christ who became for us the outcast of the people." (Psalm 21: 7.)

†

March 25th,
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

               Newly Added
Children's Sermon for the
Feast of the Annunciation The Annunciation Sermons of Fr. Weninger
for the Annunciation St. Gabriel Ave Maria The Dogma of the Incarnation Rests on the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary In Defense of Mary
The Mother of God The Humility of the Blessed Virgin of Mary 30 Days Prayer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Encyclical on the
Recitation of the Rosary Prayers of Our Lady
of the Rosary The History of the Rosary How to Say the Rosary Rosary Novenas Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

Index for the Season of Lent 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Spiritual Communion Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent.

O God, Who didst please that Thy Word should take flesh at the message of an Angel in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary: grant to us Thy suppliants, that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

This great festival takes its name from the happy tidings brought by the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin, concerning the Incarnation of the Son of God. It commemorates the most important embassy that was ever known: an embassy sent by the King of kings, performed by one of the chief princes of His heavenly court; directed, not to the great ones of this earth, but to a poor, unknown virgin, who, being endowed with the most angelic purity of soul and body, being withal perfectly humble and devoted to God, was greater in His eyes than the mightiest monarch in the world.

When the Son of God became man, He could have taken upon Him our nature without the cooperation of any creature; but He was pleased to be born of a woman. In the choice of her whom He raised to this most sublime of all dignities, He pitched upon the one who, by the riches of His grace and virtues, was of all others the most holy and the most perfect. The design of this embassy of the archangel is to give a Saviour to the world, a victim of propitiation to the sinner, a model to the just, a son to this Virgin, remaining still a virgin, and a new nature to the Son of God, the nature of man, capable of suffering pain and anguish in order to satisfy God's justice for our transgressions.

When the angel appeared to Mary and addressed her, the Blessed Virgin was troubled: not at the angel's appearance, says St. Ambrose, for heavenly visions and a commerce with the blessed spirits had been familiar to her; but what alarmed her, he says, was the angel's appearing in human form, in the shape of a young man. What might add to her fright on the occasion was his addressing her in words of praise. Mary, guarded by her modesty, is in confusion at expressions of this sort, and dreads the least appearance of deluding flattery. Such high commendations make her cautious how she answers, till in silence she has more fully considered of the matter: "She revolved in her mind," says St. Luke, "what manner of salutation this should be." Ah, what numbers of innocent souls have been corrupted for want of using the like precautions!

The angel, to calm her, says: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor before God." He then informs her that she is to conceive and bring forth a Son Whose name shall be Jesus, Who shall be great, and the Son of the Most High, and possessed of the throne of David, her illustrious ancestor. Mary, out of a just concern to know how she may comply with the will of God without prejudice to her vow of virginity, inquires, "How shall this be?" Nor does she give her consent till the heavenly messenger acquaints her that it is to be a work of the Holy Ghost, who, in making her fruitful, will not intrench in the least upon her virginal purity.

In submission, therefore, to God's will, without any further inquiries, she expresses her assent in these humble but powerful words: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to Thy word" What faith and confidence does her answer express! what profound humility and perfect obedience!

Reflection.--From the example of the Blessed Virgin in this mystery, how ardent a love ought we to conceive of purity and humility! The Holy Ghost is invited by purity to dwell in souls, but is chased away by the filth of the contrary vice. Humility is the foundation of a spiritual life. By it Mary was prepared for the extraordinary graces and all virtues with which she was enriched, and for the eminent dignity of Mother of God.

Meditation on the Annunciation

Mary's life as Joseph's Spouse was no less one of devotion and recollection and prayer than her life in the Temple. In their little cottage her time was spent, when her household duties were done, in fervent prayer to God. Thus she is said to have been occupied when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her. Mary's prayers and Mary's longing desires had moved the Heart of God to send a Redeemer for mankind! O omnipotent efficacy of earnest desire and persevering prayer!

The message the Angel brought bewildered the chaste and humble maiden. Her first thought was one of fear--fear lest the privilege announced to her should be purchased at the cost of her Immaculate virginity: she would not sacrifice this even to be Mother of the Messias: anything rather than forfeit that priceless jewel!

But God, who sent an Angel to comfort Christ in His Passion, reassured Mary by the Angel's voice: Fear not, thou hast found grace with God. Because thou dost esteem thyself the most unworthy, God will exalt thee to a dignity which seems almost beyond the power of God to confer: He will make thee the Mother of His Son. O wondrous dignity of true humility!

Mary, it was thy lowliness,
Well pleasing to the Lord,
That made thee worthy to become
The Mother of the Word.

       †

March 24th,
St. Gabriel, Archangel

St. Gabriel The Annunciation Ave Maria Joyful Mysteries Litany of the Holy Angels The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels The Three Archangels and the Guardian Angels in Art, 1899 The Angels in the Liturgy 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Newly Added
To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger

O God, Who didst choose Gabriel, the Archangel, from among the other Angels to announce the mystery of Thy Incarnation: Mercifully grant, that we who keep his feast upon earth may feel his patronage in heaven: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Gabriel was sent to Daniel to enlighten him as to the time when Christ would be born (Epistle), and to Zachary, at the hour in which he offered incense in the temple (Offertory), to announce to him the birth of John the Baptist, the Precursor of the Messias (Gospel). "Only Gabriel, a name that means 'Power of God,' was found worthy among all the angels," says St. Bernard, "to announce to Mary the designs of God with regard to her" (Matins). "He was chosen from among all the angels," says the Collect, " to proclaim the mystery of the Incarnation."

With a feeling of holy reverence, St. Gabriel came to the Virgin who from all eternity had been chosen to be the mother on earth of Him of whom God is the Father in heaven. In the words inspired by the most High, and which the Church desires us to repeat frequently, he said to her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

And seeing that Mary was taken aback by this salutation, the angel explained that he had come to obtain her consent, her Fiat, that the great mystery on which depended the redemption of mankind might be accomplished. "I am Gabriel who stand before God, and I have been sent to speak to thee and to tell thee these good tidings " (Matins).

It was Mary's wish to remain a virgin, and the angel of the Lord announced that she would conceive of the Holy Ghost and that she would give birth to a son to whom she would give the name of Jesus, that is to say, Saviour. Mary then, without hesitating, submitted with the most profound humility : Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to Thy word.

And in that instant was accomplished the greatest of all miracles when God raised unto Himself and into union with Him the blessed fruit of the womb of the Virgin : " And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us."

The angel then returned to heaven. "Having learned by the mouth of Gabriel the Incarnation of the Word, may it be given to us to obtain by his help the fruits of that same Incarnation." (Postcommunion).

†

March 23rd, 3rd Sunday in Lent

Third Sunday in Lent I. Third Sunday in Lent II. Children's Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent Practice During Lent.html Newly Added
To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index for the Season of Lent Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori The Penitent Christian St. Michael/ Exorcism Index of Children Prayers The Spiritual Combat
by Fr. Scupoli, 1865 A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels Beware if you have no Temptations Temptations: Why we have them Lead us not into Temptation Temptations and the Devils who Tempt Good and Bad Angels Litany of the Holy Angels

One of the most thoroughly documented accounts of an official Exorcism in the Catholic Church

The Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament or Exorcism of Nicola Aubry, by Fr. Michael Muller

†

March 22nd,
St. Isidore the Farmer, Confessor

               Newly Added
St. Isidore, the Farmer                Newly Added
To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger St. Benedict Prayers and Devotions 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books Index of Children Prayers Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary                Newly Added
The Necessity of Mortification

               Newly Added
The Sacrament of Penance,
All of Your Questions Answered New    Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897                  Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P.

The Penitent Christian is a valuable aid in making a good confession. All necessary facets of the Sacrement of Penance are covered in detail to answer your individual questions.

The Penitent Christian Litany of Penance Examination of Conscience Contrition

Grant us, we beseech Thee, O God, by the intercession of Thy Confessor the Holy farm-laborer, Isidore, that we may overcome any feelings of pride, and may always serve Thee with That Humility which pleases Thee, through his merits and example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Isidore the Farmer, was born near Madrid of very poor but very Christian parents, who early inspired in him love for God and horror of sin. His education was accomplished entirely by the Holy Spirit who taught him, without books, the science of salvation.

He married a wife rich in virtue, Maria Torribia, and God blessed them with a son whom they brought up in the sentiments of their own piety. The child fell into a well, which is still shown in Madrid, and drowned; but when his parents prayed he might be returned to them, the water rose to ground level and brought up the child full of life and health. They promised then to separate, apparently out of gratitude to God, and to live in perpetual continence.

Saint Isidore himself was a day-laborer on a farm near Madrid, but every day found him at Mass in one of the churches of the city before he set out for his daily task. His employer desired to verify whether he was wasting time during his work, and one day saw two mysterious personages helping the holy worker to guide his plow; Isidore himself told him they were Angels. Afterwards the wealthy owner became still more convinced that piety was useful in all occupations. For not only did his worker bring back to life one of his horses, which he very much needed; when his daughter, too, died, she was resurrected by the Saint. A fountain of water which the Saint caused to surge up by striking the ground still exists.

Saint Isidore, though poor, shared all he had with the poor; and one day, when no provisions were left, his cupboard was found well furnished when still another beggar arrived.

Saint Isidore died some time after his wife; and forty years later his remains, which had been in extremely wet ground, were found incorrupt. They were taken into the Church of Saint Andrew and re-interred there; miracles have been countless, and celestial music has often been heard at his tomb. He has protected the city of Seville, making himself visible occasionally; and the kings of Spain themselves urged his canonization, which was carried out in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.

       †

March 21st,
St. Benedict, Abbot

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Benedict procure favor for us, we beseech thee, O Lord: that we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

               Newly Added
To fight against Satan, The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, by Prosper Gueranger St. Benedict Prayers and Devotions                Newly Added
The Steps of Our Savior's Passion 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Stations of the Cross St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross by Henri Boudon, 1875 Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary                Newly Added
The Necessity of Mortification                  Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. New    What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

St. Benedict, blessed by grace and in name, was born of a noble Italian family about 480. When a boy he was sent to Rome, and there placed in the public schools. Scared by the licentiousness of the Roman youth, he fled to the desert mountains of Subiaco, and was directed by the Holy Spirit into a cave, deep, craggy, and almost inaccessible. He lived there for three years, unknown to any one save the holy monk Romanus, who clothed him with the monastic habit and brought him food. But the fame of his sanctity soon gathered disciples round him.

The rigor of his rule, however, drew on him the hatred of some of the monks, and one of them mixed poison with the abbot's drink; but when the Saint made the sign of the cross on the poisoned bowl, it broke and fell in pieces to the ground. After he had built twelve monasteries at Subiaco, he removed to Monte Casino, where he founded an abbey in which he wrote his rule and lived until death. By prayer he did all things: wrought miracles, saw visions, and prophesied. A peasant, whose boy had just died, ran in anguish to St. Benedict, crying out, "Give me back my son!" The monks joined the poor man in his entreaties; but the Saint replied, "Such miracles are not for us to work, but for the blessed apostles. Why will you lay upon me a burden which my weakness cannot bear? "Moved at length by compassion he knelt down and, prostrating himself upon the body of the child, prayed earnestly. Then rising, he cried out, "Behold not, O Lord, my sins, but the faith of this man, who desireth the life of his son, and restore to the body that soul which Thou hast taken away." Hardly had he spoken when the child's body began to tremble, and taking it by the hand he restored it alive to its father.

Six days before his death he ordered his grave to be opened, and fell ill of a fever. On the sixth day he requested to be borne into the chapel, and, having received the body and blood of Christ, with hands uplifted, and leaning on one of his disciples, he calmly expired in prayer on the 21st of March, 543.

Reflection.--The Saints never feared to undertake any work, however arduous, for God, because, distrusting self, they relied for assistance and support wholly upon prayer.

       †

March 20th, Ferial Day

Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Contrition The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Repentance and Conversion
of St. Peter

1st Prel. Look at the Apostle St. Peter weeping over his sin.

2d Prel. Beg for the grace of true contrition.

Point I

"And the Lord, turning, looked on Peter." (St. Luke 22:61.)

Consideration.--How inexpressibly great was the goodness of our blessed Lord! He was in the midst of His sufferings; horrible insults and blasphemies were being poured upon Him; but He forgot Himself, and thought only of His faithless disciple. That unhappy fall of St. Peter's had touched Him more than all His own injuries. "Respexit Petrum." "The Lord turning," says the gospel, "looked upon Peter." (St. Luke 22:61.) It was a glance of mingled reproach and mercy, which was to be the means of his repentance and conversion.

Application.--And day by day this same goodness of our Lord is manifested toward numbers of poor sinners. He prevents them by His grace. He looks mercifully on them, dealing with them as He did with the penitent King David when he cried out, " Respice in me, Domine, et miserere mei." "Look Thou upon me, and have mercy on me." (Ps. 24: 16.) Terror had so completely taken possession of St. Peter in the hall of Caiphas, that it had blinded him to the extent of his sin. Our Lord came to his assistance, and opened his eyes; and from that day forward, his gratitude to his loving Saviour was fervent and continual. If we think over our past sins, we shall recollect how often grace has saved us, and roused us from the sleep of death. Deep, then, ought to be our gratitude.

Affections.--Aspirations of a grateful and devoted heart.

Resolutions.--To have recourse to prayer immediately on falling into sin, that we may not sleep in death.

Point II

"Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice deny me." (St. Mark 14: 72.)

Consideration.--Sudden and wonderful was the change which one look from Jesus wrought in the heart of the faithless disciple. In an instant the darkness which encompassed his soul disappeared; he saw clearly the greatness of his sin; he remembered all his Master's forewarnings at the Last Supper and in the Garden of Olives; and his heart was filled, not with despair, but with the deepest contrition. He was transformed into the model of a true penitent.

Application.--Wonderful, indeed, is the work of grace! Silently it penetrates into the soul, enlightening and strengthening it, showing it the instability of creatures, the guilt and horror of sin, filling it with a deep and salutary contrition. It makes the sinner shed tears of mingled grief, love, and joy; it purifies the soul from all unruly affections; disengages it from the world, and draws it upward to God.

Affections.--O inestimable gift of grace! replenish me betimes with thy consolations, lest my soul faint through weariness and dryness of mind. (Imitation of Christ, in. Book, lv.)

Resolutions.--To pray frequently for the assistance of Divine grace.

Point III

"And going forth, he wept bitterly." (St. Matt. 26:75.)

Consideration.--The fall of St. Peter had been grievous and scandalous, and his repentance was generous and edifying. Without a moment's delay, he fled from the place and the company which had occasioned his fall; and when alone, he began to shed those bitter tears which will not cease till his death. He mourned over the humiliation of his fall, the thought of his ingratitude, the grief and pain he had given to his Divine Master at the very moment when He was manifesting His love for him. Not only did our Blessed Lord pardon His penitent disciple, but He restored all the privileges which had been granted to him before his fall.

Application.--If we, like the Apostle, have been unfaithful, let us also imitate him in his repentance. The remembrance of our past ingratitude, and of God's goodness to us, should inspire us with deeper humility, more steadfast trust, and an unbounded generosity in works of charity; and thus, with the help of God's grace, we shall be enabled to bring good out of evil.

Colloquy with the penitent Apostle. Unite with him in extolling the boundless mercy of the heart of Jesus. Say often--particularly after the evening examination--"Lord Jesus! I ask Thy pardon for the numerous imperfections of my thoughts, words, actions, and intentions; but yet more do I thank Thee for the many graces Thou hast conferred on me. The measure of Thy mercies exceeds even that of my iniquities."

†

March 19th, St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Grant, O Lord, that we may be helped by the merits of the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother: so that what we cannot obtain of ourselves, may be given to us through his intercession: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Prayers and Devotions for the Dying St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church St. Joseph Additional Prayers Solemnity of St. Joseph Sermons on St. Joseph The Patronage of St. Joseph Christmas Video Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph.html St. Joseph Husband of Mary and Intecessor of the Universal Church Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Family

Other Links in Honor of St. Joseph

The Flight into Egypt Instructions for the
Catholic Family The Christian Father The Christian Family March Meditation on St. Joseph The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859

Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

On the nineteenth of March, our holy Mother the Church reminds us of the feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Foster- Father of Jesus, and Patron of the Universal Church. The Catholic Church has always honored St. Joseph in a special manner, after Our Lady and above the other Saints.

St. Gregory the Great tells us that Christ is the Son of God, not only because He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, but also because God formed His sacred humanity. In the first promise of the Redeemer as we read it in the Gospel Commentary, Christ is called, not the seed of man, but the seed of the woman;(1) and in the genealogy of Christ re- corded by St. Matthew, no mention is made of His descent from Joseph, but only of Mary.(2) Yet, Christ was commonly thought to be the son of Joseph.(3) Mary was espoused to St. Joseph that no accusation might be made against her by the world, and that she might have in him a protector. About St. Joseph we have the following facts: He was a carpenter,(4) he was a just man.(5)

On the first page of the New Testament, in the first chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, stand the name and the office of 8t. Joseph, the foundation of his claim to the veneration of Christians and the complete justification of all the honor paid him by the unerring Spouse of Christ, the Holy Catholic Church.

The Spouse of Mary Immaculate, the Head of the Holy Family, the Foster-Father of the Incarnate Word, to his faithful guardianship were entrusted Christ Jesus, Innocence itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins. As King Assuerus desired to honor Mardochai of old, the protector of Queen Esther, so the King of Heaven desired to honor Joseph, yet, not with the fleeting hours of earthly greatness, whose remembrance would quickly fade from the minds of men, but with a dignity which should claim increasing reverence in each succeeding age. Even as the elder Joseph in King Pharaoh's court, his prototype, had been clothed with the king's own garment, so was he clothed with the earthly representation of the eternal fatherhood of God. He was the spouse on earth of her who was the Bride of the Holy Ghost.

St. Bernardine of Siena lays down the following principle of God's dealing with His saints which is verified most of all in St. Joseph. "When the divine favor chooses anyone for a singular grace or for a sublime state or position, to that person are given, together with his vocation, all those gifts of grace that are necessary for him as well as those that befit the office to -which he is chosen.

St. Joseph was chosen from among men to have the chief part, after his Immaculate Spouse, in the supreme work of God's mercy, the Incarnation of the Eternal Word. He -was to he the companion and spouse of the Mother of God, the guide, protector and ruler of the Word Made Flesh. His office required the rarest qualities of soul and mind: these were given him with gifts of grace that were limited only by omnipotent generosity.

What must not have been the graces given him in early life to prepare him for his life-work! And then, after the Espousals, must not the prayers of Mary his spouse have obtained for him plentiful floods of divine grace? But who "will attempt to measure the increase of holiness coming to him from his years of close companionship with the Source of all holiness, his Foster-Son Christ Jesus? His life after the Nativity was one long Communion day, grace following grace in his soul; his heart was ever filled with the thought of thanksgiving, as in the psalm, "What shall I render to the Lord for all that he has ren- dered unto me?"

In Christian art we find St. Joseph presented to us in accordance with the truth of Scripture and tradition. Christian artists have ever dwelt lovingly on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Of the Holy Family, pictures are given by the best authorities from the earliest days of the Church; some were found on the walls of the Roman Catacombs of Sts. Calistus and Priscilla; others, to be seen on sepulchral marbles and sarcophagi,, as well as upon ivory and earthenware.

The exquisite legend or tradition of the Espousals is beautifully portrayed in Raphael's painting, "The Marriage of St. Joseph,'' Tradition tells us that .there were many suitors for the hand of Mary, the heiress of Joachim and Anna. All the unmarried laen of the race of David, Joseph among the number, were summoned by the high priest, who bade each of them bring a rod with his name inscribed upon it. These rods the high priest placed in the Tabernacle of the Testimony, as Moses had done with the rods of Aaron and the princes of the tribes, and he besought the Lord to repeat the sign for him whom He had chosen to be Mary's spouse. On the morrow, it was found that, while the rods of the others had remained unchanged, Joseph's rod had budded and blossomed and now bore leaves and beautiful flowers. This is said by many to be the origin of the flowering rod with which St. Joseph is so often represented in art.

The Hidden Life has ever been a magnet for devout artists. The touching traditions that have come down to us fill out the Gospel narrative and afford subjects for Christian art as well as for pious contemplation.

In the Holy House at Nazareth there was constant labor. St. Justin, the Christian Apologist of the second century, tells us that "Jesus was reputed the son of Joseph, the carpenter or worker in wood and He Himself was reckoned to be a carpenter; for while He dwelt among men He had performed carpenter's work, making plows and yokes, teaching us thus to lead just lives, free from idleness.'' Would that these lessons might sink deeply into the souls of all Christians, and that, our thoughts dwelling oftener upon this Holy Family, our labor might become sanctified by closer union with theirs.

The life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph at Nazareth was a life of prayer and of labor, a hard life to lead, as worldly-minded men consider it, a lowly life and, in truth, distasteful to many whose ideas of labor are altogether at variance with Catholic teaching and practice. "To lead just lives" in the practice of all the virtues befitting our state; "to lead lives free from idleness'' avoiding useless works and those not given us to do, and doing with all our might the work that God has given us. What toil will not be sweetened for him who has allowed these lessons to penetrate deeply into his mind and heart! What merit will he not gain if all his days are days of labor and of prayer in union with that prayer and labor which at Nazareth helped to save the world!

The end of earthly life was at hand; St. Joseph's work was done, his mission on earth fulfilled. Now he might repeat, with fuller meaning, the words of the holy old man Simeon--words that when first pronounced had filled his soul with wonder--"Now, O Lord, Thou dost dismiss Thy servant according to Thy word in peace." His eyes had indeed beheld the salvation of the Lord; he had seen Him Whom many kings eagerly desired to look upon; it had been given him not only to see and to hear, but to carry in his arms, to embrace, to clothe and to protect the only- begotten Son of God.

The "Death of St. Joseph" by Overbeck, represents the Saint at the very moment of death; Our Lady kneels beside Him, her hands clasped in prayer, and Our Lord, with hand upraised, is giving him the last blessing. Angels gaze with rapture upon the scene, and chant the words of the Apocalypse:

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." St. Joseph's death in the arms of Jesus has made him the special patron of the dying.

St. Jerome tells us St. Joseph was perfect in every virtue; and St. Thomas Aquinas gives as the reason for his holiness that he was so close to the Fount of holiness, just as the spring is clearer as we approach its source. St. Francis de Sales tells us that St. Joseph was conspicuous for his purity, and therein surpassed all the saints and even the angels. He was called father by Him Whose Father was in heaven.(6) Many saints assert that St. Joseph has a very high place in heaven as the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, and that he will be called upon by men in the last days of the world and give signs of his great power. St. Joseph is the patron of the Church;(7) that is, his prayers for the Church have great efficacy at the throne of God. St. Thomas Aquinas says that St. Joseph received power from God to help us in all necessities; and St. Teresa declared that no prayer of hers to St. Joseph in temporal or spiritual need was ever left unanswered.

May this short story increase our love for St. Joseph and help us to desire more ardently to have a very special share in his powerful protection in life and in death, since God has given him to us also, the most blessed and powerful guide and protector in our last passage, which we trust is to lead us to that heavenly home, of which the cottage at Nazareth was the image and the anticipation.(8)

1. Gen, iii, 15.
2. Matt. i, 16.
3.Luke iii, 23
4. Matt. xiii. 55.
5. Ib. i. 19.
6. St. Basil.
7. Pius IX, 1870.
8. Rev. Alban Butler.

†

March 18th, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church and the 4th Sunday in Lent

St. Cyril of Jerusalem Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Devotion to the Five
Wounds of Jesus Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph.html The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Grant us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, through the intercession of blessed Cyril, Thy Bishop: so to know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent, that we may be accounted worthy to be numbered always with the sheep who hear his voice. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Cyril was born at or near the city of Jerusalem, about the year 315. He was ordained priest by St. Maximus, who gave him the important charge of instructing and preparing the candidates for Baptism. This charge he held for several years, and we still have one series of his instructions, given in the year 347 or 318. They are of singular interest as being the earliest record of the systematic teaching of the Church on the creed and sacraments, and as having been given in the church built by Constantine on Mount Calvary. They are solid, simple, profound; saturated with Holy Scripture; exact, precise, and terse; and, as a witness and exposition of the Catholic faith, invaluable.

On the death of St. Maximus, Cyril was chosen Bishop of Jerusalem. At the beginning of his episcopate a cross was seen in the air reaching from Mount Calvary to Mount Olivet, and so bright that it shone at noonday. St. Cyril gave an account of it to the emperor; and the faithful regarded it as a presage of victory over the Arian heretics. While Cyril was bishop, the apostate Julian resolved to falsify the words of Our Lord by rebuilding the Temple at Jerusalem. He employed the power and resources of a Roman emperor; the Jews thronged enthusiastically to him and gave munificently. But Cyril was unmoved. "The word of God abides," he said; "one stone shall not be laid on another."

When the attempt was made, a heathen writer tells us that horrible flames came forth from the earth, rendering the place inaccessible to the scorched and scared workmen. The attempt was made again and again, and then abandoned in despair. Soon after, the emperor perished miserably in a war against the Persians, and the Church had rest. Like the other great bishops of his time, Cyril was persecuted, and driven once and again from his see; but on the death of the Arian Emperor Valens he returned to Jerusalem. He was present at the second General Council at Constantinople, and died in peace in 386, after a troubled episcopate of thirty-five years.

Reflection.--"As a stout staff," says St. John Chrysostom, "supports the trembling limbs of a feeble old man, so does faith sustain our vacillating mind, lest it be tossed about by sinful hesitation and perplexity."

†

March 17th, St. Patrick, Bishop and Confessor

I. St. Patrick Prayers Devotions II. St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland III. The Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, 1890 Newly Added
IV. St. Patrick's Shamrock and the book: "St. Patrick: His Life, His Heroic Virtues, His Labours, and the Fruits of His Labours"

Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph.html The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

O God, Who didst deign to send blessed Patrick Thy Confessor and Bishop, to preach Thy glory to the nations: grant, through his merits and intercession, that what Thou commandest us to do, we may be Thy mercy be able to accomplish. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

If the virtue of children reflects an honor on their parents, much more justly is the name of St. Patrick rendered illustrious by the innumerable lights of sanctity with which the Church of Ireland shone during many ages, and by the colonies of Saints with which it peopled many foreign countries; for, under God, its inhabitants derived from their glorious apostle the streams of that eminent sanctity by which they were long conspicuous to the whole world.

St. Patrick was born towards the close of the fourth century, in a village called Bonaven Taberniae which seems to be the town of Kilpatrick, on the mouth of the river Clyde, in Scotland, between Dumbarton and Glasgow. He calls himself both a Briton and a Roman, or of a mixed extraction, and says his father was of a good family named Calphurnius, and a denizen of a neighboring city of the Romans, who not long after abandoned Britain, in 409. Some writers call his mother Conchessa, and say she was niece to St. Martin of Tours.

In his sixteenth year he was carried into captivity by certain barbarians, who took him into Ireland, where he was obliged to keep cattle on the mountains and in the forests, in hunger and nakedness, amidst snow, rain, and ice. Whilst he lived in this suffering condition, God had pity on his soul, and quickened him to a sense of his duty by the impulse of a strong interior grace. The young man had recourse to Him with his whole heart in fervent prayer and fasting; and from that time faith and the love of God acquired continually new strength in his tender soul. After six months spent in slavery under the same master, St. Patrick was admonished by God in a dream to return to his own country, and informed that a ship was then ready to sail thither. He went at once to the sea-coast, though at a great distance, and found the vessel; but could not obtain his passage, probably for want of money.

The Saint returned towards his hut, praying as he went; but the sailors, though pagans, called him back and took him on board. After three daysÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬ ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â sail they made land, but wandered twenty-seven days through deserts, and were a long while distressed for want of provisions, finding nothing to eat. Patrick had often spoken to the company on the infinite power of God; they therefore asked him why he did not pray for relief. Animated by a strong faith, he assured them that if they would address themselves with their whole hearts to the true God He would hear and succor them. They did so, and on the same day met with a herd of swine. From that time provisions never failed them, till on the twenty-seventh day they came info a country that was cultivated and inhabited.

Some years afterwards he was again led captive, but recovered his liberty after two months. When he was at home with his parents, God manifested to him, by divers visions, that He destined him to the great work of the conversion of Ireland. The writers of his life say that after his second captivity he travelled into Gaul and Italy, and saw St. Martin, St. Germanus of Auxerre, and Pope Celestine, and that he received his mission and the apostolical benediction from this Pope, who died in 432. It is certain that he spent many years in preparing himself for his sacred calling. Great opposition was made against his episcopal consecration and mission, both by his own relatives and by the clergy. These made him great offers in order to detain him among them, and endeavored to affright him by exaggerating the dangers to which he exposed himself amidst the enemies of the Romans and Britons, who did not know God.

All these temptations threw the Saint into great perplexities; but the Lord, Whose will he consulted by earnest prayer, supported him, and he persevered in his resolution. He forsook his family, sold his birthright and dignity, to serve strangers, and consecrated his soul to God, to carry His name to the ends of the earth. In this disposition he passed into Ireland, to preach the Gospel, where the worship of idols still generally reigned. He devoted himself entirely to the salvation of these barbarians. He travelled over the whole island, penetrating into the remotest corners, and such was the fruit of his preachings and sufferings that he baptized an infinite number of people.

He ordained everywhere clergymen, induced women to live in holy widowhood and continence, consecrated virgins to Christ, and instituted monks. He took nothing from the many thousands whom he baptized, and often gave back the little presents which some laid on the altar, choosing rather to mortify the fervent than to scandalize the weak or the infidels. He gave freely of his own, however, both to pagans and Christians, distributed large alms to the poor in the provinces where he passed, made presents to the kings, judging that necessary for the progress of the Gospel, and maintained and educated many children, whom he trained up to serve at the altar. The happy success of his labors cost him many persecutions.

A certain prince named Corotick, a Christian in name only, disturbed the peace of his flock. This tyrant, having made a descent into Ireland, plundered the country where St. Patrick had been just conferring confirmation on a great number of neophytes, who were yet in their white garments after Baptism. Corotick massacred many, and carried away others, whom he sold to the infidel Picts or Scots. The next day the Saint sent the barbarian a letter entreating him to restore the Christian captives, and at least part of the booty he had taken, that the poor people might not perish for want, but was only answered by railleries.

The Saint, therefore, wrote with his own hand a letter. In it he styles himself a sinner and an ignorant man; he declares, nevertheless, that he is established Bishop of Ireland, and pronounces Corotick and the other parricides and accomplices separated from him and from Jesus Christ, Whose place he holds, forbidding any to eat with them, or to receive their alms, till they should have satisfied God by the tears of sincere penance, and restored the servants of Jesus Christ to their liberty. This letter expresses his most tender love for his flock, and his grief for those who had been slain, yet mingled with joy because they reign with the prophets, apostles, and martyrs. Jocelin assures us that Corotick was overtaken by the divine vengeance.

St. Patrick held several councils to settle the discipline of the Church which he had planted. St. Bernard and the tradition of the country testify that St. Patrick fixed his metropolitan see at Armagh. He established some other bishops, as appears by his Council and other monuments. He not only converted the whole country by his preaching and wonderful miracles, but also cultivated this vineyard with so fruitful a benediction and increase from heaven as to render Ireland a most flourishing garden in the Church of God, and a country of Saints.

Many particulars are related of the labors of St. Patrick, which we pass over. 'in the first year of his mission he attempted to preach Christ in the general assembly of the kings and states of all Ireland, held yearly at Tara, the residence of the chief king, styled the monarch of the whole island, and the principal seat of the Druids, or priests, and their paganish rites. The son of Neill, the chief monarch, declared himself against the preacher; however, Patrick converted several, and, on his road to that place, the father of St. Benignus, his immediate successor in the see of Armagh.

He afterwards converted and baptized the Icings of Dublin and Munster, and the seven sons of the king of Connaught, with the greatest part of their subjects, and before his death almost the whole island. He founded a monastery at Armagh; another called Domnach-Padraig, or Patrick's Church; also a third, named Sabhal-Padraig; and filled the country with churches and schools of piety and learning, the reputation of which, for the three succeeding centuries, drew many foreigners into Ireland. He died and was buried at Down in Ulster. His body was found there in a church of his name in 1185, and translated to another part of the same church.

Ireland is the nursery whence St. Patrick sent forth his missionaries and teachers. Glastonbury and Lindisfarne, Ripon and Malmesbury, bear testimony to the labors of Irish priests and bishops for the conversion of England. Iona is to this day the most venerated spot in Scotland. Columban, Fiacre, Gall, and many others evangelized the "rough places" of France and Switzerland. America and Australia, in modern times, owe their Christianity to the faith and zeal of the sons and daughters of St. Patrick.

Reflection.--By the instrumentality of St. Patrick the Faith is now as fresh in Ireland, even in this cold nineteenth century, as when it was first planted. Ask him to obtain for you the special grace of his children--to prefer the loss of every earthly good to the least compromise in matters of faith.

†

March 16th,
Second Sunday of Lent

The Transfiguratioin of our Lord gives us an idea of the beauty of a soul in the state of sanctifying grace. "This is the will of God, your sanctification." It must be our firm determination to preserve the divine life of the soul, at any price.

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O God, Who seest us to be destitute of all strength, do Thou both inwardly and outwardly keep us; that in body we may be defended from all adversities, and in mind cleansed from evil thoughts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Transfiguration of our Lord gives us an idea of the beauty of a soul in the state of sanctifying grace. "This is the will of God, your sanctification." It must be our firm determination to preserve the divine life of our soul, at any price.

In today's Epistle, the Apostle shows what manner of life should be followed by Christians; and the Church, by repeating his words, exhorts the Faithful to profit of the present Season of grace, and regain all the beauty of the image of God, which the grace of Baptism first gave them. A Christian is a vessel of honour, formed and enriched by the hand of God; let him, therefore, shun whatsoever would degrade his noble origin, and turn him into a vessel of dishonor, fit only to be broken and cast with the unclean into the sink of hell.

The Christian Religion has so far ennobled man, that even his very body may share in the soul's sanctity; on the other hand, she teaches us, that this sanctity of the soul is impaired, yea, altogether effaced, by the loss of the body's purity. The whole man, therefore, both body and soul, is to be reformed by the practices of this holy Season. Let us purify the soul by the confession of our sins, by compunction of heart, by the love of God; and let us give back its dignity to the Body, by making it bear the yoke of penance, that so it may be, henceforth, subservient and docile to the Soul, and, on the day of the general Resurrection, partake in her endless bliss.

†

March 15th, Ferial Day

               Newly Added
The Sacrament of Penance,
All of Your Questions Answered New    Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897                  Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P.

The Penitent Christian is a valuable aid in making a good confession. All necessary facets of the Sacrement of Penance are covered in detail to answer your individual questions.

The Penitent Christian Litany of Penance Examination of Conscience Contrition

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On the merciful
chastisements of God

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

God, being infinite goodness, desires only our good and to communicate to us His own happiness. When He chastises us, it is because we have obliged Him to do so by our sins. Hence the prophet Isaias says, that, on such occasions, He doth a work foreign to His desires. xxviii. 21. Hence it is that it is said, that it is the property of God to have mercy and to spare, to dispense His favours and to make all happy. O God, it is this Thy infinite goodness which sinners offend and despise, when they provoke Thee to chastise them. Wretch that I am, how often have I offended Thy infinite goodness!

Let us therefore understand that when God threatens us, it is not because He desires to punish us, but because He wishes to deliver us from punishment; He threatens, because He would have compassion on us. O God thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us. Ps. lix. 3. But how is this? He is angry with us, and treats us with mercy? Yes! He shows Himself angry towards us, in order that we may amend our lives, and that thus He maybe able to pardon and save us; hence, if in this life He chastise us for our sins, He does so in His mercy, for by so doing He frees us from eternal woe. How unfortunate then is the sinner who escapes punishment in this life!

Since then, O God, I have so much offended Thee, chastise me in this life, that Thou mayest spare me in the next. I know that I have certainly deserved hell; I accept all kinds of pain, that Thou mayest reinstate me in Thy grace and deliver me from hell, where I should be for ever separated from Thee. Enlighten and strengthen me to overcome every obstacle to Thy favour.

He who makes no account of the divine threats, ought much to fear lest the chastisement threatened in the Proverbs should suddenly overtake him: The man that with a stiff neck despiseth him that reproveth him, shall suddenly be destroyed; and health shall not follow him. xxix. 1. A sudden death shall overtake him that despises God's reprehensions, and he shall have no time to avoid eternal destruction.

This, O Jesus, has happened to many, and I indeed have deserved that the like should happen to me; but, O my Redeemer, Thou hast shown that mercy towards me which Thou hast not shown to many others who have offended thee less frequently than I have done, and who are now suffering in hell without the least hope of ever again being able to regain Thy favour. I know, O Lord, that Thou desirest my salvation, and I also desire it, that I may please Thee. I renounce all, and turn myself to Thee, who art my God, and my only good. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee, and Thee alone. O infinite goodness, I am exceedingly displeased with myself for having hitherto done evil against Thee; and I wish that I had suffered every evil, rather than offended Thee. Suffer me not any more to depart from Thee, rather let me die than offer Thee so great an injury. In Thee, my crucified Jesus, do I place all my hopes. O Mary, mother of Jesus, recommend me to your Son.

       †

March 14th, Ferial Day

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The Steps of Our Savior's Passion                Newly Added
The Sacrament of Penance,
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The Necessity of Mortification                  Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. New    What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

On the Eternity of Hell

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

If hell were not eternal, it would not be hell. Punishment which does not continue for a long time is not grievous punishment. On the other hand, punishment, however light it may be, when it continues for a long time, becomes intolerable. Were a person obliged during the whole of his life to see the same entertainments, or to hear the same music, how could he endure it? What then must it be to remain in hell and to suffer all its torments! and for how long a time? For all eternity. It would be folly, for the sake of a day's pleasure, to condemn one's self to be burnt alive. And is it not folly, for the sake of a sensual gratification, which can last but for one moment, to condemn one's self to the fire of hell, whose victims, though dying every moment, yet never never die? O God, preserve me by thy grace. Woe to me if I should turn my back upon thee after the great mercy with which thou hast dealt with me! Keep me, O God, and preserve me from so great a misfortune.

Let us awaken our slumbering faith. It is certain that he who is lost is lost for ever, without the least hope of being redeemed from eternal ruin. They shall go into eternal punishment. St. Matt. xxv. 46. He who once enters the prison of hell can come out no more. Otherwise the condemned wretches would flatter themselves with hopes, and would say: who knows, perhaps God may some day have pity on us and deliver us? But no, they well know that hell will never have an end, and that they must continue to suffer the same torments which they at present endure, so long as God shall be God. My dear Redeemer, I know too well that by the past I have forfeited Thy grace, and condemned myself to hell; but I do not know whether Thou hast pardoned me. Hasten to forgive me, O Jesus, while I bitterly lament my offences against Thee, and never suffer me to offend Thee any more.

In this life death is of all things the most dreaded, but in hell it is of all things the most desired. There they desire and long for death, but cannot die. They shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them. Apoc. ix. 6. Are there not at least, in that place of torments, some to compassionate them? No, all hate them, and rejoice in their sufferings, which will last for ever, without end or mitigation. The trumpet of divine justice continually sounds and thunders forth in their ears those terrible words: ever, ever; never, never. Amongst these miserable beings, O Jesus, I have deserved to be numbered; but do Thou, who hast hitherto preserved me from falling into hell, preserve me for the future from falling into sin, which alone can condemn me to that place of woe. Ah! never suffer me again to become thy enemy. I love Thee, O infinite goodness, and I am sorry for having offended Thee. Pardon me, and as I have deserved to burn for ever in the fire of hell, grant me to burn for ever with the fire of Thy holy love. O Mary, in your powerful intercession do I confide.

       †

March 13th, Ferial Day

               Newly Added
The Sacrament of Penance,
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The Necessity of Mortification                  Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. New    What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

On an unprovided death

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Nothing is more certain than death, but nothing more uncertain than the hour of death. It is certain that the year and the day of each one's death is already determined by our Lord, though we know them not; and wisely does God conceal them from us, in order that we may be always prepared for our departure. I give thee thanks, O Jesus, for having waited for me, and for not having called me out of life in the state of mortal sin. During the remainder of my life I will bewail my iniquities and love thee with all my strength. I know that I must die, and by Thy grace I will prepare myself for a good death.

Jesus Christ admonishes us of the hour of our death, and when shall it be? when we least expect it. At what hour you think not, the Son of man will come. St. Luke xii. 40. If then, says St. Bernard, death may at any time take us out of life, we should at all times be prepared for it and keep our accounts in order. O Jesus, I will not wait until the moment of my death to give myself to Thee. Thou hast said that those who seek Thee shall find Thee: "Seek and ye shall find:" I seek Thee, I desire Thee; grant that I may find Thee. I am sorry for my sins and will never more offend Thee.

When then, dear Christian, thou art tempted to commit sin with the hope of confessing it on the morrow, say to thyself: but who knows but that this moment may be my last? And if in this moment I should be guilty of sin, and death should overtake me, whither should I go? O God, how many miserable sinners have been struck by death in the act of feasting themselves on some poisonous gratification! The devil will say to thee: this misfortune will not befal thee. But do thou answer him: if it should befal me, what will become of me for eternity? O God, may not that happen to me which has happened to so many other unhappy sinners? How many are now in hell for lesser sins than I have committed! I give Thee thanks, O Jesus, for having waited for me with so much patience, and for having now enlightened me. I have erred in forsaking Thee; and death might have been my punishment; but since Thou givestme time, henceforward I will think of nothing but of loving Thee. Assist me with Thy grace. And do you, Mary, assist me by your holy intercession.

       †

March 12th, St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

St. Gregory the Great Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books Litany of the Saints A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph.html 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary                Newly Added
The Necessity of Mortification                  Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. New    What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

O God, Who hast given to the soul of Thy servant Gregory, the rewards of everlasting bliss, mercifully grant, that we, who are oppressed by the weight of our sins, may be relieved by his intercession with Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

O God, Who for his merits didst make the blessed pontiff Gregory the equal of Thy saints; grant us this boon, that we who keep high festival in memory of him may also reproduce the pattern of his life: through our Lord. etc. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Gregory was a Roman of noble birth, and while still young was governor of Rome. On his father's death he gave his great wealth to the poor, turned his house on the Coelian Hill into a monastery, which now bears his name, and for some years lived as a perfect monk. The Pope drew him from his seclusion to make him one of the seven deacons of Rome; and he did great service to the Church for many years as what we now call Nuncio to the Imperial court at Constantinople. While still a monk the saint was struck with some boys who were exposed for sale in Rome, and heard with sorrow that they were pagans. "And of what race are they?" he asked. "They are Angles." "Worthy indeed to be Angels of God," said he. "And of what province?" "Of Deira," was the reply. "Truly must we rescue them from the wrath of God. And what is the name of their king?" "He is called Ella." "It is well," said Gregory; "Alleluia must be sung in their land to God."

He at once got leave from the Pope, and had set out to convert the English when the murmurs of the people led the Pope to recall him. Still the Angles were not forgotten, and one of the Saint's first cares as Pope was to send from his own monastery St. Augustine and other monks to England. On the death of Pope Pelagius II., Gregory was compelled to take the government of the Church, and for fourteen years his pontificate was a perfect model of ecclesiastical rule. He healed schisms; revived discipline; saved Italy by converting the wild Arian Lombards who were laying it waste; aided in the conversion of the Spanish and French Goths, who were also Arians; and kindled anew in Britain the light of the Faith, which the English had put out in blood. He set in order the Church's prayers and chant, guided and consoled her pastors with innumerable letters, and preached incessantly, most effectually by his own example. He died A. D. 604, worn out by austerities and toils; and the Church reckons him one of her four great doctors, and reveres him as St. Gregory the Great.

Reflection.--The champions of faith prove the truth of their teaching no less by the holiness of their lives than by the force of their arguments. Never forget that to con Pert others you must first see to your own soul.

       †

March 11th, Ferial Day

Index for the Season of Lent A Novena of Meditations in Honor of St. Joseph.html 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent, Prayers, Devotions, Sermons and Books Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary                Newly Added
The Necessity of Mortification                  Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. New    What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

On the desire of God to save sinners

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

It is indeed very surprising that man, a worm of the earth, should dare to offend his Creator and turn his back upon Him, by despising his graces, after God has so favoured and loved him as to lay down His life to save him. But it is still more surprising that God, after having been thus despised by man, should seek after him, invite him to repentance and offer him His pardon, as though God stood in need of us and not we of Him. O Jesus, thou seekest me, and I seek after Thee. Thou desirest me, and I desire only Thee.

For Christ, saith the Apostle, we beseech you, be reconciled to God. 2 Cor v. 20. "And does God," exclaims St. Chrysostom, "call thus upon sinners! and what does He ask of them? to be reconciled, and to be in peace with Him." My Redeemer, Jesus Christ, how couldst thou have had so much love for me who have so often offended Thee? I detest all my offences against Thee; give me still greater grief, still greater love, that I may deplore my sins, not so much on account of the punishments I have deserved by them, as for the injury I have offered to Thee, my God, who art infinitely good and amiable.

What is man, exclaims holy Job, that Thou shouldst magnify him? or why dost Thou set thy heart upon him? vii. 17. What good, O Lord, hast Thou ever derived from me? and what canst Thou expect from me, that Thou lovest me so much, and comest so near to me? Hast Thou then forgotten all the injuries and treasons which I have committed against Thee? But since Thou hast so much loved me, I, a miserable worm, must also love Thee, my Creator and my Redeemer. Yes, I do love Thee, my God, I love Thee with my whole heart, I love Thee more than myself; and because I love Thee, I will do every thing to please Thee. Thou knowest that nothing is so grievous to me as the remembrance of my having so often despised thy love. I hope for the future to be able to compensate by my love for the frequent displeasure which I have given Thee. Help me for the sake of that precious blood which Thou hast shed for me. Help me also, O holy Mary, for the love of your Son who died for me.

       †

March 10th, Forty Holy Martyrs

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that we who acknowledge the boldness of Thy glorious Martyrs in confessing Thy name, may enjoy their loving intercession for us before Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste were soldiers quartered at Sebaste in Armenia, about the year 320. When their legion was ordered to offer sacrifice they separated themselves from the rest and formed a company of martyrs. After they had been torn by scourges and iron hooks they were chained together and led to a lingering death. It was a cruel winter, and they were condemned to lie naked on the icy surface of a pond in the open air till they were frozen to death. But they ran undismayed to the place of their combat, joyfully stripped off their garments, and with one voice besought God to keep their Ranks unbroken. "Forty," they cried, "we have come to combat: grant that forty may be crowned." There were warm baths near by, ready for any one amongst them who would deny Christ.

The soldiers who watched saw angels descending with thirty-nine crowns, and, while he wondered at the deficiency in the number, one of the confessors lost heart, renounced his faith, and, crawling to the fire, died body and soul at the spot where he expected relief. But the soldier was inspired to confess Christ and take his place, and again the number of forty was complete. They remained steadfast while their limbs grew stiff and frozen, and died one by one. Among the Forty there was a young soldier who held out longest against the cold, and when the officers came to cart away the dead bodies they found him still breathing. They were moved with pity, and wanted to leave him alive in the hope that he would still change his mind. But his mother stood by, and this valiant woman could not bear to see her son separated from the band of martyrs. She exhorted him to persevere, and lifted his frozen body into the cart. He was just able to make a sign of recognition, and was borne away, to be thrown into the flames with the dead bodies of his brethren.

†

March 9th, First Sunday of Lent

Newly Added
The Necessity of Mortification First Sunday in Lent Sermons by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger Children's Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent Spiritual Communion Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation St. Michael/ Exorcism A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels Good and Bad Angels Temptations: Why we have them Lead us not into Temptation Temptations and the Devils who Tempt Part 4: How St. John Vianney
was Persecuted by Demons Litany of the Holy Angels Your Guardian Angel
throughout life

One of the most thoroughly documented accounts of an official Exorcism in the Catholic Church

The Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament or Exorcism of Nicola Aubry, by Fr. Michael Muller

O God, Who dost purify Thy Church by the yearly observance of forty days; grant to Thy household that what we strive to obtain from Thee by self denial, we may secure by good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Look upon our weakness, O almighty God: and because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, let the glorious intercession of blessed Simeon, Thy Martyr and Bishop shied us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Originally the forty days of penance were counted from this Sunday. The liturgical gathering of the " station " takes place to-day, as it was since the fourth century, at Saint John Lateran, which is the patriarchal basilica of the Bishops of Rome, At its first consecration, it was dedicated to " Saint Saviour," a name which calls to mind the Redemption accomplished by our Blessed Lord.

Immediately after His baptism, our Lord began to prepare for His public life by a fast of forty days in the mountainous desert which stretches between Jericho and the mountains of Judea. It was there that He was tempted by Satan, who wished to discover whether the son of Mary was in reality the Son of God (Gospel). As in the case of Adam, he adresses his first attack to the senses. Our Lord is hungry and the tempter suggests to Him that He should turn stones into bread. In the same way he tries, during these forty days, to make us give up our fasting and mortification. This is the concupiscence of the flesh.

The devil had promised our first parent that he should be as God. Now he takes our Lord to the pinnacle of the Temple and tries to induce Him to let Himself be carried by the angels through the air amidst the applause of the crowds below. Satan tempts us by pride, which is opposed to the spirit of prayer and meditation on God's word. This is the pride of life.

Finally, just as he had promised Adam a knowledge which like that of God Himself, should enable him to know all things, so Satan assures Jesus that he will make Him ruler over all created things if He will fall at his feet and worship him. In the same way the devil seeks to attach us to temporal goods, when we ought, by alms and works of charity, to be doing good to our neighbour. This is the concupiscence of the eyes or avarice.

Since the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, our Lord made use of the ninetieth psalm against Satan, and this is the theme of the whole Mass and is found again and again in the office of the day. " His truth shall cover thee with a shield," says the psalmist. This psalm is, therefore, the ideal psalm for Lent as a special time of warfare against the devil. Again, the eleventh verse," He hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways," recurs in Vespers like a refrain during the whole season. We find the entire psalm in the Tract, which reminds us of the old custom of singing psalms during certain parts of the Mass. Some of its verses make up the Introit with its verse, the Gradual, the Communion and the Offertory, which last was formerly composed, in to-day's mass, of three verses instead of one, following the order of the threefold temptation as recorded in the Gospel.

Side by side with this psalm the Epistle, certainly dating from the time of Saint Leo, sounds one of the characteristic notes of Lent. There Saint Paul borrows a text of Isaias : " In an accepted time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee." "Behold," says the apostle, " now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation" (Epistle and first nocturn). On this Saint Leo comments : " Although there is no season of the year which is not rich in divine gifts and in which we by God's grace do not find immediate access to His mercy; nevertheless at this time when the return of the day on which we are redeemed summons us to fulfill all the duties of Christian piety, the souls of Christians must be stirred with more zeal for spiritual progress, and possessed of a very great confidence in almighty God. In this manner, with pure souls and bodies, shall we celebrate this mystery of the Lord's Passion, sublime beyond all others.

True, we ought always to be in the divine presence, just as much as on the Easter feast. But because this spiritual vigour is the possession of only a few, while, on the one hand, the weakness of the flesh leads to any very severe observance being relaxed, and on the other, the varied occupations of this life share and divide our interest, it necessarily happens that the dust of the world soils the hearts even of religious themselves. This divine institution has been planned with great profit to our salvation in a manner that the exercises of these forty days may help us to regain the purity of our souls, making up, in a way, for the faults of the rest of the year, by fasting and pious deeds. However, we must be careful to give no one the least cause of complaint or scandal, so that our general behaviour may not be inconsistent with our fasting and penance. For it is useless to reduce the nourishment of the body unless the soul departs from sin " (Second nocturn).

March 9th, St. Frances of Rome, Widow

St. Frances of Rome, Widow

O God, Who among other gifts of Thy grace, didst honor blessed Frances, Thy servant, with the familiar presence of an angel; grant, we beseech Thee, that by the help of her intercession, we may become worthy of being admitted into fellowship with the angels. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Frances was born at Rome in 1384. Her parents were, of high rank. They overruled her desire to become a nun, and at twelve years of age married her to Rorenzo Ponziano, a Roman noble. During the forty years or their married life they never had a disagreement. While spending her days in retirement and prayer, she attended promptly to every household duty, saying, "A married woman must leave God at the altar to find Him in her domestic cares;" and she once found the verse of a psalm in which she had been four times thus interrupted completed for her in letters of gold.

Her ordinary food was dry bread. Secretly she would exchange with beggars good food for their hard crusts; her drink was water, and her cup a human skull. During the invasion of Rome, in 1413, Ponziano was banished, his estates confiscated, his house destroyed, and his eldest son taken as a hostage. Frances saw in these losses only the finger of God, and blessed His holy name. When peace was restored Ponziano recovered his estate, and Frances founded the Oblates.

After her husband's death, barefoot and with a cord about her neck she begged admission to the community, and was soon elected Superioress. She lived always in the presence of God, and amongst many visions was given constant sight of her angel guardian, who shed such brightness around him that the Saint could read her midnight Office by this light alone. He shielded her in the hour of temptation, and directed her in every good act. But when she was betrayed into some defect, he faded from her sight; and when some light words were spoken before her, he covered his face in shame. She died on the day she had foretold, March 9, 1440.

Reflection.--God has appointed an angel to guard each one of us, to whose warnings we are bound to attend. Let us listen to his voice here, and we shall see him hereafter when he leads us before the throne of God.

†

March 8th, St. John of God, Confessor

Litany and Life of St. John of God, Patron of the Sick and Dying Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Dying

40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

The Penitent Christian is a valuable aid in making a good confession. All necessary facets of the Sacrement of Penance are covered in detail to answer your individual questions.

The Penitent Christian Litany of Penance Examination of Conscience

Recommended Reading During Lent

Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross
by Henri Boudon, 1875

O God, Who didst let blessed John, when burning with Thy love, to walk through flames unscathed, and by his means didst beget new offspring for Thy Church: grant, through the help of his merits that our vices may be healed by the fire of Thy love and that we may receive remedies unto life everlasting. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Nothing in John's early life foreshadowed his future sanctity. He ran away as a boy from his home in Portugal, tended sheep and cattle in Spain, and served as a soldier against the French, and afterwards against the Turks. When about forty years of age, feeling remorse for his wild life, he resolved to devote himself to the ransom of the Christian slaves in Africa, and went thither with the family of an exiled noble, which he maintained by his labor. On his return to Spain he sought to do good by selling holy pictures and books at low prices. At length the hour of grace struck.

At Granada a sermon by the celebrated John of Avila shook his soul to its depths, and his expressions of self-abhorrence were so extraordinary that he was taken to the asylum as one mad. There he employed himself in ministering to the sick. On leaving he began to collect homeless poor, and to support them by his work and by begging. One night St. John found in the streets a poor man who seemed near death, and, as was his wont, he carried him to the hospital, laid him on a bed, and went to fetch water to wash his feet. When he had washed them, he knelt to kiss them, and started with awe: the feet were pierced, and the print of the nails bright with an unearthly radiance. He raised his eyes to look, and heard the words, "John, to Me thou doest all that thou doest to the poor in My name: I reach forth My hand for the alms thou givest; Me dost thou clothe, Mine are the feet thou dost wash." And then the gracious vision disappeared, leaving St. John filled at once with confusion and consolation.

The bishop became the Saint's patron, and gave him the name of John of God. When his hospital was on fire, John was seen rushing about uninjured amidst the flames until he had rescued all his poor. After ten years spent in the service of the suffering, the Saint's life was fitly closed. He plunged into the river Xenil to save a drowning boy, and died, 1550, of an illness brought on by the attempt, at the age of fifty-five.

Reflection.--God often rewards men for works that are pleasing in His sight by giving them grace and opportunity to do other works higher still. St. John of God used to attribute his conversion, and the graces which enabled him to do such great works, to his self-denying charity in Africa.

†

March 7th, St. Thomas Aquinas, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

                 Newly Added
The Sinner's Guide
by Ven. Louis of Granada, O.P. St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions
40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas First Friday Devotions Stations of the Cross St. Leonard of Port Maurice and the Stations of the Cross The Holy Ways of the Cross by Henri Boudon, 1875 Index for the Season of Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Seven Penitential Psalms Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent New    What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved.

O God, Who by the wonderful learning of blessed Thomas, Thy Confessor, givest glory to Thy Church, and by his holy deeds makest her fruitful: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may both perceive with the understanding what he taught and follow his example in what he practiced. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Thomas was born of noble parents at Aquino in Italy, in 1226. At the age of nineteen he received the Dominican habit at Naples, where he was studying. Seized by his brothers on his way to Paris, he suffered a two years' captivity in their castle of Rocca-Secca; but neither the caresses of his mother and sisters, nor the threats and stratagems of his brothers, could shake him in his vocation. While St. Thomas was in confinement at Rocca-Secca, his brothers endeavored to entrap him into sin, but the attempt only ended in the triumph of his purity. Snatching from the hearth a burning brand, the Saint drove from his chamber the wretched creature whom they had there concealed. Then marking a cross upon the wall, he knelt down to pray, and forthwith, being rapt in ecstasy, an angel girded him with a cord, in token of the gift of perpetual chastity which God had given him. The pain caused by the girdle was so sharp that St. Thomas uttered a piercing cry, which brought his guards into the room. But he never told this grace to any one save only to Father Raynald, his confessor, a little while before his death. Hence originated the Confraternity of the "Angelic Warfare," for the preservation of the virtue of chastity.

Having at length escaped, St. Thomas went to Cologne to study under Blessed Albert the Great, and after that to Paris, where for many years he taught philosophy and theology. The Church has ever venerated his numerous writings as a treasure-house of sacred doctrine (ex. Summa Theologica); while in naming him the Angelic Doctor she has indicated that his science is more divine than human. The rarest gifts of intellect were combined in him with the tenderest piety.

Prayer, he said, had taught him more than study. His singular devotion to the Blessed Sacrament shines forth in the Office and hymns for Corpus Christi, which he composed. To the words miraculously uttered by a crucifix at Naples, "Well hast thou written concerning Me, Thomas. What shall I give thee as a reward?" he replied, "Naught save Thyself, O Lord." He died at Fossa-Nuova, 1274, on his way to the General Council of Lyons, to which Pope Gregory X. had summoned him.

       †

March 6th, Sts. Felicitas and Perpetua, Martyrs

Ss. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs 40 Days of Meditations for Lent by St. Thomas Aquinas Index for the Season of Lent Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory Seven Penitential Psalms Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that we may reverence with unceasing devotion the triumphs of Thy holy Martyrs, Perpetura and Felicitas, and although we cannot pay them the honor that is their due, let us at least present to them our humble service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The illustrious martyrdom of these Saints happened at Rome, under the Emperor Antoninus. The seven brothers were the sons of St. Felicitas, a noble, pious, Christian widow in Rome, who, after the death of her husband, served God in a state of continency and employed herself wholly in prayer, fasting, and works of charity. By the public and edifying example of this lady and her whole family many idolaters were moved to renounce the worship of their false gods, and to embrace the Faith of Christ. This excited the anger of the heathen priests, who complained to the emperor that the boldness with which Felicitas publicly practised the Christian religion drew many from the worship of the immortal gods, who were the guardians and protectors of the empire, and that, in order to appease these false gods, it was necessary to compel this lady and her children to sacrifice to them.

Publius, the prefect of Rome, caused the mother and her sons to be apprehended and brought before him, and, addressing her, said, "Take pity on your children, Felicitas; they are in the bloom of youth, and may aspire to the greatest honors and preferments." The holy mother answered, "Your pity is really impiety, and the compassion to which you exhort me would make me the most cruel of mothers." Then turning herself towards her children, she said to them, "My sons, look up to heaven, where Jesus Christ with His Saints expects you. Be faithful in His love, and fight courageously for your souls." Publius, being exasperated at this behavior, commanded her to be cruelly buffeted; he then called the children to him one after another, and used many artful speeches, mingling promises with threats to induce them to adore the gods.

His arguments and threats were equally in vain, and the brothers were condemned to be scourged. After being whipped, they were remanded to prison, and the prefect, despairing to overcome their resolution, laid the whole process before the emperor. Antoninus gave an order that they should be sent to different judges, and be condemned to different deaths. Januarius was scourged to death with whips loaded with plummets of lead. The two next, Felix and Philip, were beaten with clubs till they expired. Sylvanus, the fourth, was thrown headlong down a steep precipice. The three youngest, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis, were beheaded, and the same sentence was executed upon the mother four months after.

Reflection.--What afflictions do parents daily meet with from the disorders into which their children fall through their own bad example or neglect! Let them imitate the earnestness of St. Felicitas in forming to perfect virtue the tender souls which God hath committed to their charge, and with this Saint they will have the greatest of all comforts in them, and will by His grace count as many Saints in their family as they are blessed with children.

As yet a cathecumen, Perpetua was arrested during the same persecution of the emperor Severus. Shortly afterwards, she was baptized and made a glorious profession of faith before the Roman Court, which won for her the condemnation of Hilarion to the beasts. Neither the repeated prayers and tears of her father, a man of extreme old age, nor her motherly love for her baby son still at the breast, nor the atrocity of torture, could shake her faith in Christ.

†

March 5th, Ash Wednesday

Index for the Season of Lent Ash Wednesday Meditations for Lent by
St. Thomas Aquinas Prayers and Devotions for the Holy Season of Lent The Church's Laws on Fasting and the Season of Lent Lenten Reflection on Via Crucis The Holy Ways of the Cross by Henri Boudon, 1875 The End of Man

O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified: mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people and turn away the scourge of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Today's station at Rome is at Saint-Sabina's on the Aventine, in a sanctuary built on the former site of the holy martyr's house. Having been converted by her maid-servant, she was beheaded for the faith and secretly buried. It is to this Church that, in former times, the Pope used to go barefoot "to begin with holy fasts the exercises of Christian warfare, that as we do battle with the spirits of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial". In the fifth century it was one of the twenty-five parishes of Rome. Following the example of the Ninevites, who did penance is sackcloth and ashes, the Church today, to humble our pride and remind us of the sentence of death, which as a consequence of our sins we are bound to undergo, sprinkles ashes on our heads with the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return". We come from dust and to dust we shall return! Here indeed, is a thought that should humble our pride.

In this custom we have the remains of an ancient ceremony referred to in the Roman Pontifical. Those Christians who were guilty of grave faults had to undergo public penance. Accordingly on Ash Wednesday, the Bishop used to bless the sackcloth which was to be worn by the penitents during the holy Forty Days, and place upon their heads ashes made from palms used the previous year in the Palm Sunday procession. Then, while the faithful were singing the Seven Penitential Psalms, "the penitents were expelled from the holy place on account of their sins, just as Adam was driven out of paradise because of his disobedience". They were not allowed to put off their penitential garb or to re-enter the Church before Holy Thursday after they had gained their reconciliation by toil and penance, and by sacramental confession and absolution.

At the Council of Beneventum (1091) Pope Urban VI commanded that the ashes should be received by all the faithful indiscriminately. Let us receive them in a spirit of humility and penance, and that by this powerful sacramental we may obtain from almighty God the blessings which the Church implores in the act of blessing them. For, truly, "God overlooks the sins of men for the sake of repentance" (Introit). He is "rich in mercy" to those who are "converted to Him with all their heart in fasting and in weeping and in mourning" (Epistle). We must not indeed, like the Pharisees, rend our garments as a sign of grief, but rather our hearts" (ibid.), for it is not men who are to testify to our fasting, but our Father who sees our inmost souls and will repay us (Gospel), as our Lord Himself tells us in the Sermon on the Mount. Let us then, draw from the Eucharist the help which we need (Postcommunion), so that celebrating today the institution of this sacred fast (Secret), we may "perform it with a devotion which nothing can disturb" (Collect).

†

March 4th,
St. Casimir, Confessor

Devotions to St. Casimir New What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Casimir, the second son of Casimir III, King of Poland, was born in 1458. From the custody of a very virtuous mother, Elizabeth of Austria, he passed to the guardianship of a devoted master, the learned and pious John Dugloss. Thus animated from his earliest years by precept and example, his innocence and piety soon ripened into the practice of heroic virtue.

In an atmosphere of luxury and magnificence the young prince fasted, wore a hair shirt, slept upon the bare earth, prayed by night, and watched for the opening of the church doors at dawn. He became so tenderly devoted to the Passion of Our Lord that at Mass he seemed quite rapt out of himself; his charity to the poor and afflicted knew no bounds. His love for our Blessed Lady he expressed in a long and beautiful hymn, familiar to us in English as Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary. At the age of twenty-five, sick with a long illness, he foretold the hour of his death, and chose to die a virgin rather than accept the life and health which the physicians held out to him in the married state.

The miracles wrought by his body after death fill an entire volume. The blind saw, the lame walked, the sick were healed, a dead girl was raised to life. At one time the Saint in glory, seen in the air by his army, led his Catholic countrymen to battle and delivered them by a wondrous victory from the schismatic Russian hosts.

One hundred and twenty-two years after his death Saint Casimir's tomb in the cathedral church of Vilna was opened, that the holy remains might be transferred to the rich marble chapel where it now lies. The place was damp, and the very vault crumbled away in the hands of the workmen; yet the Saint's body, wrapped in robes of silk, still intact, was found whole and incorrupt, and emitting a sweet fragrance which filled the church and refreshed all who were present. Under his head was found his hymn to Our Lady, which he had had buried with him.

Reflection. May the meditation of Saint Casimir's life make us increase in devotion to the most pure Mother of God--a sure means of preserving holy purity in our own soul.

†

March 3rd, Ferial Day

New    What Cannot and What Can Be Reformed in the Church. What Every Christian Must Believe and Do to be Saved. Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Syllabus of Modernist Errors
Pope St. Pius X. Oath Against Modernism What is Liberalism New    Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

What shall I do when God shall rise to judge ? and when He shall examine, what shall I answer Him? (Job xxxi. 14).

by Fr. Paolo Segneri

Consider first, that the Lord, Who now sits at the right hand of the Father in the character of thy advocate, will one day rise up, no longer as an advocate, but in judgment against thee. Poor soul, and what will become of thee, if nothing else befall thee than this, to have lost such a protector? Therefore it is not said, "What shall I do when God shall come to judgment?" but, "when God shall rise." For this ought to increase thy fear. All the good which thou dost now possess comes from having Jesus for an advocate. "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Just (St. John ii. 1)." It is for this that thy fellow-creatures show thee reverence, which is undeserved. It is for this that the earth, instead of yawning to engulf thee, not only bears thee up, but yields thee nourishment. It is for this that air and water are thy servants, and that the fire itself which ought by good right to be exacting atonement for thy sins, is ministering to thy wants. But on that last day Jesus will lay aside the character of mercy, and I leave thee to think how soon then thou wouldst be at the mercy of thy enemy, eager to inflict every torment upon thee. And yet it would be comparatively little only to lose a powerful advocate. The worst is that He will be changed from an advocate into a judge. This is the greatest misfortune that can befall a criminal.

Consider secondly, how shall it fare with thee then in the presence of this Sovereign Lord, "when He shall rise to judgment"? Whither shalt thou turn thyself? When an offender is on his trial in a court from which there is no appeal, he has only one of four courses to follow. He must either deceive or corrupt the judge, or make his escape, or come to terms. Which of these courses canst thou adopt when before the judgment-seat of Christ? Wilt thou try to deceive Him? Knowest thou not that He is God? "When God shall rise to judgment." And if He is God, dost thou suppose that He can be deceived? "Shall God be deceived as a man with your deceitful dealings (Job xiii. 9)?" What course then wilt thou adopt? Wilt thou try to bribe Him? But knowest thou not that "God is a just judge (Psalm vii. 12) ?" Not like men, for He is not an acceptor of persons or a receiver of bribes. He is not an acceptor of persons, for He is Father of all men: nor a receiver of presents, for He is the Lord of all things. "Let the fear of the Lord be with you, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor desire of gifts (2 Paral. xix. 7)."

What course wilt thou take? Wilt thou try to escape? Dost thou not know then that "God is an all-powerful judge (Psalm vii. 12)"? His arm would full surely reach thee even if thou didst hide thyself among the stars. "Though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence I will bring thee down, saith the Lord (Abdias i. 4)." And once captured, dost thou think to escape from His hand? "He shall take hold of the prey, and He shall keep fast hold of it, and there shall be none to deliver it (Isaisas v. 29)." And what course, then, wilt thou still take? Wilt thou try to appease Him? Do not hope to succeed. "God is a patient judge (Psalm vii. 12)." Knowest thou what manner of judges they are who submit to be appeased? They are those who act under the impulse of passion, not those who attend only to the dictates of reason. They are never transported with rage, it is true: they are calm and dignified; but for that very reason all the more they are inexorable. Now, know for certain, that such shall thy judge be. "He is a patient judge." He is not quick-tempered, or given to anger. "Is He angry every day (Psalm vii. 12)?" If He shall in the end determine to punish thee, this will not be from impulse, but for all-sufficient reasons, and therefore thou mayest judge how terrible He will be.

Remember also that thy judge is one Who has shown unwearied patience in supporting thee, and therefore when at last His patience gives place to anger there is no longer hope for pardon. So that wherever thou turnest thyself, come back yet awhile to consider what course thou wilt take. Dost thou not see clearly that there will be no longer any way of escape open to thee? "God is a just judge, strong and patient." Thou seest then that thou canst neither deceive nor bribe Him, nor make thy escape, nor succeed in appeasing that anger which has been styled the anger of the Lamb, to signify that it will prove unchangeable. "Hide us from the wrath of the Lamb (Apoc. vi. 16)."

Consider thirdly, that in order to convince thee that this judge proceeds strictly according to the dictates of reason, He will not condemn thee without first giving thee an opportunity of making thy defence. "When therefore He examines thee, what answer shalt thou make?" He knows perfectly all that thou hast done, because He is God; He has seen everything, heard everything, been present on every occasion, and nevertheless He desires to examine into thy affairs as if He knew nothing. He desires to question thee, to find out all about thee, nay, even to dispute with thee. "I will gather together all nations and will bring them down into the Valley of Josaphat, and I will plead with them (Joel. iii. 2)." "When He shall examine, what shalt thou answer Him?" Thou must either prove thy innocence, or find some excuse for thy conduct; these are the only two lines of defence which are open to thee. But as to proving thy innocence, that is impossible, for in thy case the crimes are clear and unquestioned. It remains for thee to find some excuse for thy conduct. But how?

Thy excuses must fall under one of two heads: ignorance, which led thee into sin, or frailty. But canst thou plead ignorance, who wert born in the very heart of Christendom, brought up in the doctrine of Holy Writ and the lessons of saintly men, living in the midst of illustrious examples of virtue, like so many shining lights around thy path? True it is, that of thy free-will thou hast closed thy eyes in order to shut out the light, but this will only the more surely bring about thy condemnation. "And this is the judgment, because the light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than the light (St. John iii. 19)," says the Lord. Thus, then, thou must fall back uon the plea of frailty. But how will this avail if thy frailty was thy own fault? Likely enough thou wert frail; but why? Because thou didst choose to be frail. Thou didst not care to employ the means which the Lord placed at thy disposal for acquiring ever new vigour; in time of temptation thou didst not call upon Him for help; thou didst not make frequent Confessions and Communions; thou didst not, though it was in thy power, keep away from occasions of sin; and thinkest thou he shall be excused who asked for no aid and refused all support, while he followed most perilous paths? Alas, who shall dare breathe a word in his own defence for fear of making his cause more hopeless? "All iniquity shall stop her mouth (Psalm cvi. 42)."

Consider fourthly, that although it is graciously granted to thee to plead in thy defence, there is really nothing which thou canst allege in thy favour. It follows by order of good consequence that nothing remains but to receive the sentence of eternal doom. Do not think it irksome to come back to the thought, what course wilt thou take. If thou know not "what thou shalt do when God shall rise in judgment," wilt thou perchance discover it when He shall sit down to pass sentence? Thou mayest indeed turn to the mountains and bid them fall upon thee, to the granite rocks to crush thee and grind thee to dust, to the depths of the earth to open and engulf thee; but to what purpose? It is no longer the time for praying, but for paying the price. "The Lord hath put on the garments of vengeance (Isaisas lix. 17)." What then shall become of thee, when thou shalt hear thy sentence of condemnation to eternal flames pronounced by the lips of Him Who was once thy gracious advocate? If thy sentence had been pronounced by some one unknown to thee or from another land, or by some enemy of thine, thou mightest accuse him of being cruel. But it is thy advocate; one Who has shed His Blood for thee on the Cross, and Who at the right hand of the Father has never ceased to pray and intercede for thee and to seek by every means to bestow Heaven upon thee. From His sentence there can be no appeal if He condemn thee to the flames of Hell.

       †

March 2nd, Quinquagaesima Sunday

In this week of Quinquagesima, anciently all the faithful made a confession of their sins, and sanctified it by preparatory practices of holy penance. All who by their sins, or the transgression of certain ecclesiastical observances, fell under the laws of canonical peanance, received it at the hands of the Bishop on the head, as it was called, that is, on the first day of the Lenten fast.

The Gospel of this Sunday affords us a good occassion to ask the Master to give us the power of sight, to lift up our eyes from the earth, from the perishable and the transitory; and thus loosened from the bondage of this life we mgiht catch a glimpse of eternal happiness primised to faithful servants.

Quinquagaesima Sunday They that Live in Sin How Blind the Sinner Is New Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On the rashness of the sinner in committing mortal sin

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

God cannot but hate mortal sin, because mortal sin is directly opposed to His divine will: "Sin," says St. Bernard, "would destroy the divine will." As He cannot but hate mortal sin, so He cannot but hate the sinner who identifies himself with sin and rebels against his God: To God the wicked and his wickedness are hateful alike. Wisd. xiv. 9. How great then is the rashness of the sinner in committing sin, when he knows that by so doing he shall bring upon himself the hatred of God! O my God, have mercy on me; Thou hast distinguished me with many graces, and I have repaid Thee with numerous offences, no one has so grievously offended Thee as I have done. Grant me, for Thy mercy's sake, contrition for my sins.

God is that all-powerful being who by a single act of His will created all things: "He commanded and they were made." And He can in like manner, by a single act of His will, destroy all that He has created, whenever He pleases: At a beck he can utterly destroy the whole world. 2 Mac. viii. 18. And shall the sinner have the hardihood to put himself in opposition to this omnipotent God and make Him his enemy? He hath stretched out his hand, says holy Job, against God, and hath strengthened himself against the Almighty. Job xv. 25. What should we think of an ant pretending to fight against an armed soldier? And what ought to be said of me, O eternal God, who have so often dared to oppose myself to Thee, making no account of Thy power, and sensible that I was drawing down thy anger upon me? But Thy holy passion, O Jesus, gives me confidence to hope in Thee for pardon, who didst die to obtain forgiveness for me.

The rashness of the sinner increases when we reflect that he offends God before His own eyes: He provoketh Me to anger before My face. Isa. xliv. 3. What subject had ever the audacity to break the laws in the presence of the king himself? But the sinner knows that God beholds him, and yet he does not hesitate to commit sin before Him. My dear Redeemer, I am that audacious being who has dared to despise Thy holy precepts before Thy face. I have therefore deserved hell; but thou art my Saviour, who earnest to take away the sins of the world and to save poor sinners: The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. St. Luke xviii. 10. How much am I grieved for having offended Thee! Thou hast given me many proofs of Thy love, and I have returned Thee as many injuries. O Jesus, put an end to my sins, and replenish me with Thy love. I love thee, O infinite love, and tremble at the thought of being ever again deprived of Thy love. Permit it not, O God, rather let me die. O Mary, you obtain whatever you ask of God, obtain for me the gift of holy perseverance.

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March 1st, Ferial Day

First Saturday Devotions New Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy house shall quickly be overthrown (Ecclus. xxvii. 4).

by Fr. Paolo Segneri

Consider first, what a toilsome undertaking it is to build upon earth a lofty spiritual edifice. How many acts of selfdenial are required for it, how many acts of obedience, of humiliation, even of severe penance, and yet this edifice, raised in a long course of years by so many pains and sufferings, may crumble in a moment. One mortal sin, even in thought, is enough. And if in that moment God send death to thee, thy doom is sealed. Equally certain would be thy doom if God, allowing thee to live, did not aid thee with His abounding grace, that so thou mightest not fall headlong from sin to sin, and perish finally. Oh, what noble structures, far surpassing thine, have thus been overthrown! Thou mayest call to mind the fall of a Didymus, an Origen, a Hosius, a Tertullian, and others like them. "The Lord hath cast down headlong, and hath not spared, all that was beautiful in Jacob (Lament. ii. 2)." And thou, who hast not done one little part of the good they did, hast thou not just cause to fear for thyself?

Consider secondly, upon what foundation this great danger rests? Upon this, that whatever good thou mayest have done, in offering hymns of praise, in fasting, in taking the discipline, in preaching, thou hast not been able to place God under any obligation of not withholding that fresh grace, distinct from all preceding graces, which, from moment to moment, is necessary for thy perseverance. Because all that thou hast of merit is His gift. It is God Who has given thee not only thy natural powers, but the good-will also which moved thee to sing those hymns of praise, to fast, to practise austerities, to do all those other things which are said indeed to belong to His service, but which are really done in thy own behoof. "What doth it profit God if thou be just? (Job xxii. 3)" And thus without inflicting on thee the slightest injustice, God may remove from thee His holy hand; that is to say, may refuse thee that new special grace which thou requirest to prevent thee from falling. Since perseverance is a gratuitous gift, not only with regard to the end of our life, but during every single instant of its continuance, and God may refuse it to whomsoever He pleases, without being ungrateful or unjust: not unjust, because we are all by our very nature the servants of God; not ungrateful, because He has never received any benefit from us, though He has conferred innumerable benefits upon us.

Consider thirdly, that a constant holy fear will alone give thee some security in this terrible danger. In a word, "Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy house shall quickly be overthrown." Thou must ever cling closely to the fear of the Lord, as a man whose brain soon begins to reel when he has to walk on a narrow plank across a roaring cataract. Oh! how tightly then he clings to the hand of his guide! Thus thou too must hold fast by the fear of God; and all the more strongly by reason of the greater importance of the venture. It behoves thee to cling to it "earnestly," having regard both to time and to manner, by always keeping most vividly before thy eyes the need which thou hast of God's assistance, and by consequence the need of always fervently praying for that assistance; yes, always, because although perseverance is a purely gratuitous gift, yet he who seeks for it in the right way will infallibly obtain it, because God has promised: "Whatever you shall ask in My Name I shall do (St. John xiv. 13)." "Whatever you shall ask the Father in My Name He will give to you (St. John xvi. 23)."

Consider fourthly, that to know how God is ever ready to assist ought not to make thee less fearful; since, though the Lord has promised to grant thy prayer, He has not promised it to thee within any period of time known to thyself. From some He requires more prayer, from others less, according to His good pleasure. And, therefore, however thou mayest have prayed hitherto, thou art not secure: for, though it may be that the Lord may have decreed to give thee from this time forward such gracious assistance as shall keep thee from mortal sin, and may thus have confirmed thee in grace, yet thou canst not be sure of it without express revelation. Moreover, if it be that He has made such a decree, it can only be on the supposition of thy praying both now and afterwards, since thy continuous prayer is the condition attached by Him to thy attainment of salvation, according to what is said: "Thou must always pray and never slacken (St. Luke xviii. 1)." If thou desist from asking with great fervour, it is a bad sign, and a sign that thou art not on the road to salvation.

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February 28th, Ferial Day

New Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

They that are faithful in love shall rest in Him (Wisdom iii. 9).

by Fr. Paolo Segneri

Consider first, that the true mark of the faithful love of God is conformity with the Divine will. It is easy to love Him when His will falls in with our own inclination, when "He rests in us;" when He keeps us in good health, gives us glory, gives us grandeur, or even imparts to us many spiritual consolations. The merit is in loving Him when we have to follow in the path He chooses, when we have "to rest in Him;" to suffer sickness, disgrace, losses, and even continual desolation of spirit. And yet this is His will, that we cease not from suffering; and to speak plainly, we ask for nothing else when we repeat, "Thy will be done;" for it is His will that we should be saints: "This is the will of God, your sanctification (Thess. iv. 3);" and there is no other way to sanctity but that of suffering: "All that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations remaining faithful (Judith viii. 23)."

Consider secondly, that this conformity with the Divine will must be very perfect. Hence it is called repose. Not that the inferior part of our soul need necessarily be always at rest; but that the superior part must be at rest. The will must acquiesce, and the understanding must acquiesce. In many the will readily acquiesces, but not so the understanding; for it seems to them strange at times that God should so treat them, nor can they bring themselves to believe that what has happened to them is the very best thing for them. If such be the condition of thy mind, thou art not at rest, at least not perfectly, and there is therefore no cause for self-congratulation; thou art not faithful: "Those that are faithful in love shall rest in Him."

Consider thirdly, that this complete conformity to the Divine will is what beyond everything else brings rest to the soul. On this account also conformity is called repose. So long as thou art anxious to bend to thy will the will of God, or his who guides thee in God's name, so long shalt thou fail to find repose; then alone shalt thou be at peace when the Lord, or he who guides thee in His name, draws thy will to His; therefore, place thyself in His hands entirely once for all. I say to thee with Job: "Submit thyself then to Him, and be at peace."

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February 27th,
St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Confessor

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows Litany of the Passion New Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

O God, Who didst teach blessed Gabriel continually to recall the sorrows of Thy most sweet Mother, and through her didst raise him up to the glory of holiness and of miracles: grant us, through his intercession and example, so to share in the mourning of Thy Mother, that we may be saved by her maternal protection: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Gabriel was born at Assisi in 1838. He was guided by Our Lady into the Passionist Order founded by Saint Paul of the Cross, and became a veritable Apostle of Her Sorrows. He was a very great and truly contemplative soul, whose only preoccupation was to unite himself to God at all times. He allowed no distractions to enter his spirit, and even though Italy, his country, was in a state of great excitement and activity when he entered religion, he wanted to know nothing of it.

The way to attain union with our Saviour and our God was, for Saint Gabriel, as for Saint Louis de Montfort, His Heavenly Mother. He wrote home to his father, from the first month of his noviciate, "Believe your son, whose heart is speaking by his lips; no, I would not exchange one single quarter of an hour spent near the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, our consolatrix, our protectress and our hope, for a year or several years spent in the diversions and spectacles of the earth." Among his resolutions was that of visiting Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament each day, and praying for the gift of a tender and efficacious devotion to His Most Holy Mother. He wrote a beautiful Credo, worthy to be printed in letters of gold, expressing all that he believed of the Mother of God.

At twenty-four years of age Saint Gabriel died of tuberculosis, having already attained heroic sanctity by a life of self-denial and great devotion to our Lord's Passion and the Compassion of His Mother.

Although his life was without any miraculous event, after his death in 1862 many miracles occurred at his tomb in Isola di Gran Sasso, Italy. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, and his feast was extended to the entire church by Pope Pius XI in 1932. He is the patron of youth, and especially of young religious.

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February 26th, Ferial Day

New Catholic Instruction for Children for the Sacrament of Penance, 1897 The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On the Mercy of God
in Calling Sinners
to Repentance

by St. Alphonsus Di Liguori

The Lord called to Adam, and said to him; Where art thou? Gen. iii. 10. These are the words of a father, says a pious author, going in quest of his lost son. O the immense compassion of our God! Adam sins, he turns his back upon God; and yet God does not abandon him, but follows him and calls after him: Adam, where art thou? Thus, my soul, has God frequently done towards thee; thou hadst forsaken Him by sin; but He did not hesitate to approach thee, and to call upon thee by many interior lights, by remorse of conscience, and by His holy inspirations; all which were the effects of his compassion and love. O God of mercy, O God of love, how could I have so grievously offended Thee, how could I have been so ungrateful to Thee!

As a father when he beholds his son hastening to cast himself down from the brink of a precipice, presses forward towards him, and with tears endeavours to withhold him from destruction; so, my God, hast Thou done towards me. I was already hastening by my sins to precipitate myself into hell, and Thou didst hold me back. I am now sensible, O Lord, of the love which Thou hast shown me, and I hope to sing for ever in heaven the praises of Thy mercy: The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. Ps. lxxxviii. 1. I know, O Jesus, that Thou desirest my salvation; but I do not know whether Thou hast yet pardoned me. Oh! give me intense sorrow for my sins, give me an ardent love for Thee, as signs of thy merciful forgiveness.

O, my Saviour, how can I doubt of receiving Thy pardon, when thou Thyself dost offer it to me, and art ready to receive me with open arms on my return to thee? Wherefore I do return to Thee, sorrowing and overpowered at the consideration that after all my offences against Thee, Thou indeed still lovest me. Oh! that I had never displeased Thee, my sovereign good! how much am I grieved for having done so! Pardon me, O Jesus, I will never more offend Thee. But I shall not be able to rest satisfied with Thy forgiveness only, give me also a great love for Thee. Having so often deserved to burn in the fire of hell, I now desire to burn in the fire of Thy holy love. I love Thee, who art my only love, my life, my treasure, my all. O Mary, my protectress, pray for me, that I may continue faithful to God until the end of my life.

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February 25th, Ferial Day

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On giving ourselves to God without reserve

by St. Alphonsus Di Liguori

God has declared that He loves all those who love him: I love them that love Me. Prov. viii. 17. But it is not to be supposed that God will give Himself entirely to one who loves any thing in the world equally with God. At one time St. Teresa was in this state, keeping up an affection, not indeed an impure affection, but an inordinate one, for a certain relative. When however she divested herself of this attachment, God was pleased to say to her in a vision: "Now that thou art wholly mine, I am wholly thine." O my God, when shall the day arrive when I shall be wholly thine? Consume within me, I beseech Thee, by the flames of Thy divine love, all those earthly affections which hinder me from belonging entirely to Thee. When shall I be able to say to Thee with truth: my God, Thee only do I desire, and besides Thee there is nothing that I wish for.

One is my dove, my perfect one is but one. Cant. vi. 8. God so loves the soul that gives herself entirely to Him, that He seems to love no other; and hence He calls her His only dove. St. Teresa after her death revealed to one of her sisters that God has greater love for one soul that aspires to perfection than for a thousand others that are in a state of grace, but are tepid and imperfect. O my God, for how many years hast thou invited me to become entirely Thine, and I have refused! Death is already approaching, and shall I die as imperfect as I have hitherto lived? No, I hope that death will not find me as ungrateful as I have hitherto been. Help me; for I desire to leave all things to become entirely Thine.

Jesus Christ, through the love which He has for us, has given His whole self to us. He hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us. Eph. v. 2. "If then," says St. Chrysostom, "God has given Himself entirely to you without reserve, if He has given you all, and nothing more remains for Him to give you, as indeed He has done in His passion and in the holy Eucharist, reason requires that you also should give yourself without reserve to Him." St. Frances of Sales says: "The heart is too little to love our bountiful Redeemer, who has loved us even to the laying down of His life for us." O what ingratitude, what injustice, to divide our hearts, and not to give them wholly to God! Let us then say with the spouse in the Canticles: "My "beloved to me, and I to my beloved." Thou, my God, hast given all to me, I will give all to Thee. I love Thee, my sovereign good. "My God and my all." Thou desirest that I should be all Thine, and such do I desire to be. O Mary, my Mother, pray for me that I may not love anything but God.

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February 25th,
St. Matthias, Apostle

Newly Updated
St. Matthias, Apostle

O God, Who didst join blessed Matthias to the company of Thy Apostles: grant, we beseech Thee, that, by his intercession, we may enjoy for evermore Thy compassion and loving kindness towards us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

After our blessed Lord's Ascension His disciples met together, with Mary His mother and the eleven apostles, in an upper room at Jerusalem. The little company numbered no more than one hundred and twenty souls. They were waiting for the promised coining of the Holy Ghost, and they persevered in prayer. Meanwhile there was a solemn act to be performed on the part of the Church, which could not be postponed. The place of the fallen Judas must be filled up, that the elect number of the apostles might be complete.

St. Peter, therefore, as Vicar of Christ, arose to announce the divine decree. That which the Holy Ghost had spoken by the mouth of David concerning Judas, he said, must be fulfilled. Of him it had been written, "His bishopric let another take." A choice, therefore, was to be made of one among those who had been their companions from the beginning, who could bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus. Two were named of equal merit, Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias. Then, after praying to God, Who knows the hearts of all men, to show which of these He had chosen, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, who was forthwith numbered with the apostles. It is recorded of the Saint, thus wonderfully elected to so high a vocation, that he was above all remarkable for his mortification of the flesh. It was thus that he made his election sure.

Reflection.--Our ignorance of many points in St. Matthias's life serves to fix the attention all the more firmly upon these two--the occasion of his call to the apostolate, and the fact of his perseverance. We then naturally turn in thought to our own vocation and our own end.

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February 23rd, St. Peter Damian, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Peter Damian Sexagesima Sunday How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly?

Grant unto us, we beseech Thee, almighty God: to follow the counsels and example of blessed Peter Thy Confessor and Bishop, that, by despising earthly things, we may attain unto everlasting joys. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Peter Damian was born in 988, and lost both parents at an early age. His eldest brother, in whose hands he was left, treated him so cruelly that a younger brother, a priest, moved by his piteous state, sent him to the University of Parma, where he acquired great distinction. His studies were sanctified by vigils, fasts, and prayers, till at last, thinking that all this was only serving God by halves, he resolved to leave the world. He joined the monks at Font-Avellano, then in the greatest repute, and by his wisdom and sanctity rose to be Superior. He was employed on the most delicate and difficult missions, amongst others the reform of ecclesiastical communities, which was effected by his zeal.

Seven Popes in succession made him their constant adviser, and he was at last created Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. He withstood Henry IV. of Germany, and labored in defence of Alexander II. against the Antipope, whom he forced to yield and seek for pardon. He was charged, as Papal Legate, with the repression of simony; again, was commissioned to settle discords amongst various bishops, and finally, in 1072, to adjust the affairs of the Church at Ravenna. He was laid low by a fever on his homeward journey, and died at Faenza, in a monastery of his order, on the eighth day of his sickness, whilst the monks chanted matins around him.

Reflection.--The Saints studied, not in order to be accounted learned, but to become perfect. This only is wisdom and true greatness, to account ourselves as ignorant, and to adhere in all things to the teachings and instincts of the Church.

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February 22nd, St. Peter's Chair at Antioch

New St. Peter, Apostle and First Pope, from the Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs, 1867 Prayers and Devotions St. Peter the Apostle and St. Peter's Chair The Church The Church is One The Church is Holy The Church is Catholic The Church is Apostolic Contrition St. Peter

O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified: mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people and turn away the scourge of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Today's station at Rome is at Saint-Sabina's on the Aventine, in a sanctuary built on the former site of the holy martyr's house. Having been converted by her maid-servant, she was beheaded for the faith and secretly buried. It is to this Church that, in former times, the Pope used to go barefoot "to begin with holy fasts the exercises of Christian warfare, that as we do battle with the spirits of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial". In the fifth century it was one of the twenty-five parishes of Rome. Following the example of the Ninevites, who did penance is sackcloth and ashes, the Church today, to humble our pride and remind us of the sentence of death, which as a consequence of our sins we are bound to undergo, sprinkles ashes on our heads with the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return". We come from dust and to dust we shall return! Here indeed, is a thought that should humble our pride.

In this custom we have the remains of an ancient ceremony referred to in the Roman Pontifical. Those Christians who were guilty of grave faults had to undergo public penance. Accordingly on Ash Wednesday, the Bishop used to bless the sackcloth which was to be worn by the penitents during the holy Forty Days, and place upon their heads ashes made from palms used the previous year in the Palm Sunday procession. Then, while the faithful were singing the Seven Penitential Psalms, "the penitents were expelled from the holy place on account of their sins, just as Adam was driven out of paradise because of his disobedience". They were not allowed to put off their penitential garb or to re-enter the Church before Holy Thursday after they had gained their reconciliation by toil and penance, and by sacramental confession and absolution.

At the Council of Beneventum (1091) Pope Urban VI commanded that the ashes should be received by all the faithful indiscriminately. Let us receive them in a spirit of humility and penance, and that by this powerful sacramental we may obtain from almighty God the blessings which the Church implores in the act of blessing them. For, truly, "God overlooks the sins of men for the sake of repentance" (Introit). He is "rich in mercy" to those who are "converted to Him with all their heart in fasting and in weeping and in mourning" (Epistle). We must not indeed, like the Pharisees, rend our garments as a sign of grief, but rather our hearts" (ibid.), for it is not men who are to testify to our fasting, but our Father who sees our inmost souls and will repay us (Gospel), as our Lord Himself tells us in the Sermon on the Mount. Let us then, draw from the Eucharist the help which we need (Postcommunion), so that celebrating today the institution of this sacred fast (Secret), we may "perform it with a devotion which nothing can disturb" (Collect).

O God, Who in delivering to Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, didst confer on him the pontifical power of binding and loosing: grant, that by the help of his intercession we may be loosed from the bonds of our sins: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

That St. Peter, before he went to Rome, founded the see of Antioch is attested by many Saints. It was just that the Prince of the Apostles should take this city under his particular care and inspection, which was then the capital of the East, and in which the faith took so early and so deep root as to give birth in it to the name of Christians. St. Chrysostom says that St. Peter made there a long stay; St. Gregory the Great, that he was seven years Bishop of Antioch; not that he resided there all that time, but only that he had a particular care over that Church. If he sat twenty-five years at Rome, the date of his establishing his chair at Antioch must be within three years after Our Saviour's Ascension; for in that supposition he must have gone to Rome in the second year of Claudius.

In the first ages it was customary, especially in the East, for every Christian to keep the anniversary of his Baptism, on which he renewed his baptismal vows and gave thanks to God for his heavenly adoption: this they called their spiritual birthday. The bishops in like manner kept the anniversary of their own consecration, as appears from four sermons of St. Leo on the anniversary of his accession or assumption to the pontifical dignity; and this was frequently continued after their decease by the people, out of respect for their memory. St. Leo says we ought to celebrate the chair of St. Peter with no less joy than the day of his martyrdom; for as in this he was exalted to a throne of glory in heaven, so by the former he was installed head of the Church on earth.

Reflection.--On this festival we are especially bound to adore and thank the Divine Goodness for the establishment and propagation of His Church, and earnestly to pray that in His mercy He preserve the same, and dilate its pale, that His name may be glorified by all nations, and by all hearts, to the boundaries of the earth, for His divine honor and the salvation of souls, framed to His divine image, and the price of His adorable blood.

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February 21st, Ferial Day

The Feast of the Flight into Egypt is celebrated in some places during this week in February.

The Flight into Egypt The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On divine love as repose which refreshes us.

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Again, love is called true rest in toil and sweat, refreshment in the excess of heat. The principal effect of love is to unite the will of the lover with that of the beloved. For a soul that loves God, in every affront which it receives, in every grief which it endures, in every loss which it suffers, it is sufficient to make it resigned to know that such things are permitted to befal it by the will of its beloved. It finds peace and contentment in all tribulations and adversities, saying: Such is the will of God. This is that peace which surpasseth all the pleasures of sense: "The peace of God which surpasseth all understanding." St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, by only repeating, "It is the will of God," was always immediately filled with joy.

Every one in this world must carry his cross; but St. Teresa says that the cross is hard to those who drag it after them, but not to those who embrace it. Thus while the Lord strikes, He heals: He woundeth, saith holy Job, and cureth; He striketh and His hands shall heal (v. 18.). The Holy Ghost, by His sweet unctions, renders even ignominies and torments sweet and amiable. Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight ( St. Matt. xi. 26). Thus ought we to say in all adversities which befal us: So be it done, O Lord, for so hath it pleased Thee. And when any fear of temporal calamity alarms us, let us always say: "Do with me, O Lord, whatever Thou pleasest, I will accept all as coming from Thee." It is good, as St. Teresa advises, frequently in the course of the day to offer ourselves in this manner to God.

Affections and Prayers

O My God, how often, for the sake of following my own will, have I opposed Thy holy will and despised it! I grieve for this evil above every other evil. O Lord, I desire from this day forward to love thee with my whole heart. "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." What wouldst Thou have me to do? I will do all that Thou requirest of me. Thy will shall be my only desire, my only love. Holy Spirit, strengthen my weakness. Thou art goodness itself: how can I love any other but Thee? O do Thou draw all the affections of my heart to Thyself by the sweet attractions of Thy holy love. I renounce all, to give myself entirely to Thee. Accept of me, and succour me. O Mary, my Mother, pray for me.

I have been lost by my sins; but I am sensible, from the favour which Thou hast shown me, that Thou desirest my sanctification and salvation; and I earnestly desire to become holy, that I may please Thee, and to love more ardently Thy infinite goodness. I love Thee, my sovereign good, my love and my all; and because I love Thee, I give my whole self to Thee. O Blessed Virgin Mary, protect me.

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February 20th, Ferial Day

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On divine Love, as the dew which fertilizes our souls

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Thus does the Holy Church teach us to pray: "May the infusion of the Holy Ghost cleanse our hearts, and the inward aspersion of His dew fertilize them." Love fertilizes our good desires, our holy purposes, and the good works of our souls: these are the flowers and the fruits which the grace of the Holy Ghost produces. Love is also called dew, because it cools the heat of bad desires and temptations. Hence the Holy Ghost is also called: "Refreshment in the excess of heat, and solace in our grief." This dew descends into our hearts in the time of prayer. A quarter of an hour's prayer is sufficient to appease any passion of hatred or of inordinate love, however ardent it may be: He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me (Cant. ii. 4. ). Holy meditation is this cellar of wine, where love is set in order, to love God above all things and our neighbours as ourselves. He who loves God, loves prayer; and he who loves not prayer will find it morally impossible to overcome his passions.

Affections and Prayers

O Holy and Divine Spirit, I desire to live no longer for myself; the days which may remain to me of life, I desire to spend entirely in loving and pleasing Thee. On this account I beseech Thee to grant me the gift of prayer. Come Thou into my heart, and teach me to pray as I ought. Give me strength not to neglect prayer in the time of dryness and weariness; and give me the spirit of prayer, that is, the grace of praying to Thee in such manner, and of offering Thee such prayers, as may be most acceptable to Thee.

I have been lost by my sins; but I am sensible, from the favour which Thou hast shown me, that Thou desirest my sanctification and salvation; and I earnestly desire to become holy, that I may please Thee, and to love more ardently Thy infinite goodness. I love Thee, my sovereign good, my love and my all; and because I love Thee, I give my whole self to Thee. O Blessed Virgin Mary, protect me.

The Season of Septuagesima
from Septuagesima to Ash Wednesday

After the fervent welcome given to our Lord by reason of "the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus," the Church suddenly confronts us with the gloomy depths of the fall of man. As in the Christmas cycle, she takes up once more the study of the Old Testament to show us all the great figures who heralded the redemptive work of Christ and whose history, symbolical of our Lord's, is well calculated to prepare us for the great feast of Easter when we shall celebrate His triumph.

During this season of Septuagesima, the Church lingers especially over the following events: we see the fall of Adam resulting in original sin and its baneful consequences (Septuagesima); the malice of men, actual sin and the Flood which was its punishment (Sexagesima); and finally the sacrifices of Abraham and Melchisedech (Quin-quagesima), which foreshadowed the sacrifice which God required from His own Son as a satisfaction for the sins of the whole human race. This assertion of the dogma of original sin and the portrayal of its lamentable results, make His glorious title of Saviour stand out more clearly in our blessed Lord.

The Gospel of the laborers in the vineyard (Septuagesima) and that of the Sower (Sexagesima) remind us that redemption extends to all men, Jew and Gentile alike, while the cure of the blind man at Jericho following the announcement of the Passion (Quinquagesima), shows us the salutary effects produced in us by the cross of Christ. The Epistles of St. Paul come in their turn during these three Sundays, to remind us that at this season, the Church must complete the Redeemer's work by entering with courage upon the purifying discipline of penance.

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February 19th, Ferial Day

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On Divine Love, as a Fountain which Satisfies our Thirst.

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Love is called a "living fountain, fire, charity." Our blessed Saviour said to the Samaritan woman: But he that shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst for ever (St. John, iv. 13.). Love is the water which satisfies our thirst: for he that truly loves God with his whole heart, neither seeks nor desires any thing else: because in God he finds all that is good. Hence, happy in possessing God, he frequently exclaims with joy: "My God and my all." Almighty God complains of many who seek for short and miserable delights from creatures, and leave Him, who is infinite goodness, and the fountain of all joy: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jer. ii. 12.). Meanwhile God, who loves us, and desires to see us happy, cries out and makes known to all: If any one thirst, let him come to me (St. John, vii. 37.).

He who desires to be happy, let him come to me, and I will bestow upon him the Holy Ghost, who will make him blessed, both in this life and in the next. He then that believes in Jesus Christ, and loves Him, shall be enriched with so many graces, that from his heart shall spring up fountains of holy virtues, which shall not only preserve his life, but also give life to others. And indeed this water is the Holy Ghost, the sustaining love which Jesus Christ promised to send us from heaven, after His ascension: Now this He said of the spirit which they should receive who believed in Him: for as yet the spirit was not given., because Jesus was not glorified (St. John, vii. 39.).

The key which opens the channels of this blessed water, is holy prayer, which obtains all good things in virtue of the promise: "Ask and you shall receive." We are weak and blind and poor and miserable, but prayer will obtain for us strength, and light, and wealth, and happiness. Theodoret says: "Prayer, though but one, can effect all things." He who prays, receives all he asks for. God desires to give us His graces, but He desires that we should pray for them.

Affections and Prayers

Lord, give me of this water. O Jesus, with the Samaritan woman, I beseech thee, give me of this water of Thy love, which may make me forget the earth, and live only for Thee who art infinitely lovely. "Water our barren clay." My soul is a barren soil which produces nothing but the weeds and the thorns of sin: Oh water it with Thy holy grace, that it may yield some fruit to Thy glory, before it leaves this world by death! O fountain of living water, O sovereign good, how often have I deserted Thee for the defiled waters of the earth, which have deprived me of Thy love! O that I had rather died than offended Thee! But for the future I will seek after nothing but Thee my God. Succour me, and make me always faithful to Thee. Mary, my hope, keep me always under your holy protection.

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February 18th, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin (in some places)

                 Newly Added
Inspirational Account of the Life of St. Bernadette and the Apparition of Lourdes                  Newly Added
In Defense of the Miracles of Lourdes, A History of Its Apparitions and Cures St. Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin Novena of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette Our Lady of Lourdes

O God, protector and lover of the humble, Who hast bestowed upon Thy servant, Marie Bernadette, the favor of beholding the Immaculate Virgin Mary and of conversing with her, grant, we beseech Thee, that walking through the simple paths of faith, we may deserve to behold Thee in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

February 18th, St. Simeon, Bishop and Confessor

New     St. Simeon, Bishop
           and Martyr

Look upon our weakness, O almighty God: and because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, let the glorious intercession of blessed Simeon, Thy Martyr and Bishop shied us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Simeon was the son of Cleophas, otherwise called Alpheus, brother to St. Joseph, and of Mary, sister to the Blessed Virgin. He was therefore nephew both to St. Joseph and to the Blessed Virgin, and cousin to Our Saviour. We cannot doubt but that he was an early follower of Christ, and that he received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, with the Blessed Virgin and the apostles. When the Jews massacred St. James the Lesser, his brother Simeon reproached them for their atrocious cruelty. St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, being put to death in the year 62, twenty-nine years after Our Saviour's Resurrection, the apostles and disciples met at Jerusalem to appoint him a successor. They unanimously chose St. Simeon, who had probably before assisted his brother in the government of that Church.

In the year 66, in which Sts. Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom at Rome, the civil war began in Judea, by the seditions of the Jews against the Romans. The Christians in Jerusalem were warned by God of the impending destruction of that city. They therefore departed out of it the same year,--before Vespasian, Nero's general, and afterwards emperor, entered Judea,--and retired beyond Jordan to a small city called Pella, having St. Simeon at their head. After the taking and burning of Jerusalem they returned thither again, and settled themselves amidst its ruins, till Adrian afterwards entirely razed it. The Church here flourished, and multitudes of Jews were converted by the great number of prodigies and miracles wrought in it.

Vespasian and Domitian had commanded all to be put to death who were of the race of David. St. Simeon had escaped their searches; but, Trajan having given the same order, certain heretics and Jews accused the Saint, as being both of the race of David and a Christian, to Atticus, the Roman governor in Palestine. The holy bishop was condemned to be crucified. After having undergone the usual tortures during several days, which, though one hundred and twenty years old, he suffered with so much patience that he drew on him a universal admiration, and that of Atticus in particular, he died in 107. He must have governed the Church of Jerusalem about forty-three years.

Reflection.--We bear the name of Christians, but are full of the spirit of worldlings, and our actions are infected with the poison of the world. We secretly seek ourselves, even when we flatter ourselves that God is our only aim; and whilst we undertake to convert the world, we suffer it to pervert us. When shall we begin to study to crucify our passions and die to ourselves, that we may lay a solid foundation of true virtue and establish its reign in our hearts?

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February 17th, Ferial Day

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On Divine Love, as a Light which Enlightens us.

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

One of the worst effects which Adam's sin produced in us, was its blinding our reason by means of the passions, which darkened the mind. O how miserable is the soul that allows itself to be ruled by any of the passions! Passion is a vapour, a veil, which will not suffer us to see the truth. How can he fly from evil, who knows not what is evil? Our mental obscurity increases in proportion as our sins increase. But the Holy Ghost, who is called "Light most blessed," with His divine rays, not only inflames our hearts to love Him, but also dispels our darkness, and reveals to us the vanity of all worldly things, the value of eternal goods, the importance of salvation, the price of grace, the goodness of God, the infinite love which He deserves from us, and the immense love He has shown to us: The sensual man perceiveth not the things that are of the spirit of God (1 Cor. ii. 14. ).

Man absorpt in the pleasures of the earth, knows but little of these truths, and hence he unhappily loves that which he should hate, and hates that which he should love. St. Mary Magdalen, of Pazzi, exclaimed: "O love not known, O love not loved!" And hence St. Teresa said, that God is not loved because He is not known. Hence the saints ever sought light from God: "Send forth thy light: illuminate our darkness: open thou our eyes." Yes, because without light, precipices cannot be avoided, and God cannot be found.

Affections and Prayers

O Holy and Divine Spirit, I believe that thou art truly God, and one God with the Father and with the Son. I adore and acknowledge Thee as the giver of those lights, by which Thou hast discovered to me the evil which I have done by offending Thee, and the obligation which I am under of loving Thee: I thank Thee for them, and am exceedingly sorry for having offended Thee. I have deserved to be abandoned by Thee in my darkness, but I am sensible Thou hast not yet abandoned me.

Continue, O Eternal Spirit, to enlighten me, and make me know still more and more Thy infinite goodness, and give me strength to love Thee for the future with my whole heart. Add grace upon grace, that so I may be sweetly overcome, and constrained to love no other but Thee. I thank Thee through the merits of Jesus Christ. I love Thee, my sovereign good, I love Thee more than myself. I desire to be all thine, accept of me, and suffer me not to depart from Thee any more. O Mary, my Mother, assist me always by your holy intercession.

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February 16th, Septuagesima Sunday

Septuagesima Sunday The 9th and 10th The Seven Deadly Sins and Contrary Virtues The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On our Journey to Eternity

Man shall go into the house of his eternity. Eccles. xii. 5. This earth is not our true country; we are only passing through it on our way to eternity. The land in which I dwell, the house which I inhabit are not mine: in a short time, and when I least expect it, I must leave them. The house which will contain my body, until the day of general judgment, will be the grave, and the house of my soul will be eternity, in heaven if I be saved, in hell if I be lost. Foolish indeed then should I be were I to place my affections on things which I must soon leave. I will endeavour to procure for myself a happy mansion in which I may dwell for ever.

Man shall go into the house of his eternity. It is said he shall go, to give us to understand that each one shall go, in another life, into that house which he himself has chosen: he shall go, he shall not be conducted, but shall go thither of his own free will. Faith teaches us that, in the next life, there are two habitations: one is a palace of delights, where all are happy for ever, and this is paradise: the other is a prison of excruciating torments, where all are for ever miserable, and this is hell. Choose, my soul, to which of the two thou wilt go. If thou desire heaven, thou must walk in the way which leads to heaven; if thou shouldst walk in the way which leads to hell, thou wilt one day unhappily find thyself there. Jesus, enlighten me, Jesus strengthen me. Suffer me not to be separated from thee.

Man shall go into the house of his eternity. If then I be saved and enter into the house of bliss, I shall there be happy for ever; but if I be lost and enter inter into the house of woe, I shall be miserable for ever. If therefore I would be saved, I must keep eternity always before my eyes. He who frequently meditates upon eternity does not become attached to the goods of this world, and thus secures his salvation. I will endeavour, therefore, so to regulate all my actions that they may be so many steps towards a happy eternity. O God, I believe in life eternal. Henceforth I will live only for Thee; hitherto I have lived for myself and have lost Thee, my sovereign good. I will never more lose thee; but will for ever serve and love thee. Assist me, O Jesus, and do not abandon me. Mary, my mother, protect me.

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February 15th, St. Faustina and Jovita, Martyrs

Ss. Faustinus and Jovita, Martyrs Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

O God, Who dost gladden us by the yearly festival of Thy holy Martyrs, Faustinus and Jovita, grant in Thy mercy, that we who rejoice in their merits may be inspired by the example of their lives. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Faustinus and Jovita were brothers, nobly born, and zealous professors of the Christian religion, which they preached without fear in their city of Brescia, while, the bishop of that place lay concealed during the persecution. Their remarkable zeal excited the fury of the heathens against them, and procured them a glorious death for their faith at Brescia in Lombardy, under the Emperor Adrian. Julian, a heathen lord, apprehended them: and the emperor himself, passing through Brescia, when neither threats nor torments could shake their constancy, commanded them to be beheaded. They seem to have suffered about the year 121. The city of Brescia honors them as its chief patrons, possesses their relics, and a very ancient church in that city bears their names.

Reflection.--The spirit of Christ is a spirit of martyrdom--at least of mortification and penance. It is always the spirit of the cross. The more we share in the suffering life of Christ, the greater share we inherit in His spirit, and in the fruit of His death. To souls mortified to their senses and disengaged from earthly things, God gives frequent foretastes of the sweetness of eternal life, and the most ardent desires of possessing Him in His glory. This is the spirit of martyrdom, which entitles a Christian to a happy resurrection and to the bliss of the life to come.

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February 14th, St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr

St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr The Sacrament of Marriage Preparation for Marraige After Lent/ Laws of the Church Duties of Marriage Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that we who are keeping the festival of blessed Valentine Thy Martyr, may, through his intercession, be delivered from all the evils that threaten us. Through our Lord. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who assisted the martyrs during the persecution under Claudius II. His great virtue and influence became known, and he was apprehended and brought before the emperor's tribunal. "Why, Valentine, do you want to be the friend of our enemies and reject our friendship?" The Christian priest replied, "My Lord, if you knew the gift of God, you would be happy, and your empire with you; you would reject the cult of your idols and would adore the true God and His Son Jesus Christ." One of the judges interrupted, asking the martyr what he thought of Jupiter and Mercury. "That they were miserable, and spent all their lives in debauchery and crime!" The judge, furious, cried, "He has blasphemed against the gods and against the empire!" The emperor nonetheless continued his questioning with curiosity, pleased to have this opportunity to know what Christians thought. Valentine had the courage to exhort him to do penance for the blood of Christians which he had shed. "Believe in Jesus Christ, be baptized and you will be saved, and already in this life you will insure your empire's glory and the triumph of your arms." Claudius began to be convinced, and said to those in attendance, "Hear the beautiful doctrine this man is teaching us!" But the prefect of Rome, dissatisfied, cried out, "See how this Christian is seducing our prince!" Claudius, weakening, abandoned the holy priest to another judge.

This man, named Asterius, had a little girl who had been blind for two years. Hearing of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, he asked Valentine if he could convey that light to his child. Saint Valentine placed his hand on her eyes and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, true Light, illuminate this blind child!" The child saw, and the Judge with all his family confessed Christ and received Baptism. The emperor, hearing of this, would have turned his gaze away from these conversions, but fear caused him to betray his sense of justice. With several other Christians Saint Valentine was tortured and martyred in the year 268.

This illustrious martyr has always been held in great honor in Rome, where there still exists a catacomb named for him.

Reflection: In the cause of justice and truth, human prudence should not be consulted; in that case, it is mere human respect. Saint Paul says: "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." (I Cor. 3:19)

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February 13th, Ferial Day

Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

On divine Love as the Virtue which Strengthens us.

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Love is strong as death.--Cant. viii. 6. As there is no created strength which can resist death; so to the soul that loves God, there is no difficulty which yields not to love. When the soul that loves would please its beloved, love overcomes all losses, contempt, and sorrows: "Nothing is so hard but that it may be conquered by the fire of love." This is the most certain mark by which to know whether a soul really loves God, its being as faithful to Him when things are adverse as when they are prosperous. St. Francis of Sales says: "that God is as amiable when He chastises us as when He consoles us, because he does both from love." Hence when He afflicts us the most in this life, He loves us the most. St. John Chrysostom considered St. Paul bound in chains more happy than St. Paul wrapt to the third heavens.

Hence the holy martyrs, in the midst of their torments, rejoiced and gave thanks to God for the great favour which He conferred upon them in allowing them to suffer for His love. And the other saints, where tyrants were wanting to afflict them, became their own tormentors by the penances which they imposed upon themselves, in order to please God. St. Augustin says: "He who loves, either does not feel labour, or loves it."

Affections and Prayers:

O God of my soul, I say that I love thee, and yet what do I do for Thy love? Nothing. It is a sign therefore that I either do not love Thee, or love Thee not enough. Send therefore, O Jesus, the Holy Ghost upon me, to come and strengthen me to do and to suffer something for Thy love, before death overtake me. Suffer me not, O Lord, to depart out of this life cold: and ungrateful, as I have hitherto been. Give me strength to love sufferings, on account of the many sins by which I have deserved hell.

O my God, who art all goodness and all love, Thou desirest to dwell in my soul, from which I have so often expelled Thee: come and take possession of it, dwell within it and make it air Thine own. I love Thee, O my Lord, and if I love Thee thou art with me, as St. John assures me: He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.--1 St. John iv. 16. Since therefore Thou art with me, increase the flames, the chains of Thy love, that I may neither desire, nor seek, nor love any other but Thee, and thus bound: by Thy love never separate myself from Thee any more. I desire, O Jesus, to be Thine, to be all Thine. O Mary, my Queen and advocate, obtain for me love and holy perseverance. Amen

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February 12th, Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessors

The Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessors Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

O God, Who, to honor the memory of Thy most holy Mother's sorrows, didst, by means of seven blessed Fathers, beget within Thy Church a new family of her Servants: mercifully grant that we may so share their weeping that we may also enjoy their bliss. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Hymn: Sic patres vitam

The fathers lived a life in shade, Yet seemed to Peter's vision seven White glistening lilies for the Maid, The Queen of heaven,

Through city streets, o'er hills and plains, Upborne by love divine, they trod, To fix in men the Mother's pains, The swords of God.

This was the power in which they spoke, Till each wild passion owned their sway: They cheered the sad, from sinners broke Their chains away.

Till at last the Virgin Queen Led them to mansions in the sky, Mansions where garlands aye are green, And never die.

May they hear cries of all who pray, And see how hard our earthly strife: Aiding us onward to the day When all is life.

Now to the Father thanks and praise; To Thee, O Son, the same we send; To thee, great Spirit, through all days, World without end. Amen

When in the thirteenth century the most cultured peoples of Italy were divided by bloodthirsty factions and by the dreadful schism fostered by Frederick II, the merciful providence of God raised up, among others remarkable for holiness, seven men of the nobility of Florence, who were united by mutual affection, and afforded a notable example of brotherly love. These men were: Bonfilio Monaldi, Bonagiunta Manetti, Manettus dell' Antella, Amadeus de Amadei, Hugo Lippi, Gerard Sostegni, and Alexis Falconieri. In the year 1233, on the feast of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin, while they were fervently praying in a certain convent of pious men, called the Praisers, each one of them was urged by the Mother of God herself in a vision, to embrace a more holy and more perfect life. Therefore, having first conferred on the matter with the bishop of Florence, these seven men, laying aside their wealth and rank, and clothing themselves in hair-shirts under very old and ragged garments, on September 8 withdrew to a humble retreat in the country, desiring to begin their holier life on the very day when the Mother of God herself began her own most holy life upon earth.

God showed by a miracle that their manner of life was pleasing to him. For one day shortly afterwards, when these seven men were begging alms from door to door throughout the city of Florence, it happened that they were acclaimed by the voices of children, among whom was St. Philip Benizi, then only five months old, as the Servants of blessed Mary, which was to be always their title in the future. Wherefore to avoid crowds of people, and led by their love of solitude, they all withdrew to the solitude of Monte Senario, and there adopted a manner of life almost heavenly. For they lived in caves, took no food but herbs and water, and subdued their bodies by vigils and other austerities, continually meditating on the passion of Christ and the sorrows of his afflicted Mother.

One Good Friday when they were absorbed in fervent prayer, the blessed Virgin appeared to them all in person a second time, and showed them the somber habit they were to adopt; and told them that she wished them to found a new order of religious in the Church, whose mission was to cultivate and spread devotion to the sorrows which she endured beneath the cross of the Lord. Holy Peter, illustrious Martyr of the Order of Preachers, learned this from familiar association with these holy men, and also from a strange vision of the Mother of God. it was at his instance, that they founded the regular Order under the title of Servants of the Blessed Virgin; which later was approved by the sovereign Pontiff Innocent IV.

These holy men were soon joined by many companions, and began to preach Christ crucified everywhere in the towns and cities of Italy, especially in Tuscany. They brought civil feuds to an end, and brought back almost innumerable sinners to the paths of virtue. Not only Italy, but France, Germany and Poland benefited by their evangelical labors. Finally, after having diffused the good odor of Christ far and wide, and also being illustrious in the glory of miracles, they passed to the Lord. In life they were one in their love of religion and of true brotherhood, in death they were united in one tomb and in the veneration of the people.

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February 11th, Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes

                 Newly Added
In Defense of the Miracles of Lourdes, A History of Its Apparitions and Cures Our Lady of Lourdes Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette St. Bernadette Soubirous, Virgin Index of Prayers and
Devotions for the Sick Immaculate Conception History and Defense of the Immaculate Conception Devotion in honor of the Immaculate Conception                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent

O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling for Thy Son: we humbly beseech Thee, that we who celebrate the Apparition of the same Virgin may win health of mind and body. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

In the fourth year after the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin, the Virgin herself deigned to appear on several occasions to a certain very poor but pious and innocent girl named Bernadette, in a rocky cavern overlooking the grotto of Massabielle, on the banks of the river Gave, near the town of Lourdes in the diocese of Tarbes in France. The Immaculate Virgin showed herself as a young and gracious figure, robed in white, with a white veil and blue girdle, and golden roses on her bare feet. At the first apparition on February 11, 1858, she taught the child to make the sign of the cross correctly and devoutly, and, taking a chaplet from her own arm, encouraged her by example to say the holy rosary; this was also repeated in the subsequent apparitions.

On the second day the girl, who feared some deceit of the devil, in all simplicity cast holy water at the Virgin, who smiled more graciously than before. At the third apparition, the girl was invited to repeat her visits to the grotto for fifteen days. During this time the Virgin conversed with her, exhorted her to pray for sinners, to kiss the ground and do penance; and finally commanded her to tell the priests, that a chapel was to be built in that place, and that pilgrims should come to it solemnly in prayer. She was also told to drink and wash in the water from a spring, until the invisible, but which soon gushed out of the ground. On the feast of the Annunciation the girl earnestly begged the Virgin, who had so often visited her, to reveal her name, and joining her hands and raising her eyes to heaven, she said: I am the Immaculate Conception.

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February 10th,
St. Scholastica, Virgin and Quinquagaesima Sunday

St. Scholastica, Virgin Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette

O God, Who, to show us the path of innocence, didst cause the soul of Thy blessed virgin Scholastica to go up into heaven in the form of a dove: grant that by the help of her merits and prayers, we may live in such innocence as to be worthy to win everlasting bliss. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Of this Saint but little is known on earth, save that she was the sister of the great patriarch St. Benedict, and that, under his direction, she founded and governed a numerous community near Monte Casino. St. Gregory sums up her life by saying that she devoted herself to God from her childhood, and that her pure soul went to God in the likeness of a dove, as if to show that her life had been enriched with the fullest gifts of the Holy Spirit. Her brother was accustomed to visit her every year, for "she could not be sated or wearied with the words of grace which flowed from his lips."

On his last visit, after a day passed in spiritual converse, the Saint, knowing that her end was near, said, "My brother, leave me not, I pray you, this night, but discourse with me till dawn on the bliss of those who see God in heaven." St. Benedict would not, break his rule at the bidding of natural affection; and then the Saint bowed her head on her hands and prayed; and there arose a storm so violent that St. Benedict could not return to his monastery, and they passed the night in heavenly conversation. Three days later St. Benedict saw in a vision the soul of his sister going up in the likeness of a dove into heaven. Then he gave thanks to God for the graces He had given her, and for the glory which had crowned them.

When she died, St. Benedict, her spiritual daughters, and the monks sent by St. Benedict mingled their tears and prayed, "Alas! alas! dearest mother, to whom dost thou leave us now? Pray for us to Jesus, to Whom thou art gone." They then devoutly celebrated holy Mass, "commending her soul to God;" and her body was borne to Monte Casino, and laid by her brother in the tomb he had prepared for himself." And they bewailed her many days;" and St. Benedict said, "Weep not, sisters and brothers; for assuredly Jesus has taken her before us to be our aid and defence against all our enemies, that we may stand in the evil day and be in all things perfect." She died about the year 543.

Reflection.--Our relatives must be loved in and for God; otherwise the purest affection becomes inordinate and is so much taken from Him.

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February 9th,
St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Cyril Bishop of Alexandria, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church and St. Apollonia, Virgin and Martyr 5th Sunday After Epiphany Part 12: Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation The Sin of Scandal Litany of Penance Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette

O God, Who didst make blessed Cyril, Thy Confessor and Bishop, the invincible champion of the divine motherhood of the most blessed Virgin Mary: grant through his intercession, that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God may be saved by her motherly care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Cyril became Patriarch of Alexandria in 412. Having at first thrown himself with ardor into the party politics of the place, God called him to a nobler conflict. In 428, Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, began to deny the unity of Person in Christ, and to refuse to the Blessed Virgin the title of "Mother of God." He was strongly supported by disciples and friends throughout the East. As the assertion of the divine maternity of Our Lady was necessary to the integrity of the doctrine of the Incarnation, so, with St. Cyril, devotion to the Mother was the necessary complement of his devotion to the Son. St. Cyril, after expostulating in vain, accused Nestorius to Pope Celestine. The Pope commanded retraction, under pain of separation from the Church, and intrusted St. Cyril with the conduct of the proceedings.

The appointed day, June 7, 431, found Nestorius and Cyril at Ephesus, with over 200 bishops. After waiting twelve days in vain for the Syrian bishops, the council with Cyril tried Nestorius, and deposed him from his see. Upon this the Syrians and Nestorians excommunicated St. Cyril, and complained of him to the emperor as a peace-breaker. Imprisoned and threatened with banishment, the Saint rejoiced to confess Christ by suffering. In time it was recognized that St. Cyril was right, and with him the Church triumphed. Forgetting his wrongs, and careless of controversial punctilio, Cyril then reconciled himself with all who would consent to hold the doctrine of the Incarnation intact. He died in 444.

Reflection.--The Incarnation is the mystery of God's dwelling within us, and therefore should be the dearest object of our contemplation. It was the passion of St. Cyril's life; for it he underwent toil and persecution, and willingly sacrificed credit and friends.

February 9th,
St. Apolonia, Virgin and Martyr

O God, Who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Apollonia, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

At Alexandria, in 249, the mob rose in savage fury against the Christians. Metras, an old man, perished first. His eyes were pierced with reeds, and he was stoned to death. A woman named Quinta was the next victim. She was led to a heathen temple and bidden worship. She replied by cursing the false god again and again, and she too was stoned to death. After this the houses of the Christians were sacked and plundered. They took the spoiling of their goods with all joy.

St. Apollonia, an aged virgin, was the most famous among the martyrs. Her teeth were beaten out; she was led outside the city, a huge fire was kindled, and she was told she must deny Christ, or else be burned alive. She was silent for a while, and then, moved by a special inspiration of the Holy Ghost, she leaped into the fire and died in its flames. The same courage showed itself the next year, when Decius became emperor, and the persecution grew till it seemed as if the very elect must fall away. The story of Dioscorus illustrates the courage of the Alexandrian Christians, and the esteem they had for martyrdom. He was a boy of fifteen.

To the arguments of the judge he returned wise answers: he was proof against torture. His older companions were executed, but Dioscorus was spared on account of his tender years; yet the Christians could not bear to think that he had been deprived of the martyr's crown, except to receive it afterwards more gloriously. "Dioscorus," writes Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria at this time, "remains with us, reserved for some longer and greater combat." There were indeed many Christians who came, pale and trembling, to offer the heathen sacrifices. But the judges themselves were struck with horror at the multitudes who rushed to martyrdom. Women triumphed over torture, till at last the judges were glad to execute them at once and put an end to the ignominy of their own defeat.

Reflection.--Many saints, who were not martyrs, have longed to shed their blood for Christ. We, too, may pray for some portion of their spirit; and the least suffering for the faith, borne with humility and courage, is the proof that Christ has heard our prayer.

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February 8th,
St. John of Matha, Confessor

St. John of Matha, Confessor Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette

O God, Who by heavenly power, and through holy John, didst found the Order of the most holy Trinity for ransoming prisoners from the power of the Saracens: grant, we beseech thee, that by virtue of his helpful merits pleading for us we may, by Thy help, be delivered from all bondage, whether of soul or body. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The life of St. John of Matha was one long course of self-sacrifice for the glory of God and the good of his neighbor. As a child, his chief delight was serving the poor; and he often told them he had come into the world for no other end but to wash their feet. He studied at Paris with such distinction that his professors advised him to become a priest, in order that his talents might render greater service to others; and, for this end, John gladly sacrificed his high rank and other worldly advantages.

At his first Mass an angel appeared, clad in white, with a red and blue cross on his breast, and his hands reposing on the heads of a Christian and a Moorish captive. To ascertain what this signified, John repaired to St. Felix of Valois, a holy hermit living near Meaux, under whose direction he led a life of extreme penance. The angel again appeared, and they then set out for Rome, to learn the will of God from the lips of the Sovereign Pontiff, who told them to devote themselves to the redemption of captives. For this purpose they founded the Order of the Holy Trinity. The religious fasted every day, and gathering alms throughout Europe took them to Barbary, to redeem the Christian slaves. They devoted themselves also to the sick and prisoners in all countries. The charity of St. John in devoting his life to the redemption of captives was visibly blessed by God.

On his second return from Tunis he brought back one hundred and twenty liberated slaves. But the Moors attacked him at sea, overpowered his vessel, and doomed it to destruction, with all on board, by taking away the rudder and sails, and leaving it to the mercy of the winds. St. John tied his cloak to the mast, and prayed, saying, "Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered. O Lord, Thou wilt save the humble, and wilt bring down the eyes of the proud." Suddenly the wind filled the small sail, and, without guidance, carried the ship safely in a few days to Ostia, the port of Rome, three hundred leagues from Tunis. Worn out by his heroic labors, John died in 1213, at the age of fifty-three.

Reflection.--Let us never forget that our blessed Lord, bade us love our neighbor not only as ourselves, but as He loved us, Who afterwards sacrificed Himself for us.

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February 7th,
St. Romuald, Abot

First Friday Devotions St. Romuald, Abot Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Romuald procure favor for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord: That we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

In 976, Sergius, a nobleman of Ravenna, quarrelled with a relative about an estate, and slew him in a duel. His son Romuald, horrified at his father's crime, entered the Benedictine monastery at Classe, to do a forty days' penance for him. This penance ended in his own vocation to religion. After three years at Classe, Romuald went to live as a hermit near Venice, where he was joined by Peter Urseolus, Duke of Venice, and together they led a most austere life in the midst of assaults from the evil spirits. St. Romuald founded many monasteries, the chief of which was that at Camaldoli, a wild desert place, where he built a church, which he surrounded with a number of separate cells for the solitaries who lived under his rule. His disciples were hence called Camaldolese. He is said to have seen here a vision of a mystic ladder, and his white-clothed monks ascending by it to heaven. Among his first disciples were Sts. Adalbert and Boniface, apostles of Russia, and Sts. John and Benedict of Poland, martyrs for the faith. He was an intimate friend of the Emperor St. Henry, and was reverenced and consulted by many great men of his time. He once passed seven years in solitude and complete silence.

In his youth St. Romuald was much troubled by temptations of the flesh. To escape them he had recourse to hunting, and in the woods first conceived his love for solitude. His father's sin, as we have seen, first prompted him to undertake a forty days' penance in the monastery, which he forthwith made his home. Some bad example of his fellow monks induced him to leave them and adopt the solitary mode of life. The penance of Urseolus, who had obtained his power wrongfully, brought him his first disciple; the temptations of the devil compelled him to his severe life; and finally the persecutions of others were the occasion of his settlement at Camaldoli, and the foundation of his Order. He died, as he had foretold twenty years before, alone, in his monastery of Val Castro, on the 19th of June, 1027.

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February 6th,
St. Titus, Bishop and Confessor

St. Titus, Bishop and Confessor Holy Purity Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette

O God, Who didst adorn blessed Titus, Thy Confessor and Bishop with apostolic virtues: grant through his merits and intercession, that we may live righteous and godly lives in this world, and be worthy to arrive at our heavenly country. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Titus was a convert from heathenism, a disciple of St. Paul, one of the chosen companions of the Apostles in his journey to the Council of Jerusalem, and his fellow-laborers in many apostolic missions. From the Second Epistle which St. Paul sent by the hand of Titus to the Corinthians we gain an insight into his character and understand the strong affection which his master bore him. Titus had been commissioned to carry out a twofold office needing much firmness, discretion, and charity.

He was to be the bearer of a severe rebuke to the Corinthians, who were giving scandal and were wavering in their faith; and at the same time he was to put their charity to a further test by calling upon them for abundant alms for the church at Jerusalem. St. Paul meanwhile was anxiously awaiting the result. At Troas he writes, " I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus, my brother." He set sail to Macedonia. Here at last Titus brought the good news. His success had been complete. He reported the sorrow, the zeal, the generosity of the Christians, till the Apostle could not contain his joy, and sent back to them his faithful messenger with the letter of comfort from which we have quoted. Titus was finally left as a bishop in Crete, and here he, in turn, received the epistle which bears his name, and here at last he died in peace.

The mission of Titus to Corinth shows us how well the disciple caught the spirit of his master. He knew how to be firm and to inspire respect. The Corinthians, we are told, "received him with fear and trembling." He was patient and painstaking. St. Paul "gave thanks to God, Who had put such carefulness for them in the heart of Titus." And these gifts were enhanced by a quickness to detect and call out all that was good in others, and by a joyousness which overflowed upon the spirit of St. Paul himself, who "abundantly rejoiced in the joy of Titus."

May blessed Dorothy, Thy Virgin and Martyr earnestly entreat for us pardon from Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord: for both by her chastity and by her acknowledgment of Thy power she ever pleased Thee well. Through our Lord etc. (Roman Breviary)

St. Dorothy was a young virgin, celebrated at Caesarea, where she lived, for her angelic virtue. Her parents seem to have been martyred before her in the Diocletian persecution, and when the Governor Sapricius came to Caesarea he called her before him, and sent this child of martyrs to the home where they were waiting for her.

She was stretched upon the rack, and offered marriage if she would consent to sacrifice, or death if she refused. But she replied that "Christ was her only Spouse, and death her desire." She was then placed in charge of two women who had fallen away from the faith, in the hope that they might pervert her; but the fire of her own heart rekindled the flame in theirs, and led them back to Christ. When she was set once more on the rack, Sapricius himself was amazed at the heavenly look she wore, and asked her the cause of her joy. "Because," she said, "I have brought back two souls to Christ, and because I shall soon be in heaven rejoicing with the angels." Her joy grew as she was buffeted in the face and her sides burned with plates of red-hot iron. "Blessed be Thou," she cried, when she was sentenced to be beheaded," blessed be Thou, O Thou Lover of souls! Who dost call me to Paradise, and invitest me to Thy nuptial chamber."

St. Dorothy suffered in the dead of winter, and it is said that on the road to her passion a lawyer called Theophilus, who had been used to calumniate and persecute the Christians, asked her, in mockery, to send him " apples or roses from the garden of her Spouse." The Saint promised to grant his request, and, just before she died, a little child stood by her side bearing three apples and three roses. She bade him take them to Theophilus and tell him this was the present which he sought from the garden of her Spouse. St. Dorothy had gone to heaven and Theophilus was still making merry over his challenge to the Saint when the child entered his room. He saw that the child was an angel in disguise, and the fruit and flowers of no earthly growth. He was converted to the faith, and then shared in the martyrdom of St. Dorothy.

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February 5th,
St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

St. Agatha, Virgin Martyr Holy Purity Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette

O God, Who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Agatha, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Agatha was born in Sicily, of rich and noble parents--a child of benediction from the first, for she was promised to her parents before her birth, and conse- crated from her earliest infancy to God. In the midst of dangers and temptations she served Christ in purity of body and soul, and she died for the love of chastity. Quintanus, who governed Sicily under the Emperor Deems, had heard the rumor of her beauty and wealth, and he made the laws against the Christians a pretext for summoning her from Palermo to Catania, where he was at the time. "O Jesus Christ!" she cried, as she set out on this dreaded journey," all that I am is Thine; preserve me against the tyrant."

And Our Lord did indeed preserve one who had given herself so utterly to Him. He kept her pure and undented while she was imprisoned for a whole month under charge of an evil woman. He gave her strength to reply to the offer of her life and safety, if she would but consent to sin, "Christ alone is my life and my salvation." When Quintanus turned from passion to cruelty, and cut off her breasts, Our Lord sent the Prince of His apostles to heal her. And when, after she had been rolled naked upon potsherds, she asked that her torments might be ended, her Spouse heard her prayer and took her to Himself.

St. Agatha gave herself without reserve to Jesus Christ; she followed Him in virginal purity, and then looked to Him for protection. And down to this day Christ has shown His tender regard for the very body of St. Agatha. Again and again, during the eruptions of Mount Etna, the people of Catania have exposed her veil for public veneration, and found safety by this means; and in modern times, on opening the tomb in which her body lies waiting for the resurrection, they beheld the skin still entire, and felt the sweet fragrance which issued from the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Reflection.--Purity is a gift of God: we can gain it and preserve it only by care and diligence in avoiding all that may prove an incentive to sin.

Hymn: Jesu Corona Virginum

Jesu, the Virgins' crown, do thou Accept us as in prayer we bow; Born of that Virgin, whom alone The Mother and the Maid we own.

Amongst the lilies thou dost feed, By Virgin choirs accompanied; With glory decked, the spotless brides Whose bridal gifts thy love provides.

They, wheresoe'er thy footsteps bend, With hymns and praises still attend: In blessed troops they follow thee, With dance, and song, and melody.

We pray Thee therefore to bestow Upon our senses here below Thy grace, that so we may endure From taint of all corruption pure.

To God the Father, God the Son, And God the Spirit, Three in One, Laud, honor, might, and glory be From age to age eternally. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

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February 4th,
Anthony Corsini, Bishop and Confessor

Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Candlemas until Advent St. Andrew Corsini, Bishop and Confessor

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Blaise, Thy Martyr and Bishop: grant in Thy mercy, that we who keep his festival may also rejoice in his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Andrew, born at Florence, of the noble family of the Corsini, was a child born in answer to his parents' prayers, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. For what manner of man he was to be was shown by a divine sign before he was born: for his pregnant mother dreamed she had given birth to a wolf, which ran to the Carmelite church, and was immediately changed into a lamb at the porch of that temple.

In youth, though educated piously and as befitting his rank, he gradually fell into vice, and was often rebuked by his mother. But when he learned that he had been dedicated by his parents' vow to the Virgin Mother of God, he was set on fire by divine love, and hearing of his mother's dream, entered the Order of the Carmelites; in which he was often molested by the devil with various temptations, but nothing could make him change his resolution of entering religion. He was shortly after sent to Paris and after completing the curriculum of studies and taking his degree, he returned to his own country, and was made superior of his order in Tuscany.

About that time the church of Fiesole lost its shepherd, and chose Andrew for its bishop; he thought himself unworthy of the office and for a long time hid himself until found outside the city, where he was betrayed by the voice of a child speaking miraculously, and, fearing to resist the will of God, he accepted the bishopric. When exalted to that dignity, he applied himself more than ever to the practice of humility, which he had always cultivated; and to the zeal of a shepherd he united tender compassion for the poor, almsgiving, constant prayer, watchings, and other practices of virtue, and he was also noted for the gift of prophecy so that his sanctity was proclaimed by all.

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February 3rd,
St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr and One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

We apologize for the delay in adding the ordinary form of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary which begins the day after Candlemas (February 3rd) until Advent. Due to technical difficulties we have been unable to complete this project, but hope to have it uploaded in the next two days.

Prayers and Devotions
to St. Blaise 14 Holy Helpers

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Blaise, Thy Martyr and Bishop: grant in Thy mercy, that we who keep his festival may also rejoice in his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Blase devoted the earlier years of his life to the study of philosophy, and afterwards became a physician. In the practice of his profession he saw so much of the miseries of life and the hollowness of worldly pleasures, that he resolved to spend the rest of his days in the service of God, and from being a healer of bodily ailments to become a physician of souls. The Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, having died, our Saint, much to the gratification of the inhabitants of that city, was appointed to succeed him. St. Blase at once began to instruct his people as much by his example as by his words, and the great virtues and sanctity of this servant of God were attested by many miracles. From all parts the people came nocking to him for the cure of bodily and spiritual ills.

Agricolaus, Governor of Cappadocia and the Lesser Armenia, having begun a persecution by order of the Emperor Licinius, our Saint was seized and hurried off to prison. While on his way there, a distracted mother, whose only child was dying of a throat disease, threw herself at the feet of St. Blase and implored his intercession. Touched at her grief, the Saint offered up his prayers, and the child was cured; and since that time his aid has often been effectually solicited in cases of a similar disease. Refusing to worship the false gods of the heathens, St. Blase was first scourged; his body was then torn with hooks, and finally he was beheaded in the year 316.

Reflection.--There is no sacrifice which, by the aid of grace, human nature is not capable of accomplishing. When St. Paul complained to God of the violence of the temptation. God answered, " My grace is sufficient for thee, for power is made perfect in infirmity."

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February 2nd,
The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sermons and Prayers for the Purification The Presentation Sacramentals: Blessed Candles 4th Sunday After the Epiphany

Almighty, everlasting God, we humbly beseech Thy majesty: that as Thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in the substance of our flesh, so Thou wouldst grant that we too may be presented unto Thee with hearts made clean. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

With the feast of the Purification ends the sanctoral Cycle of the Season after Epiphany. It is one of the oldest feasts of Our Lady, and in Rome in the seventh Century ranked after the Assumption. The law of God, given by Moses to the Jews, ordained that a woman, after childbirth, should continue for a certain time in a state which that law calls unclean, during which she was not to appear in public, nor presume to touch anything consecrated to God. This term was of forty days upon the birth of a son, and double that time for a daughter. On the expiration of the term, the mother was to bring to the door of the tabernacle, or Temple, a lamb and a young pigeon, or turtle-dove, as an offering to God. These being sacrificed to Almighty God by the priest, the woman, was cleansed of the legal impurity and reinstated in her former privileges.

A young pigeon, or turtle-dove, by way of a sin-offering, was required of all, whether rich or poor; but as the expense of a lamb might be too great for persons in poor circumstances, they were allowed to substitute for it a second dove.

Our Saviour having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, and His blessed Mother remaining always a spotless virgin, it is evident that she did not come under the law; but as the world was, as yet, ignorant of her miraculous conception, she submitted with great punctuality and exactness to every humbling circumstance which the law required. Devotion and zeal to honor God, by every observance prescribed by His law, prompted Mary to perform this act of religion, though evidently exempt from the precept. Being poor herself, she made the offering appointed for the poor; but, however mean in itself, it was made with a perfect heart, which is what God chiefly regards in all that is offered to Him. Besides the law which obliged the mother to purify herself, there was another which ordered that the first-born son should be offered to God, and that, after its presentation, the child should be ransomed with a certain sum of money, and peculiar sacrifices offered on the occasion.

Mary complies exactly with all these ordinances. She obeys not only in the essential points of the law, but has strict regard to all the circumstances. She remains forty days at home; she denies herself, all this time, the liberty of entering the Temple; she partakes not of things sacred; and on the day of her purification she walks several miles to Jerusalem, with the world's Redeemer in her arms. She waits for the priest at the gate of the Temple, makes her offerings of thanksgiving and expiation, presents her divine Son by the hands of the priest to His Eternal Father, with the most profound humility, adoration, and thanksgiving. She then redeems Him with five shekels, as the law appoints, and receives Him back again as a sacred charge committed to her special care, till the Father shall again demand Him for the full accomplishment of man's redemption.

The ceremony of this day was closed by a third mystery --the meeting in the Temple of the holy persons Simeon and Anne with Jesus and His parents. Holy Simeon, on that occasion, received into his arms the object of all his desires and sighs, and praised God for being blessed with the happiness of beholding the so-much-longed-for Messias. He foretold to Mary her martyrdom of sorrow, and that Jesus brought redemption to those who would accept of it on the terms it was offered them; but a heavy judgment on all infidels who should obstinately reject it, and on Christians, also, whose lives were a contradiction to His holy maxims and example. Mary, hearing this terrible prediction, did not answer one word, felt no agitation of mind from the present, no dread for the future; but courageously and sweetly committed all to God's holy will. Anne, also, the prophetess, who in her widowhood served God with great fervor, had the happiness to acknowledge and adore in this great mystery the Redeemer of the world. Simeon, having beheld Our Saviour, exclaimed: "Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, because my eyes have seen Thy salvation."

This feast is called Candlemas, because the Church blesses the candles to be borne in the procession of the day. "The wax of the candles signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant," says St. Anselm, "the wick figures His soul, and the flame His Divinity."

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February 1st,
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, Confessor and Martyr

First Saturday Devotions St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

L ook upon our weakness, O almighty God: and because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, let the glorious intercession of blessed Ignatius, Thy Martyr and Bishop, shield us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was the disciple of St. John. When Domitian persecuted the Church, St. Ignatius obtained peace for his own flock by fasting and prayer. But for his part he desired to suffer with Christ, and to prove himself a perfect disciple. In the year 107, Trajan came to Antioch, and forced the Christians to choose between apostasy and death. "Who art thou, poor devil," the emperor said when Ignatius was brought before him, "who settest our commands at naught?" "Call not him 'poor devil,'" Ignatius answered, who bears God within him." And when the emperor questioned him about his meaning, Ignatius explained that he bore in his heart Christ crucified for his sake. Thereupon the emperor condemned him to be torn to pieces by wild beasts at Rome. St. Ignatius thanked God, Who had so honored him, " binding him in the chains of Paul, His apostle."

He journeyed to Rome, guarded by soldiers, and with no fear except of losing the martyr's crown. He was devoured by lions in the Roman amphitheatre. The wild beasts left nothing of his body, except a few bones, which were reverently treasured at Antioch, until their removal to the Church of St. Clement at Rome, in 637. After the martyr's death, several Christians saw him in visions standing before Christ, and interceding for them.

Reflection.--Ask St. Ignatius to obtain for you the grace of profiting by all you have to suffer, and rejoicing in it as a means of likeness to your crucified Redeemer.

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January 31st,
St. John Bosco, Confessor

Prayers and Devotions
to St. John Bosco The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Mary Help of Christians

O God, Who hath raised up in Thy Confessor St. John Bosco a father and teacher of youth, and didst will that through him with the help of the Virgin Mary new religious families should flourish in the Church, grant, we beseech Thee, that enkindled by the same fire of charity we may be able to labor in finding souls and serve only Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

This apostolic priest of modern times is hailed as the patron of youth. He was born in Castelnuovo, Italy, on August 16, 1815. As a youngster, he was employed for a time as a shepherd, and this leisurely work gave him opportunity for prayerful union with God which was so evident in the years of his labor for souls. As a young priest in Turin, he was under the guidance of Don Joseph Caffasso, now a saint. An act of kindness to a poor boy in 1842 began the work of charity associated with his name thereafter, the care of needy youth.

For them he organized clubs and night schools, giving them recreation and training. Despite obstacles and difficulties from all sides the endeavor, which included technical schools and work shops, grew until he had to found a society, the Salesians, to perpetuate it. The work for boys gradually branched into a work for needy girls, for whom a Community, Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, was inaugurated. Don Bosco was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. The same Pope, who had known the saintly priest, canonized him five years later. Bl. Dominic Savio, canonized in 1950, was one of the early pupils of the Salesians.

Reflection.--A personal love of Christ developed in his own youth was the source of the deep zeal for the young which characterized St. John Bosco's work. There is nothing as precious as a soul. St. John Chrysostom asks: "What is equal to that profession which is concerned with directing the soul and forming the mind and character of the young?"

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January 30th, St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr

Introduction to a Devout Life

O God, Who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Martina, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Martina, a Roman virgin, was the child of a noble Christian consul, of whom it was said that he was extremely merciful towards the poor, and very zealous for faith in the Most Holy Trinity. His daughter lost both her parents while she was still very young, and for love of Christ she distributed all she inherited to the poor, that she might be more free to hasten towards martyrdom, during the persecution which had recently begun.

Under the emperor Alexander Severus she was discovered in a church one day by three officers of a search party, and commanded to follow them to a temple of Apollo. She cheerfully agreed, saying she would do so after praying for a short time and taking leave of her bishop. The officers reported their important capture to the emperor, believing she would readily renounce her faith. But when he ordered her to speak, she replied that she would sacrifice to none other than the true God, and never to idols, the handiwork of men. She was tortured by iron hooks, but her executioners were thrown to the ground amid a great light as she prayed, and arose converted, like Saint Paul, to the Christian faith.

She was tormented again the following day before the emperor, cruelly scourged while attached by her hands and feet to posts. When, one day later, she was taken to a temple of Diana, the demon left amid horrible screams. Fire from heaven fell and burnt the idol, which in tumbling crushed many of its priests and pagan worshipers. Saint Martina, after suffering other tortures and being spared by an enraged lion and a fiery furnace, was finally beheaded. Her death occurred on January 1st during the fourth year of Alexander Severus.

Her relics were found in 1634, during the papacy of Urban VIII, near the Mamertine Prison, with those of several other martyrs. All were placed in a beautiful church dedicated to Saint Martina in the Roman Forum. Urban VIII spared no efforts in promoting her veneration; and through his solicitude the Office was enhanced with hymns for Matins and Lauds. In these we read that her soul rose to heaven, where she was seen afterwards upon a royal throne, while the Blessed sang praises to God.

Hymn: Non illam crucians

T he agonizing hooks, the rending scourge, Shook not the dauntless spirit in her breast; With torments racked, Angels her fainting flesh Recruit with heavenly feast. In vain they cast her to the ravening beasts;

C alm at her feet the lion crouches down; Till smitten by the sword at length she goes To her immortal crown. Now, with the Saints Martina reigns in bliss, And, where idolatry sat throned of yore, From her victorious altar praise and prayer With odorous incense soar.

O thou, the Martyrs' strength, all cheating joys expel, And fill us with thy bright and never-fading love; Show us the beam divine, which forms the crowning joy, God, Three in One, of bliss above. Amen

Hymn: Martinae celebri plaudite

W ith joyous songs, great Rome, Martina's fame extol, Her glowing praises tell, and all her mighty deeds; A Virgin pure and chaste, she leads a stainless life, And for her Lord a Martyr bleeds.

A happy home is hers, and all that makes this world So sweet, and fresh, and fair, to those who love its wiles: From noblest parents sprung, 'mid wealth, and love, and joy, Her life speeds on, 'mid naught but smiles.

T hese pleasures soon she spurns--her wealth she gladly gives To Christ's own blessed poor--herself, to God above; No other wealth she seeks save her own spotless Spouse, Forever blest in his pure love. Amen

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January 29th,
St. Francis De Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

Prayers and Devotions to St. Francis De Sales Introduction to a Devout Life No Salvation Outside the Catholic Church

O God, by whose gracious will blessed Francis, Thy Confessor and Bishop, became all things unto all men for the saving of their souls: mercifully grant, that, being filled with the sweetness of Thy love, we may, through the guidance of his counsels and by the aid of his merits, attain unto the joys of life eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Francis was born of pious and noble parents, in the town of Sales, whence the family name. From his earliest years, he gave pledge of his future sanctity by the innocence and gravity of his conduct. Having been instructed in the liberal sciences during his youth, he was sent early to Paris to study philosophy and theology; and that his education might be entirely complete, he took the degree of doctor in both laws, and with the greatest distinction. He visited the sanctuary of Loreto, where he renewed the vow of perpetual virginity, with which he had already bound himself in Paris; which virtue he observed in spite of all the temptations of the devil and all the allurements of the flesh.

He refused to accept a high dignity in the Senate of Savoy, and entered the clerical army. He was ordained priest, and was made provost of the diocese of Geneva. This charge he fulfilled so perfectly that Granier, his bishop, selected him for the arduous undertaking of laboring, by the preaching of God's word, for the conversion of the Calvinists of Chablais and the country about Geneva. This mission he undertook with much joy. He had to suffer the harshest treatment from the heretics, who frequently sought to take his life, calumniated him, and laid plots against him. But he showed heroic courage in the midst of all these dangers and persecutions, and by the divine assistance converted, as it is stated, seventy-two thousand heretics to the Catholic faith, among whom were many distinguished by high position and by their learning.

After the death of Granier, who had already made him his coadjutor, he was consecrated bishop of Geneva. Then his sanctity showed itself in every direction, by his zeal for ecclesiastical discipline, his desire for peace, his charity to the poor, and every virtue. For the greater glory of God, he founded a new Order of nuns, which he called the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin. These nuns follow the Rule of St. Augustine, but Francis added additional constitutions distinguished by wisdom, prudence and tenderness. He enlightened the Church by writings full of heavenly wisdom, which point out a safe and easy path to Christian perfection. At length, in his fifty-fifth year, while returning from France to Annecy, after having celebrated Mass at Lyons, on the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, he was stricken with a fatal disease, and on the following day he passed to heaven, in the year of our Lord 1622. His body was taken to Annecy, and was buried with great honor in the church of the nuns of the above-mentioned order and immediately he became distinguished for miracles. These were officially authenticated and he was placed among the number of the Saints by Pope Alexander VII, with January 29 assigned as his feast; and Pope Pius IX, after consulting the Congregation of Sacred Rites, declared him a Doctor of the universal Church.

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January 28th,
St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor

St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor Our Lady of Ransom

O God, Who as an example of Thy love didst divinely inspire blessed Peter to beget within Thy Church a new family for the ransom of the faithful: grant through his intercession, that we may be loosed from the bonds of sin, and enjoy freedom for evermore in our heavenly country: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Peter, of the noble family of Nolasco, was born in Languedoc, about 1189. At the age of twenty-five he took a vow of chastity, and gave over his vast estates to the Church. Some time after, he conceived the idea of establishing an order for the redemption of captives. The divine will was soon manifested. The Blessed Virgin appeared on the same night to Peter, to "Raymond of Pennafort, his confessor, and to James, King of Arragon, his ward, and bade them prosecute without fear their holy designs.

After great opposition, the Order was solemnly established, and approved by Gregory IX., under the name of Our Lady of Mercy. By the grace of God, and under the protection of His Virgin Mother, the Order spread rapidly, its growth being increased by the charity and piety of its members, who devoted themselves not only to collecting alms for the ransom of the Christians, but even gave themselves up to voluntary slavery to aid the good work.

Reflection.--St. Peter Nolasco and his knights were lay men, not priests, and yet they considered the salvation of their neighbor intrusted to them. "We can each of us by counsel, by prayer, but above all by holy example, assist the salvation, of our brethren, and thus secure our own.

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January 27th,
St. John Chrysostom, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

Prayers and Devotions to St. John Chrysostom

O Lord, we beseech Thee, let Thy heavenly grace give increase to Thy Church: which thou hast vouchsafed to make illustrious by the glorious merits and teaching of blessed John Chrysostom, Thy Confessor and Bishop. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

John was born at Antioch in 344. In order to break with a world which admired and courted him, he in 374 retired for six years to a neighboring mountain. Having thus acquired the art of Christian silence, he returned to Antioch, and there labored as priest, until he was ordained Bishop of Constantinople in 398. The effect of his sermons was everywhere marvelous. St. Nilus relates that St. John Chrysostom was wont to see, when the priest began the holy sacrifice, " many of the blessed ones coming down from heaven in shining garments, and with bare feet, eyes intent, and bowed heads, in utter stillness and silence, assisting at the consummation of the tremendous mystery."

Beloved as he was in Constantinople, his denunciations of vice made him numerous enemies. In 403 these procured his banishment; and although he was almost immediately recalled, it was not more than a reprieve. In 404 he was banished to Cucusus in the deserts of Taurus. In 407 he was wearing out, but his enemies were impatient. They hurried him off to Pytius on the Euxine, a rough journey of nigh 400 miles. He was assiduously exposed to every hardship, cold, wet, and semi-starvation, but nothing could overcome his cheerfulness and his consideration for others. On the journey his sickness increased, and he was warned that his end was nigh. Thereupon, exchanging his travel-stained clothes for white garments, he received Viaticum, and with his customary words, " Glory be to God for all things. Amen," passed to Christ.

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January 26th,
St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

St. Polycarp Bishop and Martyr 3rd Sunday After the Epiphany Mortal Sin The Necessity of Avoiding Occasions of Sin
by St. Alphonsus Liguori Contrition Examination of Conscience Sins Against the Holy Ghost The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners The Spiritual Combat
by Fr. Scupoli, 1865 The Mercy and Justice of God

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Polycarp, Thy Martyr and Bishop: grant in Thy mercy that we who keep his festival may also enjoy his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of St. John. He wrote to the Philippians, exhorting them to mutual love and to hatred of heresy. When the apostate Marcion met St. Polycarp at Rome, he asked the aged Saint if he knew him. "Yes," St. Polycarp answered, "I know you for the first-born of Satan." These were the words of a Saint most loving and most charitable, and specially noted for his compassion to sinners. He hated heresy, because he loved God and man so much. In 167, persecution broke out in Smyrna.

When Polycarp heard that his pursuers were at the door, he said, "The will of God be done," and meeting them, he begged to be left alone for a little time, which he spent in prayer for "the Catholic Church throughout the world." He was brought to Smyrna early on Holy Saturday; and, as he entered, a voice was heard from heaven, "Polycarp, be strong." When the proconsul besought him to curse Christ and go free, Polycarp answered, "Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He never did me wrong; how can I blaspheme my King and Saviour?"

When he threatened him with fire, Polycarp told him this fire of his lasted but a little, while the fire prepared for the wicked lasted forever. At the stake he thanked God aloud for letting him drink of Christ's chalice. The fire was lighted, but it did him no hurt; so he was stabbed to the heart, and his dead body was burnt. "Then," say the writers of his acts, "we took up the bones, more precious than the richest jewels or gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, at which may God grant us to assemble with joy to celebrate the birthday of the martyr to his life in heaven!"

Reflection.--If we love Jesus Christ, we shall love the Church and hate heresy, which rends His mystical body, and destroys the souls for which He died. Like St. Polycarp, we shall maintain our constancy in the faith by love of Jesus Christ, Who is its author and its finisher.

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January 25th,
Conversion of St. Paul and Commemoration of St. Peter

The Conversion of St. Paul Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation The Steps to a Sinners Conversion The Necessity of Prayer for Sinners Death-Bed Repentance They that Live in Sin Prayer: its Conditions and Circumstances Ss. Peter and Paul St. Peter The Church is Catholic The Providence of God and Why He Permits Evil

O God, Who hast taught the whole world by the preaching of blessed Paul the Apostle: mercifully grant, that we who this day keep the memory of his Conversion, may, by following his example, advance in the way that leads unto Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The great apostle Paul, named Saul at his circumcision, was born at Tarsus, the capital of Silicia, and was by privilege a Roman citizen, to which quality a great distinction and several exemptions were granted by the laws of the empire. He was early instructed in the strict observance of the Mosaic law, and lived up to it in the most scrupulous manner. In his zeal for the Jewish law, which he thought the cause of God, he became a violent persecutor of the Christians.

He was one of those who combined to murder St. Stephen, and in the violent persecution of the faithful which followed the martyrdom of the holy deacon, Saul signalized himself above others. By virtue of the power he had received from the high priest, he dragged the Christians out of their houses, loaded them with chains, and thrust them into prison. In the fury of his zeal he applied for a commission to take up all Jews at Damascus who confessed Jesus Christ, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, that they might serve as examples for the others. But God was pleased to show forth in him His patience and mercy.

While on his way to Damascus, he and his party were surrounded by a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, and suddenly struck to the ground. And then a voice was heard saying, " Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute Me?" And Saul answered, " Who art Thou, Lord?" and the voice replied, "I am Jesus, Whom thou dost persecute." This mild expostulation of Our Redeemer, accompanied with a powerful interior grace, cured Saul's pride, assuaged his rage, and wrought at once a total change in him. Wherefore, trembling and astonished, he cried out, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Our Lord ordered him to arise and to proceed on his way to the city, where he should be informed of what was expected from him.

Saul, arising from the ground, found that, though his eyes were open, he saw nothing. He was led by hand into Damascus, where he was lodged in the house of a Jew named Judas. To this house came by divine appointment a holy man named Ananias, who, laying his hands on Saul, said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to thee on thy journey, hath sent me that thou mayest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost." Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized; he stayed some few days with the disciples at Damascus, and began immediately to preach in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God. Thus a blasphemer and a persecutor was made an apostle, and chosen as one of God's principal instruments in the conversion of the world.

Reflection.--Listen to the words of the "Imitation of Christ," and let them sink into your heart: "He who would keep the grace of God, let him be grateful for grace when it is given, and patient when it is taken away. Let him pray that it may be given back to him, and be careful and humble, lest he lose it."

(Butler's Lives of Saints)

Hymn: Egregie Doctor, Paule

O great Apostle Paul, may thy deep wisdom teach Our earth-bound souls to strive with thee the skies to reach; Till that which perfect is shall shine with fuller glow, and that be done away, which here in part we know.

All honor, might, and power, and hymns of joy we bring, While to the Trinity eternal praise we sing; He rules the universe in wondrous unity, And shall, throughout the days of all eternity. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

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January 24th,
St. Timothy, Bishop and Martyr

Prayers and Devotions to St. Timothy The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification A Series of Sermons in Defense of the Catholic Teaching on Oral Tradition, the Word of God, and Errors of Private Interpretation The Catholic Church's Teaching on Justification

L ook upon our weakness, O almighty God: and because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, let the glorious intercession of blessed Timothy, Thy Martyr and Bishop, shield us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Timothy was a convert of St. Paul. He was born at Lystra in Asia Minor. His mother was a Jewess, but his father was a pagan; and though Timothy had read the Scriptures from his childhood, he had not been circumcised as a Jew. On the arrival of St. Paul at Lystra the youthful Timothy, with his mother and grandmother, eagerly embraced the faith.

Seven years later, when the Apostle again visited the country, the boy had grown into manhood, while his good heart, his austerities and zeal had won the esteem of all around him; and holy men were prophesying great things of the fervent youth. St. Paul at once saw his fitness for the work of an evangelist. Timothy was forthwith ordained, and from that time became the constant and much beloved fellow-worker of the Apostle. In company with St. Paul he visited the cities of Asia Minor and Greece--at one time hastening on in front as a trusted messenger, at another lingering behind to confirm in the faith some recently founded church.

Finally, he was made the first Bishop of Ephesus; and here he received the two epistles which bear his name, the first written from Macedonia and the second from Rome, in which St. Paul from his prison gives vent to his longing desire to see his "dearly beloved son," if possible. once more before his death. St. Timothy himself not many years after the death of St. Paul, won his martyr's crown at Ephesus. As a child Timothy delighted in reading the sacred books, and to his last hour he would remember the parting words of his spiritual father, "Attende lectioni--Apply thyself to reading."

Reflection.--St. Paul, in writing to Timothy, a faithful and well-tried servant of God, and a bishop now getting on in years, addresses him as a child, and seems most anxious about his perseverance in faith and piety. The letters abound in minute personal instructions for this end. It is therefore remarkable what great stress the Apostle lays on the avoiding of idle talk, and on the application to holy reading. These are his chief topics. Over and over again he exhorts his spiritual son Timothy to " avoid tattlers and busy bodies; to give no heed to novelties; to shun profane and vain babblings, but to hold the form of sound words; to be an example in word and conversation; to attend to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine."

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January 23rd,
St. Raymond of Pennafort, Confessor

St. Raymund of Penafort, Confessor

In some locations, the Feast of the Espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on January 23rd

The Espousal and Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joseph the Husband of Mary

Marriage of Mary with Joseph--page 161

The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859

O God, Who didst choose blessed Raymond to be eminent as a minister of the sacrament of penance, and didst marvelously guide him through the waters of the sea: grant that through his intercession we may have strength to produce worthy fruits of penance and to reach the haven of eternal salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Born A. D. 1175, of a noble Spanish family, Raymond, at the age of twenty, taught philosophy at Barcelona with marvelous success. Ten years later his rare abilities won for him the degree of Doctor in the University of Bologna, and many high dignities. A tender devotion to our blessed Lady, which had grown up with him from childhood, determined him in middle life to renounce all his honors and to enter her Order of St. Dominic. There, again, a vision of the Mother of Mercy instructed him to cooperate with his penitent St. Peter Nolasco, and with James, King of Aragon, in founding the Order of Our Lady of Ransom for the Redemption of Captives.

He began this great work by preaching a crusade against the Moors, and rousing to penance the Christians, enslaved in both soul and body by the infidel. King James of Aragon, a man of great qualities, but held in bond by a ruling passion, was bidden by the Saint to put away the cause of his sin. On his delay, Raymond asked for leave to depart from Majorca, since he could not live with sin. The king refused, and forbade, under pain of death, his conveyance by others. Full of faith, Raymond spread his cloak upon the waters, and, tying one end to his staff as a sail, made the sign of the cross and fearlessly stepped upon it. In six hours he was borne to Barcelona, where, gathering up his cloak dry, he stole into his monastery. The king, overcome by this miracle, became a sincere penitent and the disciple of the Saint till his death.

In 1230, Gregory IX, summoned Raymond to Rome, made him his confessor and grand penitentiary, and directed him to compile "The Decretals," a collection of the scattered decisions of the Popes and Councils. Having refused the archbishopric of Tarragona, Raymond found himself in 1238 chosen third General of his Order; which post he again succeeded in resigning, on the score of his advanced age. His first act when set free was to resume his labors among the infidels, and in 1256 Raymond, then eighty-one, was able to report that ten thousand Saracens had received Baptism. He died A.D. 1275.

Reflection: Ask St. Raymond to protect you from that fearful servitude, worse than any bodily slavery, which even one sinful habit tends to form.

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January 22nd,
Sts. Vincent and Anastasius, Martyrs

St. Vincent of Saragosa, Martyr

Give ear, O Lord, to our supplications: and grant that we who acknowledge the guilt of our sins may be set free by the pleading of Thy blessed Martyrs Vincent and Anastasius. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Vincent was archdeacon of the church at Saragossa. Valerian, the bishop, had an impediment in his speech; thus Vincent preached in his stead, and answered in his name when both were brought before Dacian, the president, during the persecution of Diocletian. When the bishop was sent into banishment, Vincent remained to suffer and to die.

First of all, he was stretched on the rack; and, when he was almost torn asunder, Dacian, the president, asked him in mockery "how he fared now." Vincent answered, with joy in his face, that he had ever prayed to be as he was then. It was in vain that Dacian struck the executioners and goaded them on in their savage work. The martyr's flesh was torn with hooks; he was bound in a chair of red-hot iron; lard and salt were rubbed into his wounds; and amid all this he kept his eyes raised to heaven, and remained unmoved. He was cast into a solitary dungeon, with his feet in the stocks; but the angels of Christ illuminated the darkness, and assured Vincent that he was near his triumph.

His wounds were now tended to prepare him for fresh torments, and the faithful were permitted to gaze on his mangled body. They came in troops, kissed the open sores, and carried away as relics cloths dipped in his blood. Before the tortures could recommence, the martyr's hour came, and he breathed forth his soul in peace.

Even the dead bodies of the saints are precious in the eight of God, and the hand of iniquity cannot touch them. A raven guarded the body of Vincent where it lay flung upon the earth. When it was sunk out at sea the waves cast it ashore, and he was buried by faithful Christians.

The above image is a 3D sonogram of a baby 3 months old in the womb.

Today is the 41st Aniversary of the United States Supreme Courts infamous ruling, Roe vs Wade, that legalized the murder of unborn children. Since 1973, there have been over 57,041,400 abortions performed in the United States alone. Since 1980, the worldwide total number of abortions exceeds 1,282,313,250 (almost 1.3 billion).

Prayer of the Expectant Mother

O great St. Gerard, beloved Servant of Jesus Christ, perfect imitator of your meek and humble Savior, and devoted child of the Mother of God, enkindle within my heart one spark of that heavenly fire of charity which glowed in yours and made you a seraph of love. O glorious St. Gerard, because you bore, like your Divine Master, without murmur or complaint, the calumnies of wicked men when falsely accused of crime, you have been raised up by God as the Patron and Protector of expectant mothers: preserve me from danger and from the excessive pains accompanying childbirth, and shield the child which I now carry, that it may see the light of day and receive the lustral waters of Baptism. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ( Say Nine Hail Marys.)

Links relevent to the Sin of Abortion:

A Series of Catholic Lectures
on the Evils of Abortion and
the Defense of the Unborn The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents & the Value of Children The 5th Commandment Examination of Conscience 5th Commandment Examination of Conscience 6th and 9th Commandment Four Sins Crying to Heaven for Vengeance Motives and Ends of Marriage Advantages of Christian Marriage Prayer Against the Forces of Anti-life Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

Other related Links:

Prayers for Catholic Mothers Blessings of Many Children What is it to be a Mother? Prayer Book: The Christian Mother Prayer Book: The Christian Father

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January 21st,
St Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Prayers and Devotions to St. Agnes Holy Purity The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Almighty, everlasting God, Who choosest the weak things of the world to confound the strong; mercifully grant that we, who keep the solemn feast of blessed Agnes, Thy virgin and martyr, may enjoy her intercession with Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Agnes was but twelve years old. when she was led to the altar of Minerva at Rome and commanded to obey the persecuting laws of Diocletian by offering incense. In the midst of the idolatrous rites she raised her hands to Christ, her Spouse, and made the sign of the life-giving cross. She did not shrink when she was bound hand and foot, though the gyves slipped from her young hands, and the heathens who stood around were moved to tears.

The bonds were not needed for her, and she hastened gladly to the place of her torture. Next, when the judge saw that pain had no terrors for her, he inflicted an insult worse than death: her clothes were stripped off, and she had to stand in the street before a pagan crowd; yet even this did not daunt her. "Christ," she said, "will guard His own." So it was. Christ showed, by a miracle, the value which He sets upon the custody of the eyes. Whilst the crowd turned away their eyes from the spouse of Christ, as she stood exposed to view in the street, there was one young man who dared to gaze at the innocent child with immodest eyes. A flash of light struck him blind, and his companions bore him away half dead with pain and terror.

Lastly, her fidelity to Christ was tried by flattery and offers of marriage. But she answered, "Christ is my Spouse: He chose me first, and His I will be." At length the sentence of death was passed. For a moment she stood erect in prayer, and then bowed her neck to the sword. At one stroke her head was severed from her body, and the angels bore her pure soul to Paradise.

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January 20th,
Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, Martyrs

Ss. Fabian, Pope and Sebastian, Martyrs Newly Added
The Sight of Hell, A Book for Children and Young Persons as well as Adults The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Look upon our weakness, O almighty God: and, because we are weighed down beneath the burden of our own deeds, may the glorious intercession of Thy blessed martyrs Fabian and Sebastian shield us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The two great Roman martyrs, Fabian and Sebastian, made manifest the first in 250 in the persecution of Decius, the second in 284 in that of Diocletian, the divine power of Christ "Who operated wonders in them". The ancient martyrologies unite their names.

The appearance of the Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, had attested the divinity of Jesus on the day of His Baptism. It was also a dove hovering above Fabian that pointed him out to the Church as vicar of Jesus Christ.

St. Sebastian, an officer of the imperial household and commander of a cohort, encouraged his brothers in arms subjected to torments on account of their faith. Diocletian ordered him to be pierced with arrows. Sebastian, having escaped death, reappeared before the emperor and reproached him with his crimes. He was condemned to be flogged to death.

Like the martyrs mentioned in the Epistle, these two saints "were found perfect" in the testimony they bore of their faith in Jesus Christ, "for it was for the cause of the Son of Man that they suffered persecution". Numerous cures were wrought by St. Sebastian or rather by the virtue of Christ Who was in him.

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January 19th, St. Canute, King and Martyr

New St. Canute, Martyr Newly Added
The Sight of Hell, A Book for Children and Young Persons The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Subject Matter of the Gospel: Matrimony

2nd Sunday after the Epiphany Newly Updated
The Sacrament of Marriage Catholic Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage What is a mixed Marriage Duties of Marriage Nature of Marriage Christian Marriage The Ravages of Adultery Catholic Laws on Marriage and Divorce

O God, Who to give renown to Thy Church didst vouchsafe to adorn Thy blessed king Canute with the palm of martyrdom and with glorious miracles: mercifully grant, that, as he followed our lord in his sufferings, so we too may follow in his footsteps, and deserve to attain to everlasting joys. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Canute, King of Denmark, was endowed with excellent qualities of both mind and body. It is hard to say whether he excelled more in courage or in conduct and skill in war; but his singular piety eclipsed all his other endowments. He cleared the seas of pirates, and subdued several neighboring provinces which infested Denmark with their incursions. The kingdom of Denmark was elective till the year 1660, and, when the father of Canutus died, his eldest brother, Harold, was called to the throne. Harold died after reigning for two years, and Canutus was chosen to succeed him. He began his reign by a successful war against the troublesome, barbarous enemies of the state, and by planting the faith in the conquered provinces. Amid the glory of his victories he humbly prostrated himself at the foot of the crucifix, laying there his diadem, and offering himself and his kingdom to the King of kings. After having provided for the peace and safety of his country, he married Eltha, daughter of Robert, Earl of Flanders, who proved a spouse worthy of him. His next concern was to reform abuses at home. For this purpose he enacted severe but necessary laws for the strict administration of justice, and repressed the violence and tyranny of the great, without respect to persons.

He countenanced and honored holy men, and granted many privileges and immunities to the clergy. His charity and tenderness towards his subjects made him study by all possible ways to make them a happy people. He showed a royal munificence in building and adorning churches, and gave the crown which he wore, of exceeding great value, to a church in his capital and place of residence, where the kings of Denmark are yet buried. To the virtues which constitute a great king, Canutus added those which prove the great saint. A rebellion having sprung up in his kingdom, the king was surprised at church by the rebels. Perceiving his danger, he confessed his sins at the foot of the altar, and received Holy Communion. Stretching out his arms before the altar, the Saint fervently recommended his soul to his Creator; in this posture he was struck by a javelin thrown through a window, and fell a victim for Christ's sake.

January 19th,
St. Marius and Companions, Martyrs

Graciously hear Thy people, O Lord, who humbly pray through the intercession of Thy Saints: that by Thy grace we may enjoy peace during our life on earth and also help for life everlasting. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

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January 18th,
St. Peter's Chair at Rome

Prayers and Devotions to St. Peter the Apostle Ss. Peter and Paul, Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul Sermons
by Fr. Weninger The Church The Church is One The Church is Holy The Church is Catholic The Church is Apostolic How Catholics lose the Faith by Fr. Michael Muller Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Contrition The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Newly Added
The Sight of Hell, A Book for Children and Young Persons St. Michael/ Exorcism

O God, who in delivering to Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, didst confer on him the pontifical power of binding and loosing: grant that by the help of his intercession we may be loosed from the bonds of our sins: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

God had established the Roman Empire, and extended its dominion beyond that of any former monarchy, for the more easy propagation of His Gospel. Its metropolis was of the greatest importance for this enterprise. St. Peter took that province upon himself, and, repairing to Rome, there preached the faith and established his ecclesiastical chair. That St. Peter preached in Rome, founded the Church there, and died there by martyrdom under Nero, are facts the most incontestable, by the testimony of all writers of different countries who lived near that time; persons of unquestionable veracity, and who could not but be informed of the truth in a point so interesting and of its own nature so public and notorious.

This is also attested by monuments of every kind; by the prerogatives, rights, and privileges which that church enjoyed from those early ages in consequence of this title. It was an ancient custom observed by churches to keep an annual festival of the consecration of their bishops. The feast of the Chair of St. Peter is found in ancient martyrologies. Christians justly celebrate the founding of this mother-church, the centre of Catholic communion, in thanksgiving to God for His mercies to His Church, and to implore His future blessings.

Hymn: Quodcumque in orbe

Peter, whatever thou shalt bind on earth, The same is bound above the starry sky; What here thy delegated powers doth loose, Is loosed in heaven's supremest court on high: To judgment shalt thou come, when the world's end is nigh.

Praise to the Father through all ages be! The same to Thee, O coeternal Son! And Holy Ghost, one glorious Trinity; To whom all majesty and might belong; So sing we now, and such be our eternal song. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

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January 17th,
St. Anthony, Abbot

Newly Added
The Sight of Hell, A Book for Children and Young Persons St. Anthony of the Desert, Abbot The Life of St. Antony
by St. Athanasius

Temptations: Why we have them Lead us not into Temptation Temptations and the Devils who Tempt Necessity of Avoiding Occassions of Sin Mortal Sin The Devils Plan to Ruin Souls and the Protection of the Holy Angels Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation A Short Explanation on the Rite of Exorcisms St. Michael/ Exorcism The Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament or Exorcism of Nicola Aubry, by Fr. Michael Muller Part 4: The Four Gates of Hell Hell

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Anthony procure favor for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Antony was born in the year 251, in Upper Egypt. Hearing at Mass the words, " If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor," he gave away all his vast possessions. He then begged an aged hermit to teach him the spiritual life. He also visited various solitaries, copying in himself the principal virtue of each. To serve God more perfectly, Antony entered the desert and immured himself in a ruin, building up the door so that none could enter. Here the devils assaulted him most furiously, appearing as various monsters, and even wounding him severely; but his courage never failed, and he overcame them all by confidence in God and by the sign of the cross.

One night, whilst Antony was in his solitude, many devils scourged him so terribly that he lay as if dead. A friend found him thus, and believing him dead carried him home. But when Antony came to himself he persuaded his friend to carry him, in spite of his wounds, back to his solitude. Here, prostrate from weakness, he defied the devils, saying, "I fear you not; you cannot separate me from the love of Christ." After more rain assaults the devils fled, and Christ appeared to Antony in glory. His only food was bread and water, which he never tasted before sunset, and sometimes only once in two, three, or four days. He wore sackcloth and sheepskin, and he often knelt in prayer from sunset to sunrise. Many souls flocked to him for advice, and after twenty years of solitude he consented to guide them in holiness--thus founding the first monastery. His numerous miracles attracted such multitudes that he fled again into solitude, where he lived by manual labor. He expired peacefully at a very advanced age. St. Athanasius, his biographer, says that the mere knowledge of how St. Antony lived is a good guide to virtue.

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January 16th,
St. Marcellus I., Pope and Martyr

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Mercifully hear, O Lord we beseech Thee, the prayers of Thy people, that we my be helped by the merits of blessed Marcellus Thy Martyr and Bishop, whose martyrdom we celebrate. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

During the third century paganism and Christianity vied for supremacy in the Roman Empire. Hoping to stifle the Church completely, the emperor Diocletian in 303 began the last and fiercest of the persecutions. In time, Christian charity conquered pagan brutality, and as the Church attracted more and more members, the Roman government would be compelled to recognize its existence, but it was only after almost three hundred years, during which persecutions had forced Christian worship underground, that the Church would finally come out into the open after the Edict of Nantes in 313. It was still young and disorganized, vulnerable to heresy and apostasy, and needed a strong leader to settle questions of doctrine and discipline.

Such a leader came to the Chair of Peter in 304, when Saint Marcellus was elected pope. Saint Marcellinus, his predecessor, while being taken to torture, had exhorted him not to cede to the decrees of Diocletian, and it became evident that Marcellus did not intend to temporize. He established new catacombs and saw to it that the divine mysteries were continually celebrated there. Then three years of relative peace were given the church when Maxentius became emperor in 307, for he was too occupied with other difficulties to persecute the Christians.

After assessing the problems facing the Church, Saint Marcellus planned a strong program of reorganization. Rome then as now was the seat of Catholicism, and his program was initiated there. He divided the territorial administration of the Church into twenty-five districts or parishes, placing a priest over each one, thus restoring an earlier division which the turmoil of the persecutions had disrupted. This arrangement permitted more efficient care in instructing the faithful, in preparing candidates for baptism and penitents for reconciliation. With these measures in force, Church government took on a definite form.

Marcellus' biggest problem was dealing with the Christians who had apostatized during the persecution. Many of these were determined to be reconciled to the Church without performing the necessary penances. The Christians who had remained faithful demanded that the customary penitential discipline be maintained and enforced. Marcellus approached this problem with uncompromising justice; the apostates were in the wrong, and regardless of the consequences, were obliged to do penance. It was not long before the discord between the faithful and the apostates led to violence in the very streets of Rome.

An account of Marcellus' death, dating from the fifth century, relates that Maxentius, judging the pope responsible for the trouble between the Christian factions, condemned him to work as a slave on the public highway. After nine months of this hard labor, he was rescued by the clergy and taken to the home of a widow named Lucina; this woman welcomed him with every sign of respect and offered him her home for a church. When the emperor learned that Christian rites were being celebrated there, he profaned the church by turning it into a stable and forced the Holy Father to care for the animals quartered there. In these sad surroundings, Marcellus died on January 16, 310. He was buried in the catacombs of Priscilla, but later his remains were placed beneath the altar of the church in Rome which still bears his name.

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January 15th,
St. Paul, The First Hermit

St. Paul first hermit, Confessor The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

O God, Who dost gladden us by the yearly solemnity of blessed Paul, Thy Confessor, grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep his festival, may also follow the pattern of his life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Paul was bom in Upper Egypt, about the year 330, and became an orphan at the age of fifteen. He was very rich and highly educated. Fearing lest the tortures of a terrible persecution might endanger his Christian perseverance, he retired into a remote village. But his pagan brother-in-law denounced him, and St. Paul, rather than remain where his faith was in danger, entered the barren desert, trusting that God would supply his wants. And his confidence was rewarded; for on the spot to which Providence led him he found the fruit of the palm-tree for food, and its leaves for clothing, and the water of a spring for drink.

His first design was to return to the world when the persecution was over; but, tasting great delights in prayer and penance, he remained the rest of his life, ninety years, in penance, prayer, and contemplation. God revealed his existence to St. Antony, who sought him for three days. Seeing a thirsty she-wolf run through an opening in the rocks, Antony followed her to look for water, and found Paul.

They knew each other at once, and praised God together. When St. Antony visited him, a raven brought him a loaf, and St. Paul said, "See how good God is! For sixty years this bird has brought me half a loaf every day; now thou art come, Christ has doubled the provision for His servants." Having passed the night in prayer, at dawn of day Paul told Antony that he was about to die, and asked to be buried in the cloak given to Antony by St. Athanasius. Antony hastened to fetch it, and on his way back saw Paul rise to heaven in glory. He found his dead body kneeling as if in prayer, and two lions came and dug his grave. Paul died in his one hundred and thirteenth year.

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January 14th,
St. Hilary, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Hilary Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

O God, Who didst give blessed Hilary to be a minister of eternal salvation to Thy people; grant, we beseech Thee, that we who have had him on earth as Teacher of life, may be worthy to have him for advocate in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Hilary was a native of Poitiers in Aquitaine. Born and educated a pagan, it was not until near middle age that he embraced Christianity, moved to that step primarily by the idea of God presented to him in the Holy Scriptures. He soon converted his wife and daughter, and separated himself rigidly from all non-Catholic company, fearing the influence of error, rampant in a number of false philosophies and heresies, for himself and his family.

He entered Holy Orders with the consent of his very virtuous wife, and separated from his family as was required of the clergy. He later wrote a very famous letter to his dearly-loved daughter, encouraging her to adopt a consecrated life. She followed this counsel and died, still young, a holy death.

In 353 Saint Hilary was chosen bishop of his native city. Arianism, under the protection of the Emperor Constantius, was then at the heights of its exaltation, and Saint Hilary found himself called upon to support the orthodox cause in several Gallic councils, in which Arian bishops formed an overwhelming majority. He was in consequence accused to the emperor, who banished him to Phrygia. He spent his more than three years of exile in composing his great works on the Trinity.

In 359 he attended the Council of Seleucia, in which Arians, semi-Arians, and Catholics contended for the mastery. He never ceased his combat against the errors of the enemies of the Divinity of Christ. With the deputies of the council he went to Constantinople, and there so dismayed the heads of the Arian party that they prevailed upon the emperor to let him return to Gaul. He traversed Gaul, Italy and Illyria, preaching wherever he went, disconcerting the heretics and procuring the triumph of orthodoxy. He wrote a famous treatise on the Synods. After some eight years of missionary travel he returned to Poitiers, where he died in peace in 368.

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January 13th, Octave of the Epiphany

Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Prayer:

V. Christ manifested himself to us. Alleluia.
B. Come, let us adore him. Alleluia.

Let us pray:

Almighty and everlasting God, Lord of heaven and earth, who dost reveal thyself to little ones: grant us, we beseech thee, to honor meetly the holy mysteries of thy Son, the child Jesus, and to follow Him humbly in our lives, so that we may come to the eternal kingdom promised by Thee to little ones. Through the same Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.

Happiness of the Magi
by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Behold the Magi overwhelmed with joy prostrate at the feet of Jesus. Beg the grace to share somewhat of this joy.

The Magi Admitted to the Knowledge of Jesus

One of the first thoughts that comes to the mind when we hear the gospel narrative of the calling of the Magi is the thought of the happiness which fell to their lot. What a happiness indeed, to have been miraculously called from the darkness of the Gentiles to the Divine light of the Incarnate Word; to have been taught the sublime lessons of the Gospel even before they were preached to the world! To what did the Magi owe this wonderful happiness in preference to so many millions who lived and died in infidelity and sin? Only to the mercy and predilection of the Saviour God.

Application: You also have been the object of this same predilection of God, in this that He caused you to be born of Catholic parents, who taught you from your tenderest infancy the knowledge and love of Jesus. You might have been born, as so many are, of Pagan, Mohammedan, or Jewish parents, and how great then would have been your misery in time and eternity! To what do you owe your preservation, your being so richly supplied with means of salvation and of sanctification? Is it not solely to the mercy of your Saviour?

Affections: Joy and thanksgiving

Resolutions: Often call to mind these words of the Holy Ghost: "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required."--(St. Luke 12:48.)

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January 12th, The Feast of the Holy Family

Children's Sermon for
the Feast of the Holy Family The First Sunday after the Epiphany Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Family Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany

The Christian Family Instructions for the Catholic Family Duties of Parents Duties of Parents as Shepherds
of their Flock The 4th Commandment Religious and Moral
         Training of Children

What is it to be a Mother? Prayers for Catholic Mothers Blessings of Many Children The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents & the Value of Children Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine

Related Books:

Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 The Christian Mother The Christian Father The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859 The Little Book of the
Most Holy Child Jesus Includes Preparation for Confession

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who by subjecting Thyself to Mary and Joseph, hast hallowed domestic life with ineffable virtues: do Thou grant the example of Thy holy Family, and obtain everlasting fellowship therewith: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Pop Leo XIII, June 14, 1892

Neminem fugit:

When God, compassionate, determined to complete the work of human reparation which the world had awaited throughout long ages, he so established and designed the whole, that from its very inception, it would show to the world the sublime pattern of a divinely constituted family. In this all men should see the perfect example of domestic union, and of all virtue and holiness. Such was the family of Nazareth, in which before he had shone forth in full light to all nations, the Sun of justice, Christ our God and Savior, led a hidden life with the Virgin for mother and most holy Joseph for foster father.

There is no doubt that all those virtues of ordinary home life, those acts of mutual love, holy behavior and pious practices shone forth in the highest degree in this Holy Family, destined to be a model for all others. Accordingly, the benign dispositions of Providence fashioned that family so that every individual Christian, whatever his condition or station, by turning his attention to it, could find in it easily, reason and incentive for the exercise of every virtue.

Fathers of families, for example, have in Joseph a shining pattern for watchfulness and foresight. Mothers have in the most holy Virgin Mother of God an extraordinary model of love, of modesty, of submissiveness of mind, and of perfect faith. Children of the family have in Jesus who was subject to Joseph and Mary, a divine example of obedience to admire, cultivate and imitate. Those nobly born may learn from a family of royal blood how to restrain themselves in good fortune, and to retain their dignity in ill. The rich may learn from this family how much less estimable are riches than virtue. If working men and all those sorely harassed by family distresses and slender circumstances would but look to the most holy members of this domestic society, they would find there reason to rejoice rather than to grieve at their lot. In common with the Holy Family they have to work, they have to provide for the daily needs of life. Joseph had to work at his trade to earn a living; even the divine hands toiled at the artisan's calling. Surely then we need not wonder that wise men who were rich, cast their wealth aside willingly, and chose poverty in company with Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

For all these reasons, therefore, it was right and proper that devotion to the Holy Family should have been introduced among Catholics and once begun should have grown from day to day. Proof of this lies first in the sodalities instituted under the invocation of the Holy Family; then in the unique honors bestowed upon it; and above all, by the privileges and favors granted to this devotion by our predecessors to stimulate fervor and piety in its regard. This devotion was held in great honor, even in the seventeenth century. Having been widely propagated through Italy, France and Belgium, it spread through practically the whole of Europe. Passing over the vast tract of the Atlantic Ocean, it was extended in America, through Canada, where under favorable circumstances, it became flourishing. Nothing truly can be more salutary or efficacious for Christian families to meditate upon than the example of this Holy Family, which embraces the perfection and completeness of all domestic virtues. When Jesus, Mary and Joseph are invoked in the home, there they foster charity, there they exert a good influence over conduct, set an example of virtue, and make more bearable the hardships of every life. To increase devotion to the Holy Family, Pope Leo XIII prescribed that Christian families should be dedicated to it. Benedict XV extended the Mass and Office to the whole Church.

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January 11th, St. Hyginus, Pope and Martyr

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Hyginus, Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Church makes commemoration, today, of the holy Pope and Martyr Hyginus. He held the Apostolic Chair under the reign of Antoninus, and closed his four-years Pontificate by martyrdom. We have no history of his life, but we venerate in him one of the links of that grand chain of Pontiffs, which unites us, by St. Peter, to our Lord Jesus Christ. The whole weight of the government of the Church was upon his shoulders, and he was courageous and faithful in the discharge of his duties; his reign was during the age of Persecution, when to be Pope was to be a victim of tortures and death. As we have already said, he soon won his Palm, and was associated in heaven with the three Magi, who had, before leaving this world, preached the gospel in Greece, the country of our Saint. Let us ask him to bless the offerings we are making to the Divine Infant of Bethlehem, and to pray for us, that we may obey this sweet King, who asks us to give Him, not our blood by martyrdom, but our hearts by charity.

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January 10th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

A patient man shall bear for a time, and afterwards joy shall be restored to him (Ecclus. i. 29)

Consider first, that however great thy sufferings may be, thou must not be disheartened, for they shall last but "for a time." Temptations, troubles, adversity, humiliation, shall all come to an end, and then shall follow eternal happiness: "A patient man shall bear for a time, and afterwards joy shall be restored to him."

Consider secondly, that thou oughtest not to be anxious to rejoice now, seeing that it is not yet thy time; rest assured that it shall come. See the condition of a tree in winter time, shorn of its foliage, gaunt, covered with snow, a pitiful object, no one cares to look at it. But wait a little, and thou shalt see what pomp of leaves and wealth of flowers and store of tempting fruit! So shall it be with thee. Wait "for a time;" now is thy winter: "Bear with patience."

Consider thirdly, that it would be foolishness in such a tree to wish impatiently to put forth buds and be gay before its time. It would shortly come to fade, and when all the rest stood forth in early spring joyous and richly clad, it would be left neglected and alone. So shall it be with thee likewise, if thou wouldst now forestall the happy state which belongs to the blessed in Heaven alone. We are here to suffer, not to rejoice. Understand this well: "In the world you shall have distress (St. John xvi. 33)."

Consider fourthly, that the joy which follows shall bear proportion to the suffering which has gone before, and therefore observe the use of the word "restored." The Lord will restore to thee joy in proportion to the joy which thou hast renounced at His bidding heretofore: "According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, Thy comforts have given joy to my soul (Psalm xciii. 19)." Perchance thou dost not trust Him. Doubt Him not; He pays all debts most faithfully. Nay, much more will He restore to thee than thou hast ever given. Suffice for thee to know that He will give thee Himself: "I am thy reward exceeding great (Genesis xv. I)."

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January 9th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy house shall quickly be overthrown (Ecclus. xxvii. 4).

Consider first, that this wretched earth is not thy lasting city. Thy city is Heaven. Very different are those two cities of the present and the future! To compare them would be like comparing some little village or hamlet to Imperial Rome. Earth in respect of Heaven is a poor man's hovel. How lovely, then, must be that city of the other world, "the city of perfect beauty," if this earthly city delights thee so much!

Consider secondly, what ought in consequence to be thy course of conduct on this earth. It should be such as thou wouldst pursue in a city where thou hast no fixed abode, but art only a sojourner for a few days. Thou dost not interest thyself in its affairs; thou art not attached to it by feelings of affection; thou dost fix thy gaze upon it certainly, but always as an object which concerns thee not. Such must thy conduct be throughout thy life on earth, since it is not thy city. "We have not here a lasting city." Thou art a sojourner. And dost thou seek with eagerness to fix thy dwelling here?

Consider thirdly, that thou art not only a sojourner on earth, but a pilgrim, and therefore it is added, "But we seek one that is to come." What dost thou do when thou dost pass in pilgrimage from place to place? Thou art not anxious to provide thyself with anything beyond the mere necessaries of life. Thou travellest lightly equipped and unencumbered, and thou dost assiduously seek the shortest way to thy native land. Thus thou must act in the case proposed. Here have thy body, there thy mind; like the pilgrim, who in the body traverses some city on his journey, but in spirit has already reached the city for which he sighs. But alas! how different is thy conduct! Scarcely ever are thy thoughts in Heaven. This is a bad sign. Surely it cannot be thy own true country.

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January 8th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

For behold short years pass away, and I am walking in a path by which I shall not return (Job xvi. 23).

Consider first, that the years pass quickly by. To convince thyself that so it is, look back, and see the years that are already gone. Oh, how short they seem! So also shall be those that still remain to thee. What excuse, then, canst thou give for being so careless in laying up treasure for Heaven?" Short years pass away," and dost thou give up so much time to sleep?" Short years pass away," and dost thou yield so much of them to vanity?" Short years pass away," and dost thou spend so much of them even in sin? It is unutterable folly. "In the morning sow thy seed (Eccles. xi. 6)." Rise early from thy couch to pray, to sing hymns of praise, to study, to do good service to thy neighbour. For thou shalt gather good fruit in eternity, according as thou hast sown good fruit in thy lifetime here.

Consider secondly, that time not only passes quickly, but passes never to return, so that the time thou losest now is lost for ever; it comes back no more, it can never be regained, it is like the water which flows once only over the river-bed and never again returns. And dost thou value it so lightly? At the hour of death thou shalt find deep cause of grief in having allowed it to go by unprofitably. At that hour how shalt thou groan, not only over wasted years, but over wasted hours and minutes, aye, and the smallest points of time, which now thou art ashamed to value, lamenting that thou didst not treasure them with avaricious soul. What says the Lord, speaking of this? "Let not one particle of a good gift escape thee (Ecclus. xiv. 14)." How precious a thing is time! Thou dost let it run to waste like water, and He would have thee value it like gold; He would have thee set store by each little shred of it. But wonder not at this. Every little point of time well spent can bring thee a richer revenue than the greatest kingdom in all the universe.

Consider thirdly, what would not one of the damned be willing to do, if by Divine favour he were allowed to return to life and go over his course anew. Think you he would be careless in employing the time given him by God? Oh, how he would toil! Oh, how he would strain each nerve! Oh, with what anxious, care he would devote each precious moment to the welfare of his soul! But this has not been granted. What will be thy fate if only then thou dost set store by time, when time for thee shall be no more? Say therefore ever to thyself, in the words of holy Job, "I am walking in a path by which I shall not return." Human life is a road which is trodden but once. Happy the man who knows how to turn to account the present opportunities of making profit and amassing wealth. Whoso neglects to do this now, cannot through all eternity come back to set his error right.

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January 7th, Within the Octave of the Epiphany

Reflection for each day of the Octave of the Epiphany Devotions to the Infant Jesus Prayers for the Epiphany The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

They that are faithful in love shall rest in Him (Wisdom iii. 9).

by Fr. Paul Segneri, 1892

Consider first, that the true mark of the faithful love of God is conformity with the Divine will. It is easy to love Him when His will falls in with our own inclination, when "He rests in us;" when He keeps us in good health, gives us glory, gives us grandeur, or even imparts to us many spiritual consolations. The merit is in loving Him when we have to follow in the path He chooses, when we have "to rest in Him;" to suffer sickness, disgrace, losses, and even continual desolation of spirit. And yet this is His will, that we cease not from suffering; and to speak plainly, we ask for nothing else when we repeat, "Thy will be done;" for it is His will that we should be saints: "This is the will of God, your sanctification;" and there is no other way to sanctity but that of suffering: "All that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations remaining faithful."

Consider secondly, that this conformity with the Divine will must be very perfect. Hence it is called repose. Not that the inferior part of our soul need necessarily be always at rest; but that the superior part must be at rest. The will must acquiesce, and the understanding must acquiesce. In many the will readily acquiesces, but not so the understanding; for it seems to them strange at times that God should so treat them, nor can they bring themselves to believe that what has happened to them is the very best thing for them. If such be the condition of thy mind, thou art not at rest, at least not perfectly, and there is therefore no cause for self-congratulation; thou art not faithful: "Those that are faithful in love shall rest in Him."

Consider thirdly, that this complete conformity to the Divine will is what beyond everything else brings rest to the soul. On this account also conformity is called repose. So long as thou art anxious to bend to thy will the will of God, or his who guides thee in God's name, so long shalt thou fail to find repose; then alone shalt thou be at peace when the Lord, or he who guides thee in His name, draws thy will to His; therefore, place thyself in His hands entirely once for all. I say to thee with Job: "Submit thyself then to Him, and be at peace."

†

January 6th,
The Epiphany of Our Lord

The Epiphany The Epiphany: Christ is King by Fr. Weninger Homilies for the Epiphany Children's Sermon: The Epiphany Prayers for the Epiphany The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Children Prayers for Christmas Christmas Carols The First Noel Video Polish Christmas and
Epiphany Video

O God, Who on this day by the guidance of a star didst reveal Thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: mercifully grant, that we who know Thee now by faith, may be brought to contemplate the beauty of Thy majesty. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The word Epiphany means "manifestation," and it has passed into general acceptance throughout the universal Church, from the fact that Jesus Christ manifested to the eyes of men His divine mission on this day first of all, when a miraculous star revealed His birth to the kings of the East. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy that "a star would arise from Jacob". (Numbers 24:17) It was understood by these Wise Men that this star was announcing the Saviour-King, destined to be born of the Jews. And they, in spite of the difficulties and dangers of a long and tedious journey through deserts and mountains almost impassable, hastened at once to Bethlehem to adore Him. And there they offered Him mystical presents, as to the King of kings, to the God of heaven and earth, and to a Man whose human nature made Him mortal and subject to sufferings.

The second manifestation commemorated by this feast day occurred when He came forth from the waters of the Jordan after having received Baptism from the hands of Saint John, and the Holy Ghost descended on Him in the visible form of a dove. A voice from heaven was heard, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The third manifestation which the Church's liturgy recalls to us is that of the divine power of Jesus when, at the marriage-feast of Cana, by the first of His miracles He changed water into wine. And at the sight of this prodigy His disciples believed in His Divinity. These three great events, concurring to the same end, the Church has wished to celebrate in one and the same festival.

†

January 5th, Most Holy Name of Jesus, Vigil of the Epiphany and St. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr

Related Links to the Name of Jesus

Prayers and Devotions to the Holy Name Meditations on the Life of Jesus Christ: Circumcision, New Years and the Holy Name The 2nd Commandment Examination of Conscience
the 2nd Commandment Our Redeemer & Messiah The Psalster of Jesus The Vigil of the Epiphany The Little Book of the
Most Holy Child Jesus Includes Preparation for Confession Devotions to the Infant Jesus

      12th Day of Christmas

Octave of Christmas Christmas Day Prayers and Devotions Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus The Nativity Christmas Carols Children Prayers for Christmas

                 Newly Added
Part 9: Most Holy Mary is the Mediatrix of Sinners The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

O God, Who didst appoint Thy only-begotten Son to be the Savior of mankind, and didst command that He should be called Jesus: mercifully grant that we who pay honor to His holy name on earth, may enjoy the vision of Him in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Homily of St. Bernard

O great and wonderful mystery! The Child is circumcised, His name is called Jesus. What is the connection between these two events? It would seem that circumcision should be for those to be saved rather than for the Savior; more fitting that He should be the circumciser rather than the circumcised. But behold how from the very instant of His birth the mediator between God and man joined human things with divine, the lowest with the highest. He is born of a woman, but her womb is made fruitful without the loss of the flower of her virginity. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes, but the very swaddling clothes are honored by the praise of Angels. He is laid in a manger, but a shining star of heaven reveals it. The Circumcision, similarly proved the very truth of the humanity He had assumed and the Name which is above all names, points out the glory of his majesty. He was circumcised like a true son of Abraham, He was called Jesus as the true Son of God.

My Jesus bears His name, not as others before him bore it,--a vain and empty title. In Him it was not the shadow of a great name; but the very substance of it. The Evangelist testifies that the name was given Him from heaven, saying: Which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the womb. Note the deep significance of the words. After Jesus was born He was called "Jesus" by men, he who had been called "Jesus" by an Angel before He was conceived in the womb. He was the Savior of Angels and of men; of men from his Incarnation; of Angels from the beginning of their creation. His name, says the Evangelist, was called Jesus, which was given Him by the Angel. Therefore in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And that word which the Prophet says is cut short, is made manifest in the Gospel--the Word made flesh.

It is fitting that when the Son Who was born for us was being circumcised He was called Jesus "Savior," since even then He was beginning to work out our salvation, pouring out for us His most pure blood. Nor should Christians speculate upon why Christ the Lord willed to be circumcised. He was circumcised for the same reason that He was born, and for which He suffered. Neither one nor the other was for Himself, but for the elect. He was not born in sin; He was not circumcised to free Himself from sin, nor did He die for His own sins, but for ours. Which was called, says the Evangelist, by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. This name was not merely attributed to Him; it is plain He was called this name from eternity. As it inheres in His own proper nature to be a Savior, so the name is inherent in Him. It was not conferred upon Him either by an angelic creature or human being.

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Telesphorus Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Hymn: Jesu, decus angelicum

O Jesu, thou the beauty art
Of Angel worlds above;
Thy Name is music to the heart,
Enchanting it with love.

Celestial Sweetness unalloyed!
Who eat thee hunger still;
Who drink of thee still feel a void,
Which only thou canst fill.

O my sweet Jesu! hear the sighs
Which unto thee I send;
To thee mine inmost spirit cries
My being's hope and end.

Stay with us. Lord, and with thy light
Illume the soul's abyss;
Scatter the darkness of our night,
And fill the world with bliss.

The following stanza is never changed.
O Jesu, spotless Virgin flower,
Our life and joy; to Thee
Be praise, beatitude, and power,
Through all eternity.
Amen.

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.

†

January 4th, Octave of the Holy Innocents and First Saturday

First Saturday Devotions                  Newly Added
Part 9: Most Holy Mary is the Mediatrix of Sinners                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification The Holy Innocents The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents & the Value of Children The 5th Commandment Examination of Conscience 5th Commandment A Series of Catholic Lectures on the Evils of Abortion and the Defense of the Unborn The Nature of Sin Devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe Blessings of Many Children Duties of Parents Duties of Parents as Shepherds of their Flock Prayers for Catholic Mothers New    Christmas Carols

       †

January 3rd, within the Octave of St. John
and First Friday

                 Newly Added
Part 8: Prayers Appease God, and Avert from us the Chastisement we Deserve, provided we purpose to Amend. First Friday Devotions                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification Octave of St. John
the Apostle and Evangelist St. John the Evangelist

Related Links for St. John the Evangelist, beloved by our Lord
for his Angelic Purity

Holy Purity Moral Teaching on Unchaste Thoughts and Desires The Sin of Impurity

Of Thy goodness, O Lord, enlighten Thy Church: that being illumined by the doctrines of blessed John Thy Apostle and Evangelist, she may attain to everlasting gifts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

       †

January 2nd,
Octave of St. Stephen

St. Stephen, Marytr

On Beginning a New Life with the New Year.

Consider, first, how many years of your life are now past and gone; how long it is since you first came to the knowledge of good and evil, and in what manner you have spent all this precious time given you for no other end, but that you might employ it in the love and service of your God, and in securing the salvation of your immortal soul. Alas! have any of these past years been spent in such manner as to answer this great end? Have they not all, one after another, flowed away unprofitably into the gulf of eternity, and been utterly lost to your soul? It is well if they have not.

Consider, secondly, the present state and condition of your conscience. How stand accounts between your soul and God? What if this very day you were called to the bar of divine Justice? Ah! do not deceive yourself, nor suffer yourself to be imposed upon by the enemy. Your time in all appearance will be much shorter than you are willing to imagine. Many thousands who expect death as little as yourself, will close their life with the present year. Set then your house in order: begin this very day to rectify the whole state of your interior; and live, henceforward, as you desire to die. There cannot be too great security, where eternity is at stake.

Consider, thirdly, how long the mercy of God has borne with you, and, notwithstanding your repeated crimes, has brought you to the beginning of this year, out of a sincere desire of your salvation. Planted in His vineyard, like the barren fig-tree, you have hitherto brought forth only leaves; but see, He is willing to try you once more, and to entrust you a little while longer with His word, His graces, and His sacraments. Take care to disappoint Him no more, by refusing the fruit of repentance which He expects, lest He should once for all order the barren tree to be cut down, and cast into the fire.

Conclude to begin from this very hour to turn away from sin, to the love and service of your God. Alas! how few Christians seem to be truly in earnest in this greatest of all their concerns.

†

January 1st,
Circumcision of Our Lord

                 Newly Added
The Circumcision of our Lord Sermons for Children's Masses The Circumcision I. The Circumcision II. (New Years) Meditations on the Holy
Name of Jesus Octave of Christmas Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification The Dogma of the Incarnation Rests on the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O God, Who, by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary, hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us, through whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The feast of the Circumcision has been kept since the sixth century. Moses commanded that all young Israelites should undergo this rite on the eight day after birth. It is a type of Baptism, by which a man is spiritually circumcised. "See," says St. Abrose, "how the whole sequence of the Old Law foreshadowed that which was to come; for circumcision signifies the blotting out of sins.

He who is spiritually circumcised by the rooting up of his vices is judged worthy of the Lord's favor. While speaking of the first drops of his Sacred Blood that Our Redeemer shed for the cleansing of our souls, the Church emphasizes the thought of the cutting out of all that is evil in us. "Jesus Christ. . . gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and cleanse us." (Epistle)

On this, the eight day after Christmas, the Church commemorates the Circumcision of our Redeemer and also honors Mary's divine Maternity.

O admirable interchange:

The Creator of mankind, assuming a living body, deigned to be born of a Virgin: and becoming man without man's concurrence, bestowed on us his Divinity.

2. When thou wast born ineffably of the Virgin, the Scriptures were fulfilled: As dew upon the fleece thou earnest down, to save mankind: we praise thee, O our God.

5. In the bush seen by Moses as burning yet unconsumed, we recognize the preservation of thy glorious virginity: O Mother of God, intercede for us.

4. The root of Jesse hath budded, the star hath arisen out of Jacob: a Virgin hath brought forth the Savior: we praise thee, O our God.

5. Behold, Mary hath brought forth "' unto us a Savior, whom John, seeing, exclaimed, saying: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him that taketh away the sins of the world, alleluia.

Hymn: A solis ortus

From lands that see the sun arise To earth's remotest boundaries, The Virgin-born today we sing, The Son of Mary, Christ the King.

Blest Author of this earthly frame, To take a servant's form he came, That, liberating flesh by Flesh, Whom he had made might live afresh.

In that chaste parent's holy womb Celestial grace hath found its home; And she, as earthly bride unknown, Yet calls that Offspring blest her own.

The mansion of the modest breast
Becomes a shrine where God shall rest: The pure an undefiled one Conceived in her womb the Son.

That Son, that Royal Son she bore, Whom Gabriel's voice had told afore; Whom, in his mother yet concealed, The infant Baptist had revealed.

The manger and the straw he bore, The cradle did he not abhor; By milk in infant portions fed, Who gives e'en fowls their daily bread.

The heavenly chorus filled the sky, The Angels sang to God on high, What time to shepherds, watching lone, They made creation's Shepherd known.

All honor, laud, and glory be, O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete.

Amen

Sermon of St. Leo, Pope

Dearly beloved: The man who devoutly and reverently participates in today's feast, is he who has no false ideas about the Lord's Incarnation, nor thinks unworthily of the Godhead. For it is as dangerous an evil to deny the truth of the human nature in Christ as to refuse to believe his glory is equal with that of his Father. Therefore, when we would approach to an understanding of the mystery of the birth of Christ, wherein He is born of a Virgin Mother, we must rise above the fogs of human reason, and clear the mists of wordly wisdom from the eye of enlightened faith.

Divine is the authority for our belief, divine the teaching we follow. Whether we listen to the testimony of the Law, to the revelation of the Prophets, or to the clarion of the Gospel, what John, filled with the Holy Ghost, thundered is true: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was made nothing that has been made. What this same preacher added is equally true: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory--glory as of the only-begotten of the Father.

Therefore in both natures it is the same Son of God. Taking our humanity he did not lose his divinity; renewing man by sharing in his manhood, he remained immutable in himself. The Godhead which is common to him and to the Father, underwent no lessening of omnipotence; nor did the form of a servant dishonor the form of God. The supreme and eternal essence which lowered itself for the salvation of the human race,--although it translated us to his glory, did not cease to be what it was. Hence, whenever the only-begotten Son of God confesses himself to be less than the Father, to whom he says he is equal, he demonstrates the truth of both of these natures in himself; for the inequality proves his humanity, and the equality his divinity.

Thou art blessed and venerable, O Virgin Mary, for remaining ever undefiled thou art become the Mother of the Savior: He lay in a manger, He whose glory filled the heavens.

†

December 31st, St. Sylvester I, Pope and Confessor

New Years Eve The Value of Time Consideration of Last End Index of Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Related Christmas Links:

Octave of Christmas Christmas Day Prayers and Devotions Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus The Nativity New    Christmas Carols             Newly Updated
Children Prayers for Christmas

O Eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Silvester, Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

When only just born, the Infant God is persecuted by Herod: the Church still in her cradle sends to heaven her first martyr in the person of the deacon Stephen, and her first twenty-five Popes die martyrs.

Returned from Egypt, Jesus grows in age and wisdom at Nazareth, where the years pass in quietness: under the pontificate of Sylvester I (314 - 335) the Church, after three hundred years of persecution begins to enjoy liberty, which is her greatest boon. She spreads in the Roman Empire, and the Council of Nicea (325) establishes triumphantly against Arius the doctrine of the Divinity of the Saviour, of which the liturgy of the Season of Christmas is full.

At the first Council of Nicea, the Breviary tells us, the Catholic Faith on the divinity of Christ was explained by three hundred and eighteen bishops; Arius and his sect being condemned. At the request of the Fathers, Sylvester confirmed again this council in a Synod held at Rome, and in which Arius was condemned again.

According to the legend of the Breviary, Sylvester decreed also that the bishop alone should consecrate the chrism; that in the administration of Baptism the priest should anoint with the holy oils the crown of the head of the person being baptized; that deacons should wear the dalmatic and have a maniple of linen on the left arm; and finally that the sacrifice of the Mass should be offered up upon an altar cloth of linen.

He fixed also a certain period for those who should receive Holy Orders, during which they must exercise successively their Order in the Church before being raised to a higher degree. Sylvester ruled the Church twenty one and a half years. He was buried in the cemetery of Priscilla on the Salarian Way.

       †

December 30th, within the Octave of the Nativity

6th Day within Octave of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Christmas Day Prayers and Devotions Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus The Nativity New    Christmas Carols             Newly Updated
Children Prayers for Christmas New    The Christmas Creche
of St. Francis of Assisi

Meditation on the Infant Jesus
by Richard Challoner

Consider first, that the devotion of this holy time calls us to the crib of Bethlehem, there to contemplate our infant Savior, and to entertain our souls with him. O what a large field for meditation have we here opened to us! Christians, place yourselves in spirit near the manger of your Lord, and fix the eyes of your soul upon Him. Reflect who He is whom, you here behold lying before you, as a helpless infant, in this open stall, suffering and weeping, poor and humble, wrapped up in these swathing clothes, and laid in this crib between an ox and an ass? Ah! faith will inform you, that under all these mean appearances lies concealed the Lord of glory. This infant, not yet one day old, is the eternal Son of the eternal God! this weak, helpless babe, is He who by His almighty power made both heaven and earth! He who is here wrapped up so straitly, and confined to this narrow crib, fills heaven and earth, with His incomprehensible immensity! this speechless Child is God's own Word, who called forth all things out of nothing, and whom all things obey!

O wonderful mystery, which has thus united together the highest and the lowest, all that is great in heaven with all that is little and contemptible upon earth, in the person of this Infant-God! But what means all this? What has brought this great God down to this stable, to this crib? Why has He thus debased and perfectly annihilated himself? Ah! my soul, it is for thy sake!--for the love of thee! it is to redeem thee, and deliver thee from sin and hell! it is to afford thee an example of all virtue! it is to draw thy heart to Himself, and to engage thee to love Him.

Consider 2dly, and study well the great lessons which the Son of God desires to teach thee from the crib. Learn humility, from the contemplation of His unparalleled humiliations, which He here so joyfully embraces for thy sake: learn poverty of spirit, from the consideration of His voluntary poverty: learn mortification and self-denial, from the view of His sufferings, which are all His own choice. Learn of Him to despise this cheating world, with all its empty shows, painted toys, childish amusements, and allurements of its sensual pleasures, which He, who is the wisdom of God, despises and condemns in His birth. But especially apply thyself to study well, and to learn from the contemplation of the Son of God in the crib, the infinite charity of God, His infinite love for thee, and the infinite enormity of sin, by which we continually rebel against this infinite charity.

O my soul, couldst thou but penetrate with thy inward eyes into the heart of thy infant God, what heavenly flames woudst thou there discover of a more than seraphic love for thee? Thou wouldst there meet thyself in the midst of the heart of thy Saviour, where he has so long given thee a place. O! there thou wouldst effectually learn both to hate thy sins, and to love God.

Consider 3dly, the affections wherewith thy meditations ought to be accompanied in the stable of Bethlehem, if thou desirest to entertain in a proper manner thy new-born King and Saviour. Here thou must exercise thyself in acts of the three theological virtues; of a lively faith in this thy Infant God and all His sacred truths, which He here concealed in the mystery of His incarnation and birth, and all the wonders of His almighty power, wisdom, and goodness, which He has here wrought for love of us; and of all the treasures of heaven, which He here brings with Him to communicate to our souls; of a most firm hope and confidence in His infinite power, mercy, and goodness, which are here displayed before thee in this mystery; of a most ardent love for Him, in return for that love which He here shows thee.

Then pour forth thy soul in His presence, in acts of adoration, praise, and glory; in acts of thanksgiving for all He has done, as well for thee, as for the whole world; in acts of oblation of thy whole being, by dedicating all the powers of thy soul to His love and service, and making at His feet (who is come to be the great High Priest of God and man) an humble confession of all thy sins, with a most hearty sorrow and contrition for having ever offended so good a God; craving mercy, pardon, and absolution of Him, and through Him, and firmly resolving upon a new life for the future.

Conclude to let this be thy daily exercise during the holy time of Christmas; and not to suffer any worldly entertainments or diversions to deprive thee of the company of thy Saviour, at least so far as to prevent thee from waiting frequently on Him, and spending a competent part of thy time with Him in proper meditations and affections. If thou art at a loss to know how thou oughtest to entertain thyself with Him, beg of Him to teach thee; for He comes to be thy Instructor. And if thou art sensible of the meanness of thy own performances, in point of adoration, praise, glory, thanksgiving, &c. offer up to the eternal Father the adoration, praise, glory, and thanksgiving, of this thy new-born Saviour, to supply thy defects.

       †

December 29th, St. Thomas of Canterbury, Bishop and Martyr

St. Thomas of Canterbury, Bishop and Martyr Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity                  Newly Updated
Catholic Christmas Carols                  Newly Updated
Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

O God, for the sake of whose Church the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by the swords of wicked men: grant, we beseech Thee, that all who implore his assistance may obtain the saving effect of their petitions. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Thomas, son of an English nobleman, Gilbert Becket, was born on the day consecrated to the memory of Saint Thomas the Apostle, December 21, 1117, in Southwark, England. He was endowed by both nature and grace with gifts recommending him to his fellow men; and his father, certain he would one day be a great servant of Christ, confided his education to a monastery. His first employment was in the government of the London police. There he was obliged to learn the various rights of the Church and of the secular arm, but already he saw so many injustices imposed upon the clergy that he preferred to leave that employment rather than to participate in iniquity. He was perfectly chaste and truthful, and no snares could cause to waver his hatred for any form of covert action.

He was employed then by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him on missions to Rome and permitted him to study civil law at the University of Bologna (Italy) for an entire year. After a few years, witnessing his perfect service, he made him his Archdeacon and endowed him with several benefices. The young cleric's virtue and force soon recommended him also to the king, who made of him his Lord Chancellor. In that high office, while inflexible in the rendition of justice, he was generous and solicitous for the relief of misery. He was severe towards himself, spending the better part of every night in prayer. He often employed a discipline, to be less subject to the revolts of the flesh against the spirit. In a war with France he won the respect of his enemies, including that of the young king Louis VII. To Saint Thomas, his own sovereign, Henry II, confided the education of the crown prince. Of the formation of the future king and the young lords who composed his suite, the Chancellor took extreme care, knowing well that the strength of a State depends largely on the early impressions received by the elite of its youth.

When Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury died, the king insisted on the consecration of Saint Thomas in his stead. Saint Thomas at first declined, warning the king that from that hour their friendship would be threatened by his own obligations to uphold the rights of the Church against infringement by the sovereign, whose tendencies were not different from those of his predecessors. In the end he was obliged by obedience to yield. The inevitable conflict was not long in coming. Saint Thomas resisted when the king's courtiers drew up a list of royal "customs" at Clarendon, where the parliament of the king was assembled, and Henry obliged all the bishops as well as the lords to sign a promise to uphold these without permitting any restrictions whatsoever. Many of these pretended "customs" violated the liberties of the Church, and some were even invented for the occasion. Saint Thomas, obliged in conscience to resist, was soon the object of persecution, not only from the irritated king but by all who had sworn loyalty to his nefarious doings.

Saint Thomas took refuge in France under the protection of the generous Louis VII, who resisted successfully the repeated efforts of Henry to turn away his favor from the Archbishop. The Pope at that time was in France, and he, too, was besieged by Henry's emissaries, but knew well how to pacify minds and protect the defender of the Church. Thomas retired to a Benedictine monastery for two years, and when Henry wrote a threatening letter to its abbot, moved to another. After six years, his office restored as the Pope's apostolic legate, a title which Henry had wrested from him for a time, he returned to England, to preach again and enforce order in his see. He knew well that it was to martyrdom that he was destined; it is related that the Mother of God appeared to him in France to foretell it to him, and that She presented him for that intention with a red chasuble. By this time the persecuted Archbishop's case was known to all of Christian Europe, which sympathized with him and elicited from king Henry an appearance of conciliation.

A few words which the capricious Henry spoke to certain courtiers who hated Thomas, sufficed for the latter to decide to do away with the prelate who contravened all their unchristian doings. They violated a monastic cloister and chapel to enter there while he was assisting at Vespers; the Saint himself prevented the monks from resisting the assassins at the door. Refusing to flee the church as the assassins summoned him to do, he was slain before the altar, by cruel and murderous repeated blows on the head. He died, saying: "I die willingly, for the name of Jesus and for the defense of the Church."

The actions of the Pope in this conflict make clear what all of history teaches: the lives of the Church's Saints themselves comprise the history of the world. The humility of Thomas had prompted him, after a moment of weakness he had manifested in a difficult situation, to judge himself unfit for his office and offer his resignation as Archbishop. The Pope did not hesitate a moment in refusing his resignation. He judged with apostolic wisdom that if Thomas should be deprived of his rank for having opposed the unjust pretensions of the English royalty, no bishop would ever dare oppose the impingements of iniquity on the Church's rights, and the Spouse of Christ would be no longer sustained by marble columns, but by reeds bending in the wind.

The martyred Archbishop was canonized by Pope Alexander III on Ash Wednesday, 1173, not yet three years after his death on December 29, 1170, to the edification of the entire Church.

       †

December 28th, The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

The Holy Innocents The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents & the Value of Children The 5th Commandment Examination of Conscience 5th Commandment A Series of Catholic Lectures on the Evils of Abortion and the Defense of the Unborn The Nature of Sin Devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe Blessings of Many Children Duties of Parents Duties of Parents as Shepherds of their Flock Prayers for Catholic Mothers New Christmas Carols

O God, whose praise the martyred Innocents confessed this day, not in speech, but by their death: destroy in us the evil of all vice, that our lives may show forth in our deeds that faith in Thee which our lips express. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Feast of the Holy Innocents dates back to about the fifth century. The massacre of these infants manifests the royal character of Jesus. It is because Herod believed the words of the Magi and those of the High Priests whom he consulted that he sees a rival in the Infant of Bethlehem and jealously pursues Him " that is born King of the Jews'". But as the Church sings "O cruel Herod, why thus fear. Thy King and God who comes below? No earthly crown comes He to take, who heavenly kingdoms doth bestow."

It is this God-King that "the Innocents by dying confess" (Collect). "Their passion is the exaltation of Christ." And the praise that they render to God is a subject of confusion in the enemies of Jesus (Introit), for, far from attaining their object, they only served to fulfil the saying of the Prophet" out of Egypt have I called My Son " (Gospel), and that at Bethlehem would be heard the lamentations of the mothers mourning for their children. To picture their desolation in more vivid colours, Jeremias recalls Rachel whose lamentations are heard in Rama, bewailing her children because they are not. Like a compassionate mother, the Church robes her priests today in vestments of mourning, and suppresses the Gloria and Alleluia.

This feast is celebrated at St. Paul-without-the-Walls because the bodies of several of those holy martyrs are venerated there.

Let us show forth in holiness of life, the divinity of Christ, that was confessed by the death of these innocent souls children.

Hymn: Audit tyrannus

With terror doth the tyrant hear
The King of kings hath come to dwell Where David's court shall widely rear A sceptered reign o'er Israel.

Then cries out, raging, at the word:
"He comes to stand where we have stood: Hence, soldier, and with ruthless sword Deluge the cradles deep with blood!"

What profiteth a crime so dread?
What hope shall Herod's bosom sway? Alone amidst the thronging dead, The Christ is safely borne away!

All honor, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.

Sermon of St. Augustine

Today, dearly beloved, we honor the birthday of those infants who--as the text of the Gospel tells--were slain by Herod, the savage king. Therefore let the earth rejoice with greatest joy, she who is the prolific mother of these heavenly soldiers, and of this exceeding host. For behold! this sacrilegious man never could have so richly endowed this blessed legion of little ones though he showered them with his favors, as he did by bestowing upon them his hate. For the church shows by the solemnity of today's feast that as iniquity abounded against these little ones, so in the same degree grace and blessing rained down upon them.

Blessed art thou, O Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, who suffered with patience the cruelty of King Herod, in the slaughter of the Innocents. O Bethlehem, found worthy to offer to God in a single sacrifice, a white- robed multitude of defenseless children! It is proper that we honor the birthday of these-- that birthday when earth brought them forth to eternal life--that day more blessed than the one which brought them forth from their mothers' wombs. For they were raised to the dignity of eternal life almost before they had entered upon a temporal one.

The precious deaths of other martyrs deserve praise because by their sufferings they testified to Christ; that of these innocents is lovely in its consummation. At the dawn of life, he who places the limits upon the present, made their going down the beginning of glory. Truly they are called the Flowers of the Martyrs, they whom the impiety of Herod tore away as they nursed at their mothers' breasts. They came forth in the midst of the winter of infidelity, the first buds of the Church, swelling forth to be nipped by the hoar frost of persecution.

†

December 27th, St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist Sermons on St. John
the Apostle and Evangelist                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Of Thy goodness, O Lord, enlighten Thy Church: that being illumined by the doctrines of blessed John Thy Apostle and Evangelist, she may attain to everlasting gifts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

From the book of St. Jerome

John, the Apostle, whom Jesus loved best, was the son of Zebedee, and the brother of the Apostle James whom Herod beheaded after the passion of the Lord. He was the last of the Evangelists to write a Gospel. This he wrote in answer to the appeal of the Bishops of Asia to combat Cerinthus and other heretics, especially those spreading the doctrines of the Ebionites, who were asserting that Christ had had no existence before Mary. Therefore John felt it devolved upon him to teach the Divine Nativity.

In the fourteenth year after the persecution of Nero, a second persecution was stirred up by Domitian. In this John was exiled to Patmos. There he wrote the Apocalypse, which has been interpreted by Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus.

After Domitian had been slain, and his acts, because of their extreme cruelty, repealed by the Senate, John, during the reign of Nerva, returned to Ephesus. Remaining there until the reign of Trajan, he founded and ruled all the Churches of Asia. Blessed John the Evangelist remained at Ephesus to the very last of an extreme age.

In the end, when he could scarcely endure the journey to the church in the arms of his disciples, when he was unable to speak at any length, at each single gathering he said nothing else than: "Little children, love one another." Finally the disciples and the brethren who were present, wearied with the tedium of constant repetition, asked, "Master, why do you say the same thing always?" He replied to them in a sentence worthy of John, "Because it is the precept of the Lord; if this only is done, it is enough."

       †

December 26th, St. Stephen, Martyr

St. Stephen, Marytr                  Newly Added
The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Grant to us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may imitate what we revere: and that we may learn to love even our enemies; for we are celebrating the feast-day of him who, even for persecutors, knew how to entreat our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy son: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

The Church was still in her infancy when Stephen, renowned for his virtues, received from the Apostles the mission to organise the meals where the poor were fed in common. He worked such "great wonders and signs among the people " that the Jews from five different synagogues became alarmed and summoned him before the Sanhedrin.

Jesus had upbraided the Jews "for having killed and stoned the Prophets" , Stephen in his turn, addressing his judges declared that in crucifying Christ they had shown themselves worthy of their fathers who put to death the messengers of God. The holy deacon then lifting his eyes to heaven said that "he saw the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God ". What a splendid testimony to the Divinity of this Child whom we venerate in the crib.

On hearing these words, the Jews fulfilling once more the words of the Master, "with one accord ran violently upon Stephen and stoned him," who, falling on his knees, commended his soul to Jesus and asked pardon for his executioners.

Stephen is the first of the witnesses of Christ, it is therefore only right that he should appear first in the glorious procession of saints who surround the cradle of the Saviour. It is a tendency noticeable in a Greek martyrology of the fourth century to connect the greatest of the New Testament saints with the feast of the Nativity. His name is inscribed in the Canon of the Mass.

Following after the example of Stephen, may we "love by charity even those who wrong us", and be ever ready to surrender our life for Christ.

       †

Merry Christmas from Catholic Harbor

December 25th, The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Christmas Day

Christmas Day Prayers and Devotions Christmas Day Homilies Prayers and Devotions
to the Infant Jesus The Nativity                  Newly Updated
Catholic Christmas Carols                  Newly Updated
Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols                  Newly Added
The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger The Practice of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Christmas Novena The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi

The Christmas Office begins with First Vespers (4 pm - 6 pm) on the Vigil of Christmas                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Devotions to the Infant King The Angel Gabriel Wexford Carol Gesu Bambino Noel Nouvelete First Noel Mary Walks Amid the Thorn

Depending upon your web browser, videos may take several minutes to load or download.

New    The Story of Silent Night The First Noel Video Pueri Concinite Video Polish Christmas Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that the new Birth of Thy only-begotten Son in the flesh may deliver us; who are held by the old bondage under the yoke of sin. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God... All things were made by Him". "Thou in the beginning, O Lord, didst found the earth, and the works of Thy hands are the heavens". "Thine are the Heavens and Thine is the earth, the world and the fulness hereof Thou hast founded". Since man was made by Him, by Him also, will he be restored to his first dignity. Therefore "the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us". "God... last of all in these days (i.e., the age of the Messias), hath spoken to us by His Son who is the brightness of His glory". And the Church sings that "this day a great light hath descended upon the earth". This Light shone in the darkness, but the darkness did not receive it, for "the Word came into the world but His own received Him not, but as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God". In short, it was to free us from the bondage of sin, to cleanse us from our faults and to cause us to be born anew to the divine life that the only-begotten Son of God was bom, according to the flesh.

More than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, Isaias already extolled the power of this Infant-God. "A child is born to us... whose government is upon His shoulder"; while His miracles are foreshadowed by almighty God in delivering the Hebrews from the Egyptian captivity. Now, as then, "all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation that God has brought to His people".

The Redemption accomplished by Christ at His first coming will be completed by Him at the end of time. As St. Paul explains" (our Lord) making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the Majesty on High", so that His glorified humanity shares the throne of the Eternal God" Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ; a sceptre of justice is the sceptre of Thy Kingdom. Justice and judgment are the preparation of Thy throne". "One day," St. Luke tells us, the Son of Man will come ia His glory and that of His Father and His angels, to give to each one according to his works." When (at the end of the world) He bringeth His first-begotten into the world. He saith : "And let all the angels of God adore Him". Then will take place a transformation of all created things, since the Son of God, Himself unchanging, "shall change them as a vesture".

Again, the Apostle, quoting for the seventh time from the passage from which this epistle is taken, adds that almighty God will make of the enemies of Christ a "footstool " for His feet. This will be the final triumph of the Incarnate Word Who, at His second coming will punish those who did not receive Him at His first coming on earth, while He will give a share in His immortality to those who, like the Magi, come to worship from afar, received Him with faith and love and so were made sons of God.

       †

December 24th, Vigil of the Nativity (Christmas Eve), Day of Fast and Abstinence

                 Newly Updated
Catholic Christmas Carols Christmas Eve                  Newly Updated
Children Prayers for Christmas and Carols                  Newly Added
The History of Christmas, by Dom Gueranger Christmas Novena The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi

The Christmas Office begins with First Vespers (4 pm - 6 pm) on the Vigil of Christmas                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Vespers on Christmas Eve to the Purification

Devotions to the Infant King The Angel Gabriel Wexford Carol Gesu Bambino Noel Nouvelete First Noel Mary Walks Amid the Thorn

Depending upon your web browser, videos may take several minutes to load or download.

New    The Story of Silent Night The First Noel Video Pueri Concinite Video Polish Christmas Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine

O God, who dost gladden us by the annual expectation of our redemption: grant that we, who joyfully receive Thy only-begotten Son as a Redeemer, may safely behold Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ coming as a judge: Who liveth etc.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Novena to St. Andrew for Christmas

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

Hymn: Verbum Supernum

Celestial Word, to this our earth
Sent down from God's eternal clime.
To save mankind by mortal birth
Into a world of change and time;

Lighten our hearts, vain hopes destroy;
And in thy love's consuming fire
Fill all the soul with heavenly joy,
And melt the dross of low desire.

So when the Judge of quick and dead
Shall bid his awful summons come,
To whelm the guilty soul with dread,
And call the blessed to their home,

Saved from the whirling, black abyss,
Forevermore to us be given
To share the feast of saintly bliss,
And see the face of God in heaven.

To God the Father and the Son
Our songs with one accord we raise;
And to the Holy Spirit,
One With them, be ever equal praise. Amen.

       †

December 23rd, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

                 Newly Updated
Catholic Christmas Carols Christmas Novena                  Newly Updated
Children Prayers for Christmas The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who to win souls for Thyself didst conduct the Holy Virgin Frances Xavier, aflame with the fire of love from Thy Most Sacred Heart, on her long and repeated journeys and through her didst raise up a new family within Thy Church: grant us, we beseech Thee, by her intercession, the grace to put on the virtues of that same Heart of Thine and to arrive safely at the heavenly port, there to be happy forever. Who livest etc.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Frances Cabrini, who later took the name of Xavier because of her desire to imitate the Apostle of the Indies, was born in the town of Sant' Angelo in the diocese of Lodi in 1850. Her parents were holy and respectable people. Aided by divine grace, she had attained, even as a child, to a very high degree of union with God and was already given to the practice of austerities. When she was seven years old, the custom of listening before evening prayers, to readings from a magazine concerning missionary work in China, filled her with an ardent desire to go there in order to win souls for God. She was hardly thirteen years old when she took a vow of perpetual virginity. From that time the all-absorbing thought of her soul was how to return love for love to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and thus bring some consolation to Him in His sufferings and distress. After the successful completion of her studies she resolved to embrace the religious life. Twice she applied for admission and each time was refused on the ground of poor health. She then taught for some years in the public school with a considerable measure of success. Thereafter she was appointed by the Bishop of Lodi directress of an orphanage, in which position she displayed such prudence and zeal, especially in the Christian education of girls, that the same bishop urged her to found a new religious congregation which would be devoted principally to the missions.

She undertook this difficult assignment with great courage and in 1880 in the chapel of our Lady of Grace at Codogno laid the foundation of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. She then sought from the Holy See the approval of the rules and constitutions of the new Institute. This having been achieved she labored with all zeal to imbue the new sisterhood with the same spirit of love of God and neighbor that she had drawn in copious draughts from the fountain of the Sacred Heart. The expansion of this new religious family to include sixty-seven foundations in Europe and America testifies to the extraordinary character and skill of its wise and saintly ruler. She had moreover a mind to establish missions in more remote lands and being in doubt concerning God's will in the matter, she followed the advice of Pope Leo XIII and turned to the West. It was to these western shores of both Americas that large multitudes of Italians, because they were unable to exist in their own land, had emigrated in order to find employment. The condition of the Italian immigrants was then very poor and Frances sought to alleviate it. It was the love of Christ that urged her to take up this work so wholeheartedly and so courageously. No labor could overcome her, no danger could frighten her. Her intrepid and undaunted spirit braved the rough and dangerous voyages across the ocean twenty-four times; she traveled over the length and breadth of America, establishing everywhere hospitals, schools, houses of rest, nurseries, orphanges and other institutions in order to promote the material livelihood but above all the spiritual well-being of the working class. By such charitable endeavors she won the hearts of her fellow-countrymen and so came to be called the Mother of the Italians.

She exerted every effort to accomplish the work she had in mind, and her zeal could brook no delay. Placing her complete confidence in Divine Providence she took as her motto that saying of Paul: I can do all things in him who strengtheneth me. Her heart was consecrated to God by a perpetual union with him so that even amid the most absorbing occupations her mind never lost track of heavenly things. All the objects she met with on her various journeys were like so many stepping-stones by which her soul ascended to God. She had the greatest veneration for the Roman Pontiff and the Apostolic See and saw in the laws of the Church norms of conduct that give one the greatest sense of security. She cultivated a childlike love for the Blessed Virgin Mary and often used to say that Mary was the Mother and Foundress of her Institute. Finally her life, extraordinary by reason of its integrity and labors for God, came to an end at Chicago on December 22, 1917. Later her body was translated to New York. She was solemnly beatified by Pope Pius XI, whereas Pope Pius XII, after new miracles were performed, solemnly added her name to the list of holy virgins.

       †

December 22nd, 4th Sunday of Advent

Only with an intense desire for the coming of Jesus Christ can we begin to merit His spiritual gifts. The Catholic Liturgy reminds us, during these four weeks, of the time during which the world was without Jesus. This mediator we now await, and since we can go to God only through Him, we implore Him to hasten His coming.

The Love of God 4th Sunday in Advent: The Fullness of Time Christmas Novena Children Prayers for Christmas The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi The Practice of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent Like the whole liturgy of this season, the purpose of the Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is to prepare us for the twofold coming of Christ: His coming in mercy at Christmas; and in justice at the end of the world. Allusion is made to the first in the Introit, Gospel, Offertory and Communion, and to the second in the Epistle; while the Collect, Gradual and Alleluia can be applied to either of the two.

In this mass we meet once again with the three great figures that are before the mind of the Church throughout Advent, Isaias, St. John the Baptist and Our Lady. The prophet Isaias foretells of St. John the Baptist that he will be "A voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight His paths . . . and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." And, "the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the Baptism of penance for the remission of sins" (Gospel).

"John", St. Gregory explains, "told those who hurried in crowds to be baptised: "Ye brood of vipers, who hath told you to flee from the wrath to come?" Now the wrath to come is the final chastisement, which the sinner will not be able to escape unless he have recourse now to the lamentations of penance. The friend of the Bridegroom warns us to bring forth not fruits merely of penance but worthy fruits. These words are a call to each man's conscience, bidding him lay up by means of penance a treasure of good works, the greater in proportions to the ravage of sin which caused it (3rd Noct.). And St. Leo says, "God Himself teaches us by the prophet Isaias: I will lead the blind in a way that they know not, and I will turn the darkness before them into light and I will not foresake them."

The Apostle St. John makes clear to us, the way in which this mystery is fulfilled, when he says, "And we know that the Son of God is come. And He hath given us understanding that we may know the true God and may be in His true Son." (2nd Noct.) The liturgy continues: Because of the great love that God has manifested towards us He has sent on earth His only begotten Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. Also in the Communion sentence the Church recalls to us the prophecy of Isaiah: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son; and His name shall be called Emmanuel."

And again, in the Offertory, she combines in a single salutation the words addressed to our Lady by the archangel and by St. Elizabeth. St. Gregory writes: "Gabriel, whose name means strength of God, is sent to Mary, since he comes to announce the Messias whose will it is, to appear in humiliation and abasement, in order to subdue all the powers of the air. It was fitting that He should be heralded by Gabriel the 'Strength of God'; He, who was to come as the Lord of Might, the All-powerful and Unconquerable in battle, to crush the powers of the air in universal defeat" (Sermon 35).

In the Collect, just as we are reminded of the display of our Lord's "great might" which will take place at the time of His second coming, when as supreme Judge, He will come in the spendor of His divine Majesty to render to each according to his works, so we find and allusion to this same great power manifested in His first coming. It was as one clothed in His weak and mortal human nature that our Lord put the Devil to flight. As we think of our Lord as nigh at hand in one or other of His "comings", let us say, with the Church, "Come, Lord Jesus, and tarry not."

†

December 21st, St. Thomas, Apostle, Ember Friday

St. Thomas the Apostle Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation What is Liberalism The Practice of Christmas by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Christmas Novena The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that we may glory in the solemn festival of thy blessed Apostle Thomas: so that we may ever be helped by his intercession and follow his faith with true devotion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Thomas was one of the fishermen on the Lake of Galilee whom Our Lord called to be His apostles. By nature slow to believe, too apt to see difficulties, and to look at the dark side of things, he had withal a most sympathetic, loving, and courageous heart. Once when Jesus spoke of the mansions in His Father's house, St. Thomas, in his simplicity, asked: "Lord, we know not whither Thou goest, and how can we know the way?" When Jesus turned to go toward Bethany to the grave of Lazarus, the desponding apostle at once feared the worst for his beloved Lord, yet cried out bravely to the rest: "Let us also go and die with Him."

After the Resurrection, incredulity again prevailed, and whilst the wounds of the crucifixion were imprinted vividly on his affectionate mind, he would not credit the report that Christ had indeed risen. But at the actual sight of the pierced hands and side, and the gentle rebuke of his Saviour, unbelief was gone forever; and his faith and ours has ever triumphed in the joyous utterance into which he broke: "My Lord and my God!"

St. Thomas transmitted the precepts of the Catholic faith and life to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, and Bactrians. He finally went to the Indies and instructed the inhabitants in the Christian religion. Up to the last, by the holiness of his life and teaching, and by the greatness of the miracles which he wrought, he excited the admiration of all men, and led them to the love of Jesus Christ.

       †

December 20th, Vigil of St. Thomas, Ember Friday (Day of Fast and Abstinence)

The Mystery of Christmas
by Fr. Prosper Guarenger, 1876 Christmas Novena The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

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December 19th Ferial Day

Christmas Novena The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

Perseverance

Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy house shall quickly be overthrown (Ecclus. xxvii. 4).

Consider first, what a toilsome undertaking it is to build upon earth a lofty spiritual edifice. How many acts of selfdenial are required for it, how many acts of obedience, of humiliation, even of severe penance, and yet this edifice, raised in a long course of years by so many pains and sufferings, may crumble in a moment. One mortal sin, even in thought, is enough. And if in that moment God send death to thee, thy doom is sealed. Equally certain would be thy doom if God, allowing thee to live, did not aid thee with His abounding grace, that so thou mightest not fall headlong from sin to sin, and perish finally. Oh, what noble structures, far surpassing thine, have thus been overthrown! Thou mayest call to mind the fall of a Didymus, an Origen, a Hosius, a Tertullian, and others like them. "The Lord hath cast down headlong, and hath not spared, all that was beautiful in Jacob (Lament, ii. 2)." And thou, who hast not done one little part of the good they did, hast thou not just cause to fear for thyself?

Consider secondly, upon what foundation this great danger rests? Upon this, that whatever good thou mayest have done, in offering hymns of praise, in fasting, in taking the discipline, in preaching, thou hast not been able to place God under any obligation of not withholding that fresh grace, distinct from all preceding graces, which, from moment to moment, is necessary for thy perseverance. Because all that thou hast of merit is His gift. It is God Who has given thee not only thy natural powers, but the good-will also which moved thee to sing those hymns of praise, to fast, to practise austerities, to do all those other things which are said indeed to belong to His service, but which are really done in thy own behoof. "What doth it profit God if thou be just (Job xxii. 3)?" And thus without inflicting on thee the slightest injustice, God may remove from thee His holy hand; that is to say, may refuse thee that new special grace which thou requirest to prevent thee from falling. Since perseverance is a gratuitous gift, not only with regard to the end of our life, but during every single instant of its continuance, and God may refuse it to whomsoever He pleases, without being ungrateful or unjust: not unjust, because we are all by our very nature the servants of God; not ungrateful, because He has never received any benefit from us, though He has conferred innumerable benefits upon us.

Consider thirdly, that a constant holy fear will alone give thee some security in this terrible danger. In a word, "Unless thou hold thyself diligently in the fear of the Lord, thy house shall quickly be overthrown." Thou must ever cling closely to the fear of the Lord, as a man whose brain soon begins to reel when he has to walk on a narrow plank across a roaring cataract. Oh! how tightly then he clings to the hand of his guide! Thus thou too must hold fast by the fear of God; and all the more strongly by reason of the greater importance of the venture. It behoves thee to cling to it "earnestly," having regard both to time and to manner, by always keeping most vividly before thy eyes the need which thou hast of God's assistance, and by consequence the need of always fervently praying for that assistance; yes, always, because although perseverance is a purely gratuitous gift, yet he who seeks for it in the right way will infallibly obtain it, because God has promised: "Whatever you shall ask in My Name I shall do (St. John xiv. 13)." "Whatever you shall ask the Father in My Name He will give to you (St. John xvi. 23)."

Consider fourthly, that to know how God is ever ready to assist ought not to make thee less fearful; since, though the Lord has promised to grant thy prayer, He has not promised it to thee within any period of time known to thyself. From some He requires more prayer, from others less, according to His good pleasure. And, therefore, however thou mayest have prayed hitherto, thou art not secure: for, though it may be that the Lord may have decreed to give thee from this time forward such gracious assistance as shall keep thee from mortal sin, and may thus have confirmed thee in grace, yet thou canst not be sure of it without express revelation. Moreover, if it be that He has made such a decree, it can only be on the supposition of thy praying both now and afterwards, since thy continuous prayer is the condition attached by Him to thy attainment of salvation, according to what is said: "Thou must always pray and never slacken (St. Luke xviii. I)." If thou desist from asking with great fervour, it is a bad sign, and a sign that thou art not on the road to salvation.

†

December 18th Ferial Day and Ember Wednesday (Day of Fast)

Christmas Novena The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

Expectation of Our
Lord's Birth

by Rev. Francis Cuthbert Doyle, 1879

After spending three months with her cousin St. Elizabeth, the Blessed Virgin returned again to her own home at Nazareth. There she occupied herself in the humble offices of the household, awaiting in prayer and faith the accomplishment of the Archangel's words. At length the time drew nigh, when the expected of all nations was to enter into the world, and be visible to the eyes of men. We may well conceive with what eagerness His advent was looked for by His holy and virginal Mother, now that it might happen at any moment. She longed to behold with her own eyes, Him, after Whom the race of men had been sighing, for the last four thousand years. He was to her what He could not be to any other created being. He was her Son, bone of her bone, flesh of her flesh; and therefore, as her love exceeded that of all others, so also was her wistful expectation more vehement than it was possible for theirs to be.

She would think, no doubt, of those weary centuries which had rolled so slowly by, during which devout men had sighed, and prayed, and pined away for His coming,--had wished to see the day, and had not seen it. She would reflect upon those early patriarchal times, when His coming was prayed for by the shepherd progenitors of the great David, as they kept the night-watches over their flocks. She would see, in spirit, the prophets and wise men of Israel, lifting up their hands to heaven, and with tearful eyes, imploring God to rain down the Just One, as a refreshing dew upon the thirsty earth. By the flowing waters of Babylon's great river, she would see the captive children of her people, weeping as they thought of Zion, and praying with aching hearts for the great Messias to come, and free them from the oppressors' yoke. She would think, at last, of that great Prophet, who longed so vehemently for the coming of her Son, that as he stood by the Tigris, in the time of the evening sacrifice, an Archangel sent by God, stood before him, and revealed to him the time when the Liberator should come, because he had desired it with such extraordinary ardour.

The combined longing of all these, was now united in her breast. The hour was close at hand, and all that patriarch, and sage, and prophet had wished for, was in her maternal bosom, where Jesus lay,--conscious of that baptism wherewith He had to be baptised, and sorely straitened with eager longing for the preordained moment, when the waters of suffering and of sorrow should close over His head, and flood His soul with woe unutterable. You will, perhaps, be able to conceive some notion, faint though it be, of the intense ardour with which the holy Virgin longed for the visible presence of Jesus Christ, in order that she might press Him to her bosom.

What must have been the holy impatience of Our Lady, for the coming of Him for Whom her soul longed, with all the intense burning love of her spotless heart! When you reflect upon this, let it stir up in your heart a little of that glowing fire of love, which ought to burn in the heart of everyone who is preparing to approach the Holy Sacrament. This is the lesson which the Church tries to impress upon you, by establishing a special festival in honor of this holy longing. Try, therefore, to learn it well. When you are about to partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ,--when you are to have the happiness of receiving into your heart the very same Jesus, for Whom Our Lady sighed and prayed, do not be so cold! Do not be so careless, so indifferent! Remember the weary centuries through which priest, and sage, kings and peoples, wept and watched, and prayed to see the day which you see, and did not see it, and to enjoy the privileges which you hold so cheap, and did not enjoy them. Apply yourself vigorously to prayer. Beg of the Holy Spirit to come into your soul, and to set it on fire with His love, that you may begin to thirst after the coming of Jesus, as vehemently as the heart panteth after the cool refreshing water-brooks.

But do not confine this longing of your heart, to the days when you have the happiness of communicating. It is good to sigh, and to weep, and even to faint away with languor after that heavenly banquet. Yet do not think that God will be satisfied with this. Those who love Him, feel no less ardour for all that is dear to Him. Now, if there be one thing more than another, which God specially desires, it is the advancement of His glory among the children of men. This is the wish of the most sacred heart of Jesus.

Therefore, if you love Him, and desire to be of one spirit with Him, try to long ardently for that, after which He sighed with such vehemence during His mortal pilgrimage. He wished for the sanctification of men's souls. You must do so likewise. First of all, then, begin by purifying and adorning your own interior. Then strive, as far as in you lies, to help others to sanctify themselves, by giving good example, by letting them see how sweet a thing it is to bear the yoke of Christ, and above all, by praying earnestly and continually that God may preserve them and you, from all stain of sin. Again: Jesus desired that all should do the Will of His Father. Be resigned when things happen to you which are contrary to your will. And in all the events of life let your prayer ever be: 'Thy will be done.'

Lastly: God wishes that His kingdom may prevail over the kingdom of Satan, that virtue may be practised, that vice may be held in abhorrence, and that justice may reign upon the earth. Try to correspond with His wishes, by making your own heart a kingdom, of which He shall be King, and then, by word and example, by fervent prayer and by constant desire, labour to establish that kingdom in the hearts of others.

Prayer:

O Most sweet infant Jesus, who, for nine months enclosed in the womb, didst wait for the time of thy birth, and didst meantime inflame the heart of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph with most ardent longings, and didst offer thyself to God the Father for the salvation of the world. Have mercy upon us.

V. Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
R. Have mercy upon us. Hail Mary

†

December 17th Ferial Day

Christmas Novena The Christmas Creche of St. Francis of Assisi Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

The Narrow Gate

Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able (St. Luke xiii. 24).

Consider first, that it is not so easy to enter into Paradise as some fancy. Strength and industry must be brought to bear upon the task. Christ says to us, "Strive." What, then, is the nature of the conflict thou hast to sustain? That which is waged between the senses and the spirit. The senses would by no means consent to pass through the narrow gate of mortification, humility, obedience, and penance. The spirit sees that this is needful, since Christ passed through the same; thus these two wage incessant strife, and reduce man to supreme distress, to a struggle as it were of life and death; hence it is that where the Latin text has the phrase, "Strive," the Greek says with more emphasis, "Wrestle." It imports thee to expand thy heart; for great interests are at stake. Blessed art thou if thou enter, miserable if thou enter not. Thou must either enter there or be lost. "Strive to enter!"

Consider secondly, that many even of those who seek to enter into Paradise by manfully fighting in this wise, still fail to enter, because they do not keep up the fight, without intermission, until the end. How, then, shall it be with those who do not seek to enter at all, and who, scared by the first contradiction, or discouraged at the first attempt, yield up the victory forthwith to sensuality? Dost thou think that such as these shall enter in?

Consider thirdly, that those who pursue this course not only shall not enter, but even though they are anxious to enter, shall not be able. "They shall seek to enter and shall not be able." The reason of this is, that they cannot fight. They have habitually yielded up the victory to sense, and therefore when death comes, and they wish to give the victory to the spirit by renouncing a woman's love, or parting with money or reputation, they find themselves so enfeebled that they are morally incapable of making the sacrifice: "They shall not be able." If, then, thou wishest to be saved on that great closing day with less difficulty, accustom thy spirit now, not only to maintain the conflict with rebellious sense, but to remain master of the field.

†

December 16th, St. Eusebius, Bishop and Martyr

St. Eusebius Are we bound to profess our Catholic Faith openly? Litany of Faith and the Necessity of the Catholic Faith for Salvation Christmas Novena                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

O God, Who dost gladden us at the yearly festival of blessed Eusebius, Thy Martyr and Bishop, grant in Thy mercy, that we who keep his festival may also enjoy his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Eusebius was born of a noble family on the island of Sardinia, where his father is said to have died in prison for the Faith. He was brought up in Rome in the practice of piety, and studied in Vercelli, a city of Piedmont. Eusebius was ordained a priest there, and served the Church of Vercelli with such zeal that when the episcopal chair became vacant he was unanimously chosen, by both clergy and people, to fill it.

The holy bishop saw that the best and principal means to labor effectually for the edification and sanctification of his people was to have a zealous clergy. Saint Ambrose assures us that he was the first bishop who in the West united the monastic life with the clerical, living and having his clergy live almost like the monks of the East in the deserts. They shared a common life of prayer and penance, in a single residence, that of the bishop, as did the clergy of Saint Augustine in his African see. Saint Eusebius was very careful to instruct his flock in the maxims of the Gospel. The force of the truth which he preached, together with his example, brought many sinners to a change of life.

When a Council was held in Italy, under the influence of the Emperor Constans and the Arian heretics, with the intention of condemning Saint Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, Saint Eusebius courageously resisted the heretics. He attempted to have all present sign the Nicene Creed, but the paper was torn out of his hands and his pen was broken. With Saint Dionysus of Milan, he refused to sign the condemnation of the bishop of Alexandria. The Emperor therefore had him banished to Scythopolis in Palestine with Saint Dionysus of Milan, then to Cappadocia, where Saint Dionysus died; and finally he was taken to the Upper Thebaid in Egypt, where he suffered grievously. The Arians of these places loaded him with outrages and treated him cruelly, and Saint Eusebius confounded them wherever they were.

At the death of Constans in 361, he was permitted to return to his diocese, where he continued to combat Arianism, concertedly with Saint Hilarion of Poitiers. He has been called a martyr in two panegyrics appended to the works of Saint Ambrose. Two of his letters, written from his dungeons, are still extant, the only ones of his writings which have survived. One is addressed to his church, the other to the bishop of Elvira to encourage him to oppose a fallen heretic and not fear the power of princes. He died in about the year 370. His relics are in a shrine in the Cathedral of Vercelli.

       †

December 15th, 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)

Octave of the Immaculate Conception Third Sunday of Advent: Three-fold Hope Third Sunday of Advent                  Newly Added
Part 7: God Chastises us in this Life, only that He may show us Mercy in the Next                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

On the poverty of Jesus from the time of His birth

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

God so ordained it, that His Son should be born into the world at the time when an order had been issued by the emperor for all persons to go to be enrolled in the place of their birth. And it came to pass, that when Joseph and his spouse had arrived at Bethlehem to be enrolled in compliance with Caesar's edict, Mary's time was accomplished, and as she had been refused admittance into any of the houses, even into the poorest inns, she was obliged to take up her abode for the night in a stable, and there she brought forth the King of heaven. If Jesus had been born in Nazareth, although He would still have been born in poverty, yet he would have had at least all those comforts and conveniences which even poverty affords on such occasions. But no: He would be born in a cold and comfortless stable; He would have a manger for a cradle, and a little rough straw for a bed, that He might suffer the more.

Let us enter into the stable of Bethlehem, but let us enter with faith. If we enter without faith, we shall behold nothing but a poor infant who will excite our compassion by the beauty of His appearance, by His shivering with cold and his weeping, as He lies upon hard straw. But if we enter with faith, we shall see that the infant before us is the Son of God, that He is come into the world for the love of us, and suffers so much to satisfy for our sins; and how will it be possible for us not to thank Him and to love Him?

O My infant Saviour, how could I, knowing how much Thou hast suffered for me, have been so ungrateful as to offend thee? But the tears Thou didst shed, and the poverty Thou didst choose for the love of me, induce me to hope for the pardon of all my offences against Thee. I am sorry, O Jesus, for having so often turned my back upon Thee, and love Thee above all things: My God and my all. For the future Thou alone shalt be my treasure and my only good. I will say to Thee with St. Ignatius: "Give me Thy love, give me Thy grace, and "I am sufficiently rich." I wish for nothing more, I desire nothing more, Thou art my all, O Jesus, my life and my love.

       †

December 14th,
Within the Octave

                 Newly Added
Part 7: God Chastises us in this Life, only that He may show us Mercy in the Next                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall (I Cor. x. 12).

by Fr. Paul Segneri, 1892

Consider first, that he "who stands" is not told to take heed lest he fall; but "he that thinketh himself to stand;" for who is there that can with truth be said to stand without wavering? Dost thou think, perchance, that thou art safe in thy standing? Thou art much deceived. Call to mind Lucifer, who fell from the very height of Heaven; call to mind Samson, Solomon, and David; and do not imagine that only beginners in the way of the Lord ever come to fall: even the most advanced may fall. Therefore Ecclesiasticus said: "Keep the fear of God, and grow old therein (Ecclus. ii. 6)". For not only should this holy fear be possessed in youth, but it should remain to old age, even with those who have never fallen in their youth. All alike have cause to fear: the penitent because they have fallen; the innocent because they may fall; since the Apostle addresses himself alike to all: "He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall."

Consider secondly, that the Apostle says, let every one "take heed;" and therefore it behoves thee to keep an eye upon thyself, and to pause in order to examine well wherein consists thy greatest danger. There are eight causes which equally contribute to a fall, four interior and four exterior. All must be known in order to be avoided. The four interior causes are: (1) Short-sightedness, like that which affects the blind, who cannot rightly discern the road: "If the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit (St. Matt xv. 14. 1)." Of this nature is the neglect of many to ascertain correctly the work there is for them to do. (2) Weakness, of the kind proper to women, old men, and children: "They have themselves been weakened and have fallen." Of this nature is tepidity in well-doing. (3) Heaviness, which of itself always drags downward, as in those who carry too much flesh: "He that maketh his house high, seeketh a downfall (Prov. xvii. 16)." Of this nature is the pampering of the body. (4) An overweening sense of security, like the confidence of men who in their headlong course are overthrown even upon the smoothest road: "He who trusteth in his riches shall fall (Prov. xi. 28.)." Of this nature is the presumptuous reliance on our own strength.

The four exterior causes are: (1) The slippery nature of the road, as when incautious men lose their footing in the mire: "Their way shall be as a slippery way (Jerem. xxiii. 12)." Of this nature is the insufficient guard over the senses. (2) The variety of difficulties, obstacles, and snares to be met with everywhere, as when birds are caught in nets: "They are bound and have fallen (Psalm xix. 9)." Of this nature are all dangerous occasions. (3) The multitude who press against thee, as when men are borne down by a crowd: "They shall be driven on, and fall therein (Jerem. xxiii. 12)." To this class belong all promptings of evil spirits, all wicked advice and bad example. (4) The load which presses heavily upon the back; and this produces a fall from which it is difficult to rise, as we see in the case of heavily laden beasts of burthen: "The iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again (Isaias xxiv. 20)." Of this nature is the sin which is not rejected with loathing; and by its weight drags thee down to another sin, and makes recovery more and more difficult. Observe how numerous are these dangers of falling, in the midst of which thou hast to live, and be appalled.

Consider thirdly, that, if thou wish not to fall in future, thou must take heed of all those matters here set down, in such sort, that if thou canst not altogether do away with them, as thou canst not put an end to sin, thou mayest at least diminish their force: "Forsake thy sin and offend less (Ecclus. xvii. 21, 22)." But even so, wilt thou ever succeed in assuring thy safety by thyself alone? Do not dream of this. If, therefore, thou wouldst act wisely, provide thyself with two things, a guide and a support. For a guide, choose a good spiritual director who may thus address thee: "This is the way, walk ye in it, and go not aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left (Isaias xxx. 21)." For so shalt thou more easily see how to choose the safe road. Thy support thou shalt find in the Divine assistance, which thou must never cease to ask for in prayer; for thus thou shalt also see how to avoid those perils which ever attend thee on thy way. Without these two things, thou canst not advance a single step in the way of the Lord, without running the greatest risks.

       †

December 13th, St. Lucy Virgin and Martyr

Devotions to St. Lucy                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

Graciously hear us, O God our salvation: and grant that we, who are gladdened by the festival of blessed Lucy, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may learn therefrom loving devotion towards Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Born in Sicily towards the end of the third century, of noble origin, St. Lucy, as the Gospel twice reminds us, gave away all her riches to the poor and when she had nothing more she gave herself to Jesus.

Whilst the follish virgins neglected to fill their lamps with the "oil of gladness", Lucy, whose name signifies light, waited with her lighted lamp in hand, that is with her soul filled with grace, the coming of her Spouse.

"Pure hearts are the temples of the Holy Ghost," she declared to her judge. It is this Spirit, also symbolized by the "Oil of gladness" as we are told in the ceremonies of Maundy-Thursday, an oil that gave suppleness and strength to her soul in such a miraculous way that St. Lucy resisted her executioners unto death rather than lose the treasure of her virginity. Wherefore her name occurs in the Canon of the Mass. She died in 303.

The lighted lamp in hand is the soul in a state of grace; let us in this season of Advent wait for the Spouse Who will soon come.

       †

December 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe

Devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe The Spanish History of Our Lady of Guadalupe Prior to the 16th Century Apparitions in Mexico The Narative of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe The Image of Our Lady Guadalupe as recounted by Emmanuel Amor 1885                   Newly Added
A Series of Catholic Lectures
on the Evils of Abortion and
the Defense of the Unborn Blessings of Many Children Prayers for Catholic Mothers What is it to be a Mother?                 New Book
The Christian Mother                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

O God, Who hast willed that, under the special patronage of the blessed Virgin Mary, we be laden with perpetual favors, grant to Thy suppliants that, as we this day rejoice in her commemoration on earth, we may enjoy the vision of her in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

       †

December 11th, St. Damasus I, Pope and Confessor

4th Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception from the Liturgical Year, 1870                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

O Eternal Shepherd, watch over the peace of Thy flock, and through blessed Damasus, Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Damasus was a Spaniard, a man of eminence, and learned in the Scriptures. He called the first Council of Constantinople, in which he suppressed the impious heresy of Eunomius and Macedonius. He also condemned the Council of Rimini, which had already been challenged by Liberius, inasmuch as it was in this assembly of Rimini, as St. Jerome writes, that, mainly by the trickery of Valens and Ursacius, there was published a condemnation of the faith which had been taught by the Nicene Council, and thus the whole world grieved to find itself made Arian.

He built two basilicas; one dedicated to St. Lawrence, near Pompey's theatre, and this he endowed with magnificent presents, with houses and with lands; the other on the Ardeatine Way, at the Catacombs. The bodies of SS. Peter and Paul lay for some time in the Platonia, a place which Damasus dedicated and decorated with inscriptions in beautiful verses. He also wrote on virginity, both in prose and verse, and several poems on other subjects.

He established the law of retaliation for those who falsely accused others of crime. He decreed that, as was the custom in many places, the Psalms should be sung in all churches in alternate choirs, day and night; and that at the end of each Psalm there should be said: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. It was by his order that St. Jerome translated the New Testament from the Greek text.

He governed the Church seventeen years, two months, and twenty-six days; and five times during this period he held ordinations in the month of December, for thirty-one priests, eleven deacons, and sixty-two bishops for various places. He was conspicuous for his virtue, learning, and prudence, and having lived nearly eighty years, he fell asleep in the Lord, during the reign of the older Theodosius. He was buried in the basilica which he had built on the Ardeatine Way, where also lay his mother and sister. His relics were afterwards translated to the church of St. Lawrence, called, after him, St. Lawrence in Damaso.

       †

December 10th, St. Melchaides, Pope and Martyr

3rd Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception from the Liturgical Year, 1870

Also celebrated in some places on December 10th is the feast of the Holy House of Loreto

Translation of the Holy
House of Loretto                  Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent

O eternal Shepherd, watch over the flock, and through blessed Melchaides, Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst appoint shepherd over the whole Church, keep her under Thy constant protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

He was of African origin, and combated the Donatist heresy, and excommunicated Donatus, Bishop of Cellae Negrae in Numidia, who denied absolution to the "Betrayers," as thy called those who had given up the sacred books to the heathens. When Donatists appealed to the Emperor Constantine to obtain his support against the African Catholics, he rebuked them for seeking the aid of temporal authority, and at once referred them to the Pope, Melchiades. "But because," says St. Augustine, "Constantine dared not judge the bishops' cause, he appointed it to be discussed and terminated by bishops, which also was done at Tome, under the presidency of Melchiades."

The Pope chose fifteen bishops out of Italy to sit with him; and by them the too rigorous Donatists were condemned (A.D. 313.)

       †

December 9th, Within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception

Newly Added
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Season of Advent 2nd - 4th Days within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception

†

December 8th, Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Immaculate Conception Devotion in honor of the
Immaculate Conception History and Defense of the Immaculate Conception Queenship of Mary In Defense of Mary
The Mother of God Litany of the Life of the Blessed Virgin The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Set Forth in Her Titles from the Litany of Loreto The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Joachim
and St. Anne, 1859 St. Gabriel Joyful Mysteries Sorrowful Mysteries Glorious Mysteries

2nd Sunday in Advent

Are you truly converted? Second Sunday of Advent Christ Our Lord The Season of Advent Advent Calendar with Traditional Meditations Advent Reflection by St. Alphonsus de Liguori Spiritual Communion

O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling-place for Thy Son: we beseech Thee, that, as by the death of the same Son, foreseen by Thee, thou didst keep her free from all stain, so by her intercession Thou wouldst grant to us also to come with clean hearts to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Who and what was the blessed and glorious Mary, always a Virgin, has been revealed by God in the message of an Angel, in these words, Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. It was fitting that a fulness of grace should be poured into that Virgin who gave glory to the heavens, and the Lord to the earth, who has brought peace to earth, who has given faith to the Gentiles, who has killed sin, who has given law to life, who has made the crooked ways straight. Truly, she is full of grace; for to others grace comes measure by measure, whereas in Mary grace dwells at once in all fulness. Truly, she is full of grace.

We believe that the holy Fathers and Prophets had grace; but they were not full of grace. But into Mary came a fulness of all the grace which is in Christ, although in a different manner. Therefore is it said: Blessed art thou among women, that is, Blessed art thou above all women. And thus the fulness of blessing in Mary took away entirely whatever curse was put upon Eve. In her praise Solomon writes in the Canticle of Canticles, Come, my dove, my spotless one. For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. And again. Come from Libanus, come, thou shalt be crowned.

Not unfittingly therefore is she bidden to come from Libanus, for Libanus means a radiant whiteness. For she was dazzlingly white with her many virtues and merits, and by the gifts of the Holy Ghost she was cleansed whiter than snow; showing in all things the simplicity of a dove; for all in her was purity and simplicity, truth and grace; all mercy and justice, which has looked down from heaven: and for this reason was she immaculate, because corruption was not found in her. She encompassed a man in her womb, as holy Jeremias testifies, and she received him from no other person.

The Lord, he says, has made a new thing upon the earth, and a woman shall encompass a man. Truly a new thing, and a novelty of power preeminent above all novelties, in that God (whom the world cannot bear, nor man see and live), entered the hospice of her womb, as if unaware of her virginity; was so borne therein that the whole God was in her; and so came forth that, (as Ezechiel prophesies), the door remained shut. So the same Canticle sings of her: A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up, thy plants are a paradise. Truly a garden of delights, in which were all manner of flowers, and the perfume of virtues; so enclosed that neither violation nor corruption by any deceit were known. Therefore: a fountain sealed with the seal of the whole Trinity.

Hymn: Praeclara custos

Fair guardian of the virgin choir, Unsullied Mother of the Lord, Our hope, the Angels' joy, in whom A door to heaven is restored;

Thou lily, white amid the thorns, Thou dove, with wondrous beauty girt; Thou tender stem from Jesse's root Whose Blossom heals our deadly hurt.

Thou tower beyond the dragon's reach; Thou friendly star to shipwrecked men, From error guide us by thy light, That we may find our course again:

Dispel the mists that dim our eyes, From treacherous shoals divert our way, Lest on the storm-tossed sea of life From thy safe course we go astray.

All honor, laud, and glory be, O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete.

Amen

†

December 7th, St. Ambrose, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

(This is also the Vigil of the Immaculate Conception and is a Day of Fast)

St. Ambrose First Saturday Devotions

O God, Who didst give blessed Ambrose to be a minister of eternal salvation to Thy people: grant, we beseech Thee, that we who have had him on earthy as Teacher of life, may be worthy to have him for advocate in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

O God, Who didst wondrously preserve the Mother of Thy Only-begotten Son from original sin in her conception, grant, we beseech Thee, that strenghtened by her intercession we may be ready to keep her festival with pure hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was the son of another Ambrose, a Roman citizen, and was born when his Father was Prefect of Gaul. It a is related that a swarm of bees settled upon his lips when he was in his cradle, which was considered an omen of his future eloquence. He received a liberal education at Rome. He was afterwards, under the Prefect Probus, made governor of Liguria and Aemilia, and so came with authority to Milan.

When the Arian Bishop, Auxentius, died, the most violent disputes arose among the people about the choice of a successor. Ambrose came to the church in his official capacity and urged upon the contending factions, in a long and powerful speech, the necessity of keeping the public peace; whereupon a child suddenly cried out, "Ambrose, Bishop," and the whole assembly tool it up, and unanimously called for his election.

On his refusing to accede to their entreaties, the earnest request of the people was presented to the Emperor Valentinian. He was very much pleased that those whom he had selected as judge were sought after as priests. It was also pleasing to the prefect Probus, who, as though he foresaw the event, said to Ambrose in his departure: Go, act not as judge, but as bishop.

The desire of the people being thus seconded by the will of the emperor, Ambrose was baptized (for he was still a catechumen), and was admitted to sacred orders, ascending all the degrees of orders as prescribed by the Church; and on the eighth day, which was the seventh of the Ides of December (December 7), he took up the burden of the episcopacy. Being made bishop, he most strenuously defended the Catholic faith and ecclesiastical discipline. He converted to the true faith many Arians and there heretics, among whom as that outstanding light of the Church, St. Augustine, the Spritual child of Ambrose in Christ Jesus.

When the Emperor Gratian was killed. Ambrose again set out as Ambassador to his murderer Maximus, to insist on his doing penance for his crime; and in his refusal, Ambrose refused to hold communion with him. The Emperor Theodosius, having been responsible for the massacre at Thesalonica, was forbidden by the saint to enter the church. On the emperor's excusing himself by saying that King David had also committed murder and adultery, Ambrose replied: Thou hast imitated his sin; now, imitate his repentance. Whereupon, Theodosius humbly performed the public penance which the bishop had imposed upon him.

The holy Bishop having thus endured the greatest labors and solicitudes for the Church of God, and having written many admirable books, foretold the day of his death, even before before he was taken with his last sickness. Honoratus, bishop of Vercelli, after three admonitions from God to go to the dying saint, hastened and administered to him the Sacred Body of the Lord. Ambrose having received it, arranged his hands in the form of a cross, prayed, and yielded his soul up to God, on the day before the Nones of April (April 4), in the year of our Lord 397.

       †

December 6th, St. Nicholas, Bishop and Confessor

First Friday Devotions         New Children's Book
Behold the Lamb, A Book for Little Folks About the Holy Mass, 1912 St. Nicholas of Myra Children Prayers Jesus of Nazareth, the Story of His Life: A Catholic Children's Book, 1906 Catholic Bible Stories Short Catechism of Church History for Youth           Newly Added
Children's Devotions to the Guardian Angels

O God, Who didst glorify the blessed Bishop Nicholas with numberless miracles: grant, we beseech Thee, that by his merits and prayers we may be saved from the fires of hell. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

       †

December 5th,
St. Sabbas, Abbot

May the intercession of the blessed Abbot Sabbas, procure favor for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord: that we may gain, by his patronage, those things of which we are not capable by our own merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Sabas, one of the most renowned patriarchs of the monks of Palestine, was born in the year 439, near Caesarea. In order to settle a dispute which had arisen between some of his relatives in regard to the administration of his estate, while still young he forsook the world and entered a monastery, wherein he became a model of fervor.

When Sabbas had been ten years in this monastery, being eighteen years old, he went to Jerusalem to visit the holy places, and attached himself to a monastery there under control of St. Euthymius; but on the death of the holy abbot our Saint sought the wilderness, where he chose his dwelling in a cave on the top of a high mountain, at the bottom of which ran the brook Cedron. After he had lived here five years, several came to him, desiring to serve God under his direction. He was at first unwilling to consent, but finally founded a new monastery of persons all desirous to devote themselves to praise and serve God without interruption.

His great sanctity becoming known, he was ordained priest, at the age of fifty-three, by the patriarch of Jerusalem, and made Superior-General of all the anchorites of Palestine. He lived to be ninety-four, and died on the 5th of December, 532.

†

December 4th,
St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

St. Peter Chrysologus

O God, Who didst miraculously point out the eminent Doctor Peter Chrysologus, and choose him to be a ruler and teacher of Thy Church: grant, we beseech Thee, that as on earth he taught us the way of life, so in heaven he may be our intercessor with Thee. Through our Lord etc. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

St. Peter gained the name Chrysologus, which means "speech of gold" by his great eloquence. As the Collect reminds us, his promotion to the See of Ravenna (A.D. 433), owing to an apparition of the Apostle St. Peter to Pope Sixtus III., was miraculous.

You are the salt of the earth. . . and the light of the world," says the Gospel. "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, entreat, rebuke . . . . . do the work of an evangelist." That is what St. Peter did; he composed more than one hundred and sixty homilies, full of learning, which earned him the title of Doctor of the Church.

It was he who wrote this well-known saying: "He who amuses himself with Satan cannot rejoice with Christ." He died at Imola in A.D. 450.

Also Commemorated
Dec. 4th, St. Barbara, Virgin and Martyr

St. Barbara, Virgin and Martyr

O God, who amongst the many marvels of Thy power hast granted the triumph of martyrdom even to weak women: grant in Thy mercy, that we, who keep the festival of blessed Barbara, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example, advance nearer to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

†

December 3rd,
St. Francis Xavier, Confessor

         Catholic Book
St. Francis Xavier
Apostle of India and Japan         St. Francis Xavier I.         St. Francis Xavier II.

O God, Who wast pleased by the preaching and miracles of blessed Francis, to bring into Thy Church the nations of the Indies: mercifully grant that we who honor his glorious merits, may also follow the pattern of his virtues. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

A young Spanish gentleman, in the dangerous days of the Reformation, was making a name for himself as a Professor of Philosophy in the University of Paris, and had seemingly no higher aim, when St. Ignatius of Loyola won him to heavenly thoughts. After a brief apostolate amongst his countrymen in Rome he was sent by St. Ignatius to the Indies, where for twelve years he was to wear himself out, bearing the Gospel to Hindostan, to Malacca, and to Japan.

Thwarted by the jealousy, covetousness, and carelessness of those who should have helped and encouraged him, neither their opposition nor the difficulties of every sort which he encountered could make him slacken his labors for souls. The vast kingdom of China appealed to his charity, and he was resolved to risk his life to force an entry, when God took him to Himself, and on the 3rd of December, 1552, he died, like Moses, in sight of the promise.

       †

December 2nd,
St. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr

St. Bibiana, Virgin & Martyr

O God, the giver of all good s, who didst unite in thy servant Bibiana the flower of virginity with the palm of martyrdom: so unite our souls to Thee in the bond of charity by virtue of her intercession, that being freed from all dangers, we may obtain the rewards of everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

(Roman Breviary)

Saint Bibiana was a native of Rome, born in the fourth century, the daughter and sister of martyrs. Flavian, her Christian father, was apprehended during the reign of Julian the Apostate, branded on the face as a slave, and banished to Toscany, where he died of his wounds a few days later. Her mother, Dafrosa, was beheaded two weeks later. Their two daughters, Bibiana and Demetria, after the death of their parents were stripped of all they had in the world, and then imprisoned with orders to give them no food. The Roman praetorian offered them rewards if they would abandon their faith, and threatened a cruel death if they would not conform, but they replied courageously that the goods and advantages of this world had no attraction for them, and that they would endure a thousand deaths rather than betray their faith and their Saviour. Demetria, after having pronounced this ardent defense, fell to the ground and expired at her sister's side; she is inscribed in the Roman martyrology on June 21st.

The officer gave orders that Bibiana be placed in the custody of a woman named Rufina, who was commanded to corrupt her or mistreat her. But the martyr made prayer her shield and remained invincible. Enraged at the courage and perseverance of the young virgin, the persecutor ordered her to be tied to a pillar and whipped until she expired, with scourges tipped with leaden plummets. The Saint underwent this punishment cheerfully, and died at the hands of the executioners. She was buried by a holy priest at a site where afterwards a chapel and then a church were built above her tomb. In 1628 the church was splendidly rebuilt by Pope Urban VIII, and in it he placed the relics of the two sisters and of Saint Dafrosa, their mother.

†

December 1st, First Sunday of Advent

Are you prepared for the
2nd Coming of Christ? First Sunday in Advent: Fear of the General Judgment First Sunday of Advent The Season of Advent Christ Our Lord The Second Coming

4 Part Series on the signs that are to precede the Last Judgement:

I.       On the Coming and
         Cruelty of Antichrist II.     Terrible signs preceeding
         The Last Judgment III.   The Causes of these
         Terrible Signs IV.    The Suddenness of the
         Last Day

4 Part Series on the Person of the Christ at the Last Judgement:

Part 1: The Judge as God Part 2: The Judge as Man Part 3: The Judge as Redeemer Part 4: The Judge as Our Model

The Season of Advent begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas. This time is set aside by the Church to bring before our eyes the Incarnation of our Lord, the coming of Jesus Christ through Grace, and the coming of our Lord on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead.

On the first day of the Liturgical Year, the Church commemorates the manifestation of our Lord's love for men by His Incarnation and by His Second Coming as the Judge of the World. Jesus our Lord will reward those who yearn for Him and await Him; "Those who trust in Him shall not be confounded."

First Sunday of Advent

They shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty.--LUKE xxi. 27.

At Christmas Jesus will be born in our hearts, for at that time the anniversary of His birth will be celebrated. He refuses nothing, to the prayer of the Church, His spouse, and thus He will grant to our soul the same graces which He gave the shepherds and the wise Kings.

Christ will come again also, at the end of all time, to "condemn the guilty to the names, and to call the just with a loving voice to heaven " (Hymn for Matins).

The whole of today's mass is a preparation for this double Advent of mercy and justice. Some parts of it can be applied equally to either (e.g., the Introit, Collect, Gradual, Alleluia), while others refer to our Divine Redeemer's lowly birth, and others again, (e.g. the Epistle and Gospel), to His coming in the splendor of His power and majesty. The same welcome will be given to us by our Lord when He comes to judge us, as we give to Him now when coming to redeem us. Let us prepare for the Christmas feast by holy prayers and aspirations and by reforming our lives, that we may be ready for that last great assize upon which depends the fate of our soul for all eternity. And all this with confidence, for those "who wait upon the Lord will never be confounded" (Introit; Gradual; Offertory).

In former times, on this First Sunday of Advent, all the people of Rome made the station at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, to assist at the solemn mass which the Pope celebrated, surrounded by his clergy. This particular Church was chosen because it is Mary who gave us Jesus and because relics of the crib in which the Blessed Mother placed her Divine Child are preserved in this Church.

†

Hymns on the Sufferings of Christ
Jesus Christ is Crucified

Luke xxiii. 33: "And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, they crucified Him there."

Part I.

O come and mourn with me awhile; See, Mary calls us to her side; O come and let us mourn with her Jesus, our Love, is crucified!	His Mother cannot reach His face; She stands in helplessness beside; Her heart is martyred with her Son's; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!
Have we no tears to shed for Him, While soldiers scoff and Jews deride; Ah! look how patiently He hangs; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!	Seven times He spoke, seven words of love, And three long hours His silence cried For mercy on the souls of men, Jesus, Our Love, is crucified!
How fast His hands and feet are nailed, His blessed tongue with thirst is tied, His failing eyes are blind with blood; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!	What was Thy crime, my dearest Lord? By earth, by heaven, Thou hast been tried, And guilty found of too much love; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!

Part II.

Found guilty of excess of love, It was Thine own sweet will that tied Thee tighter far than helpless nails; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!	Come, take Thy stand beneath the cross, And let the blood from out His side Fall gently on Thee drop by drop: Jesus, our Love, is crucified!
Death came, and Jesus meekly bowed; His failing eyes He strove to guide With mindful love to Mary's face; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!	A broken heart, a fount of tears, Ask, and they will not be denied: A broken heart love's cradle is; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!
O break, O break, hard heart of mine, Thy weak self-love and guilty pride His Pilate and His Judas were; Jesus, our Love, is crucified!	O love of God! O sin of man! In this dread act your sin is tried; And victory remains with love, For He, our Love is crucified!

The chief Sufferings that Our Lord endured in His Body during His Passion
We were His executioners

Ephes. v. 2: "(He) hath delivered Himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness."

My Jesus! say, what wretch has dared Thy sacred hands to bind? And who has dared to buffet so Thy face so meed and kind? Chorus 'Tis I have thus ungrateful been, Yet, Jesus! pity take! Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, For Thy sweet mercy's sake!	My Jesus! who has mocked Thy thirst With vinegar and gall; Who held the nails that pierced Thy hands, And made the hammer fall? Chorus 'Tis I have thus ungrateful been, Yet, Jesus! pity take! Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, For Thy sweet mercy's sake!
My Jesus! who with spittle vile Profaned Thy sacred brow? Or whose unpitying scourge has made Thy precious blood to flow? Chorus 'Tis I have thus ungrateful been, Yet, Jesus! pity take! Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, For Thy sweet mercy's sake!	My Jesus! say, who dared to nail Those tender feet of Thine; And whose the arm that raised the lance To pierce that Heart divine. Chorus 'Tis I have thus ungrateful been, Yet, Jesus! pity take! Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, For Thy sweet mercy's sake!
My Jesus! whose the hands that wove That cruel thorny crown? Who made that hard and heavy cross That weighs Thy shoulders down? Chorus 'Tis I have thus ungrateful been, Yet, Jesus! pity take! Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, For Thy sweet mercy's sake!	And Mary! who has murdered thus, Thy loved and only One? Canst thou forgive the blood-stained hand That robbed thee of thy Son? Chorus 'Tis I have thus ungrateful been, Yet, Jesus! pity take! Oh, spare and pardon me, my Lord, For Thy sweet mercy's sake!

Who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree: that we,
being dead to sins, should live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed.--1 Peter 2: 24

On the Number of Sins You Commit:
Sermon by St. Aphonsus Di Liguori

Palm Sunday and Holy Week

This week is called the great, the Holy week, because in it the Church commemorates the holiest and the greatest of all the mysteries of our Redemption--"the Institution of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Mass on Maunday Thursday, and the Cruel Passion and Bitter Death of Christ on Good Friday."

Moreover, it is in this week that she blesses the materials for her greatest mysteries; viz., the water for baptism, the oils for extreme unction, confirmation, ordination, and tho consecration of altars and churches. This week is also particularly appropriate for the reception and baptism of converts, reconciliation of sinners to God by penance, consecration of ministers for the altar, and the reception of the Most Holy Sacrament on Maunday Thursday.

The faithful should be therefore most particularly intent upon sanctifying this holy time by giving themselves up to stricter fasting and closer wateh over their senses; by meditating more frequently on the Passion and Sufferings of Christ, and giving up for love of Him crucified every kind of amusement and recreation.

What a cruel and horrid mockery of their crucified Saviour's love it is that Catholics should join the crowd of the impious, the incredulous, or the thoughtless, and spend Good Friday in frivolous or sinful amusements, thus resembling the Jews of old, who rejoiced over the death of their enemy.

Hymn: Gloria, Laus et Honor

GLORIA, laus et honor tibi sit, Rex Christe, Redemptor: Cui puerile decus prompsit Hosanna pium. R. Gloria, laus, etc.	ALL glory, praise, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet Hosannas ring. R. All glory, etc.
Israel es tu Rex, Davidis et inclyta proles: Nomine qui in Domini, Rex benedicte, venis. R. Gloria, laus, etc.	Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David's royal Son, Who in the Lord's Name comest. the King and blessed One. R. All glory, etc.
Coetus in excelsis te laudat caelicus omnis, Et mortalis homo, et cuncta creata simul. R. Gloria, laus, etc.	The company of Angels are praislng Thee on high, and mortal men and all things created make reply. All glory, etc
Plebs Hebraea tibi cum palmis obvia venit: Cum prece, voto, hymnis, adsumus ecce tibi. R. Gloria, laus, etc.	The people of the Hebrews with palms before Thee went; our pralse and prayer and anthems before Thee we present. R. All glory, etc.
Hi tibi passuro solvebant munia laudis: Nos tibi regnanti pangimus ecce melos R. Gloria, laus, etc.	To Thee before Thy Passion they sang their hymns of praise; to Thee now high exalted our melody we raise. R. All glory, etc.
Hi placuere tibi, placeat devotio nostra: Rex bone, Rex clemens, cui bona cuncta placent. R. Gloria, laus, etc.	Thou didst accept their praises, accept the prayers we bring, Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King. R. All glory, etc.

Hymn: Pueri Hebraeorum

Pueri Hebraeorum, portantes ramos
olivarum, obviaverunt Domino,
clamantes et dicentes:
Hosanna in excelsis.

Pueri Hebraeorum vestimenta
prosternebant in via et clamabant
dicentes: Hosanna Filio David,
benedictus qui venit in nomini Domini.

The Hebrew children bearing olive
branches, went forth to meet the
Lord, crying out, and saying,
Hosanna in the highest.

The Hebrew children spread their
garments in the way, and cried out,
saying: Hosanna to the Son of God:
blessed is He that cometh in the
Name of the Lord.

And Jesus, hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed Him: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel.--Matt. Viii. 10.

Dear Catholics, Our Lord came down from the Mount of the Beatitudes, healed a leper at the foot of the hill, and started on His way towards Capharnaum. As He approached the town there came to Him messengers, begging that He would heal the servant of a Roman centurion. This Roman officer had command over one hundred soldiers in the garrison at Caphamaum, and, although a Gentile, was a devout proselyte, and had built a synagogue for the Jews. So great was his faith in our Lord that when he heard the Saviour was coming to cure his servant, he came out and told Him not to inconvenience Himself by going all the way to the house of the sick man, but only to say the word and the servant would be well. This Gentile looked upon the power which Christ had over life and death, over sickness and health, in the same way as upon his own power and authority over the soldiers under him: it was only necessary to say a word, to give a command, and obedience would follow.

This admirable faith of the Roman centurion, so highly praised by our Lord Himself, has been considered throughout the centuries as a model for all true believers.

Faith is a supernatural, theological virtue by which, relying on the authority of God, we firmly believe whatever God has revealed and the Church proposes for our belief. Faith is called a virtue because it is a habit inclining us to good; it is supernatural, because it is not acquired by our own efforts, but is infused into our souls by God Himself; it is termed theological, because it has God for its immediate object; its motive is the authority of God, because only God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived, is the author of the truths of faith. God delivers His word to us, not directly, but through His infallible Church (Matt. xxviii. 19; Rom. x. 17). Scripture and tradition, without an authoritative interpreter, are not reliable guides in matters of faith, as is proved by the numerous mutually contradicting Protestant sects. Faith differs, from opinion, which is doubtful assent; from knowledge, which rests on experience or reason; from human belief, which depends on the authority of men. The object of faith is not some, but all of the truths that God has revealed and proposes to us through the Church. The Church proposes the teachings of revelation to us mainly in the Apostles' Creed, and in the definitions of the Popes and Councils. The Apostles' Creed contains the fundamental truths which we are to believe. It is necessary to believe all the truths the Church teaches, but it is not necessary to know them all explicitly. The truths absolutely necessary to be known by all are: that there is a God; that there is a future life of reward and punishment (Heb. xi. 6 ff.). Since the preaching of the Gospel, it is also required to know and believe the mysteries of the Trinity and of the Incarnation and Redemption (John xiv. 6; xvii. 33). Anyone ignorant of these essential truths cannot be absolved in confession. Parents should instruct their children in these important doctrines from their earliest years. Truths that all are bound to know, as far as they are able are: the Articles of the Creed; the Commandments; the Sacraments, at least those that a given person needs to receive; the Lord's Prayer, the acts of the various virtues, such as, the acts of faith, hope, charity, contrition.

Faith must be firm, i.e., it must exclude all doubt, hesitation, or disbelief. It must be blind, i.e., we must not seek any other reason than the authority of God for what we are asked to believe (John xx. 29). The reason for this latter quality is that faith, being concerned with supernatural truths, is above the natural grasp of our finite minds. The fact that we cannot understand the truths of faith is no reason for rejecting them; because they have God for their author; because the natural world is filled with mysteries which we accept but cannot understand; because constantly we blindly trust the authority of scientists, historians, doctors, lawyers, etc. Faith is reasonable, i.,e., we can establish on rational grounds all the foundations of faith, namely, the existence, knowledge, and truthfulness of God, the divinity of Christ and of the mission of the Church. Faith should be entire, i.e., it must extend to every dogma without exception.

Faith is necessary for salvation (Heb. xi. 6), for it is the root and foundation of our justification. Without faith it is impossible to perform works that are meritorious of life eternal, although one may do many things that are naturally good. Faith imposes a two-fold obligation: a negative obligation, which always binds, of never sinning against it; a positive obligation of making acts of faith before God and of professing our faith before men. Sins against faith are: infidelity, i.e., the total rejection of the Christian religion by those who remain outside the true faith, although they know it sufficiently well to embrace it; apostasy, i.e., the rejection of the Christian religion for a false one; heresy, i.e., the obstinate denial of an Article of faith by a baptized person; deliberate doubt concerning a matter of faith; exposing one's self to the danger of losing the faith by keeping bad company, reading injurious literature, etc. We are obliged to make acts of faith from time to time, especially when in danger of losing our faith. It is never permissible to deny the faith before men, even in appearance (2 Mach. vi. 21 ff.), or by silence; on the contrary, a person is bound to profess his faith publicly whenever God's glory or our neighbor's good requires it (Matt. v. 16).

The knowledge derived from faith is infinitely superior to that which comes from human wisdom, and is at the same time far easier and more secure. How highly then should we appreciate the gift of faith! We should carefully avoid all things by which faith is lost, such as, wilful doubt or denial of Articles of faith; or imperiled, such as, neglect of religious duties, bad books or company, mixed marriages, Godless education, joining secrete societies (ex.Freemasons), etc. We should pray for a great and living faith.

Dear Catholics--one of the greatest dangers to faith is Immorality. It is a widespread danger, as widespread as human nature. Be not surprised, my brethren, at the term or at its application. Whatever is sinful is immoral, inasmuch as it contravenes the laws of conduct; and whatever makes for sin, or even for the lower natural life, is necessarily inimical to so holy and perfect a virtue as divine faith. Arguments need not be multiplied; hear the Old Testament and the New: "The wicked man is void of knowledge" (Prov. xxix. 7) ; "for wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins" (Wis. i. 4); "everyone that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved" (John iii. 20) ; "how can you believe, who receive glory one from another; and the glory which is from God alone you do not seek?" (Ib. v. 44); "you do not believe because you are not of my sheep" (Ib. x. 26). So, no light, no knowledge, no wisdom for the sinful; no believing for the evil, the proud, the disobedient, who hear not the Shepherd's voice, nor come when He calls. It is not that every sin, be it even mortal, immediately destroys faith: holy Church found it necessary to define the contrary; only sin against faith at once destroys faith. But all sin obscures, weakens and endangers it. The word of God says that we can neither commence nor continue to believe without divine help. And if we turn that help aside? If we reject it? The Holy Ghost alone can form in us acts of this supernatural virtue. But if we sacrilegiously expel Him ? if we close our souls against His breathings, if we heartlessly shut our ears to His unspeakable pleadings? In a small yacht, as you are all aware, you may cross a wide lake or ascend a strong river-- provided you have sound wind-filled sails. But you will not go far if you keep out of the way of the wind, if your sails are torn and worthless, if you refuse to carry or hoist any sails at all. So do many Catholics in the progress of Christian life.

This point, my brethren, needs much attention from some of you. The earthen vessel in which we have so divine a treasure as faith, is, you must admit, perilous enough in its unstable fragility, without being sordidly neglected, without being corroded and buffeted by filth and iniquity. Now, you easily grant that you fail in other matters, but not, you think, in faith. You do not see that contradicting your religion in practice is endangering your belief of it. I know, my brethren, and am glad to proclaim that poor sinners can fall very low and yet never doubt about Catholicity. In that, too, is their one hope of salvation; for faith keeps open their access to the Church, and access to her is access to God's mercy. They begin to look hopeless only when, by word or act, they cast themselves into the morass of soul-destroying heresy. It is of apostates St. Paul uses the fearful words about the impossibility of being renewed again to penance. But notice that on this very question of preserving or losing faith, the same Apostle has a word of warning for those who fail not in belief but in conscience. When he writes: "Having faith and a good conscience, which some rejecting have made shipwreck concerning the faith" (i Tim. i. 19), he sufficiently shows that where conscience was otherwise violated the way was taken toward loss of belief. He continues to enforce that teaching by speaking of the mystery of faith that is to be held "in a pure conscience" (Ib. iii. 9). The words seem like an echo of his abiding anxiety about the heavenly treasure which he had been instrumental in placing in so many earthen vessels.

But earthly as we are, we yet can have this good conscience, this pure conscience: not, however, with sin. All sin is iniquity and foulness; hence with it, of any kind, conscience is bad and unclean, and faith feels not at home. Two vices are so speedily destructive of the delicate virtue that we require special caution against them. Impurity and pride are necessary and deadly enemies of this sacred dignity of our elevated nature. It has been figuratively yet accurately said that as was St. John the Baptist in the court of Herod, so is faith in the unchaste soul: beheading is the consequence. For the proud we have the Lord's intimation that they could not believe in Him so long as they sought false glory. Witness the Pharisees, who knew so much of the law and professed belief so formally, yet persisted in rejecting the true Messiah even when testified to by Himself, by His Father, and by the Holy Spirit!

Conclusion

To what, then, my brethren, do our reflections lead us? Surely to the conclusion that, as faith is most high and precious, so must our jealous care of it be most humbly assiduous. We should not lose it, we would not lessen it: we need it all for our eternal salvation, for our filial service of our heavenly Father. Without it we cannot please God, without it we can be but condemned. For no earthly bribe will we betray it, for no fleshpots renounce it, for no mess of pottage barter it, for no passing enjoyments endanger it. Far from us be the folly of the worldlings who have finally to say: "We have erred from the way of truth; and the light of justice hath not shined unto us; and the sun of understanding hath not risen upon us" (Wis. v. 6) ; farther still be the counsel of the malicious who said to God: "Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways" (Job xxi. 14). We, my brethren, believe in the Almighty, we serve Him and find profit in praying to Him. We know that of His wrath the unbelieving wicked shall drink; that their lamp shall be put out; that a deluge shall come upon them; that they shall be as chaff before the face of the wind, and as ashes which the whirlwind scattereth. Fearing our human weakness, but trusting in the grace of faith which, as we so often sing, alone suffices to strengthen the sincere heart-- ad firmandum car sincerum sola fides sufficit--we simply hold our ground in the ranks of the Church's children who have their eyes opened, who are converted from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, who receive forgiveness of sins, and a lot among the saints by the faith that is in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Prayer for the Preservation of Faith

O my Redeemer, will that terrible moment ever come, when but few Christians will be found animated with a spirit of faith? that moment when, provoked to indignation, Thou wilt remove from us thy protection? The vices, the evil habits of our children, have perhaps irrevocably moved thy justice this very day to vengeance! O Thou who art the author and finisher of our faith, we conjure Thee, in the bitterness of our hearts, humbled and contrite, not to permit the beautiful light of faith to be extinguished in us. Be mindful of thy mercies of old, cast a compassionate regard upon that vine which Thou hast planted with thy right hand, which was bedewed with the sweat of the Apostles, watered with the precious blood of thousands upon thousands of martyrs and the tears of so many generous penitents, and made fruitful by the prayers of so many confessors and innocent virgins. O divine Mediator, have regard for those zealous souls who incessantly raise their hearts to Thee and pray for the maintenance of that most precious treasure, the true Faith. Suspend, O must just God, the decree of our reprobation, turn away thine eyes from our sins, and fix them on the adorable blood, shed upon the Cross as the price of salvation, and daily pleading for it, on our behalf, upon our altars. Oh, preserve us in the true Catholic Roman Faith. Infirmities afflict us, annoyances wear us away, misfortunes oppress us: but preserve to us thy holy faith ; for, endowed with this precious gift, we shall willingly bear every sorrow, and nothing can affect our happiness. On the other hand, without this supreme treasure of the faith, our misfortunes will be unspeakable and immense. O good Jesus, author of our faith, keep it pure; keep us safe within the bark of Peter, faithful and obedient to his successor, thy True Vicar here on earth, that so the unity of holy Church may be preserved, holiness fostered, the Holy See kept free and protected, and the universal Church extended, to the advantage of souls. O Jesus, author of our faith, humble and convert the enemies of thy Church ; bestow on all Kings and Christian Princes, and on all the faithful, peace and true unity; strengthen and maintain all in thy holy service, to the end that we may live by Thee and die in Thee. Ah! my Jesus, author of our faith, in Thee I would live, and in Thee would I die. Amen.

(Indulgence 300 days--Leo XIII.)

The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved
by St. Leonard of Port Maurice, (1676 - 1751)

Noah's Offering to God after the Deluge

In the time of Noah, the entire human race was submerged by the Deluge, and only eight people were saved in the Ark. Saint Peter says, "This ark was the figure of the Church," while Saint Augustine adds, "And these eight people who were saved signify that very few Christians are saved, because there are very few who sincerely renounce the world, and those who renounce it only in words do not belong to the mystery represented by that ark."

"And a certain man said to Him: Lord, are they few that are saved? But He said to them: Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able. But when the master of the house shall be gone in, and shall shut the door, you shall begin to stand without, and knock at the door, saying: Lord, open to us. And he answering, shall say to you: I know you not, whence you are."--Luke 13: 23-25

Introduction

Thanks be to God, the number of the Redeemer's disciples is not so small that the wickedness of the Scribes and Pharisees is able to triumph over them. Although they strove to calumniate innocence and to deceive the crowd with their treacherous sophistries by discrediting the doctrine and character of Our Lord, finding spots even in the sun, many still recognized Him as the true Messiah, and, unafraid of either chastisements or threats, openly joined His cause. Did all those who followed Christ follow Him even unto glory? Oh, this is where I revere the profound mystery and silently adore the abysses of the divine decrees, rather than rashly deciding on such a great point! The subject I will be treating today is a very grave one; it has caused even the pillars of the Church to tremble, filled the greatest Saints with terror and populated the deserts with anchorites. The point of this instruction is to decide whether the number of Christians who are saved is greater or less than the number of Christians who are damned; it will, I hope, produce in you a salutary fear of the judgments of God.

Brothers, because of the love I have for you, I wish I were able to reassure you with the prospect of eternal happiness by saying to each of you: You are certain to go to paradise; the greater number of Christians is saved, so you also will be saved. But how can I give you this sweet assurance if you revolt against God's decrees as though you were your own worst enemies? I observe in God a sincere desire to save you, but I find in you a decided inclination to be damned. So what will I be doing today if I speak clearly? I will be displeasing to you. But if I do not speak, I will be displeasing to God.

Therefore, I will divide this subject into two points. In the first one, to fill you with dread, I will let the theologians and Fathers of the Church decide on the matter and declare that the greater number of Christian adults are damned; and, in silent adoration of that terrible mystery, I will keep my own sentiments to myself. In the second point I will attempt to defend the goodness of God versus the godless, by proving to you that those who are damned are damned by their own malice, because they wanted to be damned. So then, here are two very important truths. If the first truth frightens you, do not hold it against me, as though I wanted to make the road of heaven narrower for you, for I want to be neutral in this matter; rather, hold it against the theologians and Fathers of the Church who will engrave this truth in your heart by the force of reason. If you are disillusioned by the second truth, give thanks to God over it, for He wants only one thing: that you give your hearts totally to Him. Finally, if you oblige me to tell you clearly what I think, I will do so for your consolation.

The Teaching of the Fathers of the Church

It is not vain curiosity but salutary precaution to proclaim from the height of the pulpit certain truths which serve wonderfully to contain the indolence of libertines, who are always talking about the mercy of God and about how easy it is to convert, who live plunged in all sorts of sins and are soundly sleeping on the road to hell. To disillusion them and waken them from their torpor, today let us examine this great question: Is the number of Christians who are saved greater than the number of Christians who are damned?

Pious souls, you may leave; this sermon is not for you. Its sole purpose is to contain the pride of libertines who cast the holy fear of God out of their heart and join forces with the devil who, according to the sentiment of Eusebius, damns souls by reassuring them. To resolve this doubt, let us put the Fathers of the Church, both Greek and Latin, on one side; on the other, the most learned theologians and erudite historians; and let us put the Bible in the middle for all to see. Now listen not to what I will say to you -- for I have already told you that I do not want to speak for myself or decide on the matter -- but listen to what these great minds have to tell you, they who are beacons in the Church of God to give light to others so that they will not miss the road to heaven. In this manner, guided by the triple light of faith, authority and reason, we will be able to resolve this grave matter with certainty.

Note well that there is no question here of the human race taken as a whole, nor of all Catholics taken without distinction, but only of Catholic adults, who have free choice and are thus capable of cooperating in the great matter of their salvation. First let us consult the theologians recognized as examining things most carefully and as not exaggerating in their teaching: let us listen to two learned cardinals, Cajetan and Bellarmine. They teach that the greater number of Christian adults are damned, and if I had the time to point out the reasons upon which they base themselves, you would be convinced of it yourselves. But I will limit myself here to quoting Suarez. After consulting all the theologians and making a diligent study of the matter, he wrote, "The most common sentiment which is held is that, among Christians, there are more damned souls than predestined souls."

Add the authority of the Greek and Latin Fathers to that of the theologians, and you will find that almost all of them say the same thing. This is the sentiment of Saint Theodore, Saint Basil, Saint Ephrem, and Saint John Chrysostom. What is more, according to Baronius it was a common opinion among the Greek Fathers that this truth was expressly revealed to Saint Simeon Stylites and that after this revelation, it was to secure his salvation that he decided to live standing on top of a pillar for forty years, exposed to the weather, a model of penance and holiness for everyone. Now let us consult the Latin Fathers. You will hear Saint Gregory saying clearly, "Many attain to faith, but few to the heavenly kingdom." Saint Anselm declares, "There are few who are saved." Saint Augustine states even more clearly, "Therefore, few are saved in comparison to those who are damned." The most terrifying, however, is Saint Jerome. At the end of his life, in the presence of his disciples, he spoke these dreadful words: "Out of one hundred thousand people whose lives have always been bad, you will find barely one who is worthy of indulgence."

The Words of Holy Scripture

But why seek out the opinions of the Fathers and theologians, when Holy Scripture settles the question so clearly? Look in to the Old and New Testaments, and you will find a multitude of figures, symbols and words that clearly point out this truth: very few are saved. In the time of Noah, the entire human race was submerged by the Deluge, and only eight people were saved in the Ark. Saint Peter says, "This ark was the figure of the Church," while Saint Augustine adds, "And these eight people who were saved signify that very few Christians are saved, because there are very few who sincerely renounce the world, and those who renounce it only in words do not belong to the mystery represented by that ark." The Bible also tells us that only two Hebrews out of two million entered the Promised Land after going out of Egypt, and that only four escaped the fire of Sodom and the other burning cities that perished with it. All of this means that the number of the damned who will be cast into fire like straw is far greater than that of the saved, whom the heavenly Father will one day gather into His barns like precious wheat.

I would not finish if I had to point out all the figures by which Holy Scripture confirms this truth; let us content ourselves with listening to the living oracle of Incarnate Wisdom. What did Our Lord answer the curious man in the Gospel who asked Him, "Lord, is it only a few to be saved?" Did He keep silence? Did He answer haltingly? Did He conceal His thought for fear of frightening the crowd? No. Questioned by only one, He addresses all of those present. He says to them: "You ask Me if there are only few who are saved?" Here is My answer: "Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Who is speaking here? It is the Son of God, Eternal Truth, who on another occasion says even more clearly, "Many are called, but few are chosen." He does not say that all are called and that out of all men, few are chosen, but that many are called; which means, as Saint Gregory explains, that out of all men, many are called to the True Faith, but out of them few are saved. Brothers, these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Are they clear? They are true. Tell me now if it is possible for you to have faith in your heart and not tremble.

Salvation in the Various States of Life

But oh, I see that by speaking in this manner of all in general, I am missing my point. So let us apply this truth to various states, and you will understand that you must either throw away reason, experience and the common sense of the faithful, or confess that the greater number of Catholics is damned. Is there any state in the world more favorable to innocence in which salvation seems easier and of which people have a higher idea than that of priests, the lieutenants of God? At first glance, who would not think that most of them are not only good but even perfect; yet I am horror-struck when I hear Saint Jerome declaring that although the world is full of priests, barely one in a hundred is living in a manner in conformity with state; when I hear a servant of God attesting that he has learned by revelation that the number of priests who fall into hell each day is so great that it seemed impossible to him that there be any left on earth; when I hear Saint Chrysostom exclaiming with tears in his eyes, "I do not believe that many priests are saved; I believe the contrary, that the number of those who are damned is greater."

Look higher still, and see the prelates of the Holy Church, pastors who have the charge of souls. Is the number of those who are saved among them greater than the number of those who are damned? Listen to Cantimpre; he will relate an event to you, and you may draw the conclusions. There was a synod being held in Paris, and a great number of prelates and pastors who had the charge of souls were in attendance; the king and princes also came to add luster to that assembly by their presence. A famous preacher was invited to preach. While he was preparing his sermon, a horrible demon appeared to him and said, "Lay your books aside. If you want to give a sermon that will be useful to these princes and prelates, content yourself with telling them on our part, 'We the princes of darkness thank you, princes, prelates, and pastors of souls, that due to your negligence, the greater number of the faithful are damned; also, we are saving a reward for you for this favor, when you shall be with us in Hell.'"

Woe to you who command others! If so many are damned by your fault, what will happen to you? If few out of those who are first in the Church of God are saved, what will happen to you? Take all states, both sexes, every condition: husbands, wives, widows, young women, young men, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, rich and poor, noble and plebian. What are we to say about all these people who are living so badly? The following narrative from Saint Vincent Ferrer will show you what you may think about it. He relates that an archdeacon in Lyons gave up his charge and retreated into a desert place to do penance, and that he died the same day and hour as Saint Bernard. After his death, he appeared to his bishop and said to him, "Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, thirty-three thousand people also died. Out of this number, Bernard and myself went up to heaven without delay, three went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell."

Our chronicles relate an even more dreadful happening. One of our brothers, well-known for his doctrine and holiness, was preaching in Germany. He represented the ugliness of the sin of impurity so forceful that a woman fell dead of sorrow in front of everyone. Then, coming back to life, she said, "When I was presented before the Tribunal of God, sixty thousand people arrived at the same time from all parts of the world; out of that number, three were saved by going to Purgatory, and all the rest were damned."

O abyss of the judgments of God! Out of thirty thousand, only five were saved! And out of sixty thousand, only three went to heaven! You sinners who are listening to me, in what category will you be numbered?... What do you say?... What do you think?...

I see almost all of you lowering your heads, filled with astonishment and horror. But let us lay our stupor aside, and instead of flattering ourselves, let us try to draw some profit from our fear. Is it not true that there are two roads which lead to heaven: innocence and repentance? Now, if I show you that very few take either one of these two roads, as rational people you will conclude that very few are saved. And to mention proofs: in what age, employment or condition will you find that the number of the wicked is not a hundred times greater than that of the good, and about which one might say, "The good are so rare and the wicked are so great in number"? We could say of our times what Salvianus said of his: it is easier to find a countless multitude of sinners immersed in all sorts of iniquities than a few innocent men. How many servants are totally honest and faithful in their duties? How many merchants are fair and equitable in their commerce; how many craftsmen exact and truthful; how many salesmen disinterested and sincere? How many men of law do not forsake equity? How many soldiers do not tread upon innocence; how many masters do not unjustly withhold the salary of those who serve them, or do not seek to dominate their inferiors? Everywhere, the good are rare and the wicked great in number. Who does not know that today there is so much libertinage among mature men, liberty among young girls, vanity among women, licentiousness in the nobility, corruption in the middle class, dissolution in the people, impudence among the poor, that one could say what David said of his times: "All alike have gone astray... there is not even one who does good, not even one."

Go into street and square, into palace and house, into city and countryside, into tribunal and court of law, and even into the temple of God. Where will you find virtue? "Alas!" cries Salvianus, "except for a very little number who flee evil, what is the assembly of Christians if not a sink of vice?" All that we can find everywhere is selfishness, ambition, gluttony, and luxury. Is not the greater portion of men defiled by the vice of impurity, and is not Saint John right in saying, "The whole world -- if something so foul may be called -- "is seated in wickedness?" I am not the one who is telling you; reason obliges you to believe that out of those who are living so badly, very few are saved.

But you will say: Can penance not profitably repair the loss of innocence? That is true, I admit. But I also know that penance is so difficult in practice, we have lost the habit so completely, and it is so badly abused by sinners, that this alone should suffice to convince you that very few are saved by that path. Oh, how steep, narrow, thorny, horrible to behold and hard to climb it is! Everywhere we look, we see traces of blood and things that recall sad memories. Many weaken at the very sight of it. Many retreat at the very start. Many fall from weariness in the middle, and many give up wretchedly at the end. And how few are they who persevere in it till death! Saint Ambrose says it is easier to find men who have kept their innocence than to find any who have done fitting penance.

If you consider the sacrament of penance, there are so many distorted confessions, so many studied excuses, so many deceitful repentances, so many false promises, so many ineffective resolutions, so many invalid absolutions! Would you regard as valid the confession of someone who accuses himself of sins of impurity and still holds to the occasion of them? Or someone who accuses himself of obvious injustices with no intention of making any reparation whatsoever for them? Or someone who falls again into the same iniquities right after going to confession? Oh, horrible abuses of such a great sacrament! One confesses to avoid excommunication, another to make a reputation as a penitent. One rids himself of his sins to calm his remorse, another conceals them out of shame. One accuses them imperfectly out of malice, another discloses them out of habit. One does not have the true end of the sacrament in mind, another is lacking the necessary sorrow, and still another firm purpose. Poor confessors, what efforts you make to bring the greater number of penitents to these resolutions and acts, without which confession is a sacrilege, absolution a condemnation and penance an illusion?

Where are they now, those who believe that the number of the saved among Christians is greater than that of the damned and who, to authorize their opinion, reason thus: the greater portion of Catholic adults die in their beds armed with the sacraments of the Church, therefore most adult Catholics are saved? Oh, what fine reasoning! You must say exactly the opposite. Most Catholic adults confess badly at death, therefore most of them are damned. I say "all the more certain," because a dying person who has not confessed well when he was in good health will have an even harder time doing so when he is in bed with a heavy heart, an unsteady head, a muddled mind; when he is opposed in many ways by still-living objects, by still-fresh occasions, by adopted habits, and above all by devils who are seeking every means to cast him into hell. Now, if you add to all these false penitents all the other sinners who die unexpectedly in sin, due to the doctors' ignorance or by their relatives' fault, who die from poisoning or from being buried in earthquakes, or from a stroke, or from a fall, or on the battlefield, in a fight, caught in a trap, struck by lightning, burned or drowned, are you not obliged to conclude that most Christian adults are damned? That is the reasoning of Saint Chrysostom. This Saint says that most Christians are walking on the road to hell throughout their life. Why, then, are you so surprised that the greater number goes to hell? To come to a door, you must take the road that leads there. What have you to answer such a powerful reason?

The answer, you will tell me, is that the mercy of God is great. Yes, for those who fear Him, says the Prophet; but great is His justice for the one who does not fear Him, and it condemns all obstinate sinners.

So you will say to me: Well then, who is Paradise for, if not for Christians? It is for Christians, of course, but for those who do not dishonor their character and who live as Christians. Moreover, if to the number of Christian adults who die in the grace of God, you add the countless host of children who die after baptism and before reaching the age of reason, you will not be surprised that Saint John the Apostle, speaking of those who are saved, says, "I saw a great multitude which no man could number."

And this is what deceives those who pretend that the number of the saved among Catholics is greater than that of the damned... If to that number, you add the adults who have kept the robe of innocence, or who after having defiled it, have washed it in the tears of penance, it is certain that the greater number is saved; and that explains the words of Saint John, "I saw a great multitude," and these other words of Our Lord, "Many will come from the east and from the west, and will feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven," and the other figures usually cited in favor of that opinion. But if you are talking about Christian adults, experience, reason, authority, propriety and Scripture all agree in proving that the greater number is damned. Do not believe that because of this, paradise is empty; on the contrary, it is a very populous kingdom. And if the damned are "as numerous as the sand in the sea," the saved are "as numerous at the stars of heaven," that is, both the one and the other are countless, although in very different proportions.

One day Saint John Chrysostom, preaching in the cathedral in Constantinople and considering these proportions, could not help but shudder in horror and ask, "Out of this great number of people, how many do you think will be saved?" And, not waiting for an answer, he added, "Among so many thousands of people, we would not find a hundred who are saved, and I even doubt for the one hundred." What a dreadful thing! The great Saint believed that out of so many people, barely one hundred would be saved; and even then, he was not sure of that number. What will happen to you who are listening to me? Great God, I cannot think of it without shuddering! Brothers, the problem of salvation is a very difficult thing; for according to the maxims of the theologians, when an end demands great efforts, few only attain it.

That is why Saint Thomas, the Angelic Doctor, after weighing all the reasons pro and con in his immense erudition, finally concludes that the greater number of Catholic adults are damned. He says, "Because eternal beatitude surpasses the natural state, especially since it has been deprived of original grace, it is the little number that are saved."

So then, remove the blindfold from your eyes that is blinding you with self-love, that is keeping you from believing such an obvious truth by giving you very false ideas concerning the justice of God, "Just Father, the world has not known Thee," said Our Lord Jesus Christ. He does not say "Almighty Father, most good and merciful Father." He says "just Father," so we may understand that out of all the attributes of God, none is less known than His justice, because men refuse to believe what they are afraid to undergo. Therefore, remove the blindfold that is covering your eyes and say tearfully: Alas! The greater number of Catholics, the greater number of those who live here, perhaps even those who are in this assembly, will be damned! What subject could be more deserving of your tears?

King Xerxes, standing on a hill looking at his army of one hundred thousand soldiers in battle array, and considering that out of all of them there would be not one man alive in a hundred years, was unable to hold back his tears. Have we not more reason to weep upon thinking that out of so many Catholics, the greater number will be damned? Should this thought not make our eyes pour forth rivers of tears, or at least produce in our heart the sentiment of compassion felt by an Augustinian Brother, Ven. Marcellus of St. Dominic? One day as he was meditating on the eternal pains, the Lord showed him how many souls were going to hell at that moment and had him see a very broad road on which twenty-two thousand reprobates were running toward the abyss, colliding into one another. The servant of God was stupefied at the sight and exclaimed, "Oh, what a number! What a number! And still more are coming. O Jesus! O Jesus! What madness!" Let me repeat with Jeremiah, "Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? And I will weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people."

Poor souls! How can you run so hastily toward hell? For mercy's sake, stop and listen to me for a moment! Either you understand what it means to be saved and to be damned for all eternity, or you do not. If you understand and in spite of that, you do not decide to change your life today, make a good confession and trample upon the world, in a word, make your every effort to be counted among the littler number of those who are saved, I say that you do not have the faith. You are more excusable if you do not understand it, for then one must say that you are out of your mind. To be saved for all eternity, to be damned for all eternity, and to not make your every effort to avoid the one and make sure of the other, is something inconceivable.

The Goodness of God

Perhaps you do not yet believe the terrible truths I have just taught you. But it is the most highly-considered theologians, the most illustrious Fathers who have spoken to you through me. So then, how can you resist reasons supported by so many examples and words of Scripture? If you still hesitate in spite of that, and if your mind is inclined to the opposite opinion, does that very consideration not suffice to make you tremble? Oh, it shows that you do not care very much for your salvation! In this important matter, a sensible man is struck more strongly by the slightest doubt of the risk he runs than by the evidence of total ruin in other affairs in which the soul is not involved. One of our brothers, Blessed Giles, was in the habit of saying that if only one man were going to be damned, he would do all he could to make sure he was not that man.

So what must we do, we who know that the greater number is going to be damned, and not only out of all Catholics? What must we do? Take the resolution to belong to the little number of those who are saved. You say: If Christ wanted to damn me, then why did He create me? Silence, rash tongue! God did not create anyone to damn him; but whoever is damned, is damned because he wants to be. Therefore, I will now strive to defend the goodness of my God and acquit it of all blame: that will be the subject of the second point.

Before going on, let us gather on one side all the books and all the heresies of Luther and Calvin, and on the other side the books and heresies of the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians, and let us burn them. Some destroy grace, others freedom, and all are filled with errors; so let us cast them into the fire. All the damned bear upon their brow the oracle of the Prophet Osee, "Thy damnation comes from thee," so that they may understand that whoever is damned, is damned by his own malice and because he wants to be damned.

First let us take these two undeniable truths as a basis: "God wants all men to be saved," "All are in need of the grace of God." Now, if I show you that God wants to save all men, and that for this purpose He gives all of them His grace and all the other necessary means of obtaining that sublime end, you will be obliged to agree that whoever is damned must impute it to his own malice, and that if the greater number of Christians are damned, it is because they want to be. "Thy damnation comes from thee; thy help is only in Me."

God Desires All Men to be Saved

In a hundred places in Holy Scripture, God tells us that it is truly His desire to save all men. "Is it My will that a sinner should die, and not that he should be converted from his ways and live?... I live, saith the Lord God. I desire not the death of the sinner. Be converted and live." When someone wants something very much, it is said that he is dying with desire; it is a hyperbole. But God has wanted and still wants our salvation so much that He died of desire, and He suffered death to give us life. This will to save all men is therefore not an affected, superficial and apparent will in God; it is a real, effective, and beneficial will; for He provides us with all the means most proper for us to be saved. He does not give them to us so they will not obtain it; He gives them to us with a sincere will, with the intention that they may obtain their effect. And if they do not obtain it, He shows Himself afflicted and offended over it. He commands even the damned to use them in order to be saved; He exhorts them to it; He obliges them to it; and if they do not do it, they sin. Therefore, they may do it and thus be saved.

Far more, because God sees that we could not even make use of His grace without His help, He gives us other aids; and if they sometimes remain ineffective, it is our fault; for with these same aids, one may abuse them and be damned with them, and another may do right and be saved; he might even be saved with less powerful aids. Yes, it can happen that we abuse a greater grace and are damned, whereas another cooperates with a lesser grace and is saved.

Saint Augustine exclaims, "If, therefore, someone turns aside from justice, he is carried by his free will, led by his concupiscence, deceived by his own persuasion." But for those who do not understand theology, here is what I have to say to them: God is so good that when He sees a sinner running to his ruin, He runs after him, calls him, entreats and accompanies him even to the gates of hell; what will He not do to convert him? He sends him good inspirations and holy thoughts, and if he does not profit from them, He becomes angry and indignant, He pursues him. Will He strike him? No. He beats at the air and forgives him. But the sinner is not converted yet. God sends him a mortal illness. It is certainly all over for him. No, brothers, God heals him; the sinner becomes obstinate in evil, and God in His mercy looks for another way; He gives him another year, and when that year is over, He grants him yet another.

But if the sinner still wants to cast himself into hell in spite of all that, what does God do? Does He abandon him? No. He takes him by the hand; and while he has one foot in hell and the other outside, He still preaches to him, He implored him not to abuse His graces. Now I ask you, if that man is damned, is it not true that he is damned against the Will of God and because he wants to be damned? Come and ask me now: If God wanted to damn me, then why did He create me?

Ungrateful sinner, learn today that if you are damned, it is not God who is to blame, but you and your self-will. To persuade yourself of this, go down even to the depths of the abyss, and there I will bring you one of those wretched damned souls burning in hell, so that he may explain this truth to you. Here is one now: "Tell me, who are you?" "I am a poor idolater, born in an unknown land; I never heard of heaven or hell, nor of what I am suffering now." "Poor wretch! Go away, you are not the one I am looking for." Another one is coming; there he is. "Who are you?" "I am a schismatic from the ends of Tartary; I always lived in an uncivilized state, barely knowing that there is a God." "You are not the one I want; return to hell." Here is another. "And who are you?" "I am a poor heretic from the North. I was born under the Pole and never saw either the light of the sun or the light of faith." "It is not you that I am looking for either, return to Hell." Brothers, my heart is broken upon seeing these wretches who never even knew the True Faith among the damned. Even so, know that the sentence of condemnation was pronounced against them and they were told, "Thy damnation comes from thee." They were damned because they wanted to be. They received so many aids from God to be saved! We do not know what they were, but they know them well, and now they cry out, "O Lord, Thou art just... and Thy judgments are equitable."

Brothers, you must know that the most ancient belief is the Law of God, and that we all bear it written in our hearts; that it can be learned without any teacher, and that it suffices to have the light of reason in order to know all the precepts of that Law. That is why even the barbarians hid when they committed sin, because they knew they were doing wrong; and they are damned for not having observed the natural law written in their heart: for had they observed it, God would have made a miracle rather than let them be damned; He would have sent them someone to teach them and would have given them other aids, of which they made themselves unworthy by not living in conformity with the inspirations of their own conscience, which never failed to warn them of the good they should do and the evil they should avoid. So it is their conscience that accused them at the Tribunal of God, and it tells them constantly in hell, "Thy damnation comes from thee." They do not know what to answer and are obliged to confess that they are deserving of their fate. Now if these infidels have no excuse, will there be any for a Catholic who had so many sacraments, so many sermons, so many aids at his disposal? How will he dare to say, "If God was going to damn me, then why did He create me?" How will he dare to speak in this manner, when God gives him so many aids to be saved? So let us finish confounding him.

You who are suffering in the abyss, answer me! Are there any Catholics among you? "There certainly are!" How many? Let one of them come here! "That is impossible, they are too far down, and to have them come up would turn all of hell upside down; it would be easier to stop one of them as he is falling in." So then, I am speaking to you who live in the habit of mortal sin, in hatred, in the mire of the vice of impurity, and who are getting closer to hell each day. Stop, and turn around; it is Jesus who calls you and who, with His wounds, as with so many eloquent voices, cries to you, "My son, if you are damned, you have only yourself to blame: 'Thy damnation comes from thee.' Lift up your eyes and see all the graces with which I have enriched you to insure your eternal salvation. I could have had you born in a forest in Barbary; that is what I did to many others, but I had you born in the Catholic Faith; I had you raised by such a good father, such an excellent mother, with the purest instructions and teachings. If you are damned in spite of that, whose fault will it be? Your own, My son, your own: 'Thy damnation comes from thee.'

"I could have cast you into hell after the first mortal sin you committed, without waiting for the second: I did it to so many others, but I was patient with you, I waited for you for many long years. I am still waiting for you today in penance. If you are damned in spite of all that, whose fault is it? Your own, My son, your own: "Thy damnation comes from thee." You know how many have died before your very eyes and were damned: that was a warning for you. You know how many others I set back on the right path to give you the good example. Do you remember what that excellent confessor told you? I am the one who had him say it. Did he not enjoin you to change your life, to make a good confession? I am the One who inspired him. Remember that sermon that touched your heart? I am the One who led you there. And what has happened between you and Me in the secret of your heart, ...that you can never forget.

"Those interior inspirations, that clear knowledge, that constant remorse of conscience, would you dare to deny them? All of these were so many aids of My grace, because I wanted to save you. I refused to give them to many others, and I gave them to you because I loved you tenderly. My son, My son, if I spoke to them as tenderly as I am speaking to you today, how many others souls return to the right path! And you... you turn your back on Me. Listen to what I am going to tell you, for these are My last words: You have cost Me My blood; if you want to be damned in spite of the blood I shed for you, do not blame Me, you have only yourself to accuse; and throughout all eternity, do not forget that if you are damned in spite of Me, you are damned because you want to be damned: 'Thy damnation comes from thee.' "

O my good Jesus, the very stones would split on hearing such sweet words, such tender expressions. Is there anyone here who wants to be damned, with so many graces and aids? If there is one, let him listen to me, and then let him resist if he can.

Baronius relates that after Julian the Apostate's infamous apostasy, he conceived such great hatred against Holy Baptism that day and night, he sought a way in which he might erase his own. To that purpose he had a bath of goat's blood prepared and placed himself in it, wanting this impure blood of a victim consecrated to Venus to erase the sacred character of Baptism from his soul. Such behavior seems abominable to you, but if Julian's plan had been able to succeed, it is certain that he would be suffering much less in hell.

Sinners, the advice I want to give you will no doubt seem strange to you; but if you understand it well, it is, on the contrary, inspired by tender compassion toward you. I implore you on my knees, by the blood of Christ and by the Heart of Mary, change your life, come back to the road that leads to heaven, and do all you can to belong to the little number of those who are saved. If, instead of this, you want to continue walking on the road that leads to hell, at least find a way to erase your baptism. Woe to you if you take the Holy Name of Jesus Christ and the sacred character of the Christian engraved upon your soul into hell! Your chastisement will be all the greater. So do what I advise you to do: if you do not want to convert, go this very day and ask your pastor to erase your name from the baptismal register, so that there may not remain any remembrance of your ever having been a Christian; implore your Guardian Angel to erase from his book of graces the inspirations and aids he has given you on orders from God, for woe to you if he recalls them! Tell Our Lord to take back His faith, His baptism, His sacraments.

You are horror-struck at such a thought? Well then, cast yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ and say to Him, with tearful eyes and contrite heart: "Lord, I confess that up till now I have not lived as a Christian. I am not worthy to be numbered among Your elect. I recognize that I deserve to be damned; but Your mercy is great and, full of confidence in Your grace, I say to You that I want to save my soul, even if I have to sacrifice my fortune, my honor, my very life, as long as I am saved. If I have been unfaithful up to now, I repent, I deplore, I detest my infidelity, I ask You humbly to forgive me for it. Forgive me, good Jesus, and strengthen me also, that I may be saved. I ask You not for wealth, honor or prosperity; I ask you for one thing only, to save my soul."

And You, O Jesus! What do You say? O Good Shepherd, see the stray sheep who returns to You; embrace this repentant sinner, bless his sighs and tears, or rather bless these people who are so well disposed and who want nothing but their salvation. Brothers, at the feet of Our Lord, let us protest that we want to save our soul, cost what it may. Let us all say to Him with tearful eyes, "Good Jesus, I want to save my soul," O blessed tears, O blessed sighs!

Conclusion

Brothers, I want to send all of you away comforted today. So if you ask me my sentiment on the number of those who are saved, here it is: Whether there are many or few that are saved, I say that whoever wants to be saved, will be saved; and that no one can be damned if he does not want to be. And if it is true that few are saved, it is because there are few who live well. As for the rest, compare these two opinions: the first one states that the greater number of Catholics are condemned; the second one, on the contrary, pretends that the greater number of Catholics are saved. Imagine an Angel sent by God to confirm the first opinion, coming to tell you that not only are most Catholics damned, but that of all this assembly present here, one alone will be saved. If you obey the Commandments of God, if you detest the corruption of this world, if you embrace the Cross of Jesus Christ in a spirit of penance, you will be that one alone who is saved.

Now imagine the same Angel returning to you and confirming the second opinion. He tells you that not only are the greater portion of Catholics saved, but that out of all this gathering, one alone will be damned and all the others saved. If after that, you continue your usuries, your vengeances, your criminal deeds, your impurities, then you will be that one alone who is damned.

What is the use of knowing whether few or many are saved? Saint Peter says to us, "Strive by good works to make your election sure." When Saint Thomas Aquinas's sister asked him what she must do to go to heaven, he said, "You will be saved if you want to be." I say the same thing to you, and here is proof of my declaration. No one is damned unless he commits mortal sin: that is of faith. And no one commits mortal sin unless he wants to: that is an undeniable theological proposition. Therefore, no one goes to hell unless he wants to; the consequence is obvious. Does that not suffice to comfort you? Weep over past sins, make a good confession, sin no more in the future, and you will all be saved. Why torment yourself so? For it is certain that you have to commit mortal sin to go to hell, and that to commit mortal sin you must want to, and that consequently no one goes to hell unless he wants to. That is not just an opinion, it is an undeniable and very comforting truth; may God give you to understand it, and may He bless you. Amen.

About the Author: St. Leonard of Port Maurice

Preacher and ascetic writer, b. 20 Dec., 1676, at Porto Maurizio on the Riviera di Ponente; d. at the monastery of S. Bonaventura, Rome, 26 Nov., 1751. The son of Domenico Casanova and Anna Maria Benza, he joined after a brilliant course of study with the Jesuits in Rome (Collegio Romano), the so- called Riformella, an offshoot of the Reformati branch of the Franciscan Order [see FRIARS MINOR, II, B, (2)]. On 2 October, 1697, he received the habit, and after making his novitiate at Ponticelli in the Sabine mountains, he completed his studies at the principal house of the Riformella, S. Bonaventura on the Palatine at Rome. After his ordination he remained there as lector (professor), and expected to be sent on the Chinese missions. But he was soon afterwards seized with severe gastric haemorrhage, and became so ill that he was sent to his native climate of Porto Maurizio, where there was a monastery of the Franciscan Observants (1704). After four years he was restored to health, and began to preach in Porto Maurizio and the vicinity. When Cosimo III de' Medici handed over the monastery del Monte (that on San Miniato near Florence, also called Monte alle Croci) to the members of the Riformella, St. Leonard was sent hither under the auspices and by desire of Cosimo III, and began shortly to give missions to the people in Tuscany, which were marked by many extraordinary conversions and great results. His colleagues and he always practised the greatest austerities and most severe penances during these missions.......

From the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913

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