CatholicReboot

Did Pope Leo XIII forewarn us as Catholics to beware of the American liberalism infecting our Church and our faith?

Nicholas Owen, S.J., (c. 1562 – 1/2 March 1606) was an English Jesuit lay brother who was the principal builder of priest holes during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England. Owen built many priest holes in the buildings of English Catholics from 1588 until his final arrest in 1606, when he was tortured to death by prison authorities in the Tower of London. Owen is honored as a martyr by the Catholic Church and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Life Nicholas Owen was born around 1562 in Oxford, England, into a devoutly Catholic family and grew up during the Penal Laws. His father, Walter Owen, was a carpenter and Nicholas was apprenticed as a joiner in February 1577, acquiring the skills that he would use to build hiding places. Two of his older brothers became priests. Owen served as a servant of Edmund Campion, who was arrested by priest hunters in 1581, and was himself arrested for protesting Campion's innocence. Upon his release, he entered the service of Henry Garnet, a Jesuit, around 1588. For the next 18 years, Owen built hiding places for Catholic priests in the homes of Catholic families. He frequently traveled from one house to another under the name of "Little John" and accepted only the necessities of life as payment before he started off for a new project. He also used the aliases "Little Michael", "Andrewes" and "Draper". During the daytime, he would work as a travelling carpenter to deflect suspicion. Owen was of very short stature, and suffered from a hernia, as well as a crippled leg from a horse falling on him. Nevertheless, his work often involved breaking through thick stonework, and to minimize the likelihood of betrayal, he often worked at night and always alone. Sometimes, he built an easily discovered outer hiding place, which concealed an inner hiding place. The location of the secret room was known to only himself and the owner of the house. Examples of his work survive at Sawston Hall in Cambridgeshire, Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, Huddington Court in Worcestershire, and Coughton Court in Warwickshire. Harvington Hall in Worcestershire has seven "priest holes". Due to the ingenuity of his craftsmanship, some may still be undiscovered. A priest hole in the staircase made by Nicholas Owen in a 16th-century manor-house, Harvington Hall, Worcestershire. Another priest hole made by Nicholas Owen in the library in Harvington Hall The same priest hole inside. For many years, Owen worked in the service of the Jesuit priest Henry Garnet and was admitted into the Society of Jesus as a lay brother. He was arrested in 1594 and tortured at the Poultry Compter but revealed nothing. He was released after a wealthy Catholic family paid a fine on his behalf, the jailers believing that he was merely the insignificant friend of some priests. He resumed his work and is believed to have masterminded the famous escape of John Gerard from the Tower of London in 1597. In early 1606, Owen was arrested a final time at Hindlip Hall in Worcestershire, giving himself up voluntarily in the hope of distracting attention from his master Garnet, who was hiding nearby with another priest. Realising just whom they had caught, and his value, Secretary of State Robert Cecil exulted: "It is incredible, how great was the joy caused by his arrest... knowing the great skill of Owen in constructing hiding places, and the innumerable quantity of dark holes which he had schemed for hiding priests all through England". Death After being committed to the Marshalsea, a prison on the southern bank of the Thames, Owen was then removed to the Tower of London. He was submitted to torture on the Topcliffe rack, dangling from a wall with both wrists held fast in iron gauntlets and his body hanging. As his hernia allowed his intestines to bulge out during this procedure, the rackmaster strapped a circular plate of iron to his stomach. When he remained stubborn, it is believed that he was transferred to the rack, where the greater power of the windlass forced out his hernia, which was then slashed by the plate, resulting in his death. Owen revealed nothing to his inquisitors, and died in the night between 1 and 2 March 1606. Gerard wrote of him: I verily think no man can be said to have done more good of all those who labored in the English vineyard. He was the immediate occasion of saving the lives of many hundreds of persons, both ecclesiastical and secular. Veneration Owen was canonized as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970. Their joint feast day was initially celebrated on the anniversary of the canonization. That feast has been moved in England to 4 May. His individual feast day is on 22 March. Catholic stage magicians who practice Gospel Magic consider St. Nicholas Owen the patron saint of illusionists and escapologists, due to his facility at using trompe-l'œil when creating his hideouts. There are Roman Catholic churches dedicated to Saint Nicholas Owen in Little Thornton, Lancashire and Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire. The Roman Catholic school academy company that serves the Kidderminster, Hagley and Stourbridge areas near to Harvington Hall is named in his honor.

This version does not have all the commentary at the beginning.

Confraternity of the Holy Rosary Seek Permission Ask your parish priest permission and support for establishing a Confraternity of the Rosary. If he allows, he will assist in initiating the Confraternity. History of the Confraternity Confraternities of the Rosary emerged in the 15th century as a response to the growing devotion to the Rosary. The Rosary itself, as a prayer form, developed earlier, with roots tracing back to the monastic tradition of praying the Psalms. However, it was Saint Dominic de Guzman who played a significant role in popularizing the Rosary in its current form. The Rosary gained prominence as a powerful spiritual weapon during the time of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Pope Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary through the praying of the Rosary. This event further strengthened the devotion to the Rosary and led to the establishment of Confraternities dedicated to its promotion. Purpose The primary purpose of Confraternities of the Rosary is to promote devotion to the Holy Rosary and foster spiritual growth among its members. The Rosary is a meditative prayer that reflects on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the eyes of the Blessed Virgin Mary. By participating in the Confraternity, members commit to regularly praying the Rosary and seeking Mary's intercession for their spiritual needs. Confraternities of the Rosary aim to: Promote the Rosary: Encourage the faithful to embrace the Rosary as a powerful tool for personal and communal prayer, promoting its benefits and spiritual significance. Deepen Marian Devotion: Foster a deep love and reverence for the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is honored as the Mother of God and the Queen of the Rosary. Cultivate Spiritual Growth: Provide opportunities for spiritual growth through the meditative and contemplative aspects of the Rosary, helping members develop a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Build Community: Create a sense of community and fellowship among members who share a common devotion to the Rosary, supporting one another on their spiritual journeys. Guidelines While specific guidelines may vary depending on the diocese or organization overseeing the Confraternity, some common practices and guidelines include: Regular Rosary Prayers: Members commit to praying the Rosary regularly, either individually or in a communal setting, according to the agreed-upon schedule. Meditations and Intentions: During the Rosary, members reflect on the various mysteries Form a Core Group: Assemble a small group of dedicated individuals who are interested in promoting the Rosary and willing to actively participate in the Confraternity. This group will help with the organization, planning, and promotion of the Confraternity's activities. Define Objectives and Structure Clarify the objectives and purpose of the Confraternity. Discuss and decide on the frequency and format of meetings, activities, and any special events. Determine the structure of the Confraternity, including leadership roles, membership criteria, and any required commitments. Establish membership: Develop a process for admitting members to the Confraternity. This can include attending an orientation session, filling out an application form, and making a commitment to pray the Rosary regularly. Consider whether you will have any membership fees or dues, which can be used to support the Confraternity's activity Seek Spiritual Direction: Consult with your parish priest or a spiritual director who can offer guidance and support to the Confraternity's members. They can provide insights into the spiritual aspects of the Rosary and help ensure that the Confraternity's activities align with the teachings of the Church. Promote and Launch: Develop a plan to promote the Confraternity within your parish community. Use various communication channels such as bulletins, announcements at Mass, posters, social media, and personal invitations to create awareness and generate interest. Organize a launch event or special Rosary devotion to introduce the Confraternity and invite potential members to join. Provide Resources and Education: Offer educational resources and materials about the Rosary to the Confraternity members. This can include pamphlets, books, articles, and online resources that explain the history, mysteries, and meditations of the Rosary. Consider organizing workshops or guest speakers to deepen the understanding and practice of the Rosary. Foster Community and Support: Encourage regular meetings of the Confraternity members to pray the Rosary together, share experiences, and provide mutual support. Organize retreats, pilgrimages, or other spiritual activities to foster a sense of community and deepen members' devotion to the Rosary. Evaluate and Adjust: Periodically evaluate the activities and progress of the Confraternity. Seek feedback from members and make adjustments as needed to meet their spiritual needs and aspirations. Form of the Rosary The form of the Rosary will be the traditional Catholic rosary provided to St. Dominic by the Blessed Mother and not the Rosary changed by Pope John Paul II which includes the Illuminous Mysteries. The founder of the Confraternity will provide a hand-out of all prayers included in the Holy Rosary. Indulgences

I was speaking with two friends after the MPH devotion when there was a group of Catholics at SWC holding what seemed like a charismatic revival with certain music and some dancing. I made the comment that these movements came into the catholic church after VII and really were not catholic but more protestant revival celebratins disguised as Catholic. One of my friends said “well David danced in front of the ark of the coventant didn’t he?” What she was referring to was that in 2 Samuel 6:14-15. David danced in front of the Ark of the Covenant as described in the Bible, specifically in 2 Samuel 6:14-15. The Ark of the Covenant was a sacred object in the Israelite tradition that symbolized the presence of God. It contained the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments and held great religious significance. The reason David danced in front of the Ark of the Covenant was due to a joyful and celebratory occasion. The Ark was being brought back to Jerusalem after it had been captured by the Philistines. David, who was the King of Israel at the time, was leading the procession and was filled with a sense of gratitude, reverence, and jubilation for the return of the Ark to its rightful place. David's dance was a spontaneous expression of his joy and devotion to God. He danced with all his might, wearing a linen ephod, which was a garment associated with priests. It was an exuberant display of worship, accompanied by music and singing. The act demonstrated David's deep connection and love for God, and his acknowledgment of God's presence among the Israelites through the Ark. Some interpretations also suggest that David's dance represented his humility before God, as he danced in a way that might be considered undignified for a king. Nevertheless, his intention was purely driven by his spiritual enthusiasm and reverence for the Ark. It's important to note that practices and interpretations can vary within different branches of Christianity, including Catholicism. While 2 Samuel 6:14-15 describes David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant, it is not necessarily used as a direct justification for priests dancing on the altar in the Catholic tradition. In the Catholic Church, the liturgy and the celebration of the Eucharist are highly structured and follow specific rubrics. The gestures and movements of the priests during the Mass are carefully prescribed and intended to maintain reverence and focus on the sacrament. The objection to dancing on the altar in the Catholic context is rooted in the understanding that the altar is a sacred space where the Eucharist is consecrated. It is seen as a place of solemnity and reverence, and any additional actions or movements that could distract from the central focus of the Mass may be considered inappropriate. While individuals may hold personal opinions on this matter, it's important to recognize that the Catholic Church, through its liturgical guidelines and teachings, seeks to maintain a sense of reverence and dignity during the celebration of the Mass. But where am I really going with this episode? The doctrine, dogma, faith and morals of the Catholic Church. The traditional Catholic dogma and doctrine of the faith refer to the core teachings and beliefs held by the Catholic Church, which have been passed down through generations and are considered authoritative and unchangeable. Dogma refers to the revealed truths that Catholics believe are divinely revealed by God and are essential for salvation. These dogmas are defined by the Magisterium, the teaching authority of the Church, and are considered infallible and binding on all Catholics. Examples of dogmas include the belief in the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Doctrine, on the other hand, encompasses the broader body of teachings and beliefs of the Catholic Church that are not considered dogmas but are still authoritative and binding. Doctrines may address various aspects of faith and morals, such as sacraments, moral principles, liturgical practices, and the structure of the Church. While doctrines can be subject to development and clarification over time, they are expected to be consistent with the dogmas. The traditional aspect of Catholic dogma and doctrine emphasizes the continuity of these teachings with the early Church and the importance of preserving the deposit of faith handed down from the apostles. It highlights adherence to the teachings as understood throughout history and can be contrasted with more modern or progressive interpretations that some Catholics may espouse. So lets discuss faith and morals of the Church. The faith and morals of the traditional Catholic Church are based on the teachings of Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium (the teaching authority of the Church). Here are some key aspects of the faith and morals upheld by the traditional Catholic Church: Belief in the Holy Trinity: Traditional Catholics affirm the belief in one God who exists in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is considered a central mystery of the Christian faith. Salvation through Jesus Christ: Traditional Catholics believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ, who through His life, death, and resurrection offers redemption and eternal life to humanity. Faith in Christ and participation in the sacraments are seen as essential for salvation. Sacraments: The traditional Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist (Holy Communion), Penance (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders (ordination), and Matrimony. These sacraments are considered channels of God's grace and are integral to the spiritual life of Catholics. Moral teachings: The traditional Catholic Church upholds a moral code based on natural law and the Ten Commandments. It emphasizes the dignity of every human life from conception to natural death, the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, and the importance of virtuous living. Authority of the Pope and Magisterium: Traditional Catholics recognize the authority of the Pope, who is considered the successor of Saint Peter and the visible head of the Church. They also acknowledge the teaching authority of the Magisterium, which includes the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. Devotion to Mary and the saints: Traditional Catholics have a deep reverence for the Blessed Virgin Mary, considering her as the Mother of God and a powerful intercessor. They also venerate the saints as role models and seek their intercession. So lets discuss the moral teachings. The moral teachings of the traditional Catholic Church are derived from a combination of Scripture, natural law, and the authoritative teachings of the Magisterium. Here are some key areas and principles of Catholic moral teachings: Human Dignity: The traditional Catholic Church teaches that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses inherent dignity. This teaching forms the foundation for all other moral principles and entails respect for the sanctity of human life, the protection of human rights, and the promotion of human flourishing. Sanctity of Life: Traditional Catholic moral teachings strongly emphasize the sacredness of human life from conception to natural death. Abortion, euthanasia, and intentional killing are considered grave offenses against the dignity of human life. Sexual Ethics: The traditional Catholic Church teaches that sexual activity is reserved for the context of marriage between one man and one woman. It upholds the unitive and procreative aspects of marital relations and opposes contraception, premarital sex, adultery, pornography, and homosexual acts. Marriage and Family: The traditional Catholic Church recognizes marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, centered on love, mutual self-giving, and openness to procreation. It teaches that the family, based on the marriage bond, is the fundamental unit of society and the primary place for the formation and education of children. Virtues and Moral Formation: Traditional Catholic moral teaching emphasizes the cultivation of virtues, such as prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These virtues help individuals develop good moral character and make right decisions in various situations. The Church encourages moral formation through prayer, sacraments, study of Scripture, and participation in the life of the Church. Social Justice: The traditional Catholic Church has a strong commitment to social justice, which includes addressing issues of poverty, inequality, and the common good. It promotes solidarity, subsidiarity (the principle that matters should be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized competent authority), and the preferential option for the poor. The authority and magisterium of previous popes cannot be negated or revoked by a subsequent pope. The papal office, as understood in the Catholic Church, is considered to have a charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals under certain conditions. This means that when the Pope solemnly defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals, guided by the Holy Spirit, it is considered infallible and binding on all Catholics. However, it's important to note that popes can provide further clarification, development, or interpretation of previous teachings in light of new circumstances or insights. This is known as the development of doctrine. While a pope cannot simply negate or reject the teachings of previous popes, there can be a development or deepening of understanding over time, leading to a more nuanced application of those teachings. It is the responsibility of the Pope, as the successor of St. Peter and the head of the Church, to safeguard and transmit the deposit of faith faithfully. The Pope is expected to act in continuity with the teachings of previous popes and the Magisterium, ensuring that any development or clarification remains consistent with the core beliefs and doctrines of the Catholic Church. In cases where there may be apparent contradictions or tensions between the teachings of different popes, the Church often engages in careful theological and historical analysis to understand the continuity and harmony of the Magisterium over time. The role of the Magisterium and the living tradition of the Church help provide guidance and clarity in such situations.

AD CATHOLICI SACERDOTII ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD TO OUR VENERABLE BRETHREN THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE. 1. By the inscrutable design of Divine Providence We were raised to this summit of the Catholic priesthood. From that moment Our thoughts were turned to all the innumerable children whom God entrusted to Us. Yet, in a special way, We have felt an affectionate and earnest solicitude towards those who have the commission to be "the salt of the earth and the light of the world," for those who have been signaled out and adorned by the priestly character. In a still more special way Our thoughts have turned towards those dearly beloved young students who are being educated in the shadow of the sanctuary and are preparing themselves for this most noble charge, the priesthood. 2. Even in the first months of Our Pontificate, before We had addressed Our solemn word to the whole Catholic world, We hastened to lay stress upon the principles and ideals which ought to guide and inspire the education of future priests. This we did by Our Apostolic Letter Officiorum omnium written on the first of August, 1922, to Our beloved son, the Cardinal Prefect of the sacred Congregation for Seminaries and Universities. And whenever Our pastoral watchfulness prompts Us to consider more in particular the good estate and the needs of the Church, Our attention is directed always, and before all things else, to priests and clergy. 3. Nor is there lacking witness to this Our special interest in the priesthood. For We have erected many new seminaries; and others We have, at great expense, provided with new and befitting buildings, or endowed more liberally with revenues or staff, that they may the more worthily attain their high aim. 4. Upon the occasion of Our Sacerdotal Jubilee, We allowed that event, so blessed in its memories, to be celebrated with some solemnity, and We even encouraged with fatherly gratification the marks of filial affection which came to Us from every part of the globe. Our reason was that We regarded this celebration not so much as a homage to Our Person, as a dutiful tribute of honor to the dignity of the priestly character. 5. Similarly, We decreed a reform of studies in ecclesiastical faculties, by the Apostolic Constitution Deus scientiarum Dominus, of the twenty-fourth of May, 1931. Our special purpose in this decree was to make even broader and higher the culture and learning of priests. 6. This matter, indeed, is of so great and universal importance that We think fitting to devote to it a special Encyclical; since it is Our desire that the faithful, who already possess the priceless gift of Faith, may appreciate the sublimity of the Catholic Priesthood and its providential mission in the world; that those, too, who do not yet possess the Faith, but with uprightness and sincerity are in search of Truth, may share this appreciation with the faithful; above all, that those who are themselves called may have still deeper understanding and esteem of their vocation. This subject is particularly opportune at the present moment, for it is the end of the year which has seen extended, beyond the Eternal City to the whole Catholic world, the Jubilee of the Redemption. This Extraordinary Jubilee, at Lourdes, came, like a sunset, to a splendid close. There, under the mantle of the Immaculate, for a fervent and uninterrupted Eucharistic Triduum, gathered together Catholic clergy of every tongue and rite. Our beloved and venerated priests, never more energetic in well-doing than during this special Holy Year, are the ministers of the Redemption of which this year was the Jubilee. Moreover, this year, as We said in the Apostolic Constitution Quod nuper, commemorated, likewise, the nineteenth centenary of the institution of the priesthood. 7. Our previous Encyclicals were directed to throwing the light of Catholic doctrine upon the gravest of the problems peculiar to modern life. Our present Encyclical finds a natural place among these others, opportunely supplementing them. The priest is, indeed, both by vocation and divine commission, the chief apostle and tireless furtherer of the Christian education of youth; in the name of God, the priest blesses Christian marriage, and defends its sanctity and indissolubility against the attacks and evasions suggested by cupidity and sensuality; the priest contributes more effectively to the solution, or at least the mitigation, of social conflicts, since he preaches Christian brotherhood, declares to all their mutual obligations of justice and charity, brings peace to hearts embittered by moral and economic hardship, and alike to rich and poor points out the only true riches to which all men both can and should aspire. Finally, the priest is the most valorous leader in that crusade of expiation and penance to which We have invited all men of good will. For there is need of reparation for the blasphemies, wickedness and crimes which dishonor humanity today, an age perhaps unparalleled in its need for the mercy and pardon of God. The enemies of the Church themselves well know the vital importance of the priesthood; for against the priesthood in particular, as We have already had to lament in the case of Our dear Mexico, they direct the point of their attacks. It is the priesthood they desire to be rid of; that they may clear the way for that destruction of the Church, which has been so often attempted yet never achieved. 8. The human race has always felt the need of a priesthood: of men, that is, who have the official charge to be mediators between God and humanity, men who should consecrate themselves entirely to this mediation, as to the very purpose of their lives, men set aside to offer to God public prayers and sacrifices in the name of human society. For human society as such is bound to offer to God public and social worship. It is bound to acknowledge in Him its Supreme Lord and first beginning, and to strive toward Him as to its last end, to give Him thanks and offer Him propitiation. In fact, priests are to be found among all peoples whose customs are known, except those compelled by violence to act against the most sacred laws of human nature. They may, indeed, be in the service of false divinities; but wherever religion is professed, wherever altars are built, there also is a priesthood surrounded by particular marks of honor and veneration. 9. Yet in the splendor of Divine Revelation the priest is seen invested with a dignity far greater still. This dignity was foreshadowed of old by the venerable and mysterious figure of Melchisedech, Priest and King, whom St. Paul recalls as prefiguring the Person and Priesthood of Christ Our Lord Himself. 10. The priest, according to the magnificent definition given by St. Paul is indeed a man Ex hominibus assumptus, "taken from amongst men," yet pro hominibus constituitur in his quae sunt ad Deum, "ordained for men in the things that appertain to God": his office is not for human things, and things that pass away, however lofty and valuable these may seem; but for things divine and enduring. These eternal things may, perhaps, through ignorance, be scorned and contemned, or even attacked with diabolical fury and malice, as sad experience has often proved, and proves even today; but they always continue to hold the first place in the aspirations, individual and social, of humanity, because the human heart feels irresistibly it is made for God and is restless till it rests in Him. 11. The Old Law, inspired by God and promulgated by Moses, set up a priesthood, which was, in this manner, of divine institution; and determined for it every detail of its duty, residence and rite. It would seem that God, in His great care for them, wished to impress upon the still primitive mind of the Jewish people one great central idea. This idea throughout the history of the chosen people, was to shed its light over all events, laws, ranks and offices: the idea of sacrifice and priesthood. These were to become, through faith in the future Messias, a source of hope, glory, power and spiritual liberation. The temple of Solomon, astonishing in richness and splendor, was still more wonderful in its rites and ordinances. Erected to the one true God as a tabernacle of the divine Majesty upon earth, it was also a sublime poem sung to that sacrifice and that priesthood, which, though type and symbol, was still so august, that the sacred figure of its High Priest moved the conqueror Alexander the Great, to bow in reverence; and God Himself visited His wrath upon the impious king Balthasar because he made revel with the sacred vessels of the temple. Yet that ancient priesthood derived its greatest majesty and glory from being a foretype of the Christian priesthood; the priesthood of the New and eternal Covenant sealed with the Blood of the Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. 12. The Apostle of the Gentiles thus perfectly sums up what may be said of the greatness, the dignity and the duty of the Christian priesthood: Sic nos existimet homo Ut ministros Christi et dispensatores mysteriorum Dei - "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God." The priest is the minister of Christ, an instrument, that is to say, in the hands of the Divine Redeemer. He continues the work of the redemption in all its world-embracing universality and divine efficacy, that work that wrought so marvelous a transformation in the world. Thus the priest, as is said with good reason, is indeed "another Christ"; for, in some way, he is himself a continuation of Christ. "As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you," is spoken to the priest, and hence the priest, like Christ, continues to give "glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will." 13. For, in the first place, as the Council of Trent teaches, Jesus Christ at the Last Supper instituted the sacrifice and the priesthood of the New Covenant: "our Lord and God, although once and for all, by means of His death on the altar of the cross, He was to offer Himself to God the Father, that thereon He might accomplish eternal Redemption; yet because death was not to put an end to his priesthood, at the Last Supper, the same night in which He was betrayed in order to leave to His beloved spouse the Church, a sacrifice which should be visible (as the nature of man requires), which should represent that bloody sacrifice, once and for all to be completed on the cross, which should perpetuate His memory to the end of time, and which should apply its saving power unto the remission of sins we daily commit, showing Himself made a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech, offered to God the Father, under the appearance of bread and wine, His Body and Blood, giving them to the apostles (whom He was then making priests of the New Covenant) to be consumed under the signs of these same things, and commanded the Apostles and their successors in the priesthood to offer them, by the words 'Do this in commemoration of Me.' " 14. And thenceforth, the Apostles, and their successors in the priesthood, began to lift to heaven that "clean oblation" foretold by Malachy, through which the name of God is great among the gentiles. And now, that same oblation in every part of the world and at every hour of the day and night, is offered and will continue to be offered without interruption till the end of time: a true sacrificial act, not merely symbolical, which has a real efficacy unto the reconciliation of sinners with the Divine Majesty. 15. "Appeased by this oblation, the Lord grants grace and the gift of repentance, and forgives iniquities and sins, however great." The reason of this is given by the same Council in these words: "For there is one and the same Victim, there is present the same Christ who once offered Himself upon the Cross, who now offers Himself by the ministry of priests, only the manner of the offering being different." 16. And thus the ineffable greatness of the human priest stands forth in all its splendor; for he has power over the very Body of Jesus Christ, and makes It present upon our altars. In the name of Christ Himself he offers It a victim infinitely pleasing to the Divine Majesty. "Wondrous things are these," justly exclaims St. John Chrysostom, "so wonderful, they surpass wonder." 17. Besides this power over the real Body of Christ, the priest has received other powers, august and sublime, over His Mystical Body of Christ, a doctrine so dear to St. Paul; this beautiful doctrine that shows us the Person of the Word-made-Flesh in union with all His brethren. For from Him to them comes a supernatural influence, so that they, with Him as Head, form a single Body of which they are the members. Now a priest is the appointed "dispenser of the mysteries of God," for the benefit of the members of the mystical Body of Christ; since he is the ordinary minister of nearly all the Sacraments, - those channels through which the grace of the Savior flows for the good of humanity. The Christian, at almost every important stage of his mortal career, finds at his side the priest with power received from God, in the act of communicating or increasing that grace which is the supernatural life of his soul. 18. Scarcely is he born before the priest baptizing him, brings him by a new birth to a more noble and precious life, a supernatural life, and makes him a son of God and of the Church of Jesus Christ. To strengthen him to fight bravely in spiritual combats, a priest invested with special dignity makes him a soldier of Christ by holy chrism. Then, as soon as he is able to recognize and value the Bread of Angels, the priest gives It to him, the living and life-giving Food come down from Heaven. If he fall, the priest raises him up again in the name of God, and reconciles him to God with the Sacrament of Penance. Again, if he is called by God to found a family and to collaborate with Him in the transmission of human life throughout the world, thus increasing the number of the faithful on earth and, thereafter, the ranks of the elect in Heaven, the priest is there to bless his espousals and unblemished love; and when, finally, arrived at the portals of eternity, the Christian feels the need of strength and courage before presenting himself at the tribunal of the Divine Judge, the priest with the holy oils anoints the failing members of the sick or dying Christian, and reconsecrates and comforts him. 19. Thus the priest accompanies the Christian throughout the pilgrimage of this life to the gates of Heaven. He accompanies the body to its resting place in the grave with rites and prayers of immortal hope. And even beyond the threshold of eternity he follows the soul to aid it with Christian suffrages, if need there be of further purification and alleviation. Thus, from the cradle to the grave the priest is ever beside the faithful, a guide, a solace, a minister of salvation and dispenser of grace and blessing. 20. But among all these powers of the priest over the Mystical Body of Christ for the benefit of the faithful, there is one of which the simple mention made above will not content Us. This is that power which, as St. John Chrysostom says: "God gave neither to Angels nor Archangels" - the power to remit sins. "Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain they are retained"; a tremendous power, so peculiar to God that even human pride could not make the mind conceive that it could be given to man. "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And, when we see it exercised by a mere man there is reason to ask ourselves, not, indeed, with pharisaical scandal, but with reverent surprise at such a dignity: "Who is this that forgiveth sins also?" But it is so: the God-Man who possessed the "power on earth to forgive sins" willed to hand it on to His priests; to relieve, in His divine generosity and mercy, the need of moral purification which is rooted in the human heart. 21. What a comfort to the guilty, when, stung with remorse and repenting of his sins, he hears the word of the priest who says to him in God's name: "I absolve thee from thy sins!" These words fall, it is true, from the lips of one who, in his turn, must needs beg the same absolution from another priest. This does not debase the merciful gift; but makes it, rather, appear greater; since beyond the weak creature is seen more clearly the hand of God through whose power is wrought this wonder. As an illustrious layman has written, treating with rare competence of spiritual things: ". . . when a priest, groaning in spirit at his own unworthiness and at the loftiness of his office, places his consecrated hands upon our heads; when, humiliated at finding himself the dispenser of the Blood of the Covenant; each time amazed as he pronounces the words that give life; when a sinner has absolved a sinner; we, who rise from our knees before him, feel we have done nothing debasing. . . We have been at the feet of a man who represented Jesus Christ, . . . we have been there to receive the dignity of free men and of sons of God." 22. These august powers are conferred upon the priest in a special Sacrament designed to this end: they are not merely passing or temporary in the priest, but are stable and perpetual, united as they are with the indelible character imprinted on his soul whereby he becomes "a priest forever"; whereby he becomes like unto Him in whose eternal priesthood he has been made a sharer. Even the most lamentable downfall, which, through human frailty, is possible to a priest, can never blot out from his soul the priestly character. But along with this character and these powers, the priest through the Sacrament of Orders receives new and special grace with special helps. Thereby, if only he will loyally further, by his free and personal cooperation, the divinely powerful action of the grace itself, he will be able worthily to fulfill all the duties, however arduous, of his lofty calling. He will not be overborne, but will be able to bear the tremendous responsibilities inherent to his priestly duty; responsibilities which have made fearful even the stoutest champions of the Christian priesthood, men like St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Charles and many others. 23. The Catholic priest is minister of Christ and dispenser of the mysteries of God in another way, that is, by his words. The "ministry of the word" is a right which is inalienable; it is a duty which cannot be disallowed; for it is imposed by Jesus Christ Himself: "Going, therefore, teach ye all nations . . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." The Church of Christ, depository and infallible guardian of divine revelation, by means of her priests, pours out the treasures of heavenly truth; she preaches Him who is "the true Light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world"; she sows with divine bounty that seed which is small and worthless to the profane eyes of the world, but which is like the mustard seed of the Gospel. For it has within itself power to strike strong deep roots in souls which are sincere and thirsting for the truth, and make them like sturdy trees able to withstand the wildest storms. 24. Amidst all the aberrations of human thought, infatuated by a false emancipation from every law and curb; and amidst the awful corruptions of human malice, the Church rises up like a bright lighthouse warning by the clearness of its beam every deviation to right or left from the way of truth, and pointing out to one and all the right course that they should follow. Woe if ever this beacon should be - We do not say extinguished, for that is impossible owing to the unfailing promises on which it is founded - but if it should be hindered from shedding far and wide its beneficent light! We see already with Our own eyes whither the world has been brought by its arrogant rejection of divine revelation, and its pursuit of false philosophical and moral theories that bear the specious name of "science." That it has not fallen still lower down the slope of error and vice is due to the guidance of the light of Christian truth that always shines in the world. Now the Church exercises her "ministry of the word" through her priests of every grade of the Hierarchy, in which each has his wisely allotted place. These she sends everywhere as unwearied heralds of the good tidings which alone can save and advance true civilization and culture, or help them to rise again. The word of the priest enters the soul and brings light and power; the voice of the priest rises calmly above the storms of passion, fearlessly to proclaim the truth, and exhort to the good; that truth which elucidates and solves the gravest problems of human life; that good which no misfortune can take from us, which death but secures and renders immortal. 25. Consider the truths themselves which the priest if faithful to his ministry, must frequently inculcate. Ponder them one by one and dwell upon their inner power; for they make plain the influence of the priest, and how strong and beneficent it can be for the moral education, social concord and peaceful development of peoples. He brings home to young and old the fleeting nature of the present life; the perishableness of earthly goods; the value of spiritual goods and of the immortal soul; the severity of divine judgment; the spotless holiness of the divine gaze that reads the hearts of all; the justice of God, which "will render to every man according to his works." These and similar lessons the priest teaches; a teaching fitted indeed to moderate the feverish search for pleasure, and the uncontrolled greed for worldly goods, that debase so much of modern life, and spur on the different classes of society to fight one another like enemies, instead of helping one another like friends. In this clash of selfish interest, and unleashed hate, and dark plans of revenge, nothing could be better or more powerful to help, than loudly to proclaim the "new commandment" of Christ. That commandment enjoins a love which extends to all, knows no barriers nor national boundaries, excludes no race, excepts not even its own enemies. 26. The experience of twenty centuries fully and gloriously reveals the power for good of the word of the priest. Being the faithful echo and reecho of the "word of God," which "is living and effectual and more piercing than any two-edged sword,' it too reaches "unto the division of the soul and spirit"; it awakens heroism of every kind, in every class and place, and inspires the self forgetting deeds of the most generous hearts. All the good that Christian civilization has brought into the world is due, at least radically, to the word and works of the Catholic priesthood. Such a past might, to itself, serve as sufficient guarantee for the future; but we have a still more secure guarantee, "a more firm prophetical word" in the infallible promises of Christ. 27. The work, too, of the Missions manifests most vividly the power of expansion given by divine grace to the Church. This work is advanced and carried on principally by priests. Pioneers of faith and love, at the cost of innumerable sacrifices, they extend and widen the Kingdom of God upon earth. 28. Finally, the priest, in another way, follows the example of Christ. Of Him it is written that He "passed the whole night in the prayer of God" and "ever lives to make intercession for us"; and like Him, the priest, is public and official intercessor of humanity before God; he has the duty and commission of offering to God in the name of the Church, over and above sacrifice strictly so-called, the "sacrifice of praise," in public and official prayer; for several times each day with psalms, prayers and hymns taken in great part from the inspired books, he pays to God this dutiful tribute of adoration and thus performs his necessary office of interceding for humanity. And never did humanity, in its afflictions, stand more in need of intercession and of the divine help which it brings. Who can tell how many chastisements priestly prayer wards off from sinful mankind, how many blessings it brings down and secures? 29. If Our Lord made such magnificent and solemn promises even to private prayers, how much more powerful must be that prayer which is said ex officio in the name of the Church, the beloved Spouse of the Savior? The Christian, though in prosperity so often forgetful of God, yet in the depth of his heart keeps his confidence in prayer, feels that prayer is all powerful, and as by a holy instinct, in every distress, in every peril whether private or public, has recourse with special trust to the prayer of the priest. To it the unfortunate of every sort look for comfort; to it they have recourse, seeking divine aid in all the vicissitudes of this exile here on earth. Truly does the "priest occupy a place midway between God and human nature: from Him bringing to us absolving beneficence, offering our prayers to Him and appeasing the wrathful Lord." 30. A last tribute to the priesthood is given by the enemies of the Church. For as We have said on a previous page, they show that they fully appreciate the dignity and importance of the Catholic priesthood, by directing against it their first and fiercest blows; since they know well how close is the tie that binds the Church to her priests. The most rabid enemies of the Catholic priesthood are today the very enemies of God; a homage indeed to the priesthood, showing it the more worthy of honor and veneration. 31. Most sublime, then, Venerable Brethren, is the dignity of the priesthood. Even the falling away of the few unworthy in the priesthood, however deplorable and distressing it may be, cannot dim the splendor of so lofty a dignity. Much less can the unworthiness of a few cause the worth and merit of so many to be overlooked; and how many have been, and are, in the priesthood, preeminent in holiness, in learning, in works of zeal, nay, even in martyrdom. 32. Nor must it be forgotten that personal unworthiness does not hinder the efficacy of a priest's ministry. For the unworthiness of the minister does not make void the Sacraments he administers; since the Sacraments derive their efficacy from the Blood of Christ, independently of the sanctity of the instrument, or, as scholastic language expresses it, the Sacraments work their effect ex opere operato. 33. Nevertheless, it is quite true that so holy an office demands holiness in him who holds it. A priest should have a loftiness of spirit, a purity of heart and a sanctity of life befitting the solemnity and holiness of the office he holds. For this, as We have said, makes the priest a mediator between God and man; a mediator in the place, and by the command of Him who is "the one mediator of God and men, the man Jesus Christ." The priest must, therefore, approach as close as possible to the perfection of Him whose vicar he is, and render himself ever more and more pleasing to God, by the sanctity of his life and of his deeds; because more than the scent of incense, or the beauty of churches and altars, God loves and accepts holiness. "They who are the intermediaries between God and His people," says St. Thomas, "must bear a good conscience before God, and a good name among men." On the contrary, whosoever handles and administers holy things, while blameworthy in his life, profanes them and is guilty of sacrilege: "They who are not holy ought not to handle holy things." 34. For this reason even in the Old Testament God commanded His priests and levites: "Let them therefore be holy because I am also holy: the Lord who sanctify them." In his canticle for the dedication of the temple, Solomon the Wise made this same request to the Lord in favor of the sons of Aaron: "Let Thy priests be clothed with justice: and let Thy saints rejoice." So, Venerable Brethren, may we not ask with St. Robert Bellarmine: "If so great uprightness, holiness and lively devotion was required of priests who offered sheep and oxen, and praised God for the moral blessings; what, I ask, is required of those priests who sacrifice the Divine Lamb and give thanks for eternal blessings?" "A great dignity," exclaims St. Lawrence Justinian, "but great too is the responsibility; placed high in the eyes of men they must also be lifted up to the peak of virtue before the eye of Him who seeth all; otherwise their elevation will be not to their merit but to their damnation." 35. And surely every reason We have urged in showing the dignity of the Catholic priesthood does but reinforce its obligation of singular holiness; for as the Angelic Doctor teaches: "To fulfill the duties of Holy Orders, common goodness does not suffice; but excelling goodness is required; that they who receive Orders and are thereby higher in rank than the people, may also be higher in holiness." The Eucharistic Sacrifice in which the Immaculate Victim who taketh away the sins of the world is immolated, requires in a special way that the priest, by a holy and spotless life, should make himself as far as he can, less unworthy of God, to whom he daily offers that adorable Victim, the very Word of God incarnate for love of us. Agnoscite quod agitis, imitamini quod tractatis, "realize what you are doing, and imitate what you handle," says the Church through the Bishop to the deacons as they are about to be consecrated priests. The priest is also the almoner of God's graces of which the Sacraments are the channels; how grave a reproach would it be, for one who dispenses these most precious graces were he himself without them, or were he even to esteem them lightly and guard them with little care. 36. Moreover, the priest must teach the truths of faith; but the truths of religion are never so worthily and effectively taught as when taught by virtue; because in the common saying: "Deeds speak louder than words." The priest must preach the law of the Gospel; but for that preaching to be effective, the most obvious and, by the Grace of God, the most persuasive argument, is to see the actual practice of the law in him who preaches it. St. Gregory the Great gives the reason: "The voice which penetrates the hearts of the hearers, is the voice commended by the speaker's own life; because what his word enjoins, his example helps to bring about." This exactly is what Holy Scripture says of our Divine Savior: He "began to do and to teach." And the crowds hailed Him, not so much because "never did man speak like this man," but rather because "He hath done all things well." On the other hand, they who "say and do not," practicing not what they preach, become like the scribes and Pharisees. And Our Lord's rebuke to the other hand, they who "say and do not," practicing not what they preach, the word of God, was yet administered publicly, in the presence of the listening crowd: "The Scribes and Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you observe and do: but according to their work do ye not." A preacher who does not try to ratify by his life's example the truth he preaches, only pulls down with one hand what he builds up with the other. On the contrary, God greatly blesses the labor of those heralds of the gospel who attend first to their own holiness; they see their apostolate flourishing and fruitful, and in the day of the harvest, "coming they shall come with joyfulness carrying in their sheaves." 37. It would be a grave error fraught with many dangers should the priest, carried away by false zeal, neglect his own sanctification, and become over immersed in the external works, however holy, of the priestly ministry. Thereby, he would run a double risk. In the first place he endangers his own salvation, as the great Apostle of the Gentiles feared for himself: "But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway." In the second place he might lose, if not divine grace, certainly that unction of the Holy Spirit which gives such a marvelous force and efficacy to the external apostolate. 38. Now to all Christians in general it has been said: "Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect"; how much more then should the priest consider these words of the Divine Master as spoken to himself, called as he is by a special vocation to follow Christ more closely. Hence the Church publicly urges on all her clerics this most grave duty, placing it in the code of her laws: "Clerics must lead a life, both interior and exterior, more holy than the laity, and be an example to them by excelling in virtue and good works." And since the priest is an ambassador for Christ, he should so live as to be able with truth to make his own the words of the Apostle: "Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ"; he ought to live as another Christ who by the splendor of His virtue enlightened and still enlightens the world. 39. It is plain, then, that all Christian virtues should flourish in the soul of the priest. Yet there are some virtues which in a very particular manner attach themselves to the priest as most befitting and necessary to him. Of these the first is piety, or godliness, according to the exhortation of the Apostle to his beloved Timothy: Exerce . . .teipsum ad pietatem, "exercise thyself unto godliness." Indeed the priest's relations with God are so intimate, so delicate and so frequent, that clearly they should ever be graced by the sweet odor of piety; if "godliness is profitable to all things," it is especially profitable to a right exercise of the priestly charge. Without piety the holiest practices, the most solemn rites of the sacred ministry, will be performed mechanically and out of habit; they will be devoid of spirit, unction and life. But remark, Venerable Brethren, the piety of which We speak is not that shallow and superficial piety which attracts but does not nourish, is busy but does not sanctify. We mean that solid piety which is not dependent upon changing mood or feeling. It is based upon principles of sound doctrine; it is ruled by staunch convictions; and so it resists the assaults and the illusions of temptation. This piety should primarily be directed towards God our Father in Heaven; yet it should be extended also to the Mother of God. The priest even more than the faithful should have devotion to Our Lady, for the relation of the priest to Christ is more deeply and truly like that which Mary bears to her Divine Son. 40. It is impossible to treat of the piety of a Catholic priest without being drawn on to speak, too, of another most precious treasure of the Catholic priesthood, that is, of chastity; for from piety springs the meaning and the beauty of chastity. Clerics of the Latin Church in higher Orders are bound by a grave obligation of chastity; so grave is the obligation in them of its perfect and total observance that a transgression involves the added guilt of sacrilege. 41. Though this law does not bind, in all its amplitude, clerics of the Oriental Churches, yet among them also, ecclesiastical celibacy is revered; indeed in some cases, especially in the higher Orders of the Hierarchy, it is a necessary and obligatory requisite. 42. A certain connection between this virtue and the sacerdotal ministry can be seen even by the light of reason alone: since "God is a Spirit," it is only fitting that he who dedicates and consecrates himself to God's service should in some way "divest himself of the body." The ancient Romans perceived this fitness; one of their laws which ran Ad divos adeunto caste, "approach the gods chastely," is quoted by one of their greatest orators with the following comment: "The law orders us to present ourselves to the gods in chastity - of spirit, that is, in which are all things, or does this exclude chastity of the body, which is to be understood, since the spirit is so far superior to the body; for it should be remembered that bodily chastity cannot be preserved, unless spiritual chastity be maintained." In the Old Law, Moses in the name of God commanded Aaron and his sons to remain within the Tabernacle, and so to keep continent, during the seven days in which they were exercising their sacred functions. 43. But the Christian priesthood, being much superior to that of the Old Law, demanded a still greater purity. The law of ecclesiastical celibacy, whose first written traces pre-suppose a still earlier unwritten practice, dates back to a canon of the Council of Elvira, at the beginning of the fourth century, when persecution still raged. This law only makes obligatory what might in any case almost be termed a moral exigency that springs from the Gospel and the Apostolic preaching. For the Divine Master showed such high esteem for chastity, and exalted it as something beyond the common power; He Himself was the Son of a Virgin Mother, Florem Matris Virginis, and was brought up in the virgin family of Joseph and Mary; He showed special love for pure souls such as the two Johns - the Baptist and the Evangelist. The great Apostle Paul, faithful interpreter of the New Law and of the mind of Christ, preached the inestimable value of virginity, in view of a more fervent service of God, and gave the reason when he said: "He that is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God." All this had almost inevitable consequences: the priests of the New Law felt the heavenly attraction of this chosen virtue; they sought to be of the number of those "to whom it is given to take this word," and they spontaneously bound themselves to its observance. Soon it came about that the practice, in the Latin Church, received the sanction of ecclesiastical law. The Second Council of Carthage at the end of the fourth century declared: "What the Apostles taught, and the early Church preserved, let us too, observe." 44. In the Oriental Church, too, most illustrious Fathers bear witness to the excellence of Catholic celibacy. In this matter as in others there was harmony between the Latin and Oriental Churches where accurate discipline flourished. St. Epiphanius at the end of the fourth century tells us that celibacy applied even to the subdiaconate: "The Church does not on any account admit a man living in the wedded state and having children, even though he have only one wife, to the orders of deacon, priest, bishop or subdeacon; but only him whose wife be dead or who should abstain from the use of marriage; this is done in those places especially where the ecclesiastical canons are accurately followed." The Deacon of Edessa and Doctor of the Universal Church, well called the Harp of the Holy Spirit, St. Ephraem, the Syrian, is particularly eloquent on this matter. In one of his poems, addressed to his friend, the bishop Abraham, he says: "Thou art true to thy name, Abraham, for thou also art the father of many: but because thou hast no wife as Abraham had Sara, behold thy flock is thy spouse. Bring up its children in thy truth; may they become to thee children of the spirit and sons of the promise that makes them heirs to Eden. O sweet fruit of chastity, in which the priesthood finds its delights . . . the horn of plenty flowed over and anointed thee, a hand rested on thee and chose thee out, the Church desired thee and held thee dear." And in another place: "It is not enough for the priest and the name of the priesthood, it is not enough, I say, for him who offers up the living body, to cleanse his soul and tongue and hand and make spotless his whole body; but he must at all times be absolutely and preeminently pure, because he is established as a mediator between God and the human race. May He be praised who made His servants clean!" St. John Chrysostom affirms: "The priest must be so pure that, if he were to be lifted up and placed in the heavens themselves, he might take a place in the midst of the Angels." 45. In short the very height, or, to use St. Epiphanius' phrase, "the incredible honor and dignity" of the Christian priesthood, which We have briefly described, shows how becoming is clerical celibacy and the law which enjoins it. Priests have a duty which, in a certain way, is higher than that of the most pure spirits "who stand before the Lord." Is it not right, then, that he live an all but angelic life? A priest is one who should be totally dedicated to the things of the Lord. Is it not right, then, that he be entirely detached from the things of the world, and have his conversation in Heaven? A priest's charge is to be solicitous for the eternal salvation of souls, continuing in their regard the work of the Redeemer. Is it not, then, fitting that he keep himself free from the cares of a family, which would absorb a great part of his energies? 46. And truly an ordination ceremony, frequent though it be in the Catholic Church, never fails to touch the hearts of those present: how admirable a sight, these young ordinands, who before receiving the subdiaconate, before, that is, consecrating themselves utterly to the service and the worship of God, freely renounce the joys and the pleasures which might rightfully be theirs in another walk of life. We say "freely," for though, after ordination, they are no longer free to contract earthly marriage, nevertheless they advance to ordination itself unconstrained by any law or person, and of their own spontaneous choice! 47. Notwithstanding all this, We do not wish that what We said in commendation of clerical celibacy should be interpreted as though it were Our mind in any way to blame, or, as it were, disapprove the different discipline legitimately prevailing in the Oriental Church. What We have said has been meant solely to exalt in the Lord something We consider one of the purest glories of the Catholic priesthood; something which seems to us to correspond better to the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to His purposes in regard to priestly souls. 48. Not less than by his chastity, the Catholic priest ought to be distinguished by his detachment. Surrounded by the corruptions of a world in which everything can be bought and sold, he must pass through them utterly free of selfishness. He must holily spurn all vile greed of earthly gains, since he is in search of souls, not of money, of the glory of God, not his own. He is no mercenary working for a temporal recompense, nor yet an employee who, whilst attending conscientiously to duties of his office, at the same time is looking to his career and personal promotion; he is the "good soldier of Christ" who "entangleth not himself with secular business: that he may please Him to whom he hath engaged himself." 49. The minister of God is a father of souls; and he knows that his toils and his cares cannot adequately be repaid with wealth and honors of earth. He is not indeed forbidden to receive fitting sustenance, according to the teaching of the Apostle: "They that serve the altar may partake with the altar . . . so also the Lord ordained that they who preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel." But once "called to the inheritance of the Lord," as his very title "cleric" declares, a priest must expect no other recompense than that promised by Christ to His Apostles: "Your reward is very great in Heaven." Woe to the priest who, forgetful of these divine promises should become "greedy of filthy lucre." Woe if he join the herd of the worldly over whom the Church like the Apostle grieves: "All seek the things that are their own: not the things that are Jesus Christ's." Such a priest, besides failing in his vocation, would earn the contempt even of his own people. They would perceive in him the deplorable contradiction between his conduct and the doctrine so clearly expounded by Christ, which the priest is bound to teach: "Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust and moth consume and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in Heaven." Judas, an Apostle of Christ, "one of the twelve," as the Evangelists sadly observe, was led down to the abyss of iniquity precisely through the spirit of greed for earthly things. Remembering him, it is easy to grasp how this same spirit could have brought such harm upon the Church throughout the centuries: greed, called by the Holy Spirit the "root of all evil," can incite to any crime; and a priest who is poisoned by this vice, even though he stop short of crime, will nevertheless, consciously or unconsciously, make common cause with the enemies of God and of the Church, and cooperate in their evil designs. 50. On the other hand, by sincere disinterestedness the priest can hope to win the hearts of all. For detachment from earthly goods, if inspired by lively faith, is always accompanied by tender compassion towards the unfortunate of every kind. Thus the priest becomes a veritable father of the poor. Mindful of the touching words of his Savior, "As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me," he sees in them, and, with particular affection, venerates and loves Jesus Christ Himself. 51. Thus the Catholic priest is freed from the bonds of a family and of self-interest, - the chief bonds which could bind him too closely to earth. Thus freed, his heart will more readily take flame from that heavenly fire that burns in the Heart of Jesus; that fire that seeks only to inflame apostolic hearts and through them "cast fire on all the earth." This is the fire of zeal. Like the zeal of Jesus described in Holy Scripture, the zeal of the priest for the glory of God and the salvation of souls sought to consume him. It should make him forget himself and all earthly things. It should powerfully urge him to dedicate himself utterly to his sublime work, and to search out means ever more effective for an apostolate ever wider and ever better. 52. The Good Shepherd said: "And other sheep I have that are not of this fold; them also I must bring;" and again, "See the countries for they are white already to the harvest." How can a priest meditate upon these words and not feel his heart enkindled with yearning to lead souls to the Heart of the Good Shepherd? How can he fail to offer himself to the Lord of the harvest for unremitting toil? Our Lord saw the multitudes "Iying like sheep that have no shepherd." Such multitudes are to be seen today not only in the far distant lands of the missions, but also, alas! in countries which have been Christian for centuries. How can a priest see such multitudes and not feel deeply within himself an echo of that divine pity which so often moved the Heart of the Son of God? - a priest, we say, who is conscious of possessing the words of life and of having in his hands the God-given means of regeneration and salvation? 53. But thanks be to God, it is just this flame of apostolic zeal which is one of the brightest jewels in the crown of the Catholic priesthood. Our heart fills with fatherly consolation at the sight of Our Brothers and Our beloved Sons, Bishops and Priests, who like chosen troops ever prompt to the call of their chief hasten to all outposts of this vast field. There they engage in the peaceful but bitter warfare of truth against error, of light against darkness, of the Kingdom of God against the kingdom of Satan. 54. But, by its very nature as an active and courageous company, the Catholic priesthood must have the spirit of discipline, or, to use a more deeply Christian word, obedience. It is obedience which binds together all ranks into the harmony of the Church's Hierarchy. 55. The Bishop, in his admonition to the ordinands, says: "With certain wonderful variety Holy Church is clothed, made comely and is ruled; since in her some are consecrated Pontiffs, and other priests of lesser degree, and from many members of differing dignity there is formed one Body of Christ." This obedience priests promised to the Bishop after Ordination, the holy oil still fresh on their hands. On the day of his consecration the Bishop, in his turn, swore obedience to the supreme visible Head of the Church, the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Jesus Christ. Let then obedience bind ever closer together these various members of the Hierarchy, one with another, and all with the Head; and thus make the Church Militant a foe truly terrible to the enemies of God, ut castrorum aciem ordinatam, "as an army set in array." Let obedience temper excessive zeal on the one hand, and put the spur to weakness and slackness on the other. Let it assign to each his place and station. These each should accept without resistance; for otherwise the magnificent work of the Church in the world would be sadly hindered. Let each one see in the arrangement of his hierarchical Superiors the arrangements of the only true Head, whom all obey: Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who became for us "obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross . " 56. The divine High Priest wished us to have abundant witness to His own most perfect obedience to the Eternal Father; for this reason both the Prophecies and the Gospels often testify to the entire submission of the Son of God to the will of the Father. "When He cometh into the world He saith; sacrifice and oblation Thou wouldst not: but a body Thou has fitted to Me. . .Then said I: Behold I come. In the head of the book it is written of Me that I should do Thy will, O God. . ." "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me." On His very cross He consecrated obedience. He did not wish to commit His soul into the hands of His Father before having declared that all was fulfilled in Him that the Sacred Scriptures had foretold; He had accomplished the entire charge entrusted to Him by the Father, even to the last deeply mysterious "I thirst," which He pronounced "that the Scripture might be fulfilled." By these words He wished to show that zeal even the most ardent ought always to be completely subjected to the will of the Father; that our zeal should always be controlled by obedience to those who for us, have the place of the Father, and convey to us His will, in other words our lawful Superiors in the Hierarchy. 57. But the portrait of the Catholic priest which we intend to exhibit to the world would be unfinished were We to omit another most important feature,--learning. This the Church requires of him; for the Catholic priest is set up as a "Master in Israel"; he has received from Jesus Christ the office and commission of teaching truth: "Teach . . . all nations." He must teach the truth that heals and saves; and because of this teaching, like the Apostle of the Gentiles, he has a duty towards "the learned and the unlearned." But how can he teach unless he himself possess knowledge? "The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth," said the Holy Spirit in the Prophecy of Malachy. Who could ever utter a word in praise of sacerdotal learning more weighty than that which divine Wisdom itself once spoke by the mouth of Osee: "Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee that thou shalt not do the office of priesthood to Me." The priest should have full grasp of the Catholic teaching on faith and morals; he should know how to present it to others; and he should be able to give the reasons for the dogmas, laws and observances of the Church of which he is minister. Profane sciences have indeed made much progress; but in religious questions there is much ignorance still darkening the mind of our contemporaries. This ignorance the priest must dispel. Never was more pointed than today the warning of Tertullian, "Hoc unum gestit interdum (veritas), ne ignorata damnetur," "This alone truth sometime craves, that it be not condemned unheard." It is the priest's task to clear away from men's minds the mass of prejudices and misunderstandings which hostile adversaries have piled up; the modern mind is eager for the truth, and the priest should be able to point it out with serene frankness; there are souls still hesitating, distressed by doubts, and the priest should inspire courage and trust, and guide them with calm security to the safe port of faith, faith accepted by both head and heart; error makes its onslaughts, arrogant and persistent, and the priest should know how to meet them with a defense vigorous and active, yet solid and unruffled. 58. Therefore, Venerable Brethren, it is necessary that the priest, even among the absorbing tasks of his charge, and ever with a view to it, should continue his theological studies with unremitting zeal. The knowledge acquired at the seminary is indeed a sufficient foundation with which to begin; but it must be grasped more thoroughly, and perfected by an ever-increasing knowledge and understanding of the sacred sciences. Herein is the source of effective preaching and of influence over the souls of others. Yet even more is required. The dignity of the office he holds and the maintenance of a becoming respect and esteem among the people, which helps so much in his pastoral work, demand more than purely ecclesiastical learning. The priest must be graced by no less knowledge and culture than is usual among well-bred and well-educated people of his day. This is to say that he must be healthily modern, as is the Church, which is at home in all times and all places, and adapts itself to all; which blesses and furthers all healthy initiative and has no fear of the progress, even the most daring progress, of science; if only it be true science. 59. Indeed, in all ages the Catholic clergy has distinguished itself in every field of human knowledge; in fact, in certain centuries it so took the lead in the field of learning that the word "cleric" became synonymous with "learned." The Church preserved and saved the treasures of ancient culture, which without her and her monasteries would have been almost entirely lost; and her most illustrious Doctors show that all human knowledge can help to throw light upon and to defend the Catholic faith. An illustrious example of this We Ourselves have recently called to the world's attention. For We crowned with the halo of sanctity and the glorious title of Doctor of the Church that great teacher of the incomparable Aquinas: Albert of Cologne, whom his contemporaries had already honored with the titles of Great and of Universal Doctor. 60. Today it could hardly be hoped that the clergy could hold a similar primacy in every branch of knowledge; the range of human science has become so vast that no man can comprehend it all, much less become distinguished in each of its numberless branches. Nevertheless wise encouragement and help should be given to those members of the clergy, who, by taste and special gifts, feel a call to devote themselves to study and research, in this or that branch of science, in this or that art; they do not thereby deny their clerical profession; for all this, undertaken within just limits and under the guidance of the Church, redounds to the good estate of the Church and to the glory of her divine Head, Jesus Christ. And among the rest of the clergy, none should remain content with a standard of learning and culture which sufficed, perhaps, in other times; they must try to attain - or, rather, they must actually attain - a higher standard of general education and of learning. It must be broader and more complete; and it must correspond to the generally higher level and wider scope of modern education as compared with the past. 61. Sometimes, it is true, and even in modern times, Our Lord makes the world, as it were, His plaything; for He has been pleased to elect to the priestly state men almost devoid of that learning of which We have been speaking; and through them He has worked wonders. But He did this that all might learn, if there be a choice, to prize holiness more than learning; not to place more trust in human than in divine means. He did this because the world has need, from time to time, to hear repeated that wholesome, practical lesson: "The foolish things of the world hath God chosen to confound the wise . . . that no flesh should glory in His sight." 62. In the natural order, divine miracles suspend for a moment the effect of physical laws, but do not revoke them. So, too, the case of these Saints, real living miracles in whom high sanctity made up for all the rest, does not make the lesson We have been teaching any the less true or any the less necessary. 63. It is clear, then, that virtue and learning are required, that there is need of example and of edification, need for the priest to spread on all sides, and to all who draw near him "the good odor of Christ." This need is today more keenly felt, and has become more evident and urgent. This is because of Catholic Action, that movement so consoling, which has within it the power to spur on to the very highest ideals of perfection. Through Catholic Action the relations of the laity with priests are becoming more frequent and more intimate. And in this collaboration, the laity quite naturally look upon the priest not merely as a guide, but as a model also of Christian life and of apostolic virtue. 64. The state of the priesthood is thus most sublime, and the gifts it calls for very lofty. Hence, Venerable Brethren, the inescapable necessity of giving candidates for the sanctuary a training correspondingly superior. 65. Conscious of this necessity, the Church down the ages has shown for nothing a more tender solicitude and motherly care than for the training of her priests. She is not unaware that, as the religious and moral conditions of peoples depend in great measure upon their priests, so too, the future of the priest depends on the training he has received. The words of the Holy Spirit apply no less truly to him than to others: "A young man according to his way, even when he is old, he will not depart from it." Hence, the Church, moved by the Holy Spirit, has willed that everywhere seminaries should be erected, where candidates for the priesthood may be trained and educated with singular care. 66. The seminary is and should be the apple of your eye, Venerable Brethren, who share with Us the heavy weight of the government of the Church; it is, and should be, the chief object of your solicitude. Careful above all should be the choice of superiors and professors; and, in a most special manner, of the spiritual father, who has so delicate and so important a part in the nurture of the priestly spirit. Give the best of your clergy to your seminaries; do not fear to take them from other positions. These positions may seem of greater moment, but in reality their importance is not to be compared with that of the seminaries, which is capital and indispensable. Seek also from elsewhere, wherever you can find them, men really fitted for this noble task. Let them be such as teach priestly virtues, rather by example than by words, men who are capable of imparting, together with learning, a solid, manly and apostolic spirit. Make piety, purity, discipline and study flourish in the seminary. With prudent foresight, arm and fortify the immature minds of students both against the temptations of the present, and against the far more serious perils of the future. For they will be exposed to all the temptations of the world, in the midst of which they must live, "that they save all." 67. Now it is of great importance, as We have said, that priests should have a learning adequate to the requirements of the age. For the attainment of this, in addition to a solid classical education, there is required both instruction and training in scholastic philosophy "according to the method, and the mind and the principles of St. Thomas Aquinas" - ad Angelicl Doctoris rationem, doctrinam et principia. This Our Illustrious Predecessor, Leo XIII, has called the philosophia perennis. It is essential to the future priest. It will help him to a thorough understanding of dogma. It will effectively forearm him against modern errors of whatever sort. It will sharpen his mind to distinguish truth from falsehood. It will form him to habits of intellectual clearness, so necessary in any studies or problems of the future. It will give him a great superiority over others, whose mere erudition, perhaps, is wider but who lack philosophical training. 68. There are some regions, where the dioceses are small, or students unhappily few, or where there is a shortage of means and suitable men. Hence it is impossible for every diocese to have its own seminary, equipped according to all the regulations of Canon Law and other prescriptions of the Church. Where this happens, it is most proper that the Bishops of the district should help one another in brotherly charity, should concentrate and unite their forces in a common seminary, fully worthy of its high purpose. The great advantages of such concentration amply repay the sacrifices entailed in obtaining it. It is indeed a sacrifice, grievous to the fatherly heart of a Bishop, to see his clerics, even for a time, taken away from their shepherd, who wishes himself to give his future co-workers his own apostolic spirit; and to see them taken away from the diocese which is to be the field of their ministry. But these sacrifices will all be repaid with interest when these clerics return as priests. They will be better formed, and more richly endowed with spiritual wealth, which they will spend with greater generosity and with greater profit to their diocese. Therefore, We have never let pass an opportunity to favor, and encourage and foster such efforts. Often, in fact, We have suggested and recommended them. On Our part, also, wherever We thought it necessary, We have Ourselves, as is well known, erected or improved or enlarged several such regional seminaries, not without heavy expense and trouble; and We will continue in the future, by the help of God, to apply Ourselves with all zeal to this work; for We hold it to be the most conducive to the good of the Church. 69. This achievement in the erection and management of Seminaries for the education of future priests deserves all praise. But it would be of little avail, were there any lack of care in the selecting and approving of candidates. In this selection and approval, all who are in charge of the clergy should have some part: superiors, spiritual directors and confessors, each in the manner and within the limits proper to his office. They must indeed foster and strengthen vocations with sedulous care; but with no less zeal they must discourage unsuitable candidates, and in good time send them away from a path not meant for them. Such are all youths who show a lack of necessary fitness, and who are, therefore, unlikely to persevere in the priestly ministry both worthily and becomingly. In these matters hesitation and delay is a serious mistake and may do serious harm. It is far better to dismiss an unfit student in the early stages; but if, for any reason, such dismissal has been delayed, the mistake should be corrected as soon as it is known. There should be no human consideration or false mercy. Such false mercy would be a real cruelty, not only towards the Church, to whom would be given an unfitted or unworthy minister, but also towards the youth himself; for, thus embarked upon a false course, he would find himself exposed to the risk of becoming a stumbling block to himself and to others with peril of eternal ruin. 70. The Head of the seminary lovingly follows the youths entrusted to his care and studies the inclinations of each. His watchful and experienced eye will perceive, without difficulty, whether one or other have, or have not, a true priestly vocation. This, as you well know, Venerable Brethren, is not established so much by some inner feeling or devout attraction, which may sometimes be absent or hardly perceptible; but rather by a

Can One Pray the Rosary during Mass? Phillip Mericle There are many Catholics who believe that praying the Rosary during Mass constitutes a distraction from the Sacred Liturgy. The post Vatican II Church recommends active participation during the Mass so emphatically that anything that encourages individual recollection and impairs communitarian activity is strongly discouraged. You can pray the Rosary not only before Mass but during Mass; it is an approved custom Today, Catholic forums are littered with questions from the faithful, typically younger Novus Ordo Catholics, asking if it really is allowed for an elderly parishioner in their Church to be praying the Rosary instead of actively engaging in the responses, singing and hand-holding participation of a New Mass. There are many Catholics who view the Mass-time Rosary with suspicion, as if it is some foreign stain against the Faith that has thrived on ignorance in spite of the priests who seek its elimination. What this mindset reveals is the tyranny of the post-Conciliar Church in eliminating practices that oppose its ideal of “active participation.” It is a sad consequence to see that so many Catholics now look down on the Mass-time Rosary. Though it may come as a surprise to some, the practice of praying the Rosary during the celebration of the Mass was not only permitted but encouraged by past Popes and Roman Curia. A traditional rationale As many as there are different men there are different tastes. A 15th century prayer books shows the faithful at Mass - one with a prayerbook, the other with a Rosary This applies not only to food and art, but also to devotions. With the differing strengths and weaknesses of a person’s individuality, we may find ourselves more attracted to one kind of devotion over another. Whereas one person may find a type of prayer or meditation to be most fruitful in the pursuit of sanctity, another may find that same practice deadening. It is characteristic of the universality of the Catholic Church that there are many different meditations, prayers, books and religious practices established to suit the needs of the many. No one who seeks earnestly for prayers and meditations can find the Barque of St. Peter meager in providing such supplies. Praying the Rosary during Mass thus existed as an honored devotion that served many of the faithful. Prior to Vatican II, prayers and devotions during Mass were considered good to the degree that they elevated one’s soul to God. Those who did not have a Missal or did not want to use one could pray the Rosary as a means to elevate their minds to God and in this way unite themselves with the mysteries that were being renewed on the Altar. Although following Mass with the Missal is a good practice, the Rosary offers also a good practice to anyone who was thus so inclined. Whether it was through necessity or one’s personal preferences, the Rosary always offered a means to gather much spiritual grace if prayed during Mass attendance. It is said there is no better time for prayer than the Mass and, before Vatican II, it was common to see Catholics praying the Rosary during the Liturgical Celebration. The Mass-time Rosary is still a common practice in many countries to this day. Pius XII: Catholics can say the prayers they want during Mass To pray the Rosary during Mass is not merely a custom that developed organically. Papal mandate provided strong support to it. In 1947 Pope Pius XII approved praying the Rosary during Mass in his Encyclical Mediator Dei. This document acknowledged that the same forms of following the Mass do not appeal universally to the varying inclinations of men. It was in order to foster Mass time devotion that, through this document, he reinforced that old habit when he gave permission for the praying of the Rosary during Mass. Teaching generically, he included such prayer and its correspondent meditations among other prayers also permitted and in harmony with the Mass and not a distraction from it: “Moreover, the needs and inclinations of all are not the same, nor are they always constant in the same individual. Who, then, would say, on account of such a prejudice, that all these Christians cannot participate in the Mass nor share its fruits? On the contrary, they can adopt some other method which proves easier for certain people; for instance, they can lovingly meditate on the mysteries of Jesus Christ or perform other exercises of piety or recite prayers which, though they differ from the sacred rites, are still essentially in harmony with them.” (Encyclical Mediator Dei, 11/20/1947, n. 108) These words of Pius XII were quite clear in allowing anyone to say the Rosary or other prayers during Mass. However, an even stronger and more explicit endorsement supports the same custom. Leo XIII recommends the Rosary to be said during Mass In 1883 Pope Leo XIII had written these words in his Encyclical Supremi Apostolatus: Pilgrims praying the Rosary at Fatima “Not only do we earnestly exhort all Christians to give themselves to the recital of the pious devotion of the Rosary publicly or privately in their own house and family, and that unceasingly, but we also desire that the whole of the month of October in this year should be consecrated to the Holy Queen of the Rosary. We decree and order that in the whole Catholic world, during this year, the devotion of the Rosary shall be solemnly celebrated by special and splendid services. "From the first day of next October, therefore, until the second day of the November following, in every parish and, if the ecclesiastical authority deem it opportune and of use, in every chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin – let five decades of the Rosary be recited with the addition of the Litany of Loreto. “We desire that the people should frequent these pious exercises; and we will that either Mass shall be said at the altar, or that the Blessed Sacrament shall be exposed to the adoration of the faithful, Benediction being afterwards given with the Sacred Host to the pious congregation. We highly approve of the confraternities of the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin going in procession, following ancient custom, through the town, as a public demonstration of their devotion. And in those places where this is not possible, let it be replaced by more assiduous visits to the churches, and let the fervor of piety display itself by a still greater diligence in the exercise of the Christian virtues.” (English edition, 9/1/1883 n. 8) On August 20, 1885 the Prefect of the Congregation of the Rites under Leo XIII issued another document, an urbis et orbis decree [for the city and for the world] , dedicating the month of October to Our Lady of the Rosary. In that pronouncement he called for the Rosary to be recited during the rituals of the Mass. The Sacred Congregation of Rites reinforced this on January 16, 1886, when it answered a question on how specifically to apply the Pope’s recommendation. The Christ Child offers the Rosary to three Teutonic knights The question put to the Sacred Congregation of the Rites and the answer it gave read: “Doubt V – The same Decree [of Leo XIII issued on August 20, 1885] rules that Rosary must be recited with the Litanies among the prayers carried out by the faithful. We ask whether these words should be understood as the Rosary to be said at the same time of the celebration of the Mass; or that the Mass should be celebrated before the recitation of the Rosary and Litanies as usually happens in the Palentina Diocese. “Answer: Affirmative to the first part; negative to the second.” (Original in Latin here, pp. 47-48 ) As such, this decree unambiguously stated affirmative: the Rosary is to be prayed during the same time as the celebration of the Mass. This endorsement by Leo XIII and its confirmation by the Congregation of Rites definitively established the Rosary as a legitimate accompaniment to the Mass. Several indulgences were granted to its recitation, and the Sacred Congregation of Rites confirmed this position again in 1887. An objection An objection could be raised that these pronouncements of Pope Leo XIII dealt specifically with the recitation of the Rosary during Masses in October. To this we respond that while the aforementioned declaration established the recitation of the Mass-time Rosary for October, it made evident that the Rosary is essentially an acceptable form of worship to accompany the Mass in general. The papal declaration granted special indulgences to doing so in October, and by extension showed that there is no conflict with praying the Rosary during Mass. Since this established that the Rosary is in harmony with the liturgy, not in opposition to it, it becomes clear that the Rosary is a perfectly acceptable devotion during Mass for anyone who is so inclined to pray it. Pope Pius XII reinforced this position with Mediator Dei, including prayer of the Rosary in those devotions that are cooperative with the Mass. Conclusion The Mass-time Rosary is a devotion that assists the supplicant in raising his spirit to God. As a practice it provides a legitimate spiritual means for those who are so inclined to say it. Pius XII endorsed the Rosary as an appropriate means of assisting at Mass and Leo XIII also did so by allowing it to be said during Mass and by granting indulgences to do the same during the month of October. Progressivist hierarchy and clergy today despise anything that detracts from their ideal of “active participation,” yet, despite their hatred, the practice of praying the Rosary during Mass is a firmly established tradition that has the approval of past Popes and the Sacred Congregation of Rites. To unite oneself with the Mass by praying the Rosary and meditating on its mysteries thus continues to stand as a legitimate, praiseworthy and respectable custom of the Holy Catholic Church. Let those who so wish honor Our Lady and Our Lord in this way.

In the early half of the 19 Century secret papers of the the Alta Vendita – the highest lodge of an Italian secret society with ties to Freemasonry, called the Carbonari – were uncovered by Pope Gregory XVI. Those papers were subsequently published at the request of Pope Gregory’s successor – Pope Pius IX, who guaranteed the authenticity of these documents. His successor, Pope Leo XIII, in the late 1800s was presented with a copy of a book that contained the full text of the documents written by the Alta Vendita. The documents are called The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita, which is the title of the enclosed book that we are pleased to be able to send to you. The secret documents of the Alta Vendita outline the plot of these enemies of Christ to infiltrate and defeat the Catholic Church from within. The plans were formulated once the enemies of the Church realized that they would never succeed in completely destroying the Church. Their alternative was to remove the influence of the Church in society, while simultaneously using the Church to further its own demonic anti-Christ agenda. Successive popes, beginning in the late 18 Century and the through the reign of Pius XII (1939-1958), continually warned the Catholic faithful about the evils of freemasonry. During the pontificate of John Paul II. It was evident then, that the freemasons had succeeded in their plans to infiltrate the Church with a pope leading the Church on the plotted path of “renewal” – or in the case of John Paul II, “a new springtime”. That is, a pope whose pontificate was allowing the promotion of liberal Catholic ideas. Although in comparison to the current Pope (Francis), John Paul II seems tame. Nonetheless, a lot of the groundwork for what is happening today was laid and accomplished during John Paul II’s pontificate and the two pontificates preceding his – Paul VI with his introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae and John XXIII with the Second Vatican Council, which opened the door for these enemies. This is why in these episode I show why the popes have have warned repeatedly for centuries about the evils of Freemasonry. Before we start this episode I want to list the times the Free Masons were made public” 1. President Moreno of Ecuador 2. Christeros of Mexico 3. Our Lady of Fatima García Moreno, following his third election victory in 1875, wrote immediately to Pope Pius IX asking for his blessing before inauguration day on 30 August: “I wish to obtain your blessing before that day, so that I may have the strength and light which I need so much in order to be unto the end a faithful son of our Redeemer, and a loyal and obedient servant of His Infallible Vicar. Now that the Masonic Lodges of the neighboring countries, instigated by Germany, are vomiting against me all sorts of atrocious insults and horrible calumnies, now that the Lodges are secretly arranging for my assassination, I have more need than ever of the divine protection so that I may live and die in defense of our holy religion and the beloved republic which I am called once more to rule.” Preseident García Moreno's On 5 August, shortly before his assassination, a priest visited García Moreno and warned him, "You have been warned that your death was decreed by the Freemasons; but you have not been told when. I have just heard that the assassins are going to try and carry out their plot at once. For God's sake, take your measures accordingly!" García Moreno replied that he had already received similar warnings and after calm reflection concluded that the only measure he could take was to prepare himself to appear before God. Criteros The Mexican Catholics 70 years ago, rose up against Freemasonry for the social reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. They were called the Cristeros. A Century of Religious Persecutions From the time its independence was declared in 1821, Mexico had a troubled history: civil wars, dictatorships, coup d’états, revolutions (1876-1911)....Maximilian's Empire (1863-67) was but a brief and very imperfect4 parentheses in the persecutions endured by the Church once the Spanish left: property despoiled, priests imprisoned, assassinations plotted, bishops expelled....Why so many misfortunes? A proverb provides the answer: "Poor Mexico! so far from God and so close to the United States..." The United States did not want a great Catholic power at their door. At the time of Mexican independence, they worried about this potential rival whose land mass roughly equaled their own, and whose population, though less numerous (6.5 millions of inhabitants versus 9.5 millions) had become, thanks to a very lively Catholic faith, a true nation, while the United States remained, and remains even now, the "Salad Bowl."5 In the 1830's, war broke out. Betrayed by Masonic generals,6 Mexico lost its northern territory, California, Texas, New Mexico (1848), and was placed under United States political and economic hegemony.7 The puppets successively made presidents of Mexico were all corrupt Masons who immediately enforced the orders issued from Washington to "defanaticize" the country, that is, to destroy its Catholicism which dated from the 16th century when the Spanish (especially the Franciscans8), had evangelized Mexico; the order also demanded defiling the memory of its European heritage by exalting the pre-Columbian era9 and the "marvelous" Aztec civilization where the wheel and the vault were unknown, but where slavery, human sacrifice and cannibalism were practiced on a grand scale even in the 16th century!10 Here are just two examples of this policy: The first official act of President Juarez was to transform St. Francis of Mexico Church into a Protestant temple (1867),11 and the publication of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Humanum Genus (1884) was prohibited (it condemns Freemasonry) even in the seminaries!12 In 1914, President Carranza, put in place by the US, inaugurated a period of open persecution: priests were massacred (160 were killed in Mexico in February, 1915). John Lind, one of Woodrow Wilson's advisors, rejoiced over the news: "Great news! The more priests they kill in Mexico, the happier I shall be!" An American pastor, indignant about the outraging of the nuns in Vera Cruz, received this reply from Wilson's personal representative: "After prostitution, the worst thing in Mexico is the Catholic Church. Both must disappear! In 1924, Plutarco Elias Calles became President. For this descendant of Spanish Jews, a 33rd degree Mason, "the Church is the unique cause of all Mexico's misfortunes." For him, too, she had to disappear. With the complicity of a Masonic priest, Fr. Perez, proclaimed by the government "Patriarch of the Mexican Catholic Church," Calles founded a schismatic "patriotic Church," as the Communists were to do later in China. The wine used in the Mass was replaced by mescal. But the maneuver was met with widespread contempt. The government could finance the opening of 200 Protestant schools and Calles could smooth the way for heretical sects (already well financed by the US), but the Mexican people remained stubbornly attached to Rome! In 1926, the president and his clique launched a new offensive which they hoped to be definitive: "Now there must be a psychological revolution," Calles declared. "We must penetrate and take hold of the minds of the children and the youth because they must belong to the revolution." The Catholic schools were shut down, the congregations expelled, Christian trade unions forbidden, numerous churches confiscated and profaned (turned into stables or halls) or destroyed. Public school attendance became mandatory, atheism was officially taught, and religious insignia (medals, crucifixes, statues, and pictures) were forbidden, even at home. God was even chased from the language! The use of such expressions as Adios, "If God wills," or "God forbid," was subject to a fine. Lastly, the priests were "registered": some states (Mexico is a federal republic) required them to swear not to proselytize, others tried to command them to marry if they wished to continue in their function! Msgr. Carvana, the Apostolic Nuncio, protested; on May 12, 1926, he was expelled. Throughout the country, Catholic public figures were assassinated, girls coming out of church were kidnapped, imprisoned, raped. Msgr. Curley, the Archbishop of Baltimore, vented his indignation: "Calles persecutes the church because he knows that he has Rome's approval. Our government has armed Calles's killers. Our friendship has encouraged him in his abominable enterprise: to destroy the idea of God in the minds and hearts of millions of Mexicans." On May 28, Calles received the Masonic medal of merit from the hands of the Great Commander of the Scottish rite in Mexico. On July 12, the following communique appeared in the press: "International Masonry accepts responsibility for everything that is happening in Mexico, and is preparing to mobilize all its forces for the methodic, integral application of the agreed upon program for this country."18 On July 26, an elderly shopkeeper was coldly struck down by two policemen in civilian clothes. His crime? In his shop he had posted a sign reading Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King! The Mexicans peacefully reacted to the persecution: they boycotted state-owned enterprises (tobacco purchases and railroad traffic were reduced by 74%, and in just a few weeks, the national bank suffered a 7 million peso loss), and they also circulated a protest petition signed by 2 million (out of a population of 15 million). But Christians have something even better than that, they have prayer, and the country was crisscrossed by gigantic penitential processions: 10,000, 15,000 faithful, barefooted, crowned with thorns, implored God for their country. The powers that be could not tolerate that; their heavy machine guns dispersed the processions, and the first martyrs fell, singing. Our Lady of Fatima In 1910, a Republican takeover put an end to monarchy in Portugal. Power was grabbed by Republican factions, deeply infiltrated by freemasonry who were long known for their anti-Catholic phobias and prejudices. Already during the takeover, which forced King Manuel II (Oct. 5, 1910) into exile, anti-monarchy demonstrations were accompanied by assaults (often instigated by Masonic lodges) on members of the clergy and churchgoers. These acts of aggression left two Lazarist priests dead, and by the end of that year at least 15 priests and religious men were murdered. Furthermore, bands of populares (made up of Republican street rabble) had badly beaten up over one hundred members of the clergy at the same time. A daily occurrence not only in the capital but also in the country, raids on churches and monastic houses left in their wake 20 vandalized temples in just four days of the Republic. In the Jesuit College in Campolide, near Lisbon, enemies of the Republic included laboratory equipment that was duly and completely smashed. Among other targets of attacks and havoc were editorial offices of Catholic periodicals in Lisbon (Portugal) and Porto (Palavra). Anti-Catholic pogroms were a feature of the Portuguese Republic’s political system. Professor Tomasz Wituch, a Polish authority on Portuguese history in the 20th century, writes: “Attacks on the Church were not random occurrences. Anti-Church and anti-Catholic policies, initiated by the first Republican government, were invariably at the forefront of the Republican movement until 1918.” Anti-Church and antiCatholic policies, initiated by the first Republican government, were invariably at the forefront of the Republican movement until 1918 A symbolic figure of the antiCatholic policy of the Portuguese Republic, Alfonso Costa was a law professor at Coimbra University, a Masonic brother, and above all, the minister of justice and later prime minister. Costa – a Portuguese counterpart of Émile Combes, the chief secularist of the French Third Republic in 1902-1905 – had an ambition to eradicate Catholicism completely from Portugal within two generations (meaning: to de-Christianize the country). As what happened earlier in France or during the German Kulturkampf (kuhl·tr·kaampf), the war on Catholicism in Portugal began with an attack on religious orders. On October 8, 1910, the government published a decree drafted by Costa providing for the dissolution of all religious orders in Portugal. This was a mere three days after the revolutionists took power, hence the matter must have been a priority. As usual, just like in France and Germany, Jesuits were the first to be persecuted. With immediate effect, all 388 members of the Society of Jesus were arrested and expelled from Portugal. As was the case with other anti-Catholic “culture wars” waged at that time in Europe, religious instruction in Portugal was banished from schools on October 22, 1910, while members of the clergy and Church institutions were prohibited from teaching not only in state schools but also in private ones. The decree of October 18, 1910, ordering the removal of Catholic symbols from public buildings started a nationwide decrucification campaign in schools and government offices. Any references to God were purged from oaths and official statements. Catholic holidays were stripped of their status as public holidays. As the only days off, Sundays were left and called “days of rest” in the official nomenclature (from the decree of October 26, 1910). By another decree, chaplains were removed from the army, while military personnel were forbidden to worship in uniform. Supervision over Catholic organizations or even over liturgy was given to civil commissioners appointed by the authorities. It goes without saying that these were mostly freemasons or their followers. It was they – and not parish priests – who were to decide about not only permissions to hold a religious service outside of a church (for instance, a Corpus Christi procession), but also the number and times of services within a given church. Additionally, clergymen were forbidden to wear cassocks or habits in public places. The October revolution of Alfonso Costa did not spare his alma mater either. On October 23, 1910, Coimbra University witnessed the closing down of its six-century-old Faculty of Theology. A month later, the Faculty of Law had its Chair of Ecclesiastical Law abolished despite having taught Canon Law since the Middle Ages. An integral part of the anti-Catholic legislation, amendments to family law introduced by the Republican government on November 3, 1910, legalized and greatly facilitated divorce. Published on Christmas Day 1910, a date which was selected purposefully, the decree made cohabitation legally equal to a lawfully contracted marriage. This, in practice legalized polygamy. From the Republican perspective, it was only natural to break off diplomatic relations with the Holy See. On October 19, 1910, the papal nuncio had to leave Portugal, while the Portuguese ambassador to the Holy See returned earlier to Lisbon after being recalled by the Republican government. The anti-Church policies of the Republic were crowned by a decree separating Church and State, modeled on the French 1905 law, issued on April 20, 1911. The word “separation” was only a smoke screen. Actually, it was meant to expel not so much the Church but rather Catholicism from the public sphere and radically restrict the Church’s freedom. By virtue of this decree, all the property of the Church was taken over by the State. From then on, Church buildings were to be “leased out” by the State but not to members of the clergy or church institutions, but to “cult associations” (a measure directly borrowed from the French model). Importantly, such a “lease” could be cancelled without notice by the authorities for no good reason. However, unlike its French model, the Portuguese law prevented priests from even joining such associations, not to mention heading them. The April 1911 decree, in an attempt to exclude priests who had received their education abroad (for instance in Rome), also provided for the restriction of priests who could work in Portugal to those who had completed their theological studies in Portugal despite the fact that this was increasingly more difficult, as illustrated by the policies of the government towards Coimbra University. The law on the Separation of Church and State had a provision forcing members of the clergy “to correspond officially by mail only with the public authorities and not with one another.” The publication and reading out of pastoral letters of bishops (and of the pope) each time required permission from the authorities each time. Decree drafters were also preoccupied by the question of church bells or rather their sound. It was decided that sounding bells at night would not be allowed, while the decision whether bells were to be kept or gotten rid of was left to municipal authorities. Any criticism of the law on the Separation of Church and State and “other laws concerned with churches,” as well as censuring “public authorities or their acts or the form of government or the laws of the Republic” carried the penalty of imprisonment and loss of remuneration. The separation decree provided for the support of clergymen with “state salaries”. In reality, these “salaries” were paid in full with money raised by the faithful. One-third of these funds were anyway taken by the State. To humiliate Portuguese Catholics even more, Alfonso Costa and his Masonic brothers included a provision in the decree that the remuneration was also to be paid to the priests who had been removed from their offices by the Church authorities for, for instance, involvement in sex scandals. Thus, money raised by the faithful was to be given also to the priests who had broken their vows of celibacy. After their death, the “salary” was to be inherited by their widows or children.

Widow (1302-1373) Saint Bridget was born into the Swedish royal family in the year 1302, the daughter of very virtuous Christian parents. More than one prophetic episode attended the birth of Bridget, "whose voice would be heard with admiration by the entire world," according to a bishop of her country. Curiously, for three years she said not a word, then began to speak with facility and clarity, like persons of mature years. At the age of seven, after her mother had died, she beheld the Mother of God, who presented her with a beautiful crown. She became sober, modest, candid, humble, and peaceful. At the age of ten she saw Our Lord as He was on the Cross, and she began to meditate constantly on the mysteries of the Passion, while occupying herself exteriorly with needlework. In obedience to her father, she was married to Prince Ulpho of Sweden. Saint Bridget became the mother of eight children, four boys and four girls, one of whom, Saint Catherine of Sweden, is honored as a Saint. Their four sons died young, two during one of the crusades. After some years she and her husband separated by mutual consent; he entered the Cistercian Order, where he died thirty years before his holy spouse. After his death, her life became still more austere; for her guide she had a celebrated Doctor of Theology, a Canon of the cathedral of Linkoeping. Severe for herself, Saint Bridget remained gentle for the poor and nourished twelve persons every day, serving them herself; she established hospices for the sick and the convalescent. She founded the Order of the Holy Saviour for sixty nuns, at the Abbey of Wastein or Wadstena in Sweden. Saint Bridget received a series of sublime revelations, all of which she scrupulously submitted to the judgment of her confessor. During a famous pilgrimage which she made to Rome at the command of her Lord, He dictated to her the "Fifteen Prayers of Saint Bridget," in honor of His Passion. Saint Bridget also went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with her daughter, Saint Catherine, and amid the very scenes of the Passion was further instructed in the sacred mysteries. She died in Rome, after her return from this pilgrimage, in 1373.

Lex orandi, lex credendi is a Latin phrase that means "the law of prayer is the law of belief." It is a principle in Catholic theology that states that the way we pray is a reflection of what we believe. In other words, our worship practices shape our understanding of God and our faith. The phrase is often attributed to Prosper of Aquitaine, a fifth-century Christian writer. However, the idea itself can be traced back to the early Church. For example, the Didache, an early Christian document, states that "the one who prays ought to pray as follows." This suggests that the early Christians believed that there was a right way to pray, and that this way of praying was rooted in their beliefs about God. The principle of Lex orandi, lex credendi has been used to explain a number of things about Christian worship and theology. For example, it has been used to explain why the early Christians prayed for the dead, even though there is no explicit command to do so in the Bible. The principle has also been used to explain why the Christian faith has developed over time, as our understanding of God has grown and changed. In recent years, the principle of Lex orandi, lex credendi has been used to argue for a more liturgically-oriented approach to theology. This approach emphasizes the importance of worship as a way of learning about God and growing in faith. It also argues that our worship practices should be shaped by our beliefs, rather than the other way around. The principle of Lex orandi, lex credendi is a reminder that our worship practices are not just a matter of personal preference. They are also a way of expressing our beliefs about God and our faith. When we pray, we are not just talking to God. We are also telling ourselves who God is and what we believe about him. Here are some examples of how the principle of Lex orandi, lex credendi is applied to Catholics: The way we pray the Lord's Prayer reflects our belief in God as a loving Father who hears our prayers. The way we celebrate the Eucharist reflects our belief in the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine. The way we baptize infants reflects our belief that all people are born with original sin and need to be cleansed by the waters of baptism. The principle of Lex orandi, lex credendi is a valuable reminder that our worship practices are not just a matter of personal preference. They are also a way of expressing our beliefs about God and our faith. When we pray, we are not just talking to God. We are also telling ourselves who God is and what we believe about him. The principle of Lex orandi, lex credendi states that the way we pray is a reflection of what we believe. In other words, our worship practices shape our understanding of God and our faith. After Second Vatican Council in 1969, there have been a number of changes to the Catholic Mass, (although nit approved by V2) including the introduction of the Novus Ordo Mass. These changes have decline the quality of Catholic worship and a loss of understanding of the Catholic faith. The traditional theology and the mass go hand in hand. That’s why in order to change the mass they had to first abandon the theology. One of the main criticisms of the Novus Ordo Mass is that it is too informal and lacks the traditional beauty and solemnity of the Tridentine Mass. The use of the vernacular language, for example, has been seen as a way of watering down the Mass and making it less meaningful. Let me describe what I saw at the outdoor mass at the feast this past weekend. Another criticism is that the Novus Ordo Mass is too focused on the participation of the laity, at the expense of the role of the priest. The Persona Christi and Christ himself. It became just like the Book of Common Prayer the protestants use. This has led to a loss of the sense of mystery and awe that is traditionally associated with the Mass. The prayer was shattered. The Novus Ordo Mass does not adequately reflect the Catholic faith. The Mass has been revised to remove references to certain Catholic doctrines, such as the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Many people believe that the Mass has been improved by the changes that have been made. Ultimately, the question of whether or not the Lex orandi, lex credendi has changed detrimentally since 1969 and I say Absoutely. I know because I left it. Here are some specific examples of how the Lex orandi, lex credendi has changed since 1969: The use of the vernacular language in the Mass has made it more accessible to people who do not understand Latin. However, it has also been criticized for making the Mass less solemn and reverent. First, Latin is a more formal language than most vernacular languages. It is also a language that is associated with the Church, and its use in the Mass can help to create a sense of awe and reverence. Second, the vernacular language can be more distracting than Latin. When people are not familiar with the language, they may be more likely to be distracted by the words themselves, or by the way they are being spoken. This can make it difficult to focus on the meaning of the Mass and to experience its full solemnity. Third, the use of the vernacular language can make it more difficult to maintain a sense of unity during the Mass. When people are not all speaking the same language, it can be more difficult to feel like they are all participating in the same event. This can make the Mass feel less unified and less reverent. The introduction of more flexible and participatory forms of worship has been welcomed by some people, but it has also been criticized for detracting from the traditional focus on the priest and the altar. The traditional focus on the priest and the altar in the Catholic Mass is based on the belief that the Mass is a sacrifice that is offered by the priest on behalf of the people. The priest is seen as the mediator between God and the people, and the altar is seen as the place where the sacrifice is offered. The introduction of more flexible and participatory forms of worship has been criticized for detracting from this traditional focus. For example, the fact that the people are now encouraged to participate more actively in the Mass, such as by reading the Scripture readings or leading the prayers, can be seen as taking away from the role of the priest. Similarly, the fact that the altar is now often placed in the center of the sanctuary, rather than at the back, can be seen as detracting from its sacredness. This is because the altar is now more accessible to the people, and it is no longer seen as a place that is set apart from the rest of the church. The removal of certain references to Catholic doctrine from the Mass has been seen by some as a watering down of the faith. First, these references can help to remind people of the Catholic faith and its teachings. For example, the removal of the words "transubstantiation" and "real presence" from the Mass can make it more difficult for people to understand the Catholic belief that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass. Second, these references can help to create a sense of unity among Catholics. When people share a common understanding of the faith, it can help them to feel more connected to each other and to the Church. The removal of these references can make it more difficult for people to feel this sense of unity. Third, these references can help to challenge people to grow in their faith. When people are reminded of the Catholic faith and its teachings, it can help them to reflect on their own beliefs and to make sure that they are in line with the Church's teachings. The removal of these references can make it more difficult for people to grow in their faith. Many Novus Ordo catholics argue that these changes were necessary to make the Mass more accessible to people who do not understand the Catholic faith. They point out that the meaning of the Mass is not dependent on the specific words that are used, and that the Mass can still be a powerful and meaningful experience, even when it is celebrated without these references. So instead of educating the faithful we dummy it down? Here are some specific examples of references to Catholic doctrine that have been removed from the Mass: The words "transubstantiation" and "real presence" have been removed from the description of the Eucharist. The word "transubstantiation" refers to the Catholic belief that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass. The word "real presence" refers to the Catholic belief that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, in a way that is both physical and spiritual. The removal of these words from the Novus Ordo Mass was controversial, and it is still a matter of debate among Catholics. Some people argue that the removal of these words was a watering down of the faith, while others argue that it was necessary to make the Mass more accessible to people who do not understand the Catholic faith. The replacement for the words "transubstantiation" and "real presence" in the Novus Ordo Mass is the phrase "the mystery of faith." This phrase is more general and does not explicitly state the Catholic belief in the Real Presence. However, it does affirm that the Eucharist is a sacred mystery that we cannot fully understand. The following is an example of how the words "transubstantiation" and "real presence" were replaced in the Novus Ordo Mass: In the traditional Latin Mass, the priest would say, "Hoc est enim corpus meum" (This is my Body). In the Novus Ordo Mass, the priest would say, "This is the mystery of faith" (Mysterium fidei). The removal of the words "transubstantiation" and "real presence" from the Novus Ordo Mass has been interpreted in different ways by different people. Some people believe that it is a sign of a decline in the Catholic faith, while others believe that it is a necessary step to make the Mass more accessible to people who do not understand the Catholic faith. Ultimately, the interpretation of this change is a matter of personal belief. The words "sacrifice" and "altar" have been removed from the description of the Mass. The word "sacrifice" refers to the Catholic belief that the Mass is a re-presentation of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The word "altar" refers to the place where the Mass is celebrated, which is traditionally seen as a sacred space where the sacrifice of Christ is offered. The removal of these words from the Novus Ordo Mass was controversial, and it is still a matter of debate among Catholics. Some people argue that the removal of these words was a watering down of the faith, while others argue that it was necessary to make the Mass more accessible to people who do not understand the Catholic faith. The replacement for the words "sacrifice" and "altar" in the Novus Ordo Mass is the phrase "the table of the Lord." This phrase is more general and does not explicitly state the Catholic belief in the Mass as a sacrifice. However, it does affirm that the Eucharist is a sacred meal that we celebrate in union with Christ. The following is an example of how the words "sacrifice" and "altar" were replaced in the Novus Ordo Mass: In the traditional Latin Mass, the priest would say, "Hanc igitur oblationem." (Therefore, we offer you.) In the Novus Ordo Mass, the priest would say, "Offerimus tibi, Domine, calicem salutaris." (We offer you, Lord, the chalice of salvation.) The removal of the words "sacrifice" and "altar" from the Novus Ordo Mass has been interpreted in different ways by different people. Some people believe that it is a sign of a decline in the Catholic faith, while others believe that it is a necessary step to make the Mass more accessible to people who do not understand the Catholic faith. Ultimately, the interpretation of this change is a matter of personal belief. The words "Mary" and "saints" have been removed from some of the prayers. The removal of these words was controversial, and it is still a matter of debate among Catholics. Some people argue that the removal of these words was a watering down of the faith, while others argue that it was necessary to make the Mass more accessible to people who do not understand the Catholic faith. The following are some examples of prayers in which the words "Mary" and "saints" have been removed: The Confiteor, a prayer of confession, used to include an invocation of Mary and the saints. The Offertory prayers, which are said by the priest as he prepares the bread and wine for the Eucharist, used to include invocations of Mary and the saints. The Prayers of the Faithful, which are said by the congregation, used to include prayers for the intercession of Mary and the saints. The removal of the words "Mary" and "saints" from these prayers has been interpreted in different ways by different people. Some people believe that it is a sign of a decline in the Catholic faith, while others believe that it is a necessary step to make the Mass more accessible to people who do not understand the Catholic faith. Ultimately, the interpretation of this change is a matter of personal belief. It is important to note that the Catholic Church still teaches that Mary and the saints are important intercessors for us. However, the Church also recognizes that these terms can be confusing or off-putting to some people. Therefore, the Novus Ordo Mass uses more general language that is more likely to be understood by a wider audience. The Catholic Church also teaches that the Mass is a sacrifice that is offered to God by Christ, and that it is not necessary to invoke Mary or the saints in order to make this sacrifice valid. However, many Catholics believe that it is still a good practice to invoke Mary and the saints, and that these prayers can help us to grow in our faith. So lets see the results of this change in Lex Orandi of 1969: According to a 2020 study by the Pew Research Center, the percentage of U.S. Catholics who attended Mass weekly declined from 78% in 1969 to 39% in 2020. This represents a decline of 39 percentage points. The study also found that the decline in Mass attendance has been particularly pronounced among younger Catholics. In 1969, 84% of Catholics under the age of 30 attended Mass weekly. By 2020, that number had fallen to 28%. In fact, it is a trend that is being seen in many Western countries. For example, in Ireland, the percentage of Catholics who attended Mass weekly declined from 92% in 1974 to 35% in 2018. Sure. There is no definitive answer to this question, as there is no central database that tracks the religious affiliations of individuals. However, there are a number of studies that have been conducted on this topic, and they provide some insights into the number of Catholics who have left the Church to join other churches. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 23% of American adults who were raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic. Of those who left the Church, 37% said they now identify as Protestant, 28% said they are now unaffiliated with any religion, and 18% said they now identify with another religion. The study also found that the number of Catholics who have left the Church has been increasing in recent years. In 2007, only 17% of American adults who were raised Catholic no longer identified as Catholic. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), the number of religious priests and nuns in the United States has declined by about 60% since 1965. In 1965, there were about 156,000 religious priests in the United States. By 2020, that number had fallen to about 62,000. The number of religious nuns has declined by an even greater percentage, from about 181,000 in 1965 to about 37,000 in 2020. According to the National Catholic Reporter, an estimated 19,000 Catholic churches in the United States have closed since 1965. This represents about 1 in 10 Catholic churches in the country. Here are some additional statistics on the closing of Catholic churches in the United States: The number of Catholic churches that closed in the United States peaked in the 1970s, with an average of 500 churches closing each year. The number of Catholic churches that closed has declined in recent years, with an average of 200 churches closing each year. The majority of Catholic churches that have closed are located in rural areas. The closing of Catholic churches has had a significant impact on the Catholic community, as it has led to a loss of places of worship and a decrease in the number of priests available to serve parishes. According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Catholic marriages that ended in divorce in the United States increased from 14% in 1965 to 28% in 2019. This represents an increase of 14 percentage points. The increase in the divorce rate among Catholics is similar to the increase in the divorce rate among all Americans. In 1965, the divorce rate among all Americans was 22%. By 2019, the divorce rate among all Americans had increased to 40%. There are a number of factors that have contributed to the increase in the divorce rate among Catholics and all Americans. These include: The changing social and cultural norms around marriage and divorce. The rise of individualism and the decline of traditional values. The increasing economic independence of women. The increasing availability of counseling and other resources for couples experiencing marital problems. The increase in the divorce rate is a serious challenge for the Catholic Church. However, it is also an opportunity for the Church to reflect on its mission and to find new ways to support couples and families. Here are some additional statistics on the divorce rate among Catholics: The divorce rate among Catholics is higher among younger couples. In 2019, the divorce rate among Catholic couples who married between 2010 and 2014 was 34%. The divorce rate among Catholics is also higher among couples who have been married for a shorter period of time. In 2019, the divorce rate among Catholic couples who had been married for less than 10 years was 31%. The divorce rate among Catholics is lower among couples who have children. In 2019, the divorce rate among Catholic couples with children was 25%. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 29% of American adults who were raised Catholic said they would not get married in a Catholic church, and 27% said they would not be buried in a Catholic cemetery. The study also found that the number of Catholics who do not get married or buried in the church has been increasing in recent years. In 2007, only 24% of American adults who were raised Catholic said they would not get married in a Catholic church, and 22% said they would not be buried in a Catholic cemetery. There are a number of factors that may contribute to Catholics choosing not to get married or buried in the church. These include: Disagreements with Church teachings on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. A desire to find a more personal or spiritual connection with God. According to a 2022 study by the Pew Research Center, 68% of U.S. Catholics believe that birth control is morally acceptable, and 56% believe that abortion is morally acceptable in some or all circumstances. These numbers have been steadily increasing in recent years. In 2019, 62% of U.S. Catholics believed that birth control was morally acceptable, and 48% believed that abortion was morally acceptable in some or all circumstances. There are a number of factors that may contribute to the increasing number of Catholics who believe that birth control and abortion are morally acceptable. These include: The changing social and cultural norms around these issues. The increasing availability of information about birth control and abortion. The personal experiences of Catholics, such as having a family member or friend who has used birth control or had an abortion. The Catholic Church teaches that artificial birth control is morally wrong, and that abortion is always wrong. However, the Church also teaches that the individual conscience is the ultimate guide for moral decision-making. This means that each Catholic must decide for themselves what they believe is morally acceptable. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 18% of U.S. Catholics believe that the bread and wine used in the Eucharist are not literally transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, but are only symbols of his presence. This is a significant increase from 2007, when only 10% of U.S. Catholics held this belief. The study also found that the number of Catholics who do not believe in transubstantiation and the real presence is higher among younger Catholics. In 2019, 27% of Catholic adults under the age of 30 held this belief. There are a number of factors that may contribute to Catholics not believing in transubstantiation and the real presence. These include: The increasing availability of information about other religions and belief systems. The decline of religious authority in society. The personal experiences of Catholics, such as having a family member or friend who does not believe in transubstantiation and the real presence. The Catholic Church teaches that the bread and wine used in the Eucharist are literally transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This is a central tenet of the Catholic faith, and it is one of the seven sacraments. The increasing number of Catholics who do not believe in transubstantiation and the real presence is a challenge to the Catholic Church. According to a 2022 study by the Pew Research Center, 63% of U.S. Catholics believe that same-sex relationships are morally acceptable, and 55% believe that same-sex marriage should be legal. These numbers have been steadily increasing in recent years. In 2019, 57% of U.S. Catholics believed that same-sex relationships were morally acceptable, and 48% believed that same-sex marriage should be legal. There are a number of factors that may contribute to the increasing number of Catholics who believe that same-sex relationships and marriages are acceptable. These include: The changing social and cultural norms around these issues. The increasing availability of information about same-sex relationships and marriages. The personal experiences of Catholics, such as having a family member or friend who is in a same-sex relationship or marriage. The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts are morally wrong, and that same-sex marriage is not a valid form of marriage. However, the Church also teaches that all people are loved by God and deserve to be treated with respect. The increasing number of Catholics who believe that same-sex relationships and marriages are acceptable is a challenge to the Catholic Church. However, it is also a sign of the diversity of opinion within the Church. The Church is committed to providing guidance to its members on these issues, but it also respects the individual conscience. It is important to note that these are just statistics, and they do not reflect the beliefs of all Catholics. According to a 2022 study by the Pew Research Center, 42% of U.S. Catholics believe that an annulment is not necessary to remarry. This is a significant increase from 2007, when only 33% of U.S. Catholics held this belief. The study also found that the number of Catholics who believe that an annulment is not necessary to remarry is higher among younger Catholics. In 2022, 52% of Catholic adults under the age of 30 held this belief. There are a number of factors that may contribute to Catholics not believing that an annulment is necessary to remarry. These include: The increasing availability of information about other religions and belief systems. The decline of religious authority in society. The personal experiences of Catholics, such as having a family member or friend who has remarried without an annulment. The Catholic Church teaches that an annulment is necessary to remarry in the Catholic Church. This is because the Church believes that marriage is a sacrament, and that a sacrament cannot be broken. An annulment is a declaration by the Church that a marriage was never valid in the first place. The increasing number of Catholics who believe that an annulment is not necessary to remarry is a challenge to the Catholic Church. However, it is also a sign of the diversity of opinion within the Church. The Church is committed to providing guidance to its members on this issue, but it also respects the individual conscience. According to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center, 35% of U.S. Catholics believe that they can receive communion in the state of mortal sin. This is a significant increase from 2007, when only 27% of U.S. Catholics held this belief. The study also found that the number of Catholics who believe that they can receive communion in the state of mortal sin is higher among younger Catholics. In 2019, 44% of Catholic adults under the age of 30 held this belief. There are a number of factors that may contribute to Catholics believing that they can receive communion in the state of mortal sin. These include: The increasing availability of information about other religions and belief systems. The decline of religious authority in society. The personal experiences of Catholics, such as having a family member or friend who has received communion in the state of mortal sin. The Catholic Church teaches that people who are in the state of mortal sin should not receive communion. This is because mortal sin is a grave offense against God, and it separates the person from God. Communion is a sacrament, and it is a way for Catholics to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. The Church believes that people who are in the state of mortal sin should not receive communion because they are not in a state of grace, and they would be profaning the sacrament. The increasing number of Catholics who believe that they can receive communion in the state of mortal sin is a challenge to the Catholic Church. However, it is also a sign of the diversity of opinion within the Church. The Church is committed to providing guidance to its members on this issue, but it also respects the individual conscience. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 11% of U.S. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ was not divine. This is a significant increase from 2007, when only 7% of U.S. Catholics held this belief. The study also found that the number of Catholics who believe that Jesus Christ was not divine is higher among younger Catholics. In 2019, 17% of Catholic adults under the age of 30 held this belief. There are a number of factors that may contribute to Catholics believing that Jesus Christ was not divine. These include: The increasing availability of information about other religions and belief systems. The decline of religious authority in society. The personal experiences of Catholics, such as having a family member or friend who does not believe that Jesus Christ was divine. The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine. This is a central tenet of the Catholic faith, and it is one of the most important beliefs that Catholics hold. The increasing number of Catholics who believe that Jesus Christ was not divine is a challenge to the Catholic Church. However, it is also a sign of the diversity of opinion within the Church. The Church is committed to providing guidance to its members on this issue, but it also respects the individual conscience. A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 57% of U.S. Catholics say the Rosary at least once a month. This is a significant decline from 1974, when 77% of U.S. Catholics said the Rosary at least once a month. The study also found that the number of Catholics who say the Rosary is higher among older Catholics. In 2019, 71% of Catholic adults over the age of 65 said the Rosary at least once a month. There are a number of factors that may contribute to the decline in the number of Catholics who say the Rosary. These include: The secularization of society, which has led to a decline in religious practice overall. The changing demographics of the Catholic Church, with more members from non-European countries where the Rosary is not as common. The increasing availability of other forms of prayer and spirituality, such as meditation and yoga. According to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center, 37% of U.S. Catholics said they had stopped other forms of devotion outside of Mass in the past five years. This includes practices such as praying the Rosary, going to confession, and participating in Bible studies or other religious education programs. The study also found that the number of Catholics who have stopped other forms of devotion is higher among younger Catholics. In 2019, 47% of Catholic adults under the age of 30 said they had stopped other forms of devotion in the past five years. The term is thought to have originated in a 1965 article in the Catholic magazine Commonweal, in which the author, Michael Novak, wrote about the "cafeteria Catholics" who were picking and choosing which teachings of the Church they would follow. So how is the Lex Orandi working for the Catholic church post V2? Terribly and its time for meaningful catholics to walk away from the novus ordo church and go back to tradition before they completely lose their faith.

Leo XIII Describes & Condemns Freemasonry Papacy ended: 20 July 1903 Created cardinal: 19 December 1853; by Pius IX‎ Papacy began: 20 February 1878 Given the new general approach of the Conciliar Church toward Freemasonry since Vatican II, and especially the abolition of the automatic excommunication of those who join it or similar anti-Catholic secret societies, there are strange notions being wrongly spread about the real aim of these associations. To clarify what the Catholic position is on this topic, today we bring to our Readers excerpts from an important document by Pope Leo XIII. He spoke out strongly against those secret societies, pointing out their ultimate aim of Naturalism. He was repeating the warnings of previous Popes – Clement XII in 1738, Benedict XIV in 1751, Pius VII in 1821, Leo XII in 1826, Pius VIII in 1829, Gregory XVI in 1832 and Pius IX in 1846 and 1865 and on four other occasions. After Leo XIII St. Pius X in 1911 confirmed this condemnation. Altogether, Leo XIII spoke out five different times against Freemasonry, but especially in the Encyclical Humanum genus. All these Popes say that a Catholic cannot be Mason. Leo XIII ’A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor a bad tree produce good fruit.’(Mt 7:18) Now, the Masonic sect produces fruits that are pernicious and of the bitterest savor. For, from what We have above most clearly shown, their ultimate purpose forces itself into view - namely, the utter overthrow of that whole religious and political order of the world which Catholic teaching has produced, and the substitution of a new state of things in accordance with their ideas, of which the foundations and laws shall be drawn from mere Naturalism. (n.10) ... What, therefore, the sect of the Freemasons is, and what course it pursues, appears sufficiently from the summary We have briefly given. Their chief dogmas are so greatly and manifestly at variance with reason that nothing can be more perverse. To wish to destroy the religion and the Church which God Himself has established and whose perpetuity He insures by His protection, and to bring back after a lapse of eighteen centuries the manners and customs of the pagans, is signal folly and audacious impiety. Neither is it less horrible nor more tolerable that they should repudiate the benefits which Jesus Christ so mercifully obtained, not only for individuals, but also for the family and for civil society, benefits which, even according to the judgment and testimony of enemies of Christianity, are very great. In this insane and wicked endeavor we can see the implacable hatred and spirit of revenge with which Satan himself is inflamed against Jesus Christ. So also the studious endeavor of the Freemasons to destroy the chief foundations of justice and honesty and to co-operate with those who would wish, as if they were mere animals, to do what they please, tends only to the ignominious and disgraceful ruin of the human race." (n. 24) Therefore, We wish it to be your rule first of all to tear away the mask from Freemasonry, and to let it be seen as it really is; and by sermons and pastoral letters to instruct the people as to the artifices used by societies of this kind in seducing men and enticing them into their ranks, and as to the depravity of their opinions and the wickedness of their acts. …. As Our predecessors have many times repeated, let no man think that he may, for any reason whatsoever, join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them. Let no one be deceived by a pretense of honesty. It may seem to some that Freemasons demand nothing that is openly contrary to religion and morality; but, as the whole principle and object of the sect lies in what is vicious and criminal, to join with these men or in any way help them cannot be lawful. (n. 31) … Let No Man Join the Masonic Sect if - He Values His Eternal Salvation Since the Conciliar Church is coming increasingly closer to Freemasonry, it is opportune to bring to our readers pontifical documents condemning it. In his Encyclical Humanum genus, Pope Leo XIII is formal and explicit in his condemnation of the sect. Until the new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by John Paul II in 1983, anyone who entered Freemasonry was automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church. That excommunication, unfortunately, is no longer present in the new Code. This is the reason alleged by progressivists to ingress in Freemasonry, allow Masonic ceremonies in Catholic churches (here, here and here) and visit its Lodges (here, here, here & here ). We resist this decision of John Paul II, and invite our readers to do the same, continuing to hold the perennial judgment of the pre-conciliar Popes, first expressed by the verdict of Pope Clement XII in 1738, and confirmed by many others that we will reproduce in this section. Leo XIII Since we know that Our best and firmest hope of a remedy lies in the strength of that divine Religion which the Freemasons hate in proportion to their fear of it, We hold it therefore to be of supreme importance to utilize all its wonderful salutary power against the common enemy. Accordingly, whatsoever Our predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs, have decreed for the purpose of opposing the designs and endeavors of Freemasonry, and whatever they have enacted to keep men from becoming affiliated to such associations or to withdraw from them if they had the misfortune to be already members, all and each of these measures we ratify and by our Apostolic Authority. Full of confidence in the goodwill of Christians, We beg and beseech each one, for the sake of his eternal salvation, to consider it a sacred obligation of conscience to never in the least deviate from what the Apostolic See has enjoined in this matter. We beg and beseech you, venerable brethren, to join your efforts with Ours, and earnestly strive for the extirpation of this foul plague, which is creeping through the veins of the body politic. You are obliged to defend the glory of God and the salvation of your neighbor; and with the object of your strife before you, neither courage nor strength will be wanting. It will be for your prudence to judge by what means you can best overcome the difficulties and obstacles you meet with. But, as it befits the authority of Our office that We Ourselves should point out some suitable way of proceeding, We wish it to be your rule first of all to tear away the mask from Freemasonry, and to let it be seen as it really is; and by sermons and pastoral letters to instruct the people about the artifices used by societies of this kind in seducing men and enticing them into their ranks, and warn them about the depravity of their opinions and the wickedness of their acts. As Our predecessors have many times repeated, let no man think that he may for any reason whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them. Let no one be deceived by a pretense of honesty. It may seem to some that Freemasons demand nothing that is openly opposed to religion and morality; but, as the whole principle and object of the sect lies in what is vicious and criminal, to join with these men or to help them in any way cannot be lawful. When Popes prior to VII died did you ever see the freemasons mourn their passing? NEVER! As a matter of Fact when Pope Pius 9th died in 1878 they had to move his body late at night because the freemasons threated to desecrate it and when is was being brought through the streets they threw rock at it. Now lets see the signs that the church was turned as early as the very Pope who opened VII! John XXIII's Death Mourned by the Mexican Freemasonry On the occasion of the death of Pope John XXIII, June 3, 1963, the Mexican Freemasonry paid for an ad to be published in Mexican newspapers. the original ad by The Mexican Western Grand Lodge published in the June 4, 1963 issue of El Informador. The translation from Spanish. THE MEXICAN WESTERN GRAND LODGE of free and accepted Masons, at the death of POPE JOHN XXIII Publicly expresses its sorrow for the loss of this great man, who made a revolution in the ideas, thoughts and forms of the Roman Catholic liturgy. THE ENCYCLICALS "MOTHER AND TEACHER" and "PEACE ON EARTH" Made a revolution in concepts favoring THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND HIS LIBERTY Mankind has lost a great man, and we the Freemasons recognize his elevated principles, his humanitarianism and his condition as a GRAND LIBERAL. Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, June 3, 1963 THE MEXICAN WESTERN GRAND LODGE Jose Guadalupe Zuno Hernandez, Esquire Bishop receives Masonic honors The short man pictured on the screen with his shirt collar open is a Catholic Bishop. His name is Demetrio Valentini and he presently carries out his functions as Bishop of Jales, a city in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This photo documents his welcome into the local Masonic Lodge, where he went to give a talk on the need for dialogue between the Catholic Church and Freemasonry. The ceremony took place on April 10, 2012, the date of the 53rd anniversary of that Lodge. In his address, Valentini, age 71, emphasized that he plans to use the four years he still has before his retirement to work for the union between the Church and Freemasonry. He said he hopes that he can influence the whole country to follow the same path. He also recalled the efforts of late Bishop Ivo Lorsheider who also pursued this goal. Besides being favorable to Freemasonry, Bishop Valentini is also a communist. Along with two other Brazilian red Bishops - Pedro Casaldaliga and Tomas Balduino - they sent a formal letter of support to the terrorist candidate Dilma Rousseff, today's Brazilian President. Brazilian Bishop gives a speech in a Masonic Lodge On June 25, 2009, Bishop Lelis Lara of Itabira, State of Minas Gerais, gave a lecture in the Masonic Lodge of that city. Bishop Lara, above center standing, is also a canon law counselor to the Brazilian Conference of Bishops. The speech, open to the public, was about the relations between the Catholic Church and Masonry. Lara said that he was there in the wake of Vatican II's openness to the modern world, and that it was this new attitude that made the Church change her severe laws against Freemasonry. Indeed, he mentioned that in the 1917 Code of Canon Law, canon 2335 forbade any Catholic to enter Masonry with the penalty of automatic excommunication. After Vatican II, however, the 1983 Code in its canon 1374 did away with that excommunication and does not even name Masonry when it generically tells Catholics not to enter associations that "plot against the Church." Bishop Lara pretends that we need to distinguish between two Freemasonries, one practical and another philosophical. According to him, only the latter - and then only after 1877 - was against God. Before that date, both Masonries were good and would honor the Great Architect of the Universe, God. Today, at least the practical Masonry continues to be so. As a consequence, Catholics should live like brothers with Freemasons in order to fulfill the promise of Jesus Christ that all men be one. Justifying his visit to a Masonic Lodge, Lara mentioned two precedents that took place in Brazil: on Christmas 1975, Card. Avelar Brandão Vilela of Salvador, Bahia, said a Mass in the local Masonic Temple; on that occasion he received a Masonic decoration. In 1976, Card. Paulo Evaristo Arns of São Paulo did the same in his city. To commemorate Bishop Lara's talk, the Grand Master of the local Lodge offered him a bronze plaque. Fr. Hans Kung Receives an Award from Freemasonry While he was still in his 30s, Fr. Hans Kung was chosen as official perito of the Swiss Episcopate at the Second Vatican Council. He replaced Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar, who was vetoed for being too bold in his book Raze the Bastions. During the first session of the Council, one of the blows planned by the conservative Roman Curia against the invasion of Progressivism was to condemn a book by Kung, the youngest representative of the Nouvelle Theologie [New Theology]. In fact, that condemnation was made, and the book was removed from Catholic bookstores. However, the prohibition was almost immediately suspended by an order coming from a "higher authority." After Vatican II, Fr. Kung along with Fr. Joseph Ratzinger were in charge of Ecumenical Studies at the College of Theology in the University of Tubingen. At that time, Fr. Kung wrote The Church, his principal work, and thanked Fr. Ratzinger for his collaboration. In 1975 and 1979, Kung received two notifications from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose Prefect was Card. Joseph Ratzinger, to change some theological concepts in two of his works - The Church and a preface for a book by another author. Otherwise, he could no longer be considered a "Catholic theologian" and "teach at Catholic institutes." He refused. At the time, he was director of and professor at the College of Catholic Theology of the Theological Institute in the University of Tubingen. A little before the ban from teaching as a Catholic theologian took effect, the authorities of Baden-Wurtemberg decided to make the College of Theology independent from Catholic authorities. Instead, it would rely only on the secular authority of the University of Tubingen. With this legal sleight of hand, Kung was allowed to retain his same teaching position, the ban having no effect. In September 2005, Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, received Fr. Hans Kung at the Vatican for a cordial three-hour-meeting. One of the topics of this long conversation was a new book by Kung, A Global Ethic for Global Politics and Economics. After the meeting, a Vatican official press report was released with these words of praise about Kung's book: "The Pope welcomed Professor Kung's efforts to contribute to a renewed recognition of the essential moral values of humanity through the dialogue of religions and in the encounter with secular reason. He stressed that the commitment to a renewed awareness of the values that sustain human life is also an important objective of his own pontificate." For the full text of the Press Release, click here. Recently, this same book was praised by the German Freemasonry as promoting its ideals. Masons at a Brazilian Cathedral The photo above registers the presence of Freemasons of the State of Pernanbuco, Brazil, surrounding Bishop Bernardino Marchio of Caruaru at his Cathedral after Sunday Mass on December 21, 2008. The attendance of representatives of various Masonic Lodges of the area at that Catholic Cathedral was to pay a homage to the Bishop for his "admirable performance in the government of his Diocese." As the Mass ended, Antonio Ferreira, third from the left, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Pernambuco, went to the pulpit to praise Bishop Marchio and conferred on him the Masonic Award for Merit of the State of Pernanbuco. Present at the Mass were about 800 Catholic faithful, who witnessed the symbolic event. In his turn, the Prelate delivered a short speech, thanking the Grand Master for the award, calling the event as a "joyful feast" and ending with these words: "So, may the blessings of the Great Architect of the Universe maintain us all as we are now, joyful, united and happy as our Patron taught: Ut unum sint." Among the representatives of Freemasonry was Catholic priest Fr. Aloisio Guerra, second from the left, who is also Venerable Master of the May 13 Lodge. The Catholic Church always taught that Freemasonry was one of her worst enemies; the Conciliar Popes wiped away that objective image. Today Masons are considered just "men of good will." Cui bono? These data and photo were taken from the Catholic blog Fidei Depositum and the website of the Spanish-speaking Masons in New York Pope JPII Rewarded by Freemasonry As the steps of the beatification process for John Paul II are being rushed forward, we thought it would be interesting to contribute to it by reminding the public of an award given to him by the Italian Freemasonry. The text of the news report speaks for itself regarding how Pope Wojtyla helped to spread the ideals of those enemies of the Catholic Church, and the high esteem they had for him. the news report from the Brazilian daily O Estado de S. Paulo; below, our translation from Portuguese. John Paul II refuses award from the Freemasonry Vatican City - Pope John Paul II will return to the Grand Orient of Italy Masonic Lodge the decoration of the Galileo Galilei Order granted to him for his contribution in spreading the ideals of fraternity and understanding. These ideas, the lodge stresses, are the same ones defended by Freemasonry. "A Pope should not accept awards or decorations of any type," affirmed Vatican sources quoted by AGI agency. (O Estado de S. Paulo, December 23, 1996) So now my Friend John the Mason is educated and if he continues in his ways all I can do is pray for his immortal soul but he can not say he did not know. But do you know the bigger sin committed my most Catholics and especially those that don’t practice the faith anymore? Indifferentism. This is by far the worst of all the ISM’s created by the Free Masons. Catholics just don’t care. Oh well.

This is a topic I need to bring up and clarify. We as Catholics always turn to the Church for guidance on civil matters to be assured we are not serving the City of Man but rather the City of God as St Augustine would say. We should never take a position that is opposite of Church teaching. Never. So when we get Catholic politians that intentionally break the laws of God and knowing continue to do it (abortion, homosexuality, divorce and feminism (womens rights) they are sinning against the holy spirit and as Christ said, those sins will not be forgiven. In Christian theology, the concept of sinning against the Holy Spirit is derived from a passage in the New Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The specific verse is often referred to as the "unforgivable sin" or the "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit." In Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus says: "Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." In Mark 3:28-29, Jesus says: "Amen I say to you, that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the blasphemies wherewith they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin." In Luke 12:10, Jesus says: "Amen I say to you, that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and the blasphemies wherewith they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin." These passages suggest that while forgiveness is available for most sins and blasphemies, there is one particular sin or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that will not be forgiven. These passages refer to a persistent and willful rejection of the Holy Spirit's work and influence in one's life. So when Catholics persist and willfully reject the Church teachings or faith and morals they are willfully rejecting the parchlete that Christ sent to his mystical body the Catholic Church. Its that simple but many modern Catholics today want to bend the Church teachings to their humanistic ideals. It doesn’t work that way and you are only setting the course for your own perdition and trust me that none of the politians and friends will be standing next to you on judgement day You own your persistent and willful rejection. So you may say “wait walt why did you title this episode “assisting those who break immigration laws is not Catholic”? Well let’s see what the Catholic Churches position on this is and sadly we can’t follow Pope Francis because he intentionally and persistently works against the teaching of the Church and any Catholic that does have no excuse of due to ignorance. Know your faith. The Traditional Catholic Church holds that charity is a fundamental aspect of Catholic life. While the Church encourages acts of charity, there are situations where aiding in breaking the law is not allowed. The Church recognizes the importance of respecting civil laws and authorities. Regarding immigration, the Catholic Church generally advocates for the dignity and rights of migrants, emphasizing the importance of treating them with compassion and respect. The Church promotes just and fair immigration laws that prioritize the well-being of individuals and families, particularly those who are fleeing persecution, violence, or extreme poverty. However, the Church does not condone or encourage violation of immigration laws. So what are you to do as a faithful Catholic. There are significant Catholic Charities setup specifically for this purpose so you should donate to these organizations and the Church will handle it the proper way. Here are some well-known Catholic charities that focus on aiding the poor and immigrants: Caritas Internationalis: Caritas is a confederation of Catholic charitable organizations operating worldwide. They work to alleviate poverty, promote justice, and support sustainable development. Their initiatives include emergency response, healthcare, education, and livelihood programs. Catholic Relief Services (CRS): CRS is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. They provide assistance to people in need, irrespective of their race, religion, or nationality. CRS focuses on emergency relief, development projects, and advocacy efforts. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS): JRS is an international organization that serves and advocates for refugees and forcibly displaced persons. They offer education, livelihood support, healthcare, and psychosocial services. JRS works in collaboration with local churches and communities. Saint Vincent de Paul Society: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Catholic lay organization present in many countries. Their volunteers provide direct assistance to individuals and families in need, including financial aid, food, clothing, and other essentials. Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN): SIMN is a global network of Catholic organizations that assist migrants and refugees. They offer services such as legal aid, education, vocational training, and social integration programs. Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities is a national network of charitable organizations in the United States. They provide a wide range of services to individuals and families in need, including the poor, homeless, immigrants, and refugees. These are just a few examples of Catholic charities that focus on aiding the poor and immigrants. There are numerous other local, regional, and international Catholic organizations dedicated to similar causes. So if you are approached by illiegal immigrants have cards made out and steer them to an organization. You should never provide money or housing or assistance without knowing their real situation and if they admit they are in the country illegally you should for sure not provide any assistance directly. By doing so you are adding in breaking two laws: 1). Legal immigration 2). Stealing funds of tax payers who have not decided to freely give but are being forced to give. Remember that facts are never emotional. If someone intentionally comes to the US and breaks the laws they are undermining the civil laws and authorities and then no civil law or authorities can stand. Now how about all these supposedly homeless people that are at many major interections in the major cities or who roam the streets begging for money. In cases where scams or fraudulent activities are involved, the Catholic Church unequivocally condemns such actions. The Church promotes honesty, integrity, and respect for the well-being and dignity of all individuals. Engaging in scams or fraudulent practices goes against these principles and is inconsistent with the teachings of the Church. If you see these scams you simply point them to Catholic or Civil chariyies and do not just hand over money. Once again this just underminds credible poor who are in most need. Provide money to charities and let them distriubite them accordingly. We have so many shelters and food panties operated by the church. I remember myt day providing food to a catholic food bank and they told him that the people are tired of the breads and soup he provides. He stopped providing all together. Today we have a spoiled poor that insist creature conforts are their rights. Nope, you want to get a job. You are doing them no good. 2 Thessalonians 3:10: "For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." This verse emphasizes the necessity of work, and the responsibility individuals have to contribute to their own well-being and that of the community. Ephesians 4:28: "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." St. Paul emphasizes the transformation of a thief into an honest worker who not only supports himself but also has the ability to help others in need through his labor. Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." This passage highlights the idea that work should be done with enthusiasm and dedication, considering it as a service to God rather than merely a means of pleasing people. St. Paul's teachings on work emphasize the dignity of labor and the responsibility to contribute to society through honest and diligent work. He encourages believers to approach their work with integrity, generosity, and a recognition of the spiritual dimension of their efforts. Knowing I use St Thomas Aquinas as my go to guidance this is what he said on the matter of Charity. Aquinas's perspective: The Principle of Common Use: Aquinas believed that the goods of the earth are meant to be shared in common among all people. He recognized private property rights but emphasized that individuals have a moral obligation to use their possessions in a way that benefits the common good and supports the needs of the poor. The Virtue of Charity: Aquinas considered charity as one of the theological virtues, rooted in love for God and love for one's neighbor. He argued that the wealthy have a duty to practice charity by giving generously to assist those in poverty. Charity, for Aquinas, involves not only material aid but also care for the spiritual well-being of the poor. The Principle of Subsidiarity: Aquinas advocated for the principle of subsidiarity, which suggests that societal issues, including poverty alleviation, should be addressed at the most local and immediate level possible. He emphasized the importance of local communities and charitable organizations in providing direct assistance to the poor, while also recognizing the role of the state in establishing just social structures and policies. The Virtue of Justice: Aquinas also emphasized the importance of justice in addressing poverty. He believed that it is the duty of society, including its political authorities, to establish and enforce just laws and economic systems that promote the well-being of all individuals, particularly the poor and vulnerable. Aquinas's teachings highlight the moral obligation to care for the poor, emphasizing both individual acts of charity and the responsibility of society as a whole. His writings offer a philosophical and theological framework for understanding and addressing poverty based on principles of love, justice, and solidarity. That is exactly why the Church established organizations that were better trained and equipped to do just that.

Fire: Symbol of the First Week of Lent Rachel L. Lozowski 'Great fires' dot the landscapes in the first week of Lent In the Church's liturgy, during the 40 days of Lent various themes and symbols imbue each week of the penitential season. Every Sunday has its unique character that determines the spirit of the approaching week: a spirit that encouraged Catholics of the past to develop corresponding customs. The First Sunday of Lent & fire The First Sunday of Lent (Quadragesima) is the solemn opening of Lent in the Western Church. In Medieval Germany this Sunday is called "White Sunday" or "Spark Sunday." Grand pyres of wood & brush are constructed to be consumed on the First Sunday of Lent Dom Guéranger tells us that "in the Middle-Ages [more especially in France], it was called Brand Sunday, because the young people, who had misconducted themselves during the carnival, were obliged to show themselves today, at the Church, with a torch in their hands, as a kind of public satisfaction for their riot and excess."(1) Perhaps this practice of the Church inspired the custom of people lighting fires and torches on hilltops on this Sunday. Fire is a fitting symbol for the first week of Lent signifying purification and punishment, two themes impressed deeply upon the minds of the faithful during Lent. Fires during this time of the year are also symbolic of the burning away of Winter to make way for the coming of Spring. Winter is symbolic of death and Spring of new life: thus must Lent drive out the Winter of death in our souls and bring the Spring of new life in Christ through His Resurrection. In the Belgian Ardennes and parts of France, Luxembourg and Germany, this Sunday is known as the "Sunday of the Great Fires" (dimanche des Brandons or Buersonndeg). A few days before the Sunday, children or young men go from house to house begging for wood that is used to light the fires that will burn on every hilltop. (2) The young people are rarely turned away, because it is believed that if a family neglects its duty to contribute fuel for these fires, that family will suffer from a poor harvest. (3) In Luxembourg and Germany, large pyres (called castles or buergen) are made with wood, straw, branches or pine trees, and a wooden or straw cross is raised above each pyre. The young people (more traditionally the young men) in larger cities process to the fire carrying burning torches that are thrown onto the pyre to light the bonfire. (4) Often, the most recently married man throws the first torch to light the fire. A double symbol In France, the men lead the torch-lit processions to the bonfire where mannequins known as "guys" are burnt. (5) In some regions of Germany, the men also burn an effigy, except that theirs is a straw man who is paraded through the town as the men ask for wood and straw for the fires. These effigies represent Winter or Carnival, both of which must cede their places to the natural season of Spring and the liturgical season of Lent. Once the fires are lit in Belgium, young men and women dance around them asking God to give good success to their crops in the coming year. In parts of Germany, it is traditional for men to run around the fires holding flaming torches and to attempt to leap over the flames. (6) At the end of the bonfire in Luxembourg, a newly-wed couple welcomes all the young people to their home for refreshments and convivium. In Belgium, it was believed that if a man saw seven fires he would be free from the power of witches. Children were told that they would receive as many Easter eggs as fires that they saw on this night. The fires were so prized that the Belgians believed that anyone who did not light the "great fire" would be chastened by God, Who would send fire to burn the house of the obstinate person. (7) In the past, the Germans not only lit bonfires but also sent the flaming wood structures down the hillsides. German men and boys near the border of Hesse and Bavaria and in the Eifel Mountains of Rhenish Prussia set ablaze a wheel made of wood and other combustibles and chased it down a hillside carrying flaming torches as they ran. When the wheel crashed at the bottom of the hill, the men burst into traditional songs and carried their lighted torches through the fields. These fires were lit to honor Our Lady who brought the true Light into the world and to drive away the demons. The men hoped that Our Lady would reward this gesture by blessing the fields and protecting them from hail storms. Fire will consume the water and land in the Apocalypse The butchers and weavers of Konz had a similar custom. They tied a wheel to a live oak tree on the Thursday before the First Sunday of Lent. On Sunday, the tree was cut down and set ablaze before being sent rolling down the hillside with the flaming wheel. The butchers rode swiftly after the fire wheel shooting arrows at it as they rode. (8) In Hungary, the girls of the village, singing a traditional song, walked around a simple wooden hut constructed by the village boys earlier in the day. At the conclusion of the song, the girls all knelt down to pray. One girl was chosen to light the hut with the flame of a blessed candle. Then the boys lit their wooden rings (sajbos) until they glowed with flames. The strongest boy shouted: "This sajbo belongs to the Holy Virgin!" Then, he used a stick to throw his flaming ring against a plank and send it flying into the night sky. All of the boys followed suit, with rings tossed for all their patron saints as well as for fathers, mothers, sweethearts, fellow villagers and even gypsies. (9) Lent is a time of purification and penance, a time for the old man to die with Christ in order to rise again with Him. What better way to illustrate this truth than by lighting fires at the beginning of Lent? The fire symbolizes the burning away not only of Winter and Carnival, but also the last vestiges of sin and the disordered passions. These fires lit at the beginning of Lent also are a preamble for the Easter fires soon to follow. If the fire of penance and mortification cleanses our souls during Lent, the Easter fires will bring hope. But woe to the man who does not allow the fire of penance and mortification to cleanse his soul for Easter. For such a man, the Easter fire, instead of bringing hope, serves merely as a reminder of the fires of Hell or Purgatory that he will have to undergo because he did not allow the graces of Lent to purify his soul.

You know Bishop Sheen’s said "There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the catholic church but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the catholic church” In other words there are truly millions who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church. That is how, in 1938, Father Fulton Sheen (by that time, Monsignor) found himself writing a preface for the American edition of Radio Replies, an Australian Catholic Q & A book inspired by the programs of radio evangelist Father Charles Rumble. And so, as Fr. Sheen placed pen to paper, he earnestly wrestled, “How does one astutely answer the skeptic, the doubter, or the antagonist of the Catholic Faith? And how does one draw ‘potentials’ into the Church?” Here is what he said. There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church which is, of course, quite a different thing. These millions can hardly be blamed for hating Catholics because Catholics “adore statues;” because they “put the Blessed Mother on the same level with God;” because they say, “indulgence is a permission to commit sin;” because the Pope “is a Fascist”; because the “Church is the defender of Capitalism.” If the Church taught or believed any one of these things it should be hated, but the fact is that the Church does not believe nor teach any one of them. It follows then that the hatred of the millions is directed against error and not against truth. In fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do. If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates… Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church, which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church, which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men… If then, the hatred of the Church is founded on erroneous beliefs, it follows that basic need of the day is instruction. Love depends on knowledge for we cannot aspire nor desire the unknown. Our great country is filled with what might be called marginal Catholics, those who live on the fringe of religion and who are descendants of Catholic living parents, but who now are Catholics only in name. They retain a few of its ideals out of indolence and force of habit; they knew the glorious history of Catholicism only through certain emasculated forms of it, which have married the spirit of the age and are now dying with it. Of Catholicism and its sacraments, its pardon, its grace, its certitude, and its peace, they know nothing except a few inherited prejudices. And yet they are good people who want to do the right thing, but who have no definite philosophy concerning it. They educate their children without religion, and yet they resent the compromising morals of their children. They would be angry if you told them they were not Catholic, and yet they do not believe that Christ is God. They resent being called pagans and yet they never take a practical cognizance of the existence of God. There is only one thing about which they are certain and that is that things are not right as they are. It is just that single certitude which makes them what might be called the great “potentials,” for they are ready to be pulled in either of two directions. Within a short time they must take sides; they must either gather with Christ or they must scatter; they must either be with Him or against Him; they must either be on the cross as other Christs, or under it as other executioners. Which way will these marginal Christians tend? … Only this much is certain. Being human and having hearts they want more than class struggle and economics; they want Life, they want Truth, and they want Love. In a word, they want Christ. It is to these millions who believe wrong things about the Church and to these marginal Christians, that this little book is sent. It is not to prove that they are “wrong;” it is not to prove that we are “right;” it is merely to present the truth in order that the truth may conquer through the grace of God.” So how do we take Fulton Sheens comments from 1938 which is not only pre-WWII which seemed to change the worlds thinking but over 85 years ago, Well I would say our parents and grandparents probably were not one of those Millions of Catholics and in fact they were probably those standing firm to defend their church. But what do we see now as our generation of baby-boomers have not only walked away but at times take great pleasure in attacking the mystical body of Christ? Well our generation can add to Fulton Sheens comments by adding: • Pedophile Priests • Embezzling priests • Heretical Priests • Unholy marriages • Abortion for more than 60% of Catholics • Children not being taught in the faith but in the social media of our time • Churches being built like barns while people build mansions for themselves • Sacrilegious reception of the holy sacrament • Almost a complete destruction of the Holy mass • Almost a complete abandonment of Church doctrine and teachings. • No more funeral masses but only “Celebration of life” • Catholics who get married in fields instead of in the presence of the holy eucharist. • Working and shopping on Sunday • Homosexual blessings for couples. • Significant use of birth control • Significant number of couples living together before marriage. What do we say these 85 years later? The same as Fulton sheen said in 1938, this is neither the Catholic Church nor are these people living Catholic Lives. In 2024, we as Catholics must stop and take account of the fact that if we as Catholics do not live the Catholic Faith than so goes to the Church and its prelates. Christ will merely allow us to go down that road out of our free will but will never abandon his mystical body. You want to change the perception than change yourself first and then Christ will pour his graces on not only you but his Church What we are seeing and experiencing today is what we have created which is a complete apostacy! Pray pray pray every day because it is only through praying and practicing your catholic faith that will change things. Those with the Rosary in their hands are more powerful than all the strongest of militaries. God Bless and Good Day.

We need to go back and learn what the Church Councils were about and how they affected our Church and Catholic Faith.

Reasons for the Catholic Church Condemning Freemasonry – Part 1 In the mid 18th century rumors were circulating in French circles that the Pope was about to revoke Clement XII’s Bull In Eminenti Apostolatus against freemasonry. To squelch those rumors, Benedict XIV issued the Bull Providas Romanorum Pontificum in May 1751. It reiterated the wording of Clement XII's document in order to make it very evident that the condemnation of Freemasonry was irrevocable and was to be applied to the future as well as to the present. Below is an excerpt of Providas Romanum Pontificum. Benedict XIV pope from 1740 to 1758. In order to prevent anyone from saying that We have imprudently omitted anything to swiftly eradicate the pretext of deceitful calumnies and silence them, after heeding the counsel of some of Our Brother Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, We confirm the same Constitution of Our Predecessor [In Eminenti Apostolatus], word for word, as set out above, which must be considered the broadest and more efficacious on the matter: In our full knowledge and in the plenitude of Our Apostolic authority We confirm it, validate it, renew it and desire and decree that it must have perpetual force and efficacy in all things, according to its content, as if it had been promulgated by Our motu proprio and with Our authority and had been published the first time by Us. Truly, among the most grave reasons for the prohibitions and condemnations set forth in the mentioned Constitution, there is one whereby in such society [Freemasonry] and secret meetings men of all religions or sects can join together in close gatherings; it is clear that this can harm the purity of the Catholic Religion. The second reason is the strict and impenetrable promise of secrecy, which forces one to hide what he does in those meetings, to which one can properly apply this saying of Cecilio Natale to Minucio Felice on a different topic: 'Honest things always love the public light; the evil ones are secret.' The third reason is the secret oath by which one [a member of Freemasonry] commits to inviolably observe, in such a way that it is permited for him when questioned by a legitimate power, to use any excuse - be it a promise or an oath - to avoid the obligation of confessing everything asked of him in order to know whether anything in those secret meetings is done contrary to the stability and the laws of Religion and the Republic. The fourth reason is that these Societies are opposed to both Civil and Canonic sanctions, taking into account that Civil Law prohibits gatherings and meetings without the permission of the public authority, as one reads in the Pandette (book 47, tit. 22, De Collegis et corposibus illicitis) and in the famous letter of C. Plinio Cecilio (n. 97 of book 10), who reports that it was forbidden by his edict, under the direct command of the Emperor, for Eterie to take place, that is, for societies and meetings to exist and gather without the authorization of the Emperor. August 14, 1941, Auschwitz concentration Maximilian Kolbe to the Masons: You Are Controlled by the Jews Editorial on the Santa Iglesia Militante Blog In 1917 Maximilian Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculata. His fight was not turned toward killing the enemies of the Church, but aimed to convert them so they could achieve eternal salvation. It is in this spirit that he addressed his enemies. Talmud The Talmud: a collection of anti-Catholic instructions In an article titled “The Poor Ones” he describes the hatred expressed for Christ and His Church in The Talmud: “Man was redeemed, and Christ founded His Church upon a rock. Some of the Hebrew people recognized Him as the Messiah, but others – among them principally the Pharisees – did not want to recognize Him. Instead, they persecuted His followers and issued numerous laws obliging the Jews to persecute the Christians. These laws, together with stories and appendixes, became their sacred book called The Talmud around the year 500. “In this book Christians are called idolaters, worse than Turks, murderers, impure libertines; they are manure, animals in human form, worse than animals, children of the Devil, etc. Catholic priests are called fortune-tellers and bald-headed dunces … the Church is called a house of stupidity and filth; sacred statues, medals and rosaries are called idols. In The Talmud Sundays and holy days of obligation are considered days of perdition. “This book teaches, among other things, that a Hebrew can deceive a Christian and steal from him since all the properties of a Christian are – from the text itself – ‘like the desert, the first to take them becomes the owner.’ “This book, written in 12 volumes and breathing hatred against Christ, is considered by these Pharisees a sacred book, more important than Sacred Scriptures.” At the time of the International Congress of Freemasonry in Bucharest in 1926, Fr. Kolbe wrote the article "Rycerz Niepokalanej" [The Knight of the Immaculate] in which one reads: Structure of Freemasonry The secret structure of Freemasonry is controlled by the Jews “These men [the Freemasons] believe that they are the ones who will rule everything, but let us hear what is written in the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. Protocol n. 11 states: ‘We will create and put in effect the laws and the governments … in opportune moments … by means of national rebellions. … What we want is that the multitudes, disoriented by the revolt, still in a condition of terror and uncertainty, should understand once and for all that we are so strong, so untouchable, so powerful that in no way will we take into account their opinions and wishes. Instead we are ready and able to crush with irresistible power their manifestations at any moment and in every place. … Then, in fear and trembling, they will close their eyes to everything and await the consequences. … “For what purpose have we created this policy and insinuated it into the minds of the Masons, without giving them any possibility of examining its underlying meaning? ... This is what has served as the basis for our secret organization of Masonry, whose existence is not known or even suspected by these cattle, attracted by us into the army of Masonic lodges.” Here, Fr. Kolbe directs himself to the Masons, saying, “Freemasons, did you hear this? The Hebrews, who have secretly organized and secretly direct you, consider you as beasts, recruited into the Masonic lodges for ends that you neither know nor suspect … Are you aware, Freemasons, of what awaits those among you who will begin to think for themselves? Listen to this in the same Protocol: ‘Death is the inevitable conclusion of every life … We will execute the Masons in a way that no one can suspect, not even the victims themselves: They will all die at the moment it is deemed necessary, apparently because of common illnesses.’ Kolbe Fr. Kolbe wanted to save the Jews, but this didn't prevent him from denouncing their conspiracy The saint Founder continues: “Freemasons, you who recently during the Bucharest Congress were pleased by the fact that Masonry is growing stronger everywhere, reflect well and answer sincerely: Is it not better to serve the Creator with interior peace … rather than to obey the orders of those who hate you?” Finally, Maximilian Kolbe directs himself to the secret Chiefs of Freemasonry with these words: “And you, small squadron of Hebrews, the ‘learned elders of Zion,’ who have already consciously provoked so many misfortunes and are preparing yet others, to you I direct this question: What advantage will you gain? … A huge accumulation of gold, pleasures, diversions and power, but none of this makes man happy. And if still it should give some happiness, how long will it last? Ten years perhaps, or twenty … I ask you, Hebrew leaders, you who have let yourselves be seduced by Satan, the enemy of humanity, would it not be better for you also to return sincerely to God?” In another article of 1926, Fr. Kolbe, again citing the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, wrote: “They say of themselves: ‘Who or what is in a position to overthrow an invisible force? And this is precisely what our force is. Gentile Freemasonry only serves as a screen for us and our objectives, but our plan of action will always remain unknown by the people.” The Saint then presents his position with subtle irony: “But we are an army whose ‘Commander’ knows each and every one of the enemies, who has observed and observes every one of their hidden actions, each one of their words, and even their very thoughts. Ask yourselves, under such conditions, can one speak of secret plans, clandestine actions and invisibility?” And here Fr. Kolbe reveals the name of the “Commander” of his army: “It is the Immaculate Virgin, the refuge of sinners, but also the one who tramples the infernal Serpent. She will crush its head!” The fifth reason is that in many regions and cities, the mentioned societies and groups have already been proscribed and banned by laws of the secular Princes. Finally, the last reason is that prudent and honest men have faulted the mentioned societies and groups: by their judgment anyone who becomes a member of them incurs a stigma of depravity and perversion.

"True Devotion to Mary" (original title: "Traité de la Vraie Dévotion à la Sainte Vierge") is a classic spiritual work written by Saint Louis de Montfort, a French Catholic priest and a prominent advocate of Marian devotion. The book was first published in 1712 and has since become one of the most influential and widely read texts on the topic of devotion to the Virgin Mary. Overview of the Book: Purpose: The main objective of "True Devotion to Mary" is to inspire and guide Christians in developing a profound and authentic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ. Marian Devotion: Saint Louis de Montfort firmly believed that devotion to Mary is a powerful means of drawing closer to Jesus and deepening one's spiritual life. He saw Mary as a perfect model of discipleship and sought to encourage believers to emulate her virtues and holiness. Marian devotion refers to the various acts of love, veneration, and reverence shown by Catholics and some other Christian denominations towards the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It has been an integral part of Christian spirituality for centuries and is rooted in the belief that Mary holds a unique and exalted place among all human beings as the Mother of God. Key Aspects of Marian Devotion: Intercessor and Mediatrix: One of the central aspects of Marian devotion is the belief in Mary's intercessory role. Many Christians turn to Mary to intercede with her Son, Jesus, on their behalf, seeking her prayers and protection. This belief is based on the idea that as the mother of Jesus, Mary has a special closeness to Him and holds a privileged place in heaven, making her a powerful intercessor for those who approach her with trust and faith. Immaculate Conception and Assumption: Marian devotion often involves the veneration of Mary's unique privileges and honors, such as her Immaculate Conception (the belief that she was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception) and her Assumption (the belief that she was taken body and soul into heaven after her earthly life). These dogmas, proclaimed by the Catholic Church, highlight Mary's extraordinary role in God's plan for salvation. Prayers and Devotions: Various prayers and devotions are dedicated to Mary, including the Hail Mary, the Rosary, the Angelus, the Memorare, and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These prayers express love, praise, and petitions to Mary, seeking her guidance and protection. Marian Apparitions: Throughout history, there have been numerous reports of Marian apparitions, where Mary is said to have appeared to individuals or groups. Some of the most well-known Marian apparitions include Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico), Lourdes (France), Fatima (Portugal). These apparitions often carry messages of peace, conversion, and prayer, and they have led to increased devotion and pilgrimage to the sites where they occurred. Marian Feasts and Festivals: The liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church includes various feasts dedicated to Mary. Some notable Marian feasts include the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1st), the Feast of the Assumption (August 15th), and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th). These celebrations provide opportunities for believers to honor and commemorate Mary's role in salvation history. Art and Symbolism: Marian devotion is also expressed through art and symbolism. Mary is often depicted in paintings and sculptures as the Madonna and Child, a loving mother holding the infant Jesus. Symbolic representations, such as the Miraculous Medal or the Scapular, are worn by believers as reminders of their devotion to Mary and her protection. It is essential to note that while Marian devotion is particularly prominent in the Catholic Church, it is not limited to Catholicism. Some Orthodox Christians and other Christian denominations also hold a special reverence for Mary, albeit with some theological differences. Marian devotion, at its core, seeks to foster a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ by approaching Him through the loving intercession of His mother, Mary. It is seen as a path of spiritual enrichment, drawing believers closer to the teachings and example of Christ, as embodied in His mother's life. Total Consecration: One of the central themes of the book is the idea of "consecration" to Mary. Saint Louis de Montfort proposed a method of consecration known as "Total Consecration," wherein a person willingly gives themselves entirely to Mary, surrendering their will, desires, and actions to her care, so that she may lead them closer to Christ. Total Consecration is a spiritual practice of giving oneself entirely to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a means to grow in holiness and to draw closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. It is based on the teachings and writings of Saint Louis de Montfort, particularly found in his book "True Devotion to Mary." The practice involves a formal act of consecration, where an individual offers themselves as a willing servant and child of Mary, entrusting all their thoughts, actions, and possessions to her care. Key Aspects of Total Consecration: Preparation: Total Consecration is not a decision to be taken lightly. Saint Louis de Montfort emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation, typically lasting 33 days. During this period, the individual engages in a process of self-examination, prayer, and reflection on their relationship with God, Mary, and their own spiritual journey. Knowledge of Mary: The preparation phase includes learning about the life and virtues of Mary. Participants are encouraged to study her role in salvation history, her humility, obedience, purity, and unwavering faith, so that they may better model their lives after her example. Acts of Piety: Throughout the preparation period, individuals are encouraged to engage in acts of piety, such as praying the Rosary, attending Mass, participating in Eucharistic adoration, and performing acts of charity and self-denial. Act of Consecration: At the end of the preparation period, on the day of consecration, the individual makes a formal and public act of consecration. This is usually done in the presence of a priest, during a Mass, or in a special liturgical ceremony. In this act, the individual offers themselves entirely to Mary, seeking to be united with her in mind, heart, and will. Total Surrender to Mary: The essence of Total Consecration lies in the total surrender of oneself to Mary's guidance and care. By consecrating themselves to her, individuals express their desire to have Mary play an active role in their spiritual life, relying on her intercession and motherly guidance to lead them closer to Christ. Effects of Total Consecration: Saint Louis de Montfort believed that Total Consecration to Mary would result in a profound transformation of the individual's spiritual life. He taught that Mary would protect, guide, and sanctify the consecrated person, leading them to a deeper union with Jesus and a more Christ-like life. It is essential to note that while Total Consecration is a particularly significant practice in Catholic spirituality, other Christian traditions also express devotion to Mary and seek her intercession in various ways. Total Consecration remains a meaningful and powerful practice for many believers who wish to deepen their devotion to Mary and to seek a closer relationship with her Son, Jesus Christ. However, like any spiritual practice, its effectiveness lies in the sincere intention and commitment of the individual to live out the consecration in their daily life. Forms of Devotion: The book presents various forms of Marian devotion, including prayers, hymns, and practices that can be incorporated into daily life to strengthen the bond with Mary. Here are some common forms of devotion to Mary: The Rosary: The Rosary is one of the most popular and widely practiced forms of Marian devotion. It consists of a set of prayers, including the Hail Mary, the Our Father, and the Glory Be, that are recited while meditating on specific events in the lives of Jesus and Mary called "Mysteries." The Rosary is often prayed using a set of beads to help keep track of the prayers and meditations. Marian Hymns and Chants: Throughout history, many beautiful hymns and chants have been composed in honor of the Virgin Mary. Some well-known examples include "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above," "Ave Maria" (Hail Mary), and the "Salve Regina" (Hail, Holy Queen). Marian Feasts and Festivals: The liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church includes various feasts dedicated to Mary. These celebrations provide opportunities for believers to honor and commemorate Mary's role in salvation history. Some examples of Marian feasts include the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the Feast of the Assumption. Pilgrimages to Marian Shrines: Many believers undertake pilgrimages to Marian shrines around the world as an expression of their devotion. These shrines are often associated with reported apparitions of Mary or have become places of special significance due to miracles or historical events. Marian Confraternities: Some Catholic communities have Marian confraternities, which are associations of the faithful who come together to promote devotion to Mary and undertake acts of piety and service. Miraculous Medals and Scapulars: The Miraculous Medal and various scapulars are sacramentals associated with Marian devotion. The Miraculous Medal, based on a vision received by St. Catherine Labouré, is worn as a pendant and is believed to bring graces through Mary's intercession. Scapulars, which are small pieces of cloth worn as a symbol of dedication to Mary, come in various forms, such as the Brown Scapular or the Green Scapular. Marian Processions: In some cultures, processions are organized to honor Mary, where statues or images of her are carried through the streets while participants pray and sing hymns. These forms of devotion are not only ways to honor Mary but are also seen as means to draw believers closer to Christ. Through these practices, many find comfort, solace, and spiritual growth as they seek Mary's intercession and guidance in their journey of faith. It is important to note that while these forms of devotion are most prevalent in the Catholic Church, some other Christian denominations also express their devotion to Mary in various ways. Spiritual Insights: Throughout the book, Saint Louis de Montfort shares profound spiritual insights on topics like humility, obedience, and self-denial, drawing from the life of Mary as portrayed in the Bible. Spiritual insights, also known as spiritual wisdom or spiritual truths, are profound understandings and revelations that individuals gain through their spiritual journeys and experiences. These insights often arise from deep contemplation, prayer, meditation, and reflection on spiritual matters. They can be transformative and have a profound impact on a person's beliefs, values, and understanding of life's purpose. Here are some common spiritual insights: Divine Presence: Many individuals on a spiritual path come to realize the immanence of the Divine or the presence of God in all aspects of life. This insight often leads to a deep sense of connection with the sacred and a recognition of the divine within themselves and others. Unity and Interconnectedness: Spiritual insights often reveal the interconnectedness of all beings and creation. This understanding fosters a sense of unity, compassion, and a recognition that the well-being of one is linked to the well-being of all. Impermanence and Change: Spiritual seekers often gain insight into the impermanent nature of life and the inevitability of change. This understanding encourages acceptance and detachment from material possessions and transient experiences. Gratitude and Contentment: Many spiritual journeys lead individuals to a greater appreciation for life's blessings and an attitude of gratitude. They find contentment in simplicity and learn to focus on the present moment rather than dwelling on past regrets or future worries. Compassion and Love: Spiritual insights frequently bring about an expansion of the heart, fostering feelings of compassion, love, and kindness towards all beings. This love is not limited to friends and family but extends to strangers and even perceived adversaries. Surrender and Trust: Spiritual wisdom often involves letting go of the need for absolute control and learning to surrender to a higher power or divine plan. Trusting in this higher guidance brings peace and alleviates anxieties. Forgiveness and Healing: Many spiritual journeys lead individuals to confront past wounds and seek forgiveness, both for themselves and others. This process of healing brings about emotional freedom and fosters inner peace. Transcendence of Ego: Spiritual insights often involve recognizing the limitations of the ego and its tendency to create division, judgment, and attachment. Letting go of the ego's grip leads to a greater sense of oneness and inner freedom. Service and Selflessness: As individuals deepen their spiritual understanding, they may feel called to serve others selflessly, motivated by a desire to alleviate suffering and promote the well-being of all. Unity of Religions: Some spiritual insights lead individuals to see the underlying unity and shared values among various religious traditions, transcending apparent differences and promoting interfaith harmony. It is essential to note that spiritual insights are highly personal and subjective, varying from person to person based on their unique experiences, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds. They can be deeply transformative and guide individuals toward living more meaningful, compassionate, and purposeful lives. Additionally, these insights can be an ongoing part of a person's spiritual journey, continually evolving and deepening as they grow in their spiritual understanding. Marian Love and Service: "True Devotion to Mary" emphasizes the importance of genuine love and service to Mary, not as an end in itself, but as a means to draw nearer to Jesus and to live a more Christ-centered life. Renewal of the Church: Saint Louis de Montfort believed that devotion to Mary would lead to a spiritual renewal of the Church and the world. He saw Mary as a powerful intercessor before God, and by turning to her, believers could experience God's grace and mercy in abundance. Endorsement and Impact: Over the years, "True Devotion to Mary" has received significant endorsement from various popes and has influenced numerous saints and spiritual leaders. It continues to be read and practiced by countless Catholics and Christians around the world.

Read St Pope Pius X oath against modernism and say it with your family.

Daily Prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary For Sunday MOTHER of my God, look down upon a poor sinner, who has recourse to thee and puts his trust in thee. I am not worthy that thou shouldst even cast thine eyes upon me; but I know that thou, beholding Jesus thy Son dying for sinners, dost yearn exceedingly to save them. O Mother of Mercy, look on my miseries and have pity upon me. Men say thou art the refuge of the sinner, the hope of the desperate, the aid of the lost; thou art, then, my refuge, hope and aid. It is thy prayers which must save me. For the love of Jesus Christ be my help; reach forth thy hand to the poor fallen sinner who recommends himself to thee. I know that it is thy joy to aid the sinner when thou canst; help me now, for thou canst help me. By my sins I have forfeited the grace of God and my own soul. I place myself in thy hands; oh, tell me what to do that I may regain the grace of God, and I will do it. My Savior bids me to come to thee for help; He wills that I should look to thy pity; that so, not only the merits of thy Son, but thine own prayers, too, may unite to save me. To thee, then, I have recourse: pray to Jesus for me; and make known the great good thou canst do for one who trusts in thee. Be it done unto me according to my hope. Amen. (Pray 3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies uttered against the Blessed Virgin Mary.) For Monday MOST holy Mary, Queen of heaven, I, who was once the slave of the Evil One, now dedicate myself to thy service forever; and I offer myself to honor and to serve thee as long as I live. Accept me for thy servant, and cast me not away from thee, as I deserve. In thee, O my Mother, I place all my hope. All blessing and thanksgiving be to God, who in His mercy gave me this trust in thee. True it is, that in time past I have fallen miserably into sin; but by the merits of Jesus Christ, and by thy prayers, I hope that God has pardoned me. But this is not enough, my Mother. One thought distresses me; it is that I may yet lose the grace of God. Danger is ever near; the devil sleeps not; fresh temptations assail me. Protect me, then, my Queen; help me against the assaults of my spiritual enemy. Never let me sin again, or offend Jesus thy Son. Let me not by sin lose my soul, Heaven, and my God. This one grace, Mary, I ask of thee; this is my desire, this may your prayers obtain for me. Such is my hope. Amen. (Pray 3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies uttered against the Blessed Virgin Mary) For Tuesday MOST holy Mary, Mother of Goodness, Mother of Mercy, when I reflect upon my sins and upon the moment of my death, I tremble and am confounded. O my sweetest Mother, in the blood of Jesus, in thy intercession, are my hopes. Comforter of the sad, abandon me not at that hour; fail not to console me in that affliction. If even now I am so tormented by remorse for the sins I have committed, the uncertainty of my pardon, the danger of a relapse, and the strictness of the Judgment, how will it be with me then? O my Mother, before death overtakes me, obtain for me great sorrow for my sins, a true amendment, and constant fidelity to God for the remainder of my life. And when at length my hour has come, then do thou, Mary, my hope, be my aid in those great troubles wherewith my soul will be encompassed. Strengthen me, that I may not despair when the enemy sets my sins before my face. Obtain for me at that moment grace to invoke thee often, so that with thy sweet name and that of thy most holy Son upon my lips I may breathe forth my spirit. This grace thou hast granted to many of thy servants; this, too, is my hope and my desire. Amen. (Pray 3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies uttered against the Blessed Virgin Mary.) For Wednesday MOTHER of God, most holy Mary, how often by my sins have I merited hell! Long ago, perhaps, judgment would have gone forth against my first mortal sin, hadst thou not, in thy tender pity, delayed the justice of God, and afterward attracted me by thy sweetness to have confidence in thy prayers. And oh, how very often should I have fallen in the dangers which beset my steps hadst thou not, loving Mother that thou art, preserved me by the grace thou didst obtain for me by thy prayers. But, my Queen, what will thy pity and favors avail me, if after all I perish in the flames of hell? If there was once a time when I loved thee not, now, next to God, I love thee before all. Wherefore, henceforth and forever, let me not turn my back upon thee and upon my God, who through thee hast granted me so many mercies. O Lady, most worthy of all love, let it not be I thy child, should be doomed to hate and to curse thee forever in hell. Thou wilt surely never permit thy servant to be lost who loves thee. O Mary, say not that I ever can be lost! Yet lost I shall assuredly be if I abandon thee. But who could ever have the heart to leave thee? Who can ever forget thy love? No, it is impossible for that man to perish who faithfully recommends himself to thee and has recourse to thee. Only leave me not, my Mother, in my own hands, or I am lost! Let me but cling to thee! Save me, my hope! Save me from hell; or, rather, save me from sin, which alone can condemn me to hell. Amen. (Let us pray 3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies uttered against the Blessed Virgin Mary.) For Thursday QUEEN of Heaven, thou sittest enthroned above all the choirs of angels nearest to God; from this vale of miseries, I, a poor sinner, say to thee,“Hail Mary,” praying to thee in thy love to turn upon me thy gracious eyes.See, Mary, the dangers among which I dwell, and shall ever have to dwell while I live upon this earth. I may yet lose my soul, heaven and God. In thee, Lady, is my hope. I love thee; and I yearn for the time when I shall see myself safe at thy feet. What shall I kiss that hand, which has dispensed to me so many graces? Alas, it is too true, my Mother, that I have ever been very ungrateful during my whole life; but if I get to heaven, then I will love thee there every moment for all eternity and make there reparation in some part for my ingratitude by ever blessing and praising thee. Thanks be to God that He has granted me this hope through the precious blood of Jesus, and through thy powerful intercession. This has been the hope of all thy true lovers; and not one of them has been defrauded of this hope. No, neither shall I be defrauded of this hope. O Mary, pray to thine own Son Jesus, as I too pray to Him, by the merits of His passion, to strengthen and increase this hope. Amen. (Let us pray 3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies uttered against the Blessed Virgin Mary.) For Friday O MARY, thou art the noblest, highest, purest, fairest creature of God, the holiest of all creatures! Oh, that all men knew thee, loved thee, my Queen, as thou deservest! Yet great is my consolation, Mary, in that there are blessed souls in the courts of heaven, and just souls still on earth, whose hearts are enthralled by thy beauty and goodness. But above all I rejoice in this, that our God Himself loves thee alone more than all men and angels together. I, too, O loveliest Queen, I, a miserable sinner, dare to love thee, though my love is too little; would that I had a greater love, a more tender love; this thou must gain for me, since to love thee is a great mark of predestination,and a grace which God grants to those who shall be saved. Moreover, O my Mother, when I reflect upon the debt I owe thy Son, I see He deserves of me an immeasurable love. Do thou, then, who hast no other desire but to see Him loved, pray that I may have this grace – a great love for Jesus Christ. Obtain it, thou who dost obtain what thou desirest. I covet not goods of earth, nor honors, nor riches, but I desire that which thine own heart desires most – to love my God alone. Oh, can it be that thou wilt not aid me in a desire so acceptable to thee? No, it is impossible! Even now I feel thy help; even now thou dost pray for me. Pray for me, Mary, pray; nor ever cease to pray, till thou seest me safe in heaven, where I shall be certain of possessing and of loving my God and thee, my dearest Mother, forever and ever. Amen. (Let us pray 3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies uttered against the Blessed Virgin Mary.) For Saturday MOST holy Mary, I know the graces which thou hast obtained for me, and I know the ingratitude which I have shown thee. The ungrateful man is unworthy of favors, and yet for all this I will not distrust in thy mercy. O my great Advocate, have pity on me. Thou, Mary, art the stewardess of every grace which God vouchsafes to give us sinners, and therefore did He make thee so mightily rich and kind, that thou might succor us. I will that I may be saved: in thy hands I place my eternal salvation, to thee I consign my soul. I will to be associated with those who are thy special servants; reject me not. Thou art always seeking,the wretched to console them. Cast not away, then a wretched sinner who has recourse to thee. Speak for me, Mary; thy Son will grant what thou shalt ask Him. Take me under thy protection, and it is enough for me; for with thee to guard me I fear no ill – no, not even my sins, because thou wilt obtain God’s pardon for them; neither evil spirits, because thou art far mightier than hell; nor my Judge Jesus Christ, for at thy prayer He will lay aside His wrath. Protect me, then, my Mother; obtain for me pardon of my sins, love of Jesus, holy perseverance, a good death, and heaven. It is true, I merit not these graces; yet do thou only ask them of our God and I shall obtain them. Pray, then, to Jesus for me. Mary, my Queen, in thee I trust; in this I trust, I rest, I live; and with this hope I wish to die. Amen. (Let us pray 3 Hail Marys in reparation for blasphemies uttered against the Blessed Virgin Mary.)

The Feast of the Purification of Our Lady on February 2, also known as Candlemas, was an important day that marked a turning point in the year for Catholic men of the past candlemas procession. The term Candlemas comes from the custom of blessing candles and having candlelit processions on this day. In the Middle Ages, the churches would be filled with lighted candles, creating a sort of fairy world of light to honor Our Lady. Even today, many traditional Catholic parishes preserve some of these old customs. All of the candles to be used in the church in the coming year are blessed in a special ceremony with five prayers and the singing of the Asperges, followed by a candlelit procession. In the Middle Ages, this procession went into the churchyard past the graves of deceased parishioners offering prayers for their souls. After the procession, the Mass is said; during the Gospel and from the beginning of the Canon of the Mass to Communion the lighted candles are held by the faithful. This procession is seen as a spiritual act of accompanying Our Lady, St. Joseph, Simeon and Anna in bringing Christ, the “light to the revelation of the Gentiles,” into the Temple. In his First Sermon On the Purification, St. Bernard says: “The Procession of this solemnity was first made by these four, which afterwards was to be made, to the joy of the whole earth, in every place and by every nation. Let us not be surprised at its then being so little; for He whom they carried was little! Besides, all who were in it were just, and saints and perfect – there was not a single sinner!” The faithful's use of blessed candles In Eastern countries such as Syria and Chaldea, the sexton of the church would make the Candlemas candles of beeswax and paint them with gold. Catholics of Central and Eastern Europe decorated their handmade beeswax candles with flowers, holy images and other symbols. The Polish made their long, thick Candlemas candles with beeswax and wicks of verbascum (a sacred Slavic herb). Before bringing the candles to the church, the women adorned the candles with evergreen twigs and light blue ribbons to symbolize Our Lady. All Catholics used to have one blessed candle that accompanied them from Baptism until death. On Candlemas, if a new family member was expected, an extra candle would be blessed for that child. It would be their Baptismal, First Communion, Confirmation, marriage and death candle. This candle was kept by the Catholic throughout his whole life, even to the grave, where the candle was placed in the coffin. Some pious Catholics kept their blessed candle hanging over their bed as a reminder to be always ready for death. Pious Catholics often brought multiple candles to church of different colors and sizes to be used for special purposes throughout the year. Easter, Christmas, All Saints and All Souls, being the most important feasts of the year, were honored by the presence of the bright flame of a blessed candle in many countries. The Germans and Austrians attributed a special significance to the colors of their blessed candles. Colorful candles were used as "soul candles (or penny candles) to light for the deceased, black as weather candles to light as protection from the approaching storm, and yellow as Rosary candles, which were used on Saturdays for the Rosary." (Austrian Customs) Many German peoples brought all of their handmade tallow candles needed for a farming year to the church to be blessed on Candlemas Day as well as wax candles for their home altars. One charming German custom was the making of Wachsstöcke (intricately decorated wax tablets made of coiled sticks of wax) prior to Candlemas to be blessed with the other candles. These "wax sticks" were given to maids as a token of thanks and to brides before a wedding. (Austrian Customs) Holding blessed candles gave protection against wolves, storms and other maladies. Catholics believed that Our Lady protected those who carried blessed candles. Candles for protection Catholics all over the world lit blessed candles during storms to prevent lightning strikes, during times of sickness, during times of imminent peril on land or at sea, during difficult child births and at deathbeds. In Poland and Hungary, small pieces of blessed candles were burnt in the middle of fields to protect the whole property or buried under foundations of houses to protect the home. On long journeys, Catholic men often brought blessed candles along for protection. Fishermen kept a blessed candle on their boat to light during stormy weather. Many Polish farmers started every major task of the year with a blessed candle in their hand (the first sowing of the year, leading the cattle out to pasture, the beginning and ending of harvest). The Poles called Candlemas Day Święto Matki Boskiej Gromnicznej (The Feast of the Holy Mother of the Thunder Candle). The feast was so named, because the Polish peasants often invoked Our Lady under this title as the patroness of villagers and of people threatened by wolves. The Poles called the blessed candles gromnica ("thunder candles") because they were lit during storms. These candles were also lit in windows during the dark nights of winter to keep the wolves at bay. Old Polish legends describe Our Lady walking through fields in the dark of winter carrying a candle to protect people from the wolves, to keep a watch over the crops and to light the way for weary travelers. Some Polish families kept a blessed candle burning by an image of Our Lady on Candlemas night to honor her and to implore her for protection from the wolves. Many Catholic peoples safely guarded the flame of their candles lit at church during the procession, so that the blessed flame could be brought to the house. The French believed that " if someone could carry a Chandeleur candle all the way home from church without it going out, then that person would “certainly stay alive in the coming year.” (The Local) In many other countries Catholics considered the task of preserving the candle flame to be essential for obtaining blessings in the year ahead. Home ceremonies In France and Poland, on arriving at his home on Candlemas Day, the head of the house marked a soot cross on the threshold of every doorway and window with the flame of the blessed candle. Any additional buildings on the property such as barns, stables, or sheds were blessed with incense and a small drop of the blessed wax. After this ceremony, the flame from the candle was used to light a fire of fir twigs at the hearth or stove. A Polish fathers would mark a wooden beam in the house with the cross The blessed candles were kept in a safe place, often tied to the wall with a ribbon and hung next to a holy image. In German homes, the family prayed the Rosary together on the evening of Candlemas. In rural areas, the blessed candles were placed on a table together with “wax sticks” and “penny candles” for each of the deceased relatives. A few of the candles were tied to firewood shavings and lit along with one colorful “penny candle” for each member of the family who had died. On the holy water font by the door, several burning candles were placed for the salvation of those who came and went. At the end of the Rosary, the leftover scorched shavings from the burned candles were made into crosses and hung in the stables to protect the cattle. These crosses were known as “Druden” candles because they protected people and animals from druden (night demons), who according to popular belief harmed animals and humans. The leftover wick was often eaten to protect those who ate it against throat diseases. Restoring the customs To our priests reading this article, we would like to unite our plea to that of Dom Guéranger, who urges a return to these good customs, especially in these modern times: “It would be well if Pastors were to encourage this practice [of blessing candles and having Candlemas processions], retaining it where it exists or establishing it where it is not known. window“There has been such a systematic effort made to destroy, or at least to impoverish, the exterior rites and practices of religion that we find, throughout the world, thousands of Catholics who have been insensibly made strangers to those admirable sentiments of faith, which the Church alone, in her Liturgy, can give to the body of the faithful.” The Return of Light for Candlemas At the beginning of February nature is characterized by a conflict between the dark nights of winter and the bright days of Spring. Since Christmas, the daylight has been shining for longer hours that increase every day. By Candlemas (February 2) the coming victory of the light over the darkness and the promise of Spring is manifest. Winter & Spring meet on Candlemas People of the past were carefully attentive to the changes in the natural world, and they placed great significance on the signs that nature gave during times of transition from one season to another. With the introduction of Christianity, the old pagan rituals and symbols gave way to Catholic customs that came from a true understanding of God's plan in creating the natural world. Catholics understood that the victory of the daylight over the darkness at Candlemas was symbolic of Our Lord's victory over the Devil's reign. On Candlemas, the Church honors Our Lord through the words of holy Simeon as the "light to the revelation of the Gentiles." Simeon's prophetic canticle of Our Lord's coming victory was reflected in nature's cycle. Just as the darkness of winter was losing its power over the world, so too was paganism and immorality approaching its demise with every day that the Christ Child grew older. The sun's triumph reflected in people's customs Austrian children attentively watched the sky on Candlemas Day to see if they could catch a glimpse of the sun breaking through the clouds of the dark winter sky to shed its rays upon the earth. When a ray was seen, the children sang a lovely song greeting the light: sunrise 'O you bright sun, come, peek out from behind the hills!' Hail, glorious herald, holy light, God sends you from His Heaven bright. Your cheerful glow and golden rays May bring us happy summer days. Lead us through earthly toil and strife To everlasting light and life. On Candlemas evening, the children in some Russian villages sat near the outskirts of the town listening to legends told by the elders of the town. At dusk, they expectantly waited to see if the sun would peep from behind the mountain before sunset, which would denote the quick arrival of Spring. They sang a traditional song that began, "O you bright sun, come, peek out from behind the hills!" In the Middle Ages, Candlemas was a "Quarter day" when servants and maids were paid for the year, accounts were settled, and tenants paid their rent. The landowners often invited their tenants along with their families to a grand banquet after the rent was paid. In Austria, the farm servants were given a feast prepared by the farmer's wife herself. This day was also a traditional day to remove the cattle from the hay meadows and from the fields that were to be ploughed and sown in the Spring. Farmers began working outside again and preparing the fields for the first planting. Women set their spinning and knitting aside to attend to the outdoor chores. Shoemakers and other artisans who worked indoors put away their candles on this day as the return of the light removed the need for candlelight until the darker days of Autumn. (4) Candlemas not only changed people's work customs, but also was the marker to determine the future weather. After Candlemas, a man could expect to either have another strong blast of Winter's frost and snow or sweet signs of the coming Spring. In England, the people believed that the badger woke up from hibernation on this day and the weather determined whether he went back into his hole or remained above ground. If the badger saw his shadow due to sunny weather, he went back to sleep expecting a long winter. The Germans used the same method to discover the upcoming weather, except that they replaced the badger with a hedgehog or, in some places, a bear. Pennsylvanian man holding "Punxsutawney Phil" German and English immigrants brought their Candlemas folklore to America. Since the groundhog was common in Pennsylvania and other areas where the Germans immigrated, they associated their lore about the hedgehog, badger, or bear with the groundhog. Hence, Midwestern farmers called this day "Ground-Hog Day." The town of Punxsultawney, Pennsylvania even made an official town groundhog named "Punxsutawney Phil." For over 120 years, starting in 1887, people have been following the predictions of this groundhog. Even today, this groundhog is watched carefully as he leaves his den to see what his reaction will be and a festival is held in the town. Catholics of the past not only observed the animals during this time of the year, but also the plants, many of which have deep symbolic meanings. In the Middle Ages, the Snowdrop was known as the Candlemas Bells or the Purification Flower. The innocent medieval man believed that the Snowdrop, as an emblem of purity and virginity, blossomed on the day that Our Lady presented Our Lord in the Temple and that this flower has blossomed ever since on every Candlemas to honor Our Lady. To honor this pious legend, people did not bring Snowdrops into their house before Candlemas. On that day, bunches of Snowdrops were collected and brought inside to purify the house. In Italy and other places in Europe, the image of Our Lady on the church altar was removed and replaced with Snowdrops which were strewn over it to symbolize the purity that Our Lady radiates wherever she goes. (7) In addition to contemplating the symbolism in nature, Catholic peoples also prepared food that reflected the joy of the day. In France, Belgium and Swiss Romany the people eat many special carnival treats on this day such as galettes, crêpes, beignets and cidre. Some people attribute the origin of this custom to Pope Gelasius I who provided for the pilgrims arriving in Rome by having pancakes prepared for them. Crêpes are also symbolic of the sun, making them a fitting dish to commemorate the return of sunny days at Candlemas. Farewell to Christmas The change in the natural world reflects well the transition that Candlemas marks in the liturgical year. In the liturgical calendar, Candlemas is the last day of the Christmas season. In the past, many Catholics cherished every moment of the Christmas season, keeping up the joy and merriment of Christmas until the 40 days had come to an end. Candlemas Day was the last day to sing traditional Christmas carols and also the day that Christmas decorations had to be removed. Although the traditional day to remove Christmas decorations and greenery was the Epiphany, some Catholic peoples of Europe, especially in Poland, Germany, Austria and England, kept their decorations up until February 2 because of their deep love for Christmas. In most countries, even if other decorations were removed on the Epiphany, the crèche or Christ Child remained in a prominent place until Candlemas. In many French homes, the crèche was reverently put away on the afternoon or evening of Candlemas. Christmas plants and greenery and the Yule log were also burned on Candlemas (if this was not already done on the Epiphany) as a last farewell to Christmas. The ashes were spread on fields and gardens to bring a successful harvest and protection against blight. Some English farmers fed the Christmas greens to their cattle to protect them from disease. People saved sprigs of holly from the church or sprigs collected on Christmas Eve as efficacious means to protect themselves against demons and witches. The task of removing the Christmas decorations was often performed with much solemnity. Many German families gathered around the crèche on the evening of this feast to pray the Rosary and sing their beloved carols before the Christ Child one last time. Each member of the family lit his blessed candle during the prayers. In Mexico, the Christ Child (El Niño Dios) who has lain in the family crib since Christmas Eve is dressed in regal garments and carried to the church to be blessed after Mass. In doing this, the Mexicans unite with Our Lady in her journey to the Temple for the Presentation of Our Lord. On returning home, the Christ Child is seated on a chair or throne to represent the new focus from Our Lord's childhood to His adult life. Families and friends then enjoy a fiesta featuring homemade tamales prepared by the host or hostess of the party. The person given this honor is the one who received the piece of the Rosca de Reyes (a circular sweet bread) in which the figurine of the Christ Child had been hidden on the feast of the Epiphany. (12) In some places, the ceremony of saying farewell to the Christ Child was public. In the Italian city of Castelpoto, there was an ancient tradition of solemnly kissing the Child Jesus displayed at the high altar for one last time on Candlemas before he was ceremoniously removed to make way for the more somber adornments of Septuagesima. All of these customs and symbols display a Catholic spirit that harmonically unites the natural season with the feasts of the Church. May we be given the grace to regain this spirit so that the meaning and symbolism of the Church's feasts may give us a new and more transcendent view of the world. Even if the church you attend does not have a procession, it would be good to have a candlelit procession using blessed candles with your own family or community to honor Our Lady and Our Lord. Those candles can be used in all of the important events of the year, as well as during times of adversity. The Church offers so many rich blessings through her Sacramentals that we ought to avail ourselves of these benefits. These good Candlemas customs offer the faithful a means to give glory to God by honoring the coming of the true Light Whom our flickering flames represent.

The book begins with the death of Moses and the transfer of leadership to Joshua, Moses' successor. Joshua is commanded by God to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River into Canaan, the land promised to their ancestors. The crossing of the Jordan is miraculously facilitated by God, with the waters parting similar to the parting of the Red Sea during the time of Moses. Once in Canaan, Joshua sends spies to the city of Jericho, and they encounter Rahab, a prostitute who helps them and ultimately saves her family when the Israelites attack the city. The walls of Jericho collapse after the Israelites march around the city for seven days, signaling their first major victory in the land. The Israelites continue their conquest, defeating various cities and tribes throughout Canaan. Notable victories include the conquest of Ai, where they initially suffer a defeat due to disobedience but eventually succeed with divine guidance. The sun and the moon stand still in response to Joshua's prayer, allowing the Israelites to secure a decisive victory over their enemies. As the Israelites advance, several kings form alliances to resist their conquest. One of the most significant battles occurs in the southern region, where Joshua defeats a coalition of five Amorite kings. The book also highlights the division of the conquered land among the tribes of Israel, with each tribe receiving its portion according to God's instructions. The narrative emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's commands and the consequences of disobedience. It describes instances where the Israelites face setbacks and defeats due to their failure to follow God's instructions fully. In contrast, when they obey God faithfully, they experience victories and success in their conquest. In the later chapters of Joshua, the focus shifts to the distribution of land and the establishment of cities of refuge for those who unintentionally cause harm to others. Joshua gathers the leaders of the Israelites, reminding them of God's faithfulness and instructing them to remain faithful to the covenant made with God. The Book of Joshua concludes with Joshua's final exhortation to the people, urging them to serve and remain faithful to God alone. Joshua dies at a ripe old age, and the Israelites continue to worship God during the lifetime of the elders who outlived Joshua. Overall, the Book of Joshua is a historical account of the Israelites' conquest of the Promised Land, highlighting their victories, challenges, and the significance of obedience to God's commands. The Promised Land: The central theme of the book is the fulfillment of God's promise to give the Israelites the land of Canaan. The conquest of Canaan represents the realization of this promise and the establishment of the Israelites as a nation in their own land. The concept of the Promised Land is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, and it holds particular significance in the Book of Joshua. The Promised Land refers to the territory of Canaan that God promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as an inheritance. The promise of the Promised Land originated in Genesis, where God made a covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 12:7, God said to Abraham, "To your offspring I will give this land." The promise was reiterated to Abraham's son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, solidifying it as an enduring covenant. For the Israelites, the Promised Land represented a place of abundance, security, and divine blessing. It was described as "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8), indicating its fertility and prosperity. In addition to the material blessings, the Promised Land held immense spiritual and cultural significance for the Israelites. It was the land where they could establish their own nation, worship God freely, and fulfill their destiny as a chosen people. The Book of Joshua depicts the fulfillment of the promise as the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, conquer and settle in Canaan. The conquest of the land was not merely a military campaign; it was a divine mandate guided by God's instructions. The Israelites were to drive out the inhabitants of the land, destroy idolatrous practices, and establish their own society based on the Law of Moses. The possession of the Promised Land was not immediate or effortless. The Israelites encountered formidable challenges, fortified cities, and fierce opposition from the Canaanite nations. However, through God's intervention, the Israelites experienced victories and gradually gained control over the land. The Promised Land symbolizes more than just a geographical location. It represents the fulfillment of God's promises, the establishment of a homeland for the Israelites, and the realization of their identity as God's chosen people. It also serves as a metaphor for the ultimate spiritual inheritance promised to believers in God's kingdom. Beyond its historical and metaphorical significance, the Promised Land carries theological implications. It highlights God's faithfulness in keeping his promises and the importance of obedience and faith in obtaining the blessings of God. The possession of the Promised Land became a tangible expression of the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites, emphasizing their role as God's people and their obligation to live according to His laws. While the Promised Land was fulfilled in the context of ancient Israel, its spiritual symbolism extends to believers today. It serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness, the rewards of obedience, and the hope of a future inheritance in the eternal kingdom of God. It encourages believers to trust in God's promises, seek His will, and live in anticipation of the ultimate Promised Land that awaits them in the life to come. Joshua's Leadership: Joshua emerges as a strong and faithful leader who follows God's guidance. He leads the Israelites with courage, determination, and unwavering trust in God. Joshua's obedience and reliance on God's instructions set an example for the people. Joshua's leadership is a central focus of the Book of Joshua. After the death of Moses, Joshua emerges as the chosen successor to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. His leadership qualities and unwavering faith in God play a crucial role in the success of the Israelite conquest. Obedience and Faithfulness: Joshua demonstrates a remarkable level of obedience to God's commands. He diligently follows the instructions given to him by God, such as crossing the Jordan River and conquering Jericho. His commitment to God's guidance and his willingness to act on it inspire the Israelites to trust and follow him. Courage and Determination: Joshua's leadership is marked by his courage and determination. He faces numerous formidable challenges, but he remains resolute in his faith and unwavering in his pursuit of God's plan. Joshua's courage motivates the Israelites, boosting their morale and inspiring them to face their enemies with confidence. Trust in God: Joshua's deep trust in God is evident throughout the book. He acknowledges God's presence and seeks His guidance in all aspects of his leadership. This trust is demonstrated in his reliance on divine intervention, such as during the battle against the Amorite kings when he prays for the sun and the moon to stand still. Joshua's faith sets an example for the Israelites, encouraging them to trust in God's faithfulness. Strategic Leadership: Joshua displays strategic leadership skills in military campaigns. He plans and executes successful strategies, such as the surprise attack on Ai after the initial setback. Joshua's ability to lead the Israelite forces effectively and make wise decisions contributes to their triumphs in battle. Humility and Servant Leadership: Despite his elevated position, Joshua remains humble and dedicated to serving both God and the people. He consistently seeks to honor God's name and uplift the Israelites, encouraging them to remain faithful to the covenant. Joshua's humility and servant leadership foster unity among the Israelites and strengthen their resolve to fulfill God's purposes. Establishing Order and Structure: In addition to military leadership, Joshua also demonstrates administrative skills. He ensures the division of the land among the tribes, appoints leaders, and establishes cities of refuge. Joshua's leadership is instrumental in maintaining order and structure among the Israelites as they settle in the Promised Land. Exhortation and Spiritual Guidance: Throughout the book, Joshua provides spiritual guidance and exhortation to the Israelites. He reminds them of God's faithfulness, encourages obedience to God's laws, and urges them to worship God alone. Joshua's words motivate the Israelites to remain steadfast in their commitment to God, reinforcing their spiritual foundation. Joshua's leadership is characterized by his unwavering faith, obedience to God's commands, strategic acumen, and humble servanthood. He inspires the Israelites to trust in God, pursue righteousness, and fulfill their destiny as God's chosen people. Joshua's leadership legacy extends beyond his lifetime, influencing subsequent generations and leaving an indelible mark on the Israelite nation. Divine Intervention: The Book of Joshua highlights numerous instances of divine intervention and miracles on behalf of the Israelites. These include the parting of the Jordan River, the collapse of Jericho's walls, and the extended day during the battle against the Amorite kings. These miracles demonstrate God's power and his faithfulness to fulfill his promises. Divine intervention is a recurring theme in the Book of Joshua, where God directly intervenes in human affairs to bring about specific outcomes or assist His people. It is through these acts of divine intervention that the Israelites experience extraordinary events and achieve victories during their conquest of the Promised Land. Here are some notable instances of divine intervention in the book: Parting of the Jordan River: As the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God intervened by miraculously parting the waters, just as He did with the Red Sea during the time of Moses. The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the river, and the waters parted, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground (Joshua 3:14-17). The Collapse of Jericho's Walls: The battle of Jericho is one of the most well-known accounts of divine intervention in the Bible. God instructed Joshua to lead the Israelites in marching around the city of Jericho once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times. When they shouted, the walls of Jericho miraculously collapsed, allowing the Israelites to conquer the city (Joshua 6:1-20). The Defeat of the Amorite Kings: During the battle against a coalition of five Amorite kings, Joshua and the Israelites found themselves in a dire situation. In a moment of urgency, Joshua called upon the Lord, and God responded by causing a great hailstorm to strike the enemy forces. Additionally, God made the sun and the moon stand still, prolonging daylight and giving the Israelites the advantage to secure victory (Joshua 10:10-14). Guidance in Battle Strategies: Throughout the conquest of the Promised Land, God provided strategic guidance to Joshua. For instance, prior to the attack on Ai, God revealed the reason for their initial defeat and instructed Joshua on how to rectify the situation. By following God's guidance, the Israelites were able to achieve victory in subsequent battles (Joshua 8:1-29). Protection and Provision: God intervened to protect and provide for the Israelites in various ways. When the Israelites were pursuing their enemies, God sent large hailstones that killed more of their enemies than the Israelites did (Joshua 10:11). In times of drought, God caused the Jordan River to overflow its banks, enabling the Israelites to obtain an abundant water supply (Joshua 3:15-16). Divine intervention in the Book of Joshua serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it demonstrates God's power and sovereignty over creation. These miraculous events remind the Israelites that their success and victories are not solely dependent on their own strength but are ultimately attributed to God's intervention on their behalf. Secondly, divine intervention reinforces the idea of the Israelites' covenant relationship with God. It assures them of His presence, faithfulness, and unwavering support as they fulfill their role as His chosen people. The instances of divine intervention in the Book of Joshua highlight God's involvement in human history and His commitment to His people. They emphasize the importance of relying on God, seeking His guidance, and trusting in His power to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Conquest and Warfare: The book portrays the Israelites engaging in military campaigns to conquer the land. It describes various battles, strategies, and victories achieved by the Israelite forces. However, it is essential to note that the conquest is not simply about military might but is ultimately attributed to God's presence and assistance. The Book of Joshua vividly portrays the conquest of the Promised Land by the Israelites, highlighting the military campaigns and warfare they engaged in. The accounts of conquest and warfare serve multiple purposes within the narrative: Fulfillment of God's Promise: The conquest of the Promised Land was an essential step in fulfilling God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The book portrays the Israelites as instruments of God's judgment upon the Canaanite nations, who had reached a point of moral corruption and idolatry. Through their military conquests, the Israelites claimed the land that God had promised to their forefathers. Testing and Strengthening of Faith: The conquest of the land presented significant challenges and obstacles for the Israelites. It required them to place their trust in God and demonstrate unwavering faith in His promises. The battles and warfare became opportunities for the Israelites to rely on God's guidance, experience His faithfulness, and grow in their faith. Spiritual Warfare: The conquest of Canaan was not merely a physical battle but also a spiritual struggle. The Canaanites were deeply entrenched in idolatrous practices, and the Israelites were called to eradicate these influences from the land. The military campaigns carried a spiritual significance, symbolizing the Israelites' commitment to worshiping the one true God and rejecting false gods. Divine Assistance and Victory: Throughout the conquest, the Israelites experienced divine assistance and victories orchestrated by God. Divine intervention, as discussed earlier, played a significant role in their military successes. God's presence and support were evident in the miraculous events, strategic guidance, and supernatural acts that facilitated their conquest. Lessons of Obedience and Consequences: The Book of Joshua emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's commands. Instances of disobedience, such as the defeat at Ai due to the Israelites' violation of God's instructions, highlight the consequences of disregarding God's guidance. The accounts of conquest and warfare serve as reminders of the Israelites' need for obedience and faithfulness to secure God's blessings. Land Distribution and Settlement: The conquest of the Promised Land enabled the Israelites to establish their settlements and allocate the land among the twelve tribes. The military victories paved the way for the Israelites to transition from a wandering people to a settled nation, fulfilling their purpose of possessing and cultivating the land God had promised to them. The accounts of conquest and warfare in the Book of Joshua provide historical and theological context to the Israelites' establishment in the Promised Land. They showcase the Israelites' reliance on God, the fulfillment of divine promises, and the importance of obedience and faith in their journey. Additionally, these narratives serve as a reminder to readers of the ongoing spiritual battles faced in their own lives and the need for trust in God's guidance and strength. The Role of Faith: The Book of Joshua emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in God. The Israelites are called to trust in God's promises and guidance throughout their conquest of the land. When they demonstrate faith and obedience, they experience success and blessings, but when they disobey or lack faith, they face difficulties and setbacks. The role of faith is a significant theme throughout the Book of Joshua. The Israelites' journey to conquer the Promised Land required unwavering trust in God's promises and guidance. Here are some key aspects regarding the role of faith in the book: Trusting in God's Promises: The Israelites had to trust in the promises God had made to their ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They believed that God would fulfill His covenant by giving them the land of Canaan as their inheritance. This trust in God's promises formed the foundation of their faith and motivated them to move forward despite challenges. Believing in God's Presence: The Israelites' faith involved acknowledging and believing in God's constant presence with them. Joshua reminded the people that just as God was with Moses, He would be with them as they crossed the Jordan River and faced battles in the land. Their faith relied on the assurance that God would never leave nor forsake them. Obeying God's Commands: Faith in God necessitated obedience to His commands. Joshua instructed the Israelites to follow God's laws and adhere to His instructions. Obedience was an expression of their faith, demonstrating their trust in God's wisdom and guidance. They recognized that their success and blessings depended on their faithfulness to God's commands. Stepping Out in Faith: The conquest of the Promised Land required the Israelites to step out in faith, often into seemingly impossible situations. Crossing the flooded Jordan River and circling the massive walls of Jericho required them to trust God's power and timing. Their faith propelled them to take action even when faced with daunting challenges. Learning from Past Experiences: The Israelites' faith was shaped by their recollection of God's faithfulness in their history. They remembered how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, provided for them in the wilderness, and defeated their enemies. These past experiences served as a foundation for their present and future trust in God. Testing and Strengthening of Faith: The Israelites faced various trials and tests throughout their conquest of the Promised Land. These challenges served to test and strengthen their faith. Whether it was the defeat at Ai due to disobedience or the daunting battles against mighty armies, their faith was refined and deepened through these experiences. Witnessing God's Miracles: Divine interventions and miracles provided tangible evidence of God's power and faithfulness. The parting of the Jordan River, the collapsing walls of Jericho, and the extended daylight during battles were remarkable demonstrations of God's presence and assistance. Witnessing these miracles bolstered the Israelites' faith and reinforced their trust in God. The role of faith in the Book of Joshua highlights the importance of wholeheartedly relying on God's promises, trusting in His presence, and obediently following His commands. The Israelites' faith enabled them to face formidable challenges, overcome obstacles, and ultimately possess the land promised to them. Their example serves as an inspiration for believers today to trust in God, step out in faith, and experience the fulfillment of His promises in their own lives. Covenant and Law: The book underscores the significance of the covenant between God and the Israelites. Joshua renews the covenant at various stages, reminding the people of their commitment to follow God's laws and worship Him alone. The book also emphasizes the importance of observing the Law of Moses, including the practice of circumcision and adherence to religious rituals. Covenant and law are fundamental aspects of the Book of Joshua. The Israelites' relationship with God is established and governed by a covenant, and the adherence to God's law plays a central role in their conquest and settlement in the Promised Land. Here are key points regarding the covenant and law in the book: The Mosaic Covenant: The covenant between God and the Israelites was initially established during the time of Moses at Mount Sinai. This covenant formed the basis of their relationship with God and set out the terms of their obedience and blessings. It included the Ten Commandments and various laws that guided their moral, religious, and social life. Renewal of the Covenant: Before crossing the Jordan River, Joshua oversaw a renewal of the covenant with the Israelites. The people reaffirmed their commitment to obey God's commandments and follow His instructions. This renewal highlighted the continuity and significance of the covenant as they entered the Promised Land. Observance of God's Law: The Israelites were expected to follow and uphold God's law, which was encapsulated in the Book of the Law (likely an early form of the Pentateuch or the Book of Deuteronomy). Joshua emphasized the importance of meditating on and obeying the law, ensuring that it did not depart from their mouths or hearts (Joshua 1:8). Consequences of Obedience and Disobedience: The covenant and law provided a framework for understanding the consequences of obedience and disobedience. God's blessings were promised to those who faithfully followed His commands, while disobedience would result in curses and judgment. The conquest and settlement of the Promised Land hinged upon the Israelites' adherence to God's law. Extermination of Idolatry: The covenant and law demanded the Israelites' exclusive worship of Yahweh and the eradication of idolatry from the land. The destruction of Canaanite cities, their altars, and the prohibition against intermarriage with the Canaanites were all part of preserving the purity of the Israelites' worship and faithfulness to the covenant. Covenant Ceremony at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim: Joshua organized a ceremony on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, where the blessings and curses of the covenant were proclaimed. The tribes stood on the two mountains, and the Levites recited the blessings and curses based on the Israelites' obedience or disobedience to God's law (Joshua 8:30-35). Covenant Faithfulness and the Land: The covenant emphasized the inseparable link between the Israelites' faithfulness and their possession of the Promised Land. Their obedience to God's law and worship of Him alone ensured their continued enjoyment of the land, while disobedience would lead to exile and loss of the land. The covenant and law in the Book of Joshua provide the Israelites with a clear framework for their relationship with God. They serve as a moral compass, guiding their actions, and shaping their identity as God's chosen people. Adherence to the covenant and obedience to God's law were crucial for their success in conquering the land and establishing a society centered on God's principles. The covenant and law also teach valuable lessons about the consequences of obedience and disobedience, the importance of worshiping the one true God, and the significance of maintaining a faithful and covenantal relationship with Him. They underscore the Israelites' role as a distinct and holy nation, and they provide guidance for believers today on how to live in accordance with God's will and experience the blessings of His covenant. Division of the Land: After the conquest, the land is divided among the twelve tribes of Israel. Each tribe receives an allotted portion of the land, highlighting the orderly distribution and the fulfillment of God's promise to give the land to the descendants of Abraham. The division of the land is a significant event in the Book of Joshua that follows the conquest of the Promised Land by the Israelites. After securing victories over the Canaanite nations, the land was divided among the twelve tribes of Israel. Here are key points regarding the division of the land: The Land Allotted to Each Tribe: Joshua, along with Eleazar the high priest and the tribal leaders, oversaw the distribution of the land. Each tribe, except for the Levites, received a portion of the land as their inheritance. The land was divided based on the size of the tribes, their needs, and the instructions given by God. The Role of the Tribe of Levi: Instead of receiving a specific territory, the tribe of Levi was set apart for the service of the Lord. They were allocated cities scattered throughout the other tribal territories. The Levites were responsible for the religious duties, such as serving in the tabernacle, offering sacrifices, and teaching the law to the people. Caleb's Inheritance: Caleb, one of the faithful spies who had explored the land forty years earlier, received a special inheritance. Due to his wholehearted devotion to God, he was given the city of Hebron and its surrounding areas as his possession (Joshua 14:13-15). Cities of Refuge: God instructed the Israelites to set aside cities of refuge where individuals who accidentally caused the death of another person could find protection from avengers seeking vengeance. These cities served as places of sanctuary until a fair trial could be conducted (Joshua 20:1-9). Inheritance for the Daughters of Zelophehad: The daughters of Zelophehad, who had no brothers, approached Joshua and Eleazar, requesting an inheritance in the land. God affirmed their claim and instructed that they be given a possession among their father's relatives. This ruling established a precedent for daughters inheriting land when there were no male heirs (Joshua 17:3-4). The Tribal Boundaries: The division of the land also included the demarcation of boundaries between the tribes. These boundaries served to define the specific territories allotted to each tribe, ensuring the integrity of their inheritance. The detailed descriptions of these boundaries provide a geographical record of the land distribution. The Importance of Faithfulness: The division of the land emphasized the importance of faithfulness to God's covenant and law. The tribes were to occupy and cultivate the land that God had given them, living according to His commands. Faithfulness to God's instructions and worship of Him alone ensured the continued enjoyment of their inheritance. The division of the land was a crucial step in the Israelites' settlement in the Promised Land. It not only provided the tribes with a physical inheritance but also served to reinforce their tribal identities and responsibilities. The division was carried out with care and adherence to God's instructions, ensuring equity and fairness among the tribes. The distribution of the land in the Book of Joshua highlights the fulfillment of God's promise to give the land to the descendants of Abraham. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of stewardship, faithfulness, and obedience to God's commands. The allocation of land solidified the Israelites' possession of the Promised Land and laid the foundation for the establishment of their tribal and religious life in Canaan. Historical Record: The Book of Joshua serves as a historical record, chronicling the events of the Israelite conquest and settlement in Canaan. It provides details about the various battles, the division of land, and the establishment of cities, offering insights into the early history of the Israelite nation. The Book of Joshua serves as an important historical record of the Israelites' conquest and settlement in the Promised Land. It provides a detailed account of their military campaigns, the division of the land among the tribes, and the establishment of their presence in Canaan. Here are key points regarding the historical record presented in the Book of Joshua: Conquest of Canaan: The Book of Joshua documents the military campaigns led by Joshua, Moses' successor, as the Israelites entered Canaan. It chronicles their victories over various Canaanite cities and tribes, including the famous battles of Jericho and Ai. The accounts highlight the strategy, tactics, and supernatural assistance that enabled the Israelites to conquer the land. Geographical Descriptions: The Book of Joshua provides detailed geographical descriptions of the Promised Land and its surrounding regions. The narrative includes the names of cities, towns, and landmarks, along with their locations and boundaries. These descriptions serve as a historical reference, offering insight into the physical layout of the land during that time. Division of the Land: The book contains an account of the division of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel. It lists the specific territories allocated to each tribe and describes the boundaries and landmarks associated with their inheritance. These details provide a historical record of the tribal territories and the organization of the Israelite settlement in Canaan. Historical Events and Leaders: The Book of Joshua highlights significant historical events and leaders during this period. It portrays Joshua as the central figure, leading the Israelites into battle and overseeing the division of the land. The book also references other prominent leaders, such as Caleb and Eleazar the high priest, who played crucial roles in the conquest and settlement. Archaeological Confirmation: The historical record presented in the Book of Joshua finds some archaeological confirmation. Excavations and research have provided evidence of ancient cities and sites mentioned in the book, lending support to the historical authenticity of the events described. While not all details have been corroborated, the book's overall historical framework aligns with archaeological findings. Continuity with Previous Books: The Book of Joshua serves as a continuation of the historical narrative presented in the preceding books of the Bible, particularly Exodus and Numbers. It establishes a direct link between the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, their wilderness wanderings, and their entrance into the Promised Land. The book bridges the gap between these periods, offering a comprehensive historical account. Theological and Historical Purposes: While the Book of Joshua serves as a historical record, it also serves theological purposes. It showcases God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises, demonstrates the importance of obedience to God's law, and reveals the consequences of disobedience. The historical events are presented within a larger theological framework, highlighting the significance of God's covenant with the Israelites. The historical record presented in the Book of Joshua provides valuable insights into the Israelites' conquest and settlement in the Promised Land. It offers a detailed account of their military campaigns, the division of the land, and the historical context of that time. As a historical document, it contributes to our understanding of the Israelite's history and their journey toward establishing a nation in the land God had promised to them. The Book of Joshua holds significance within the biblical narrative as it bridges the gap between the time of Moses and the subsequent period of the Judges. It demonstrates the faithfulness of God in fulfilling his promises, the importance of obedience and trust, and the establishment of the Israelite nation in the Promised Land. The Book of Joshua is a compelling account of the Israelites' conquest and settlement in the Promised Land. It serves as a bridge between the Exodus from Egypt and the establishment of Israel as a nation in Canaan. The book is replete with themes of faith, divine intervention, leadership, covenant, law, warfare, and the fulfillment of God's promises. Joshua emerges as a courageous and faithful leader, following in the footsteps of Moses, as he leads the Israelites into battle and oversees the division of the land. Divine intervention is a recurring theme, as God demonstrates His power and faithfulness through miraculous events such as the parting of the Jordan River and the collapse of the walls of Jericho. The conquest and warfare, while marked by human effort, are ultimately attributed to God's guidance and provision. The division of the land among the tribes solidifies the Israelites' possession of the Promised Land and establishes their tribal identities. Faithfulness to God's covenant and obedience to His law are emphasized as essential for their continued enjoyment of the land and blessings. The historical record presented in the book provides valuable insights into the geography, events, and leaders of that time, with some archaeological evidence supporting its authenticity. In conclusion, the Book of Joshua is a powerful testament to God's faithfulness, the importance of faith and obedience, and the establishment of Israel as a nation in the land promised to them. It serves as a historical record, a theological guide, and an inspiring narrative of the Israelites' journey from liberation to settlement. The book continues to offer valuable lessons and inspiration for believers today, encouraging them to trust in God's promises, walk in faith, and obey His commands.

1. In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. 2 And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters. 3 And God said: Be light made. And light was made. 4 And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness. 5 And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day. 6 And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day. 9 God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. 10 And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. 12 And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: 15 To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was so done. 16 And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars. 17 And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth. 18 And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and morning were the fourth day. 20 God also said: Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven. 21 And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. 23 And the evening and morning were the fifth day. 24 And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. 27 And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth. 29 And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat: 30 And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done. 31 And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.

The Precious Blood of Jesus Christ Dr. Remi Amelunxen The month of July is dedicated to the infinitely important devotion to the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This devotion is as old as our Holy Faith. Historically, it was alluded to after the fall of Adam and Eve when God clothed our first parents in the skin of an animal whose blood had been shed. (Gen 3) In the Old Testament, the sacrifice acceptable to God was the blood of animals shed in His honor, as can be seen in Abel’s holocaust offering of a prized lamb. The Angels gather the Precious Blood of Jesus, shed for our salvation Such offerings were a prelude of the promised Messiah who would redeem mankind from Original Sin by the shedding of His Precious Blood. Foreshadowings of that sacrifice are found in Cain’s shedding of the innocent blood of his brother Abel, by the blood of the Paschal Lamb sprinkled on the doorposts of the Israelites the night before the Exodus from Egypt and by the sacrifices of Isaac and Melchizedek. Then, at the last Supper ur Lord gave us the immeasurable gift of His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Precious Blood of Our Lord is daily offered in the consecrated wine and bread in the Holy Mass and is continually venerated by the faithful in Holy Communion and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In the New Testament St. Peter points to the way our redemption was purchased: “You were not redeemed with corruptible things like gold or silver … but with the Precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb unspotted and undefiled.” (1 Pet 1:18-19) This tremendous gift from God that won our salvation and entreats for us before the throne of God is seemingly little understood and appreciated. How many sermons have you heard on the Precious Blood or the multitude of Eucharistic miracles, such as the phenomenal Miracle of Lanciano in 700 when the unleavened bread became the cardiac flesh of the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood flowed from this Sacred Flesh? The Blood of Jesus is the fountain of salvation. Each drop that flowed from the wounds of the Savior is a pledge of man’s eternal salvation. St. John Chrysostom calls the Precious Blood “the savior of souls”; St. Thomas Aquinas, “the key to Heaven’s treasures”; St. Ambrose, “pure gold of ineffable worth”; St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, “a pledge of eternal life.” Instances from His Life Let us look briefly at the heart-rending instances of Christ’s shedding of His Precious Blood during His life. Our Lord scourged and crowned with thorns Ven. Mary of Agreda tells us how, at the Nativity in the stable of Bethlehem, the Angel Gabriel placed the Infant Jesus in the arms of His Blessed Mother. He was transfixed in His Divinity and spoke to her in detail about His bitter Passion where all of His Precious Blood would be shed and about the sword of sorrow that would pierce her Immaculate Heart. (The Great St. Joseph, pp. 45-49) Eight days later Our Lord shed His Blood the first time when he was circumcised according to the law of Moses. This alone, according to many great Saints and theologians, was enough to redeem 1,000 worlds, but following the divine plan, He chose to shed it all. (ibid., pp. 57-58) After the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, Our Lord and His Apostles went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, he disbanded His Sacred Divinity to suffer more intensely in His Sacred Humanity only, foreseeing the horror of his Sacred Passion. St. Luke tells us, He entered into agony: “And His sweat became as drops of blood trickling down upon the ground."(Lk 22:44) Again, it is worth noting that this agony is rarely mentioned in sermons today. Would the progressivists or even some conservatives even believe this? Our Lord was abducted in the Garden by Roman soldiers, and the terrible moral and physical torture began, executed either by the apostate Sanhedrin and its cohorts or by the Roman soldiers and employees of Pilate. To survive it, Our Lord used His Sacred Divinity to enable Him to suffer beyond human capacity. No human could have survived the merciless beatings he suffered during his transports from Annas to Caiaphas, to Herod, to Caiaphas, and finally to Pilate. One of the cruelest tortures inflicted on Our Divine Savior was the Scourging at the Pillar. Anne Catherine Emmerich describes the scene: The base wavering Pilate, after finding no guilt in Christ, ordered the scourging with the aim of raising the pity of the Jews and let Him go. Thereupon, the cruel executioners lashed the Innocent Lamb with three kinds of scourges, each more vicious than the last. Roman Law prescribed 50 blows, but Our Lord received thousands of blows. (This is confirmed by reports of Ven. Mary of Agreda and St. Bridget). The pools of Precious Blood of the Savior were gathered up by His Holy Mother and Mary Magdalene with linens given to them, surprisingly, also by the wife of Pilate. (The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ) Not yet satisfied with the lacerated frame of Our Savior, bathed in His Precious Blood and quivering with pain, the Sanhedrin then pounded into the Head of Christ a crown made with hawthorns, the hardest of all woods. These thorns pierced His Sacred Head in wounds as deep as one inch according to scientific studies of the Shroud of Turin. Then, Our Lord carried the 250 pound cross on His right Shoulder from the Fortress Antonia to Mount Calvary or Golgotha, all the while being beaten and goaded by the soldiers. It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that when St. Bernard asked Our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering, Our Lord answered that it was the pain suffered on His Shoulder while bearing the Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound more painful than all the others. “ (Catholic Tradition online) On the Cross Our Lord continued His agony, shedding His Precious Blood to the last drop. His hands and feet (one foot over the other) were brutally nailed to the cross with large spikes. According to data from the Shroud of Turin and Ven. Mary of Agreda in her Mystical City of God, His Sacred Hands were nailed through the palms, and large ropes were tightly bound about his wrists to help hold His Sacred Body to the Cross. Imagine the shock suffered by the Precious Body of Our Lord, who weighed 170 pounds, tied to the 250 pound cross, being dropped in the 16-inch deep rock hole on Golgotha. We think too little of the sufferings of the Body and Spirit of Christ. We should contemplate often Our Lord, agonizing on the Cross for three hours, His moral and physical strength, entirely exhausted. Finally, He bows His head, saying “All is consummated.” “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.” Thus, after shedding every drop of His Precious Blood for mankind, for us, the Savior of the World expired. A suggested reading, with moving descriptions of The Passion of Our Lord, is Devotion to the Precious Blood, reprinted from a 1926 book published by the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration. A highly recommended devotion to commemorate the sufferings of Christ is to pray daily The Fifteen St. Bridget Prayers, dictated to the Saint by Our Lord in the 14th century. The 15th prayer, which speaks of the Precious Blood of Our Lord, seemed a fitting and meritorious end to this article: O Jesus! True and fruitful Vine! Remember the abundant outpouring of Blood which Thou didst so generously shed, pressed down and running over as the grape crushed in the wine press. From Thy Side pierced with a lance by a soldier, blood and water issued forth until there was not left in Thy Body a single drop; finally, like a bundle of myrrh lifted to the top of the Cross, Thy delicate flesh was destroyed, the very Substance of Thy Body withered, and the Marrow of Thy Bones dried up. Through this bitter Passion and through the outpouring of Thy Precious Blood, I beg of Thee, O Sweet Jesus, to pierce my heart, so that my tears of penitence and love may be my bread each day and night. May I be converted entirely to Thee; may my heart be Thy perpetual resting place; may my conversation be pleasing to Thee; and may the end of my life be so praiseworthy that I may merit Heaven and there, with Thy Angels and Saints, praise Thee forever, Amen.

The Five Sins Against Our Lady An edited version of Guido Del Rose's Article: "Fatima: The Five Sins" Mr. Del Rose stresses that Our Lady asked for the conversion of sinners and reparation made for sins that offend her Immaculate Heart, along with the consecration of Russia. "My daughter, the motive is simple: there are five ways in which people offend and blaspheme against the Immaculate Heart of Mary: 1. the blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception, 2. against her virginity, 3. against the Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to accept her as the Mother of all mankind, 4. those who try publicly to implant in the children's hearts indifference, contempt, and even hatred against this Immaculate Mother, and 5. those who insult her directly in her sacred images. One of statues of the International Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima "Here, my daughter, is the reason why the Immaculate Heart of Mary [My Mother] causes Me to ask for this little act of reparation and by means of it, move My mercy to forgive those souls who had the misfortune of offending her. As for you, try without ceasing, with all your prayers and sacrifices, to move Me to mercy toward those poor souls." Spoken by Our Savior in 1930 to Sister Lucia, these words and others given afterwards reveal to the world a most surprising truth, one with imperative significance for mankind. However, despite their importance, they have had little impact upon the faithful, remaining virtually unnoticed for over a half-century, a hidden gem in the vast spiritual treasure now known as Fatima. Concerning these sins, much evidence in the Fatima Message indicates that the predicted great triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the peace to follow can result only after they have been sufficiently repaired. These sins, more than all other causes, are delaying the fulfillment of the Divine Will, threatening mankind with terrible punishments. An ever-spreading cancer, these offenses against the Virgin Mary are effecting among the faithful a decrease of belief in her special role as Mediatrix of All Graces, producing a corresponding dwindling of those graces. At the same time, these sins preclude the possibility that the people in large numbers will seek special, extraordinary graces from her Heart, powerful graces offered to all by our Redeemer through trust and confidence in her Immaculate Heart. A decline in the flow of grace permits the forces of evil to grow in power, resulting in a massive surge of sin, both in quality and quantity. Were this development to continue, ultimately Divine Justice would demand a severe worldwide chastisement, never before experienced by the human race since the birth of Christ. This is precisely one of the Fatima prophecies of Our Lady – to be fulfilled or avoided. Our Savior's wish The Divine Will is clearly defined both by Our Savior and His Mother, revealed to us in the Fatima Message. The initial expression was made during the second apparition of June 13, 1917. Our Lady addressed the visionaries as follows: “Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon [to Heaven]. But you are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. “ Those prophecies have indeed been fulfilled. The two seers, Francisco and Jacinta, passed on to their eternal reward in 1919 and 1920. Lucia became a nun in the Order of the Sisters of St. Dorothy and afterward received many visits from Our Lord and Our Lady, most of them from the Redeemer Himself. Thus, she has served as the "Apostle of the Immaculate Heart" in revealing to the world much information about the Savior's will concerning this devotion to His Mother. A picture of the three seers after Our Lady showed them a vision of Hell on July 13, 1917 A second reference to this desire of Our Lord came in the third apparition in the following month of July, when Our Lady showed the children Hell and told them: “You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” After her entry into the religious order, the Savior appeared several times to Lucia, clarifying this great desire of the Holy Trinity and His own ardent wish concerning this Immaculate Heart Devotion. Since it is a wish and not a command, He did not and does not oblige the Church collectively or individually to honor this request. He leaves it to our free will, preferring the generous offering, freely given. An overview of the problem By way of a brief survey, we can list a few propositions and then examine them in detail so that we can judge whether these sins are truly a most urgent matter for the human race. 1. Mary is the Mediatrix of All Graces. 2. It is God's will that we seek unique, powerful graces from the Virgin by means of a special devotion to her Immaculate Heart. 3. These extraordinary graces will, in turn, help remove the obstacles (the five sins) which currently restrict the ordinary flow of graces from her Heart, producing a condition which permits evil to grow at an alarming rate, plunging many souls into Hell. 4. This divine wish is a challenge to individual Catholics and to the Church as a whole [the Hierarchy] to exhibit a new and higher level of confidence in Mary's role, the sacred mission given to her by God which entails all her privileges and roles, under which can be listed all her many titles. 5. Peace or punishment hinges upon fulfillment or disregard for this Divine Plan. 6. Our Lady's role as Mediatrix of All Graces is well established in Church teachings. Not yet a solemnly defined dogma of our Catholic Faith, it has been a constant part of Church Tradition dating back to the early Christian era. In recent times, Popes have accorded her this title again and again in various documents. The Fatima Message has introduced a new dimension to this truth. Special, extraordinary graces are now offered to all by Our Lord Himself through devotion to His Mother's Immaculate Heart, which will be the successful remedy for Satan's latest and most deadly attack against the Church. Although both Our Lord and Our Lady have referred to this devotion by using the singular rather than a plural form, we can, nevertheless, clearly distinguish its two aspects. The Devil’s decisive battle Let us appraise this challenge from Hell. We were warned about it at the moment of its inception by Our Lady of Fatima in July 1917 in her now famous prophecy: “Russia will spread her errors throughout the world promoting wars and persecution of the Church.” It was not by chance that this prediction was made the very year that Russia would apostatize officially, thus empowering Satan to initiate a new, all-out assault against the Mystical Body of Christ. Moreover, we have seen that prediction continue to unfold, even to the present, in the increasing number of States that have followed Russia’s example and are now also formally in apostasy, their governments denying publicly the supernatural origin and destiny of their lands and their Founder Christ. Even more frightening to contemplate is the possibility that many more nations may join this growing movement to solemnly disavow Christ until all Christendom will have rejected Him to Whom they owe their existence, their only reason for being. From the substantial evidence verifying this threat, we cite two examples. Sister Lucy in May 1946 in front of the Chapel of the Aparitions at Fatima In a 1957 interview with the Vice-postulator of the Causes of Jacinta and Francisco, Fr. Augustin Fuentes, Sister Lucia made an urgent appeal to the faithful: “The good continue in their life of virtue, but without paying any attention to the message of Fatima. Sinners keep following the road of evil, because they fail to see the terrible chastisement that is about to befall them. "Believe me, Father, God is going to punish the world, and very soon. The chastisement of heaven is imminent. . . . Our Lady has said repeatedly: Many nations will disappear from the face of the earth, and Russia will be the instrument of heaven’s chastisement for the entire world, unless you obtain the conversion of that poor nation.” “Father, the devil is carrying on a decisive battle with the Virgin Mary. He sees that his time is getting short, and he is making every effort to gain as many souls as possible. He wants to get hold of consecrated souls. Our Lady did not tell me that we are living in the last epoch of the world, but she did give me to understand that, firstly, we are going through a decisive battle, at the end of which we will be either of God or of the evil one: there will be no middle way; secondly, that the last means God will give to the world for its salvation are the Holy Rosary and the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; and third, when God in His providence is about to chastise the world, He first uses every means to save us, and when He sees we have not made use of them, then He gives us the last anchor of salvation, His Mother.” (5) This interview, revealed to the world at a press conference in 1958 by the Vice-postulator Fr. Fuentes, should be a trumpet call to the faithful, announcing to them that the great battle has indeed begun. A second piece of evidence is also very much to the point. An even more recent testimony, the Apparitions of Our Lady of Akita in Japan, seem to constitute part of that effort God is making to save us through His Mother. Approved officially in 1984 by the Bishop of the Nigata Diocese after consultation with the Holy See and eight years of study, these apparitions are, as the Bishop himself indicated, basically a repetition of the Fatima Message. Given in Japan by Our Lady on October 13, 1973, a Fatima anniversary date, part of this Message confirms Lucia’s grave warnings: “If men do not repent and amend their lives, the Father is going to inflict a terrible chastisement on all mankind. It will be a chastisement more serious than the Deluge, such as no one has ever yet seen. A fire will fall from the heavens and will annihilate a great part of humanity. . . . The only arms which will remain to you then will be the Rosary and the Sign which the Son has left. Pray the Rosary every day for the Pope, the Bishops, and priests. The action of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church ... "There will be many in the Church who will accept compromises. The Devil will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. He will rage especially against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of human souls makes me sad. Already the cup overflows…” So simple and so stark a warning! The choice for us is clear. Either we offer to God enough “voluntary” reparation for sins and lost souls, or in due time, it will be forcibly required of us through “involuntary” reparation by way of tragic, cataclysmic and apocalypitical sufferings for the human race. Surely, a continued disregard for this Immaculate Heart Devotion requested by Our Lord would permit the forces of evil to score a great victory over the Church (even if only for a brief duration). Our Lady predicted in July, 1917 that the good would be martyred. Further, the last book of Sacred Scriptures seems to affirm that prophecy: “And it [the Beast] was allowed to wage war with the saints and to overcome them.” (Apoc. 13: 7). In his popular work The Book of Destiny, Fr. Bernard Leonard interprets this verse in full agreement with the Fatima prophecy. The latest full-scale aggression from Satan is of such dimensions that it requires exceptional graces from Heaven in response, a cascading stream of mercy from the Virgin's Pure Heart. But first a fitting confidence in her must be demonstrated by the Church both individually and collectively. We know that the amount of grace bestowed depends, to a large extent, upon the degree of belief. Consequently, new and very extraordinary graces demand a proportionate level of faith on the part of the recipients. Immaculate Heart devotion We must appreciate, at this stage of analysis, what exactly the Immaculate Heart Devotion is before considering the baneful effects of the five sins. During the July 1917 prophecy, Our Lady stated that she would return to make two requests, which together would constitute this Devotion. Her first request was this: “In order to prevent this [World War II], I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays.” She fulfilled that promise by appearing twice, each time pleading that this part of the Devotion be fulfilled: the first one, in 1925, was directed primarily to individual Catholics; the second, in 1929, was intended for the Church hierarchy. In 1925 Our Lady showed Sister Lucy her Immaculate Heart encircled with thorns On December 10, 1925, the most holy Virgin appeared to Sister Lucia [who referred to herself in the third person in her account]: “ By her side and elevated on a luminous cloud was a Child. The most holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucia’s shoulder. As she did so, she showed her a heart encircled by thorns which she was holding in her hand. At the same time, the Child said: “Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, which ungrateful men pierce at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.” “Then the most holy Virgin said: ‘Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist, at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.’” The importance of this First Saturday’s Devotion is even more apparent when we consider that Our Redeemer returned two months later to inquire about its implementation. On February 15, 1926, the Infant Jesus appeared to Lucia again and asked her if she had begun to spread this devotion to His Most Holy Mother. Sister Lucia wrote: “She told Him of difficulties with her confessor, saying that the Mother Superior was prepared to propagate it, but the confessor had said that she could do nothing by herself. Jesus replied: “It is true that your Superior alone can do nothing, but with My grace, she can do all.” She placed before Jesus the difficulty that some people had about confessing on Saturday, and asked that it might be valid to go to confession within eight days of the First Saturday. Jesus answered: ‘Yes, and it could be longer still, provided that, when they receive Me, they are in the state of grace and have the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’ “She then asked: ‘My Jesus, what about those who forget to make this intention?” Jesus replied: “They can do so at their next confession, taking advantage of the first opportunity to go to confession.’” Notice that Christ came as the Divine Child to insist that this Devotion be authorized and spread. He did not appear as an adult, as the Man of Sorrows, for example. Rather, He wished to impress upon us the reality of the Virgin’s Spiritual Motherhood and that we are truly her children, having within our grasp the power to redress the appalling blasphemies and ingratitude that offend her. Later, during the 1930’s, the Savior continued to visit Lucia, demanding this Devotion and further revealing its sublime importance in the divine plan. The second request, featuring the second aspect of the Immaculate Heart Devotion, was made on June 13, 1929, while Lucia was in a convent at Tuy, Spain. Making a private holy hour in the darkened chapel, she describes this vision she received just before midnight: “The only light was that of the sanctuary lamp. Suddenly the whole chapel was illumined by a supernatural light, and above the altar appeared a cross of light, reaching to the ceiling. In a brighter light on the upper part of the cross could be seen the face of a Man and his Body as far as the waist; upon his Breast was a dove filled with light; nailed to the cross was the body of another Man. A little below the waist, I could see a chalice and a large Host suspended in the air, on to which drops of blood were falling from the face of Jesus Crucified and from the wound in His side. These drops ran down on to the Host and fell into the chalice. Beneath the right arm of the cross was Our Lady and in her hand was her Immaculate Heart. (It was Our Lady of Fatima with her Immaculate Heart in her left hand, without a sword or cross, but with a crown of thorns and flames.) Under the left arm of the cross, large letters, as if of crystal clear water, ran down upon the altar and formed these words: Grace and Mercy. “I understood that it was the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity which was shown to me, and I received lights about this mystery which I am not permitted to reveal. Our Lady then said to me: ‘The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.’ This plea concerns the Church as a whole, and bids its leaders to demonstrate publicly an act of confidence in the Fatima Message far beyond what the Church would normally display toward private revelations, even if approved. It is certainly a challenge to the Church Hierarchy to trust in the Virgin’s promise by solemnly complying with this request, as given. But that is a matter not immediately of concern to the thesis we are considering. For the time being, we must set aside this question and try to observe Our Lady’s wish that we sacrifice ourselves for this intention and pray. There is, however, one statement by Our Lady in this "Last Vision," as it is now called, made to Sister Lucia at Tuy, Spain on June 13, 1929, which is an integral part of our analysis: “There are so many souls whom the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me.” Why these five sins are so serious Why are these sins so serious that those who commit them are condemned in such forceful terms? What makes them so evil as to merit the judgment of condemnation? Before the Council, pictures of Hell were normally displayed The answer must lie in a connection between these sins and those many souls being lost to Hell. We know that the Immaculate Heart devotion is God's prescription for the saving of many souls. This devotion, then, must counteract the main cause of many persons being separated eternally from Christ. This devotion aims at repairing the five sins committed against the Virgin. Thus, these sins are truly responsible for many who fail to gain salvation and the Beatific Vision. A distinction should be drawn here between those sinners who do not try to block the flow of grace available to all, and the sinners who purposely curb it through their sins of blasphemy and ingratitude. These latter, if permitted, would spread their poison throughout the Mystical Body of Christ. The Immaculate Heart Devotion is the needed antidote to ensure that the faithful’s immunity to the noxious effects of the five sins. This Devotion would provide new energies for the mortal combat with the Devil and his legions. The Devotion demonstrates anew the constant love and mercy with which the Holy Trinity would favor members of the Holy Church. We are now prepared to see the mystery of iniquity at work in an analysis of the five sins and how they restrict the flow of grace by undermining belief in the sacred vocation of the Holy Virgin. To understand this evil, we will now compare and contrast the five sins and the four acts of the First Saturday's devotion. In both we can detect a movement, a progression, from a more general description of Our Lady’s role to a much more specific and developed explication. The five sins are a complete, graduating negation of that role while the First Saturday's devotion is a thorough, particularizing affirmation. The five sins attack five prerogatives of Our Lady, each privilege being a further refinement of her sacred mission. Each sin is more destructive than the previous one, in that it further impedes the flow of grace from her Immaculate Heart and results in more souls lost. Taking the five sins in the sequence given by Our Lord in 1930, we can trace a mounting unfolding of the sacred mission of Our Lady. Each sin reveals a more direct attack against the Blessed Mother and Mystical Body of Christ. The first sin: Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception The first stage of Satan's total war against the Virgin is the blasphemies committed in the denial of her Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception, by Zurbanan Did God really create the Holy Virgin from the first moment of her life fully immaculate, endowed with the all-encompassing graces of that most pure conception? Does He maintain these graces in her throughout human history? If not, then all those truths which build on this one would collapse. Mary's sacred vocation is entirely dependent upon this truth. Allowing the first sin to weaken this belief in the hearts of the faithful and even to remove it completely is to ensure the loss of innumerable souls. This prerogative of Mary, a solemnly proclaimed dogma of our Catholic Faith, is not just a pious or unnecessary tenet of faith, nor is it of second or third-class stature as a few present-day theologians would have it. Without this gift from God she could not have performed the role assigned to her as the "new Eve," meriting all those titles and prerogatives of her sacred mission. She would not have been chosen to be the Mother of Christ and of His Mystical Body. The importance of this privilege will be further highlighted as we continue to assess the other sins. In passing on, we should mark the fact that in this stage Our Lady did nothing. She was totally passive, fully a recipient with no activity on her part. The next four phases, on the other hand, are the story of her acting upon the plenary graces of the Immaculate Conception, an ascending revelation of her sacred mission. The second sin: Blasphemies against Our Lady's perpetual virginity In the second stage the Devil attacks her perpetual virginity. The Virgin's perfect correspondence to those all-powerful graces is denied here. Her cooperation was total and complete, not one moment of let-up, not one flaw! Although her virginity is the main feature of this mystery, her entire and matchless acknowledgment of these super-abundant graces is very much at issue. Think for a moment of that mystery: She received all-powerful graces from God and cooperated with each and every one in an unblemished, absolute way. This incomprehensible mystery is due to the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, effecting a perfect union with the Virgin as His Immaculate Spouse. It is He, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, Who propitiates her unqualified correspondence. To deny this activity on the part of Our Lady is to repudiate the Holy Ghost as the guarantor of her ineffable collaboration with Him. Attacking her perpetual virginity or reducing it to a lesser position, as modern theologians do, is to destroy the divine plan whereby the Sanctifier accomplishes the salvation of souls in and through His most holy Spouse. Moreover, not only did she cooperate totally with these graces, she also had the perfect intention of doing so. Her intentions were fully in accord with the desires of the Holy Ghost regarding the effects of these graces, namely, the Redemption of all men and the salvation of the elect. Her intelligence and will, unimpaired and unhampered by original sin, were in absolute union with her Divine Spouse. What would the fruit of so sublime a union be? It is not entirely beyond our imagination. If ordinary people can cooperate with graces and produce wonderful results, and if the great Saints could respond in excellent ways to achieve outstanding works, then what unbelievable consequences would issue forth from Mary's faultless application of these indescribable graces! The third sin: Blasphemies against Our Lady's Divine Maternity The Fruit of that Union, that sacred work prompted by the Holy Ghost, constitutes the third stage of the attack against Our Lady: the Divine Maternity and her Spiritual Motherhood of all Men. This vicious assault, the third sin, would not only rob the Virgin of her Divine and Mystical Child, it would also, even more perniciously, deny her right to spiritual maternity over all mankind. It would nullify her just claim to enlist her offspring as agents of her Divine Spouse in fulfilling His plan of saving the elect. St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan priest of Auschwitz, expounded clearly this unfathomable oneness between the Holy Ghost and the Virgin of Nazareth. He said: "So, while their union is not of the same order as the hypostatic union linking the human and the divine natures in Christ, it remains true to say that Mary's action is the very action of the Holy Ghost. For Mary as the Spouse of the Holy Ghost is raised to such a height of perfection above all creatures that she accomplishes in everything the will of the Holy Ghost Who dwelt in her from the first instant of her conception." (13) Thus, the Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier, through His holy Spouse, could conceive, give birth to, nurture, prepare, and offer up as a sacrifice [in the past, present, and future] both the Divine Child as Head and the elect as members of the Mystical Body of Christ to gain respectively redemption and salvation. The Sacrifice of Calvary, by being renewed and re-enacted daily on the altars of the world, merits the redemptive graces which the Holy Ghost can then apply in and through the agency of His Spouse. It is truly the work of the Sanctifier, accomplished in and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is her sacred mission for which the Holy Ghost stands as Sponsor. Pilgrims in Fatima making reparation for sins and asking for graces Deny this truth, cause it to diminish in the hearts of the faithful, and then see the enormous harvest of souls reaped by the enemy of Christ. For, if the degree of cooperation on the part of the Mystical Body is a most important factor, then to lessen this effort is to reduce the number of those eventually saved. Since persons cannot be saved unless they will it and work for it, it is absolutely essential that they have the graces of the Redemption applied to them by the Holy Ghost working in and through the maternal bosom of Mary, who distributes these graces as a proper exercise of her Sacred Commission. The level of these salvific graces which the Mediatrix of All Graces can bestow depends mainly upon the degree that the faithful will, each day, become her clients, permitting her to work in and through them in the achievement of her mission. Our Lady at Fatima specifically requested this relationship with her in the August apparition: “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners, so many souls go to Hell because there is no one to pray and to make sacrifices for them. “ The situation since 1917 has not improved. So it is most surely an even more urgent plea. With this dolorous supplication echoing in our hearts, we should be fully aware of the pressing need for her children to become ever more consciously her eager clients in carrying out daily the wish of her Divine Spouse: sanctification. At all costs, Satan wants to abolish the belief that the faithful each day, through the re-enactment of Calvary at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, can offer themselves as victims also, thus imitating in some way that Redemptive Sacrifice. Since the graces bestowed each day depend to a high degree upon the disposition of the recipients, then this belief is vital to the eternal destiny of mankind. Any effort to negate or obscure this part of Mary's mission would aid and abet the diabolical assault against the Mystical Body of Christ, reducing significantly the eventual number of the elect. The third sin would achieve this goal if left unopposed. The cure for this ailment is to have the children of Mary become ever more united with her by intellect and will, so that they might be her agents of the first order. A Mass is offered on a plain table behind dancing girls at a youth event in Los Angeles Until the Protestant Revolt, Satan had little success in subverting this belief. Now the poison of Luther's doctrine is so widespread that many Catholics, priests included, no longer view the Mass as the Sacrifice of Calvary that takes place daily. Rather, they regard it as a commemoration of the Last Supper. Consequently, the ever-more-frequently-heard expression of "banquet" becomes the essence of the Mass for them. What ever happened to the total union of the Divine Head with the members of the Mystical Body throughout time until He comes to judge the world? And, how would this loss of faith affect the plans of the Holy Ghost to sanctify the would-be elect? How will He have His holy Spouse continue to distribute and munificently apply salvific graces through her children who no longer believe that they benefit from the sacrifice the Divine Victim offered up daily, thereby meriting graces for themselves and others? The fourth sin: Blasphemies to foster indifference or contempt in children The fourth sin constitutes blasphemies of those who openly seek to foster in the hearts of children indifference or contempt, and even hatred for our Immaculate Mother. With all the power at his command, the Archfiend wants to deny the Virgin the opportunity to use her children as agents of grace. To achieve this end, he would first render her maternal womb infertile, barren, robbing her of those future conduits of grace, performing, in effect, a spiritual abortion. What he would like to do is completely deprive the Holy Spirit of any future means of sanctifying the Chosen by corrupting the children and turning them away from her, and even against her. This is the terrible iniquity which is the fourth sin and the fourth stage in this conflict between Mary and Lucifer announced in Genesis, “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed;” (Gen. 3:15). Removing little ones from her side before they can be nurtured into fully-developed enlistees in her cause, the Devil would strip her of her Motherhood and deprive the Holy Ghost of this conduit of grace. By negation, this crime confirms the truth of our Faith whereby we believe that the Sanctifier does indeed save souls through the spiritual maternity of His Immaculate Spouse. St. Maximilian Kolbe affirmed this belief in his typically concise manner: “Till the end of the world it will be the task of the Holy Ghost to form the new members predestined to glory in the Mystical Body of Christ”. As St. de Montfort shows, “this task is carried to completion with Mary, in Mary and through Mary.” How many souls will be cast into Hell in the future because of this sin? The fifth sin: The offenses of those who directly affront her in her holy images If the fourth stage of attack is aimed toward the future, the fifth sin would deprive her of that Office today. She continues to have those loyal, devoted children who daily strive to be her conscious and willing agents, placing themselves entirely at her bidding. These, then, are the real targets, the ones he must destroy, using every weapon in his arsenal and any strategy that might succeed. They are the “seed” (of the woman) whose enmity Satan cannot tolerate or withstand, under whose “heel” the Cursed One is to be forever humbled and trod upon: “And thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” (Gen. 3:15) To eliminate these special devotees, remove them as her agents, dispossess the Holy Ghost of this means of sanctifying souls, would be to ensure a monumental victory for Lucifer. It will certainly happen if the fifth sin is permitted to continue unchecked. The Devil would pry these souls away from the Virgin by a personal assault rather than an attack on her Office. Knowing that these devoted children of Mary firmly believe in her, he must shift his efforts from the Virgin to her children. He well understands that he must inject into their hearts doubt that she should fill so exalted an Office. It is a clever strategem. Instead of trying to force a direct denial of her divine commission, he tries to make them at least uncertain about it, putting doubts about her worthiness to hold so exalted a place. In effect, the result of this indirect attack is the same as for the direct attack: to disqualify the only person who could possibly satisfy that position is in effect to eliminate that position. These stalwart devotees of Mary remain as the last obstacles barring him from a complete victory. Openly destroying and desecrating holy images of Mary is Satan’s old trick, a certain sign of his weakness to the eyes of her faithful offspring. When all else fails, he resorts to tactics of shock, fear, and intimidation, indirect attacks, which prove his inability to make a successful frontal assault against the faithful. Cunning in his evil ways, he knows that he cannot frontally assault them because they are specially protected by the Immaculate Heart and are outside his power to be won over to his camp. Unable to dissuade them from their loyal service to their Mother, he tries to at least reduce their activity in her behalf; then, much later, he can further induce them to abandon the battle altogether. He would intimidate them, jolt them into a state of near-paralysis, and sow the seeds of doubt in their hearts. In the lives of the great saints, one finds repeated instances of how he tries to use this strategy to curb their zeal. How often he has used blasphemies, loud cursing, hideous visions, false apparitions, physical violence, and other similar deceitful methods to weaken these “strong ones”, Mary’s true channels of grace! The fifth sin is meant to disconcert and dislodge these stubborn and valiant workers of hers. The fifth sin against Our Lady is affronts to her sacred images The archetype of all rebels will surely continue in his efforts to stop wholly or to scale down considerably their offerings of prayers, sufferings, penances, and sacrifices of all kinds. Most especially the Devil wants to vanquish those persons who go even further: those who make a formal and solemn consecration of their whole beings to her Immaculate Heart. How profoundly these generous souls torment him! How he rages against them! They are, in truth, “extensions” of the holy Virgin by means of their full union with her and her Divine Spouse. Once again, we turn to the wisdom of St. Kolbe, who says that “the ideal of our perfection is our consecration to the Immaculata, always by day and night, so that it may not be we who suffer and act, but she through us. He points out that through her, we are united to Christ: “The Immaculata has left this earth; but her life has only grown deeper and richer; it grows and flourishes more and more in the lives of Christians . . . . She strives to shape them after the model, Jesus, her first-born, the archetype of all sanctity, the man-God. These are the words of the apostle of true devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort: “When the Holy Ghost, her Spouse, has found Mary in a soul, He flies there. He enters there in His fullness; He communicates Himself to that soul abundantly, and to the full extent to which it makes room for His Spouse.” Lucifer intends this sin to be the coup de grace, the final blow. We see how these words of Our Lady (July 1917) take on new meaning: “You have just seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” Emphasizing the role of Our Lady takes not one iota from Christ of what is His due. The honor we give her is only possible because of His Passion and Death. Rather, the intention of this article is to increase His honor and glory by focusing on the part of the Holy Ghost working in and through His Immaculate Spouse in applying the very graces which Christ won for us. Further, the Redeemer Himself came to promulgate and insist upon this special attention to His Mother. Doing this, we carry out His wishes and please Him. The analysis of the five sins concluded, the reader may well experience a feeling of helplessness, a sense that it is impossible to correct the evil. It is not difficult to resolve this problem.

Apostles (First century) Philip was one of the first chosen disciples of Christ. On the way from Judea to Galilee Our Lord found Philip, and said, "Follow Me." Philip straightway obeyed; and then in his zeal and charity sought to win Nathaniel also, saying, "We have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth." And when Nathaniel in wonder asked, "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" Philip simply answered, "Come and see," and brought him to Jesus. Another saying of this Apostle is preserved for us by Saint John. Christ in His last discourse had spoken of His Father; and Philip exclaimed, in the fervor of his thirst for God, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough!" The tradition of the ancients has established that he died a martyr at Hierapolis in Phyrgia. There the remains of a church known to be dedicated to him have been identified, north of the entrance to the great necropolis. His relics were later transported to Rome, to the church of the Holy Apostles. Saint James the Less (the Younger), author of the canonical Epistle, was the son of Alpheus, the brother of Saint Jude and a cousin of Our Lord, whom he is said to have resembled. Saint Paul tells us that he was favored by a special apparition of Christ after the Resurrection. (I Corinthians 15:7) On the dispersion of the Apostles among the nations, Saint James remained as Bishop of Jerusalem, where the Jews held in such high veneration his purity, mortification, and prayer, that they named him the Just. He governed that church for 30 years before his martyrdom. Hegesippus, the earliest of the Church's historians, has handed down many traditions of Saint James's sanctity. Saint James was a celibate Nazarite consecrated to God; he drank no wine and wore no sandals. He prostrated himself so long and so often in prayer that the skin of his knees was hardened like a camel's hoof. It is said that the Jews, out of respect, used to touch the hem of his garment. He was indeed a living proof of his own words, "The wisdom that is from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, modest, ready to listen, full of mercy and good fruits." (James 3:17) He sat beside Saint Peter and Saint Paul at the Council of Jerusalem. When Saint Paul at a later time escaped the fury of the Jews by appealing to Caesar, the people took vengeance on James, and crying out, "The just one has erred!" stoned him to death. During his martyrdom he prayed for his persecutors in the same words pronounced by Jesus: "Heavenly Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."