Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Priest Under False Accusations

Given some of the recent news in the Catholic world, it seems appropriate to re-post the following. Taken from Cardinal Manning's The Eternal Priesthood:

CHAPTER XII
THE PRIEST UNDER FALSE ACCUSATIONS

GOD might have redeemed the world by a manifestation of His glory; but He chose to do it by shame. Jesus was rejected of men, and they hid their faces from Him as if ashamed to own Him. This lot He has bequeathed to us. Jesus was falsely accused. No man ever more so. He was called a Samaritan, and told that He had a devil. He was “a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.” He was a deceiver, and a seducer, and seditious; stirring up the people, feigning to be a king and a prophet, being a pretender and a blasphemer. He suffered all the penalties of sin, its guilt only excepted.

1. False accusation was hateful to Him, because of His perfect holiness. To be baptised as if He were a sinner was an act of divine humility. The eyes of all were fixed upon Him. He was counted as one of the sinners of Jerusalem. It was bitter to be even suspected. But to be accused as a sinner was an infinite humiliation. The bitterness of sin entered into His sinless soul. He tasted the horror and the shame even of those who are justly accused. Innocent men arraigned at the bar, and though falsely yet skillfully accused of atrocious crimes, have afterwards told us that, for a time, they had the horrible sense of guilt upon them. And, in the measure of their innocence, their hatred of the evil laid to their charge will be more acute. To the sinful it brings little pain; for sin deadens the perception of the baseness, the grossness, the deadliness of sin. The agony of our Divine Lord in the Garden came from the vision and the contact of the sin of the world. The sins of mankind before the Flood; the sins of the tribes of Israel, the sins of the Christian world, and, above all, the sins of His own priests these wrung from Him a sweat of blood. The sanctity of God in contact with the sin of the world caused a sorrow “unto death.” For though God cannot sorrow as God, God Incarnate sorrowed by the suffering of His sinless humanity in this world of sin.

In the measure, then, of the innocence and purity of a priest's life and heart will be his suffering when falsely accused. They who accuse him little know the pain they inflict. They have not his delicacy of conscience, or the purity of his heart, or his jealousy for the priesthood and for the Name of our Divine Master. So far “they know not what they do.” The coarse, and the rude, and the vindictive, and the malevolent, and even the foolish and the reckless in speech, with no ill-will, perhaps, but with great want of caution; often inflict wounds upon a good priest which are never healed. They would care little if it were said of themselves; and that is, perhaps, their only excuse, and a very mean one.

2. And the false accusations against our Divine Saviour came from those to whom He was always doing good. For three long years in meekness and gentleness He spoke with them of the kingdom of God. He healed their sick, and cleansed their lepers, and opened the eyes of their blind, and fed the hungry, and raised their dead. And the people heard Him gladly, and the little children came to Him without fear. Virtue went out of Him to illuminate, to sanctify, and to console. And yet He was hated; and at one time they sought to kill Him, at another to cast Him down from the hill on which they dwelt. And they spoke against Him, and accused Him falsely. They returned hatred for His love, and reviling for His patience. This added a special pain.

Every priest must be ready to bear the same. Those for whom we have done most are often the most thankless; and at the first reproof or the first refusal, however small, break out into bitter ill-will. It is a proverb that men forget the score of times that we have said yes, and remember only the once that we say no. Of the ten lepers only one returned to give thanks, and he was a Samaritan. Priests, Levites, and Jews passed the wounded man by the wayside. Only one was found to help him, and he, too, was a Samaritan. The Jews were blinded with the excess of light, and surfeited with the abundance of their mercies. They took all as a right, and crucified the Lord of glory. But the Samaritans, in their austere scarcity of light and grace, were quicker to perceive the goodness and the law of God. So it is often in our flock. The favoured become pampered, and they who have had least care have most gratitude.

3. And the false accusations came especially from those who knew Him. We read that at one time even His brethren did not believe in Him. And at last one of His twelve disciples betrayed Him. It often happens that a priest is falsely accused by someone for whom he has had a special intimacy, and on whom he has bestowed a special care. It may be some soul ready to perish whom he has plucked as a brand from the burning. It often happens that they for whom we do most are least grateful and most malicious. Because so much has been done for them, they exact more; and because more cannot be done, they break out in jealousy and vindictiveness. It would be but a little thing if enemies who do not know us speak against us; but when familiar friends, who have been freely admitted to our confidence and within our guard, who have lived under our roof and broken bread with us—when they turn and accuse us, it is far more bitter. Inimici hominis domestici ejus. The care and kindness and forbearance we have shown to them is all lost. Some passion of jealousy or self-interest has mastered them. They first turn from us, and then turn upon us. If they had been strangers and unknown, we could have better borne it; but from them it has a manifold ingratitude. They know us better than other men. Their accusations are not from ignorance or mistake. They know the falseness, because they know the truth: and that galls them. They can find nothing against us truly; therefore they are irritated, and go to Satan's forge for lies. Sister Emmerich says that Satan in Gethsemane asked our Lord what He had done with all the money that came from the lands that Mary sold at Magdala.

4. And the false accusation against our Divine Master was believed by, not a few, but by the majority of men. The bad believed it readily, and rejoiced that He was one of themselves. He had rebuked them, and warned them, and irritated them by His example; and crossed their trade of wickedness, and defeated their plans, and, it may be, had saved the innocent out of their hands. It was joy to them that He could be blackened by accusation, which, however false, would still leave its stain, and never be forgotten. This was sharp enough. But it was worse when He saw that the good believed Him to be guilty: that they forsook Him, and shunned Him, and passed Him by. The animosity of immoral minds was easier to bear than the condemnation of the good; who, being deceived, believed what was said against Him. Then the rulers and guides of the people—the scribes and the priests, the men of strict observance and large knowledge of the law—they disapproved and discountenanced His exaggerated teaching and His unusual way of life: sometimes all night in prayer, sometimes eating and drinking with sinners. This Man, if He were a prophet, would know; but He does not know, therefore He is no prophet; and if not a prophet He is pretentious in His ways, and presumptuous in His condemnations even of the scribes who sit in the seat of Moses. Have any of the rulers of the people believed in Him? If not, no one should believe in Him. Many a good priest is criticised, censured, accused, condemned, loudly or in silence, and all that is said against him is believed and repeated. In the homes where he used to be welcome there is constraint. In the friends who used to greet him there is a distance. The falsehood has done its work, and no contradiction can ever overtake it. It follows him like a shadow; and it darkens his path wherever he goes. It has become a part of his public reputation; the majority believe it to be true. His brother priests believe it. His Bishop believes it, and does not clear him. The holy angels know it to be false. But the priest was predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son; and He was accused falsely, and men believed it to be true.

5. Lastly, our Divine Master died under the cloud of false accusation. He was never cleared of the reproach, though the witnesses could not agree together. What matter? The high priest and the scribes condemned Him, and the majority cried, “Crucify Him. What more need have we of witnesses?” His name was blackened, and He died upon the Cross deserted by friends, abandoned by men, and forsaken by God. He died as a malefactor between malefactors, in the sight of the multitude who once believed Him to be a prophet, and now believed Him to be a blasphemer. Even after His death this ill name survived Him. “This deceiver said, while He was yet alive.” This same lot He left behind Him to them that are His. “God hath set forth us Apostles, the last, as it were, appointed to death. We are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake; but you are wise in Christ. We are weak; but you are strong. You are honourable; but we are without honour. Even unto this hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode. And we labour, working with our own hands; we are reviled, and we bless; we are persecuted, and we suffer it. We are blasphemed, and we entreat. We are made the refuse of this world, the off-scouring of all even until now (1 Cor 4:9-13).” “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of the household (Mt 10:24-25).” Why should we complain if we be blackened with accusation, and die under it? Innocence falsely accused is a close conformity to the Son of God.

Three thoughts, arising from all this, may give us both peace and strength when we are falsely accused. The first is, that innocence, suffering under sin, suffers for sinners. It is what S. Paul describes as “filling up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ (Col 1:24).” The sufferings of the Head redeemed the world. The infinite merits of the Cross have purchased all things for us. But the suffering of the mystical Body, and of every member of it, is united to the Passion of Jesus, and through Him it ascends, as an act of obedience, and patience, and self-oblation, to the Father.

The second thought is, that sinners are never so near their Divine Master as when they suffer innocently. S. Peter says: “Dearly beloved, think not strange the burning heat, which is to try you, as if some new thing happened to you; but if you partake of the suffering of Christ, rejoice that when His glory shall be revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy. For if you be reproached for the name of Christ you shall be blessed; for that which is of the honour, glory, and power of God, and that which is His Spirit, resteth upon you 1 Pt 4:12-14).” If we are on our Lord's side we shall suffer both for Him and with Him. Wherever His Cross is, there He is also. Never so near as when we need Him most. Our shame, and pain, and burning of heart are the pledges of His nearness, and that He is opening our understanding to know what books cannot teach us. How often have we read the words, “A faithful saying: for if we be dead with Him, we shall live also with Him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him (2 Tim 2:11-12).” To be falsely accused is the last conformity of the servant to his Lord.

The third thought is, that our Divine Master has some greater work for us to do. He is fitting us for it by suffering, by taking away the sweetness, without which hirelings will not serve Him, by purifying our love from resentment against those who despitefully use us, and from all weak pity for ourselves. Till we have accepted our Master's lot, whose three companions, B. Angela of Foligno says, were Poverty, Sorrow, and Contempt, we shall not be worthy to be priests or soldiers of the Heart that was pierced. He gives to all His servants a measure of work according to their power. To the many He gives an easier task, to some a harder, to a few the hardest of all. All priests stand on Calvary; hut some are nearer than others to His Cross. He measures out the share of His Cross as each can hear it. Some it touches only for a moment ; on some it falls often ; some have the prolonged lot of Simon of Cyrene ; others have the mocking, others the vinegar and gall; some the desolation, and a few the false accusation under which He died. S. Romuald, S. Peter Martyr, S. Francis of Sales, S. Joseph Calasanctius, S. Vincent of Paul tasted this bitterness, and many more. It made them Saints, and fitted them for their work; for they were called to do the works of Saints. If, then, we have some share in this lot, it is a sure sign of His love and of His will to use us in some way as instruments of His power. Let us, then, never faint under it nor fear, nor go about for human defenders, nor use human arts for our justification. Leave it to Him. “Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust in Him, and He will do it; and He will bring forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday (Ps 36:5-6).” When this token of His special service comes to you, give thanks. Say, Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore. I will bless the Lord in all times : in the time of peace, and in the time of trouble ; in the time of gladness, and in the time of affliction; in the time when men trust me, and in the time when they mistrust me; in the time when they speak me fair, and in the time when they lay to my charge evil that I know not, and falsehoods that are believed as true.

Daily Manning Quote


The Blessed Sacrament to sense is bread and wine; to intellect, a symbol; to faith, the Body and Blood of Christ.

Friday, June 17, 2011

17 June - Feast of St. Botolph

Today is the feast of Saint Botolph, a seventh century English abbot.

Abbot, date of birth unknown; died c. 680. St. Botulph, the saint whose name is perpetuated in that of the American city of Boston, Massachusetts, was certainly an historical personage, though the story of his life is very confused and unsatisfactory. What information we possess about him is mainly derived from a http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifshort biography by Folcard, monk of St. Bertin and Abbot of Thorney, who wrote in the eleventh century (Hardy, Catalogue of Brit. Hist., I, 373). According to him Botulph was born of noble Saxon parents who were Christians, and was sent with his brother Adulph to the Continent for the purpose of study. Adulph remained abroad, where he is stated to have become Bishop of Utrecht, though his name does not occur in any of the ancient lists. Botulph, returning to England, found favour with a certain Ethelmund, "King of the southern Angles", whose sisters he had known in Germany, and was by him permitted to choose a tract of desolate land upon which to build a monastery. This place, surrounded by water and called Icanhoe (Ox-island), is commonly identified with the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, mainly on account of its name (Boston=Botulph's town).


Read more at Catholic Encyclopedia.

Enjoy a little tribute to St. Botulph's most famous parishioner:




And finally, congratulations to the Boston Bruins on their first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years...

Daily Manning Quote



Unite your whole heart, with all its love and all its affections, to our Blessed Lord, to His kingdom, to His interests upon earth, to His poverty, to His sufferings, to His contempt, and to His Cross.

Daily Manning Quote - June 16

You who have the whole revelation of God, ought to have the whole charity of God in you. Let your neighbours who are round about, even those who are not of the faith, feel that there is something in you — a warmth, a kindness, a sympathy, and generosity which they find in no other men.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Daily Manning Quote



Our Blessed Lord numbers all the graces you have had, and all the sins you have committed; take care not to overreach the number allotted to you.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Daily Manning Quote



As we know among ourselves, it is love that awakens love, it is friendship that kindles friendship, it is the sensible manifestation of kindness and of tenderness of heart, of disinterested and self-denying love,—it is this that awakens us to love again; so is it toward our Lord: He endured all things first, to persuade us to trust in His love.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Saint Anthony of Padua

Read about Saint Anthony in the New Catholic Encyclopdia.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Litany of Saint Anthony, on his Feast Day


Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

O Christ, hear us.
O Christ, graciously hear us.

O God the Father, of Heaven:
have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world:
O God, the Holy Ghost:
O Holy Trinity, one God:
have mercy upon us.

Holy Mary: Pray for us.
Immaculate Virgin:
Mother and Mistress of the Franciscan order:

St. Anthony of Padua: Pray for us.
St. Anthony, glory of the Friars Minor:
St. Anthony, greatest son of St. Francis:
St. Anthony, playmate of the Holy Child Jesus:
St. Anthony, devout client of Our Lady:
St. Anthony, messenger of the Sacred Heart:
St. Anthony, holy prophet of God:
St. Anthony, doctor of divine truth:
St. Anthony, preacher of grace:
St. Anthony, keeper of the Scriptures:
St. Anthony, ark of the covenant:
St. Anthony, hammer of heretics:
St. Anthony, terror of infidels:
St. Anthony, horror of evil spirits:
St. Anthony, searcher of consciences:
St. Anthony, consoler of the sorrowful:
St. Anthony, gentlest of saints:
St. Anthony, example of obedience:
St. Anthony, gem of poverty:
St. Anthony, lily of chastity:
St. Anthony, rose of patience:
St. Anthony, violet of humility:
St. Anthony, apostle of the Savior:
St. Anthony, martyr in desire:
St. Anthony, confessor of the Faith:
St. Anthony, virgin in soul:
St. Anthony, finder of lost things:
St. Anthony, helper of all who invoke thee:
Pray for us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world:
spare us, O Lord.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world:
graciously hear us, O Lord.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Anthony. Alleluia.
R. That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ. Alleluia.

Let us pray.

O God, let the votive commemoration of Blessed Anthony, Thy Confessor, be a source of joy to Thy Church, that she may always be fortified with spiritual assistance, and may deserve to possess eternal joy, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Daily Manning Quote



We speak with our Blessed Lord as a friend to friend, face to face, opening our hearts to His Sacred Heart, and conversing with God as with One Who knows all we are by personal experience and human sympathy, and is infinitely pitiful and divinely tender in His love.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Daily Manning Quotes - Pentecost


Make up your mind now that not a day shall pass, from this day to your last, without some act of adoration to the Person of the Holy Ghost, without some act of reparation made to Him for your own sins and for the sins of other men. Say day by day the majestic Hymn of the Church, the Veni Creator Spiritus; or that other equally beautiful, and even more full of tenderness, Veni Sancte Spiritus; or say every day, seven times, the Gloria Patri in honour of the Holy Ghost, to obtain His seven gifts; raise up your hearts to God, make each of you some short act of reparation and adoration out of the fulness of your soul.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 9

NINTH DAY (Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)

Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore, in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend; Give Them Comfort when they die; Give them Life with Thee on high; Give them joys which never end. Amen

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.

Prayer

Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.
Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts


Read more at EWTN.

Daily Manning Quote


What the dove was at Jordan, and the tongues of fire at Pentecost, that the one visible Church is now : the witness of the mission, advent, and perpetual presence of the Spirit of the Father and of the Son.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 8

EIGHTH DAY (Friday after the Octave of Pentecost)

Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill. Guide the steps that go astray!

The Gift of Wisdom

Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: "Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.

Pater noster and Ave Maria ONCE.
Gloria Patri SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts



Read more at EWTN.

Daily Manning Quote


The Holy Ghost reads the heart. Demas "loved this world;" therefore, and for no other reason, he forsook the servants of Jesus Christ.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 7


SEVENTH DAY
(Octave of the Ascension)

Heal our wounds--our strength renew; On our dryness pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.

The Gift of Counsel


The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.

Pater noster and Ave Maria ONCE.
Gloria Patri SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Read more at EWTN.

Daily Manning Quote



The throne of God's sovereignty is the Blessed Sacrament upon the Altar. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, our Lord and King, is there, always reigning, by the power of His love attracting the human will in all its freedom to Himself.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 6

SIXTH DAY (Wednesday in the Octave of the Ascension)

If Thou take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his good is turn'd to ill.

The Gift of Understanding

Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. By faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.

Pater noster and Ave Maria ONCE.
Gloria Patri SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts


Read more at EWTN.

Daily Manning Quote


Through your whole life everything that you do according to the Will of God, being in a state of grace, has in the Book of Remembrance a record, and in the Sacred Heart of our Divine Master a promise of reward, which shall be satisfied at His coming.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 5

FIFTH DAY (Tuesday in the Octave of the Ascension)

Light immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill!

The Gift of Knowledge

The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.

Pater noster and Ave Maria ONCE.
Gloria SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts


Read more at EWTN.

Daily Manning Quote


Keep as closely as you can to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Be faithful to His law. Cherish every particle of His truth, every commandment, every counsel of His will, every inspiration of His grace.

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 4


FOURTH DAY (Monday in the Octave of the Ascension)


Thou in toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.

The Gift of Fortitude

By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved."

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.

Pater noster and Ave Maria ONCE.
Gloria Patri SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts


Read more at EWTN.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Daily Manning Quote



A spirit of reparation draws great graces from the Sacred Heart, and engages all its generosity in our salvation.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 3

THIRD DAY (Sunday in the Octave of the Ascenion)

Thou, of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow.

The Gift of Piety

The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Pater noster and Ave Maria ONCE.
Gloria Patri SEVEN TIMES.


Read more at EWTN.

Daily Manning Quote


We who murmur, and repine, and chafe, and fret all the day long if anything goes against us, call ourselves disciples of the Sacred Heart; and yet we have not so much as the will to bear the Cross, much less to love it.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Stanley Cup Finals

Game 2 tonight.



Go Canucks!

Daily Manning Quote


Take nothing lower than the Heart of our Divine Lord as the measure and the rule of your own. Do not take any lower standard. Do not take the examples of men. Do not take maxims or motives of your own. Set before you the Sacred Heart in its full and divine perfection.

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 2

SECOND DAY (Saturday in the Octave of the Ascension)

Come, Father of the poor; Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!

The Gift of Fear

The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls."

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever. Help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.

Pater noster and Ave Maria ONCE.
Gloria Patri SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Read more at EWTN.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Novena to the Holy Ghost - Day 1


FIRST DAY (Friday, in the Octave of the Ascension)

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important — eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared — sin. Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.
Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Read more at EWTN.

Novena to the Holy Ghost

In preparation for Pentecost (from EWTN):

FOREWORD

The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.



Link

Daily Manning Quote


There is always one Friend in Whom we may find perfect and changeless rest. Other friends often grieve and disappoint us. Our only Divine Friend never fails. We may go to Him at any hour. If He be silent, we know His meaning and His mind. He always welcomes us when we come to Him. He listens to all we say, and He consoles us by listening to our voice ; for it is a relief to unburden our soul to a friend, though he answers not a word. We know that we have His sympathy; that He feels with us and for us; that all we say is noted and remembered; and that, if He be silent now, the day is not far off when we shall hear Him say, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


If you would find the Fountain of the Water of Life and the glories of the Eternal Throne, on which the Lord of the Sacred Heart sits and reigns for ever, go into any sanctuary where the light burns silently before the tabernacle. Kneel there and cover your face. Jesus is there, and the Ever-blessed Trinity, and the vision of peace, and the heavenly court, and the kingdom of His glory.

Happy Ascension Thursday!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Daily Manning Quote



Learn to know the love of God in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is the Book of Life, open to all, easily to be read. Take that Book of Life and read it, every page. It is written within and without with the pledges and the promises of God's personal love for you.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


Educate your children, and promote by all the power you have the Christian education of the children of the poor. The root of society is in the child. The education of the child is the first obligation of the law of God on men.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


We think that Saints are like the great mountains, or like the cedars of Lebanon, in the kingdom of God—seldom to be seen, and afar off. There are Saints standing amongst us, and we know them not. They do not know it themselves, for sanctity sees only its own imperfections.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Daily Manning Quote



As the only reality in the world is man, so the only reality in man is his spiritual life. We must strive to be more alone. Solitude and silence are full of reality.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

De Ecclesia Militante, Chapter 1 (Latin)


CAPUT PRIMUM
DE NOMINE ECCLESIÆ

Controversia de Ecclesia militante, multas habet partes. Primum enim de ipsa secundum se agendum erit; tum de membris ejus, hoc est, de clericis, de monachis, de laicis. Rursum autem de Ecclesia militante secundum se considerata, de qua nunc disputare aggredimur, tres sunt præcipue controversiæ. Prima est, de nomine et definitione Ecclesiæ. Secunda, de qualitate, seu de visibilitate ejusdem. Tertia, de notis, quibus ea certo cognosci potest.

A prima nunc exordiemur; si tamen antea propter studiosos nomina eorum auctorum notaverimus, qui de Ecclesia scripserunt, seu potius eorum quorum nos libros legimus; nec enim omnes legimus. Igitur scripserunt de hoc argumento b. Augustin. lib. de unitate Ecclesiæ; b. Cyprianus librum ejusdem tituli, necnon Optatus lib. 6. contra Parmenianum. Ex recentioribus scripsit Thomas Waldensis tom. 1. lib. 2. doctrinæ fidei cap. 8. 9. 10. etc. Joan. de Turrecremata summam de Ecclesia; Joannes Driedo in lib. 4. de dogmatibus ecclesiasticis, cap. 2. Albertus Pighius controversia 3. cardinalis Hosius in confessione, in explicatione symboli, et lib. 5. contra prolegomena Brentii; Petrus a Soto 1. part. defensionis suæ contra Brentium. Joannes a Daventria in confut. 7. artic. Confessionis Augustanæ; Joannes Cochlæus Philippica 4. et in lib. de Scripturæ et Ecclesiæ auctoritate: Joannes Eckius initio sui Enchiridii, Alphonsus a Castro lib. 6. cont. hæres. Melchior Canus lib. 4. de locis. Joannes Antonius Delphinus in libris trib. de Ecclesia, Joannes a Lovanio in explicat. symboli, et omnes alii, qui symbolum exposuerunt. Franciscus Turrianus in libris duobus de Ecclesia, et ordinat. ministr. Post quos, anno 1577. ineunte, nos hæc ipsa, quæ nunc emittimus in lucem in scholis disputavimus. A quo tempore scripsit etiam de eodem argumento Gregorius de Valentia in sua Analysi fidei catholicæ part. 6. et scripserunt etiam alii, sed non vacavit per alias occupationes eorum libros evolvere.

Venio nunc ad propositam disputationem: Ac ut primum de nomine, deinde de re ipsa dicamus, Ecclesiæ nomen est græcum, deduciturque a verbo εκκαλεω, quod est evoco. Itaque Ecclesia est evocatio, sive coetus vocatorum. Dicitur autem populus Dei coetus vocatorum, quia nemo ad hunc populum se adjungit per se, et suo proprio instinctu, sed omnes quotquot veniunt, a Dei vocatione præveniuntur. Est enim vocatio primum beneficium, quod sancti a Deo recipiunt: Quos vocavit, inquit apostolus Rom. 8. hos justificavit: quos justificavit, hos et magnificavit. Et Actor. 2. Quoscumque advocaverit Dominus Deus noster. Hinc toties apostolus Christianos appelat vocatos, in omnibus fere epistolis.

Sunt autem tria circa hoc nomen notanda. Primo, nomen Ecclesiæ cum aliquo adjuncto, posse et in bonam et in malam partem accipi; dicitur enim: Ecclesia malignantium psalm. 25. Et Ecclesia sanctorum psalm. 88. Absolute autem positum hoc nomen, non intelligi nisi de Ecclesia Christi; excepto uno loco Act. 19. ubi de populo ethnicorum dicitur: Erat enim Ecclesia Confusa.

Secundo, nota cum Augustino in psal. 81. in illud: Deus stetit in synagoga Deorum: tametsi eadem sit Ecclesia veteris Testamenti et novi, quoad essentiam; tamen quia status Ecclesiæ novi Testamenti est longe excellentior, ideo etiam nomina esse distincta. Nam populus veteris Testamenti proprie dicitur synagoga, idest, congregatio, populus novi Testamenti nusquam dicitur synagoga, sed semper Ecclesia, idest, evocatio. Congregari enim commune est hominibus cum bestiis: at evocari proprium est hominum. Neque refert, quod populus Judæorum in Testamento veteri passim vocatur etiam Ecclesia: nam tam synagoga, quam Ecclesia apud Hebræos dicitur a congregando עדה quod vertimus synagoga, dicitur a יען congregare. Similiter, קהל, idest, Ecclesia, dicitur a קהל congregari. Itaque sunt nomina duo, sed idem prorsus significant.

Tertio nota, quemadmodum civitas nunc significat coetum hominum, nunc locum, in quo coetus ille habitat, ita etiam Ecclesiam in Scripturis nunc significare coetum fidelium, ut Rom. 16. Salutant vos omnes Ecclesiæ Asiæ, nunc locum ipsum, in quo fideles congregantur, ut Judith 6. Omnis populus per totam noctem intra Ecclesiam oraverunt, quamquam nos nunc solum de Ecclesia,ut coetum fidelium significat, disputamus.

Daily Manning Quote


The great sin of us all is creature-worship — putting creatures in the place of God; and this brings us into bondage. But there is one creature in the world which is the most subtle of all ; there is one creature which is the most fascinating, the most deceitful, which brings men into bondage more than anything else, and that creature is self — the love of self.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Papal Tiara

Check out the new papal tiara at Orbis Catholicus, the blogging home of the inimitable John Paul Sonnen:

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

In London

Will be in London for the next few days. Will post pictures when I return to Rome.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


Obedience of domestic life is a great discipline of humility, piety, and self-content. A good son will make a good priest, and a good daughter will make a good nun. A disobedient son will hardly make an obedient priest, and an unloving daughter will hardly make a sister of charity. A good home is a great novitiate.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


It is more generous, it is more in conformity with the example set us by our Divine Lord and Master, to deny ourselves in many things that are lawful. Apply this to dress, to pleasures, to amusements, to the expenditure you make on yourself, to your domestic and private life, and you will find a wide field for its application.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


I have been often asked whether it is lawful to go to a theatre. My answer has been always, "I cannot forbid you. If you ask what I advise, I say without hesitation, 'Do not go.' I would to God that those who can refrain from such things, as an offering to our Divine Redeemer, would refrain for ever."

Thursday, May 19, 2011

De Ecclesia Militante - Chapter 1

Chapter One
About the Name of the Church

(1) The controversy about the Church militant has many parts. For she is first considered as she is in herself; then about her members, that is, about clerics, about monks, about laity. But returning to the Church considered according to herself, about which we now start to dispute, there are especially three controversies. The first is about the name and definition of ‘Church.’ The second, about the quality or about the visibility of the same. The third, about the notes, by which she is able to be known certainly.

(2) Now we begin from the first; and yet before that, on account of the zealous, we would note the name of the authors who have written about the Church, or rather, of those whose books we have read; for we have not read everything. And so, Bd. Augustine, in the lib. de unitate Ecclesiae; Bd. Cyprian, in a book of the same title; but also Optatus in book six contra Parmenianum, have written about this argument. Of the more recent, Thomas Waldensis, in volume 1, book 2 doctrinae fidei, has written; [as have] Joannes de Turrecremata, in summam de Ecclesia; John Driedo, in book 4 of de dogmatibus ecclesiasticis, chapter 2; Albert Pinghius, controversia 3; Cardinal Hosius [Stansislaw Hozjusz] in confessione, in explicatione symboli, and in book 5 contra prolegomena Brentii; Peter a Soto in the first part of his defense against Brentius; John Daventria, in confut. 7. art. Confessionis Augustanae; John Cochlaeus, in Philippica 4, and in the book de Scripturae et Ecclesiae auctoritate; John Eck, in the beginning of his Enchiridii; Alphonsus de Castro, in book 6 contra haeres.; Melchior Cano in book 4 de locis symboli; John Antonius Delphinus, in three books de Ecclesia, John of Louvain in explicat. symboli, and all others who have explained the Creed; and Francis Turrianus in two books, de Ecclesia, and ordinat. minstr. After which, beginning in 1577 we disputed in the schools these very things which we now bring to light. From which time Gregory de Valencia has written about the same thing in his Analysi fidei catholicae part 6, and others also have written, but he is not free to evaluate their books on account of other occupations.

(3) I come now to the proposed disputation: and as we speak first about the name and then about the thing itself, [we say] that the name ‘Church’ is Greek, and is derived from ’εκκαλέο, that is, ‘I call out/forth.’ And so, ‘Church’ is a calling out, or an assembly of the called. But the Church is designated a assembly of the called, because no one joins himself to this people through himself, and his own proper instinct; but all whosoever come, are prevented by the call of God. For the call is the first benefit which the saints receive from God: “Whom he calls,” says the apostle in Romans 8, “Those he justifies; whom he justifies, those also he shall magnify.” And Acts 2, “Whomsoever the Lord our God shall call.” Then too the apostle calls all Christians ‘called’, in almost all of his letters.

(4) But there are three things about this name that should be noted. First, the name ‘Church’ with some adjective can be taken both in a good sense and in a bad sense; for Psalm 25 says, “the Church of the Wicked,” and Psalm 88, “the Church of the Saints.” But this name put absolutely should not be understood except of the Church of Christ; except in one place in Acts 19 where it speaks about the people of the gentiles: “For the assembly was confused.”

(5) In the second place, note with Augustine on Psalm 81 on the passage “God stood in the assembly of the gods,” even though the Church of the Old Testament and that of the New are the same as far as the essence, nevertheless, because the status of the Church of the New Testament is by far more excellent, therefore, the names are also different. For the people of the Old Testament is properly called the synagogue, that is, the gathering, or congregation. The people of the New Testament is nowhere called synagogue, but always the Church, that is, the calling out. For being gathered, congregated, is common to men and beasts; but being called out is proper to men. Nor does it make any difference that the people of the Jews in the Old Testament are sometimes also called the Church. For both synagogue and Church, among the Hebrews, come from gathering ‘ādāh [עדה (ayin-dalet-he)]; what we translate ‘synagogue’ comes from yā’an [יען (yod-ayin-nun)] ‘to gather.’ Likewise qāhāl [קהל (qoph-he-lamed)], that is, “Church,” comes from qāhal [קהל (qoph-he-lamed)] ‘to be gathered.’ Therefore there are two names, but they mean exactly the same thing.

(6) Third note, in the same way that ‘city’ signifies at times a assembly of men, and at other times, the place in which that assembly dwells; so also ‘Church’ sometimes signifies the assembly of the faithful, as in Romans 16: “All of the Churches of Asia greet you,” and elsewhere that place in which the faithful are gathered, as in Judith 6: “The whole people prayed in the Church throughout the night”; although, now we are disputing only about the Church as it signifies the assembly of the faithful.

Saint Robert Bellarmine - De Ecclesia Militante

Today I'm beginning to post St. Robert Bellarmine's classic work, De Ecclesia Militante. Despite its importance to the study of ecclesiology, to the best of my knowledge there is no English version available. I will be posting a (very rough) English translation, with the Latin text following in a later post. I hope that by making this text available on the internet, it will prompt other students to rediscover Bellarmine's theology.

Daily Manning Quote


Read the rules of life which S. Paul gave to Bishops, Priests, people, parents, children, servants, and homes. Read also what S. Peter counselled as to dress and ornaments. See what the Saints thought, said, and practised even in their childhood, before they had ripened beyond our reach,as to amusements, self-indulgence, and the dangers of the world. These are, or ought to be, the standard of our life.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


To put man and woman upon an equality is not to elevate woman, but to degrade her. I trust that the womanhood of England, to say nothing of the Christian conscience which yet remains, will resist by a stern moral refusal the immodesty which would thrust women from their private life of duty and supremacy into the public conflicts of men.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Bear in mind these three things: (1) First, that the Author and Founder of the devotion to the Mother of God is Jesus Himself. (2) Secondly, that the chief promoters of it were the apostles and disciples of our Lord. (3) Thirdly, that in nothing do we go beyond them.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is no more than the final analysis, both in conception and in expression, of the pre-eminent and singular sanctification of the Mother of God.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Daily Manning Quote

The answers to prayer, through the intercession of Mary, in every age of the Church, and in every state of life, and in all manner of trials, public and private, have taught the faithful that she bears an office of power and patronage over us.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Daily Manning Quote

If it were true of the poor woman who anointed the head of Jesus, "Wheresoever the Gospel shall be preached that which this woman hath done shall be told for a memorial of her," how much more of her who ministered to Him the substance of His humanity! If the name Mary Magdalene was to be embalmed in the Gospel, how much more the name of His Blessed Mother!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Save the Cardinal Petition


"The Cardinal" is an historic London Pub, named for Cardinal Manning. Join the petition to keep its name!




http://www.rcdow.org.uk/diocese/default.asp?library_ref=4&content_ref=3310

Daily Manning Quote

In no point do we go beyond the devotion of the disciples to Mary; in no point did the devotion of the disciples fall short of ours. No one, not even the Saints of the Church, not even S. Bernard, S. Bonaventure, S. Alphonsus, loved or venerated the Blessed Virgin with a love so tender, a veneration so profound, as S. Peter, S. James and S. John.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


The disciples, from the moment of their call to follow Jesus, learned to know, reverence, and love His Mother. She was the Mother of their Master—of Him Who had spoken to them as never had any man spoken before. His words penetrated and fascinated their hearts with a thrill of awe and love such as no human voice had ever caused till then. He had manifested in their presence alone an honour to His Mother such as He showed to no other.


Saturday, April 30, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


In proportion as we possess sufficient evidence to know the truth, God will require of us to give an account of that truth at the last day. We must give an account both of what we have known and what we have not known, the reason why we have not known that which we might have known.


Friday, April 29, 2011

Daily Manning Quote

There is a sanctity pervading the whole Church, and yet how much of sin attaches outwardly to it; how many sinners are within its unity! Our Lord has told us to expect both good fish and bad in the one net, and both tares and wheat in the one field. Such is the mixture of good and evil in the visible Church.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Daily Manning Quote



When the Church suffers anywhere, it is felt everywhere. Every persecution wounds the whole body; every benediction is a common joy. Because we are members of one another, there is a perfect sympathy binding the whole Church together.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Daily Manning Quote



Larger measures of knowledge are a grave stewardship. It is an awful mercy to be greatly exalted--to be highly favoured above other men.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


O let us make up our minds to something; let us be resolved one way or the other; let us be either cold or hot; choose life or death. Choose now and choose wisely, for one false choice may become eternal.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


We may have some years still of temptation, and buffeting, and sorrow, and warfare, and of the Cross on earth. These things may be. Storms upon the lake, clouds upon the mountain,—they are our earthly lot. What matter? If we be children of the Resurrection, heaven is ours. And heaven is near; we know not how long or how soon our day may be.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


The Catholic Church rests not on the judgment of any individual, however holy or wise; but on the witness of an universal and perpetual body, to which teacher and taught alike are subject; and because all are in subjection to the Church, all are redeemed from bondage to individual teachers and the authority of men.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


In the joy of the Resurrection we shall see the countenance of the Friend Who has loved us, sorrowed for us, died for us; the countenance of the Son of God fixed upon us personally one by one; His voice speaking to us as He spoke to Mary at the sepulchre, calling us each one by name. This is the beginning of the joy.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


After the fret and fever of a few short years will come the river of the water of life - "the times of refreshment," and the rest of God. Let us remember that He Who is the Resurrection is always with us; and if we be in Him, all things are ours, all shall be restored to us, all made new, all sinless and deathless, all our own again and for ever.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Daily Manning Quote


The mind and voice of the Church has never changed, never varied, by an accent or an iota. As every age has had its heresy, so every heresy has been cast out, some sooner, some later, some with ease, some with difficulty, but all alike are cast out by the vigour of health and life.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Ad multos annos

Let us pray for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, on his 84th birthday.

Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant Benedict, our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to Thy loving-kindness, in the way of eternal salvation; that, of Thy gift, he may ever desire that which is pleasing to Thee and may accomplish it with all his might. Through Christ our Lord.


℣. Let us pray for our Pontiff Benedict.


℟. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him to be blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

Daily Manning Quote

There are three great depths which no human line can sound—the depth of our own sinfulness, the depth of our unworthiness, and the depth of our nothingness.