The Nativity of Our Lord - From the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich

Blessed Anna Maria Emmerich (1774-1824), an Augustinian nun and mystic who carried the stigmata, the Wounds of Christ, spent her entire life in a small area in Germany. She was privileged to behold innumerable events of biblical times; going back all the way to the creation of the world. She witnessed the fall of the Angels; the sin of Adam; Noe and the Flood; the lives of St. John the Baptist; St. Anne; St. Joseph; the Blessed Virgin Mary; and St. Mary Magdalen. Also includes the birth; life; public ministry; Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; as well as the founding of His Church. Besides describing persons; places; events and traditions in intimate detail; Anne Catherine Emmerich also sets forth the mystical significance of these visible realities. Pope John Paul II has declared her Blessed in October 2004.

Here is an excerpt from her vision of the Nativity of Our Blessed Lord.

XI. CHRIST'S BIRTH

I saw the radiance round the Blessed Virgin ever growing greater. The light of the lamps which Joseph had lit was no longer visible. The Blessed Virgin knelt on her rug in an ample ungirt robe spread out round her, her face turned towards the east. At midnight she was rapt in an ecstasy of prayer. I saw her lifted from the earth, so that I saw the ground beneath her. Her hands were crossed on her breast. The radiance about her increased; everything, even things without life, were in a joyful inner motion, the stones of the roof, of the walls, and of the floor of the cave became as it were alive in the light. Then I no longer saw the roof of the cave; a pathway of light opened above Mary, rising with ever-increasing glory towards the height of heaven. In this pathway of light there was a wonderful movement of glories interpenetrating each other, and, as they approached, appearing more clearly in the form of choirs of heavenly spirits. Meanwhile the Blessed Virgin, borne up in ecstasy, was now gazing downwards, adoring her God, whose Mother she had become and who lay on the earth before her in the form of a helpless newborn child.

I saw our Redeemer as a tiny child, shining with a light that overpowered all the surrounding radiance, and lying on the carpet at the Blessed Virgin's knees. It seemed to me as if He were at first quite small and then grew before my eyes. But the movement of the intense radiance was such that I cannot say for certain how I saw it. The Blessed Virgin remained for some time rapt in ecstasy. I saw her laying a cloth over the Child, but at first she did not touch Him or take Him up. After some time I saw the Child Jesus move and heard Him cry.

Then Mary seemed to come to herself, and she took the Child up from the carpet, wrapping Him in the cloth which covered Him, and held Him in her arms to her breast. She sat there enveloping herself and the Child completely in her veil, and I think Mary suckled the Redeemer. I saw angels round her in human forms, lying on their faces and adoring the Child.

It might have been an hour after His Birth when Mary called St. Joseph, who was still lying in prayer. When he came near, he threw himself down on his face in devout joy and humility. It was only when Mary begged him to take to his heart, in joy and thankfulness, the holy present of the Most High God, that he stood up, took the Child Jesus in his arms, and praised God with tears of joy. The Blessed Virgin then wrapped the Child Jesus in swaddling-bands. I cannot now remember how these bands were wound round; I only know that the Child was wrapped to His armpits first in red and then white bands, and that His head and shoulders were wrapped in another little cloth. Mary had only four sets of swaddling-bands with her. Then I saw Mary and Joseph sitting side by side on the bare earth with their feet under them. They did not speak, and seemed both to be sunk in meditation.

On the carpet before Mary lay the newborn Jesus in swaddling clothes, a little Child, beautiful and radiant as lightning. Ah, I thought, this place enshrines the salvation of the whole world, and no one guesses it. Then they laid the Child in the manger, which was filled with rushes and delicate plants and covered with a cloth hanging over the sides. It stood above the stone trough lying on the ground, to the right of the entrance, where the cave makes a big curve towards the south. This part of the cave was at a lower level than the place where Our Lord was born: the floor slanted downwards in a step-like formation. After laying the Child in the crib, they both stood beside Him giving praise to God with tears of joy. Joseph then arranged the Blessed Virgin's resting-place and her seat beside the Crib.

Both before and after the Birth of Jesus, I saw her dressed in white and veiled. I saw her there in the first days after the Nativity, sitting, kneeling, standing, and sleeping on her side, wrapped up but in no way ill or exhausted. When people came to see her, she wrapped herself up more closely and sat upright on her lying-in coverlet.

You can read more of Anna Catherines writings at:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/emmerich/lifemary.txt
And copies of the four volumes of her writings may be obtained from [among others suppliers] https://www.tanbooks.com/

The Incarnation - The Hidden Word is Made Manifest

This excerpt from St. Hippolytus’ treatise against the heresy of Noetus (Cap. 9-12: PG 10, 815-819) is used in the Roman Office of Readings for December 23 during the fourth week of Advent. St. Hippolytus is one of the Early Church Fathers.

When the Word was hidden within God himself
he was invisible to the created world,
but God made him visible.

First God gave utterance to his voice,
engendering light from light,
and then he sent his own mind into the world as its Lord.
Visible before to God alone and not to the world,
God make him visible so that the world
could be saved by seeing him.

This mind that entered our world
was made known as the Son of God.
All things came into being through him;
but he alone is begotten by the Father.

An Advent message from Archbishop Vincent Nichols

An Advent message from Archbishop Vincent Nichols

During Advent, we reflect on the year that is ending. 2010 has been a marvellous year for us all, especially with the Papal Visit to Britain in September. A particular highlight for us was when 80,000 or 90,000 people in Hyde Park were together in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. No one who was present will ever forget the utter silence in the middle of London.
The Pope’s visit has made clear that faith in God is important to people and that the Catholic faith has vitality in it.

Advent gives us another opportunity to be silent again, to pause and reflect while we prepare for the Lord. Let us stop and recover the true meaning of Christmas, and remember the birth of Jesus in that lowly manger. This is the moment in which everything changed. This is the origin of our hope, when God shared in our human condition so that we might come to share in God’s own divine life. This is the wondrous exchange, this transformation of our existence, this revelation of truth, of meaning, of enduring hope which gives rise to true joy as our hearts sing in thanksgiving and praise.

We must also not forget that Christmas is a time of charity. Many people in the diocese, schools, parishes and other organisations continue to work hard to help others, here in the UK and abroad.

I hope this work and the words of the Pope, during his visit to the UK, give us the strength and conviction to enter 2011 in good heart and renewed in our faith so as to carry on this good work for the common good.

I pray that you will all have a joyous, peaceful Christmas as we welcome our Lord.
May I wish you all a blessed and happy Christmas and New Year.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols

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Meditation: Mary and Joseph begin their journey to Bethlehem.

Blessed Anna Maria Emmerich (1774-1824), an Augustinian nun and mystic who carried the stigmata, the Wounds of Christ, spent her entire life in a small area in Germany. She was privileged to behold innumerable events of biblical times; going back all the way to the creation of the world. She witnessed the fall of the Angels; the sin of Adam; Noe and the Flood; the lives of St. John the Baptist; St. Anne; St. Joseph; the Blessed Virgin Mary; and St. Mary Magdalen. Also includes the birth; life; public ministry; Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; as well as the founding of His Church. Besides describing persons; places; events and traditions in intimate detail; Anne Catherine Emmerich also sets forth the mystical significance of these visible realities. Pope John Paul II has declared her Blessed in October 2004.

Here is an excerpt from her vision of Mary and Joseph's long journey to Bethlehem.

ON THE JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM

This evening I saw Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by Anna, Mary Cleophas, and some menservants, starting off from Anna's house. Mary sat on the comfortable side-saddle of a donkey, which also carried her baggage. Joseph led the donkey. A second donkey was taken for Anna to ride back on. Her husband was away in the fields when they started on their journey.

5.1 This morning I saw the holy travellers arrive at an open field six hours' journey from Nazareth, where the angel had appeared to Joseph two days before. Anna had a pasture here and the menservants were told to fetch the young she-ass which Joseph was to take with him. She sometimes ran in front of them and sometimes beside them. Anna and Mary Cleophas here took a tender farewell of the travellers and returned home with the menservants. … I saw the Holy Family going on their way and climbing Mount Gilboa. They did not pass through any town; they followed the young she-ass, which always took lonely by-ways.
I saw them stopping at a house in the hills belonging to Lazarus, not far from the town of Ginim and in the direction of Samaria. The steward, who knew them from other journeys, gave them a friendly welcome. Their family was on intimate terms with Lazarus. There are beautiful orchards and avenues here. The house stands high, so that one has a very wide view from the roof. Lazarus inherited it from his father; our Lord Jesus often stayed here during His ministry and taught in the surrounding country. The steward and his wife conversed in a very friendly way with the Blessed Virgin. They were surprised that she should have been willing to undertake such a long journey in her condition, when she might have had every comfort at home with her mother Anna.

5.2 I saw the Holy Family some hours' journey beyond this last place, going at night towards a mountain through a very cold valley. It looked as if there was hoar-frost on the ground. The Blessed Virgin was suffering from the cold and Joseph said: ‘We must rest.’ Hardly had he spoken when the she-ass that was running with them stood still under a terebinth tree, very big and old, near which was a spring of water. They stopped under this tree; Joseph spread coverings for the Blessed Virgin to sit on, after helping her to alight from the donkey, and she sat down under the tree. Joseph hung a lighted lantern, which he carried with him, on the lower branches of the tree. (I often saw travellers in that country do this at night.) … They refreshed themselves here with fruit and little loaves of bread which they had with them, and drank water from the spring near by, mixing it with balsam which Joseph had brought with him in a little jug. Joseph spoke very comfortingly to the Blessed Virgin: he is so good, and so sorry that the journey is so difficult. …He spoke to her about the good lodging which he hoped to find for her in Bethlehem. He said he knew of a house with very good people where they would find a comfortable lodging at very little cost. It was, he said, better to pay something than to be taken in for nothing. He spoke highly of Bethlehem in general, and comforted the Blessed Virgin in every possible way. (.. but I knew well that things would turn out quite differently.)

So far they have crossed two little streams in the course of their journey: one of these they crossed on a high foot-way, while the two donkeys waded through the water. It was strange to see how the young she-ass, who was free to go where she would, kept running round the travellers. Where the path narrowed, as for instance between hills, and so could not be mistaken, she ran sometimes before and sometimes behind them, but where there was a parting of the ways she always appeared again and took the right path. Where they were to rest, she stood still, as here by the terebinth tree. I do not remember whether they spent the night under the tree, or whether they went on to another shelter. This terebinth was a very old and sacred tree, of the grove of Moreh near Shechem. When Abraham was journeying into the land of Canaan, he had here a vision of God, who promised him this land for his descendants. ( Gen. 15.) He then built an altar under the terebinth. Before Jacob went to Bethel, to sacrifice to the Lord, he buried under this terebinth all the strange gods of Laban and the jewels which his family carried with him. ( Gen. 35.4.) Under this tree Joshua built the tabernacle for the Ark of the Covenant and made the people assembled there renounce their idols. ( Joshua 24.26.) It was here that Abimelech, the son of Gideon, was hailed as king of the Shechemites. ( Judges 9.6.)

How often do we think of the journey to Bethlehem as being just a trivial prelude to the Nativity. But it was hard and cold and difficult, exhausting and fraught with dangers. As we make our own Christmas preparations, we would do well to remember the harsh reality, and thank God for the wonder of the Incarnation.

You can read more of Anna Catherines writings at: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/emmerich/lifemary.txt
And copies of the four volumes of her writings may be obtained from [among others suppliers] https://www.tanbooks.com/

Technology, the Incarnation, and the Theology of the Body

Excerpt from: Not Neutral:Technology and the “Theology of the Body”
by Adrian Walker

The full article may be found at: http://www.secondspring.co.uk/articles/walker2.htm

Pope John Paul II’s “theology of the body” is becoming better and better known among ordinary Catholics, many of whom have found in it a way of connecting the central mysteries of the Christian faith ... The Pope’s theology of the body is very timely. ... It responds in depth to what is arguably one of the main cultural causes of the collapse of marriage: the mechanization of bodiliness through technology.

… It is worth noting that the latest gadgets sometimes provoke an ill-defined sense of unease in us. The latest gadgets tend to change our lives in massive ways, and often rather more quickly than we are prepared for. Think of the sudden ubiquity of the personal computer and then, on its heels, of the internet. [But]… amidst all the celebration over the latest life-changing technological breakthrough, there is also a good deal of head shaking, too. Somehow, we feel dimly, something is being lost. The machine has won another victory over nature. Are we altogether sure that it is good for the machine to be so invincible?

If we [give consideration to this matter], I think we will see that it illuminates the cultural significance of the Pope’s theology of the body in surprising ways.

The Age of the Machine:

If we are going to make any sense of technology, …we need to stop thinking of it as a mere collection of tools. We need to start thinking of it as what it really is: a mind-set, an implicit philosophy.

The Canadian philosopher George Grant … has even called technology the “ontology of our age”. By that he means that technology is the filter, or framework, through which we Westerners …approach and experience the very being of things. Technology, Grant is saying, is the name for our basic world-view, our overall “take” on reality as a whole… And so we need to make a special effort to distance ourselves from our usual way of imagining technology – as a set of neutral tools or instruments, harmlessly lying ready for whatever uses we may decide to put them to. But if technology is not neutral, what is it? .. Technology is the dominant element in the overall drift of modern Western civilization…

Our feelings of unease at developments like the Internet or biotech are often waved away with the bland assurance that the problem with technology isn’t technology itself, but how we choose to use it. .. Take the computer. It is true that people use computers for all sorts of different purposes… But, however different the purposes of the users might be, the computer itself has a purpose. We could state this purpose as “processing information”.

Processing information may sound innocuous, but it isn’t. For it means taking human meaning and turning it into “information” – that is, into packets of electrical signals that the computer is programmed to “read”. Processing information means breaking down, or attempting to break down, the whole of an idea into parts that a computer can handle without having to understand the idea as a whole. It means treating, or attempting to treat, an idea as a bit of machinery that you can assemble and disassemble at will. It means treating a whole precisely not as a whole, with an integrity that goes beyond the “sum of its parts,” but as what Aristotle called a soros, a “heap”: an accidental aggregation of elements thrown together any which way.

The point I am making is that no one would have thought up the computer if he or she hadn’t first thought up the idea of “processing information”, and that no one would have thought up the idea of processing information if he or she had not had a technological mindset to begin with. For a technological mind-set is essentially the attitude that says that you can – even should – prescind from the wholeness of the whole, break the whole down into its parts, and re-arrange the parts for purposes that don’t have to have any intrinsic connection with the whole, but come entirely from the transforming will of the human agent. It is just this understanding of the whole-part relation that the idea of “processing information” applies to thinking and communicating. The computer is the technological mind-set come home to roost.
…What does all of this have to do with the body? The answer is that we (as a culture) filter our own bodiliness through the technological mindset. …

We thus come to the deepest reason for the vague unease that the latest technological gadgets arouse in many of us: technology is the project of erasing the distinction between artifice and human nature. To put it provocatively, technology has always been biotechnology, and biotechnology threatens the irreplaceable uniqueness and inviolable sanctity of the body… A technological culture is committed, in principle, to the view that our consciousness can be downloaded into any mode of embodiment just as the consciousness of the characters in the film ‘The Matrix’ is downloaded into computer-generated bodies. But as soon as I think of my own body in this way, I am assaulting my own dignity as a human person, which is tied up with my given embodiment.

This assault is perhaps most deadly when it comes to the sexual sphere, because sexuality is a (if not the) basic, pervasive inner shaping of our given bodiliness as an embodiment of our personhood. … As C.S. Lewis points out in The Abolition of Man and That Hideous Strength, the attempt to master our own bodily natures becomes a form of slavery that subjects us to the ruthless tyranny of an anonymous, superhuman techno-logic mocking our efforts to control it... One of the reasons for the plausibility and appeal of the myth of technology has surely been the precariousness of the human condition. Our bodies expose us to suffering, death, and all the shocks mortal flesh is heir to, and this exposure is uncomfortable and often deeply perplexing. And so the temptation to take things into our own hands, to attempt the impossible task of engineering our way out of the human condition, is always near at hand.

Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body trains the light of the Gospel on this temptation. On the one hand, the Pope re-orients us towards the hoped-for Resurrection of the Body, in which we will rise with Christ immortal… On the other hand, the hope for the Resurrection reveals that the vulnerability and exposure of our bodily condition endure, transformed, into the transparency of Trinitarian communion. We are free, the Resurrection suggests, not when we belong to ourselves, having mastered our bodily natures, but when we belong to the Father in our bodies’ unashamed exposure to his love. Thus, just as Jesus rose with his wounds, in the same body that suffered on Calvary, the Resurrection we “look for” underlines the dignity of the mortal body even in its weakness.

This is the “good news” that John Paul II’s theology of the body has to tell a technological world whose desire to escape the misery of the human condition has led to a forgetfulness of the true grandeur that shines forth in it.

Adrian Walker is an editor of Communio. This piece appeared in the magazine Second Spring issue 7.
http://www.secondspring.co.uk/

Pope praises the Heralds of the Gospel in his new book: Light of the World

Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times.
An interview with with Peter Seewald

A letter from Brother Arthur EP:

Dear friends

In this just released book-length interview Pope Benedict XVI deals with a wide variety of controversial issues.

Taken from a recent week long series of interviews with veteran journalist Peter Seewald, this book tackles head on some of the greatest issues facing the world of our time.

On page 58 answering the question: “Couldn’t we also assume that after two thousand years Christianity has simply played itself out …”, Pope Benedict says: “If we look superficially and have only the western world in view, then we might think that. But if we look more closely … there are also however, new Catholic awakenings, a dynamic of new movements, for instance the Heralds of the Gospel, young people who are seized by an enthusiasm of having acknowledged Christ as the Son of God and of bringing Him into the world.”

I hope you take some time to read this timely book.
God bless and best wishes.

Br Arthur EP

Heralds of the Gospel
29 Lower Teddington Road,
Hampton Wick, Kingston upon Thames, KT14 EU
Tel & Fax: 02089434159
Blog: http://heraldsgospelsinengland.blogspot.com/
E-mail: lumenmaria@aol.com.

Admiration: The Solution to Many of Our Problems

Msgr. JoaoScognamiglio Cla Dias EP

This is an excerpt from an article in the October 2010 Magazine of the Heralds of the Gospel. The magazine may be obtained from:
The Heralds of the Gospel
29 Lower Teddington Road, Hampton Wick,
Kingston upon Thames, KT14 EU
Tel & Fax: 02089434159
Blog: http://heraldsgospelsinengland.blogspot.com/E-mail: lumenmaria@aol.com.
--------------------------------------

Egoism brings us bitterness and unhappiness. Like Zacchaeus let us courageously climb the “tree of admiration” of all that is true, good, beautiful, without human respect, to have the joy of receiving Jesus in our soul.

Man Needs To Admire.

The close of the nineteenth century brought to light the riveting story of an American girl who would mark history. Stricken by a serious illness at eighteen months of age, Helen Adams Keller (1880-1968) lost her vision and hearing. She lived in a sad state of isolation, her contact with the outside world being limited to touch, smell, and taste.

Helen might have spent her whole life in this tragic and silent dark night of the mind, had it not been for a providential encounter with a brilliant teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, who taught her sign language, the Braille alphabet and finally, to speak fluently.

Overcoming countless difficulties, Helen mastered French and German and learned to pronounce them well. She attended college, travelled the world giving lectures, and wrote books. Over the years she developed a formidable output of work built on the desire to interact with others- a natural tendency of every human being, endowed with the instinct of sociability.

Just as plants seek the light through heliotropism, soulos must contemplate creatures as a starting point to ascending to the Creator. It was no different with Helen Keller, who asked her teacher countless questions: What makes the sun hot? Where was I before I came to my mother? Little birds and chicks come from an egg. What was the egg before it was an egg? Who made God? Where is God? Did you ever see God?

Such questions show that the soul inevitably aspires to discover the First Cause of things starting with secondary causes. Humans have an innate tendency to seek God - which by analogy, could be called theotropism - leading them to form correlations, transcending from the natural to the supernatural level. St Thomas teaches “When a man knows an effect, and knows that it has a cause, there naturally remains in the man the desire to know about the cause, ‘what it is.’ and this desire is one of wonder and causes inquiry. [ref?]

Since everything in the universe reflects the Creator to some degree, the ordered movements of the soul is to let itself be drawn by reflections of truth, beauty and goodness, in creatures.

Accordingly, we should foster admiration. We should become enchanted with the encounter with whatever is sublime, holy, noble or just, in order to ascend to the supreme cause. This admiration is naturally most fitting with regards to the Man-God, His Mother, and the Holy Church…..

Consider the story of Zacchaeus:Luke 19:1-10.

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Admiration Transforms

In a certain sense, each one of us is a Zacchaeus. In this life of trial, Our Lord can pass before us at any moment, and call us through a reading, conversation, sermon, or even by an interior motion of grace.

How would we respond if, like the Publican, Jesus were to say to us: “make haste and come down, for I must stay at your house today”? “Would we know how to imitate the generosity of Zacchaeus and, in prevision of Our Lord’s reproof, answer Him first, promptly and willingly: ‘Henceforth, I I firmly resolve to sin no more’?”All will depend on our admiration.

The path of conversion for the Publican, narrated in the Gospel passage, began with a feeling of simple curiosity about that Man of whom he had heard so much. However, by the action of grace, it was soon transformed into a desire to know, speak and be with Him, setting in motion a process that changed him into a true “son of Abraham.”

We should respond like Zacchaeus, fleeing the multitudes and climbing the “tree of admiration” to better contemplate the Divine Master. For a person taken by this authentic admiration listens to the word of thhe Lord, follows His precepts and overcomes every obstacle to follow Him to the end.

It would be difficult to calculate the profound consequences of this enthusiastic turning to what is superior, if we did not have St Thomas Aquinas to teach us: “Now the first thing [after attaining the use of reason] that occurs to a man to think about then, is to deliberate about himself. And if he then directs himself to the due end, he will, by means of grace, receive the remission of original sin.” In other words, the same effects of sacramental Baptism would be poured out upon him!”

This daring affirmation of the Angelic Doctor is analysed in -depth by Garrigou-Lagrange according to whom, if an unbaptised child, educated among unbelievers, upon reaching the full use of reason, efficaciously loves “the true good for itself, and more than himself,” he will be justified. “Why? Because in this way, he efficaciously loves God, the author of nature and the supreme good, who is ambiguously known: it is efficacious love, which in a fallen state is not possible without grace, which lifts up and cures.”
Accordingly, through admiration of the good, man becomes similar to the object of his enthusiasm. On the contrary, seeking to find happiness by closing in on himself, he fills his soul with bitterness, sadness and frustration, because it deviates him from his supreme end, which is God. “Thou made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it reposes in Thee,” teaches the great St Augustine.

Through enthusiasm for the reflections of the Creator, and following the example of Mary, Mother of all admiration, we will better unite ourselves with Jesus, the most perfect model for all men. Salvation will enter our house through the door of admiration!

Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, EP, is Honorary Canon of the Papal Basilica Saint Mary Major in Rome, Supernumerary Apostolic Protonotary, Doctor of Canon Law from the Angelicum, Master of Educational Psychology from the Catholic University of Columbia, Doctor Honoris Causa from the Italo-Brazilian University, Member of the Thomas Aquinas International Society (SITA) and of the Pontifical Academy of the Immaculata, Founder and Superior General of three entities of Pontifical Right: International Association of the Faithful, Heralds of the Gospel; Clerical Society of Apostolic Life, Virgo Flos Carmeli; and the Society of Apostolic Life, Regina Virginum.

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Vatican City, Dec 8, 2010 / 12:43 pm (CNA/EWTN News).-
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/marys-life-shows-gods-mercy-is-more-powerful-than-evil-pope-says-on-feast-day/


Pope Benedict said on today's Feast of the Immaculate Conception that the day honoring Mary should give Christians “comfort” and remind them that God's mercy “is more powerful than evil.”
On a cloudy morning in St. Peter's Square, pilgrims came to pray the Angelus with the Pope and to hear his remarks on the significance of the Marian feast day.
Pope Benedict briefly spoke from his study window overlooking the square and recalled that the dogma of the Immaculate Conception – Mary being born without original sin – was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854. The teaching, he said, is “a source of inner light, of hope and comfort,” in the midst of life's difficulties.
The reality of sin in the world, he explained, can be traced to disobedience to God's will, adding that now evil has its root in the human heart, which is “sick and wounded,” and “unable to heal itself.”
But the life of Mary, Mother of Christ, shows us that tells us that God's mercy is more powerful than evil and that grace is greater than sin, the Pope taught.
He added that God has prepared a new and everlasting covenant, sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ who was “born of a woman.” Pope Benedict then explained the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, saying that the Virgin Mary experienced in advance the redeeming death of her Son, since she was conceived without sin.
After his remarks in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict greeted pilgrims in several different languages. Speaking in English, he said that Church “joyfully” celebrates the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
“By her prayers, may our hearts and minds be kept free from sin, so that like Mary we may be spiritually prepared to welcome Christ,” he said.
“Let us turn to her, the Immaculate, who brought Christ to us, and ask her now to bring us to Him. Upon each of you and your loved ones at home, I invoke God’s abundant blessings!”
Later in the afternoon, Pope Benedict also led a traditional procession to crown a statue of Mary at the Piazza di Spagna – one of Rome's most prestigious shopping districts. Leading the way in his popemobile, the pontiff and procession solicited curious stares from busy onlookers doing their holiday shopping.
He emphasized to the crowds gathered in the piazza that the message of the Virgin Mary is for everyone, even those not aware of the feast day, and especially for those who may feel alone or abandoned.

Like the Shepherds and the Three Holy Kings, let us begin to make our way to Bethlehem to honour the the new born King.

The origin of the word “sanctuary” comes from the Latin sancturarium derived from saunctus which in turn means “holy.” That is to say the choir’s place located around the altar, which is where the liturgical celebrations and especially the Eucharist take place.

The religious act that constitutes a pilgrimage is a concrete gesture of a Christian’s desire to meet God : “Pilgrims often come to shrines particularly well-disposed to seek the grace of forgiveness; they should be helped to open themselves to the Father “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4),(31) in truth and in freedom, consciously and responsibly, so that their encounter with his grace will give rise to a truly new life.” (Cf. The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God) [see http://heralds.blog.arautos.org/]

In this spirit of pilgrimage to meet God through the intercession of Mary,let us remember to make our spiritual preparation for this great Feastday, so that when it arrives, we may offer the Christchild a pure and humble heart, full of adoration and love. A fervent sacramental Confession, and some extra week-day Masses if possible, prepares us to receive the many Graces which we can receive as we kneel before the Christmas Crib. At the very least, stop for a moment each day, taking a break from the frenetic bustle of our lives, and thank God for the amazing gift of the Incarnation.

LITANY OF THE UNBORN CHRIST CHILD

Our Father, Author of Life,
Thank You for the gift of life.

Word of God, through Whom all things were made,
Thank You for the gift of life.

Holy Spirit, hovering over the waters of Creation,
Thank You for the gift of life.

Jesus, Your coming was announced by an angel,
* BLESS THE UNBORN AND THEIR PARENTS.

Jesus, conceived in love by God’s Spirit and the Virgin Mary,*
Jesus, beloved son of a humble carpenter,*
Jesus, source of immeasurable joy for Mary and Joseph,*
Jesus, the aging Elizabeth rejoiced in Your presence,*
Jesus, You filled the unborn Baptist with gladness,*
Jesus, Mary’s soul mirrors this gift of Divinity,*
Jesus, because of You all generations call Mary blessed,*
Jesus, one month in the womb and Your tiny heart beat for love,*
Jesus, another month passed and Your mouth and hands were wonderfully formed,*
Jesus, that mouth would tell the glory of God,*
Jesus, those hands were fashioned to be pierced for love,*
Jesus, before birth You rested near Your mother’s faithful heart,*
Jesus, grateful to those who assisted Your mother during pregnancy,*
Jesus, teaching us; whatever we do to the least of Your brothers and sisters, we do to You,*
Jesus, Your birth was a joyful revelation to humanity,*
Jesus, days after that nativity, a fearful king planned to kill You,*
Jesus, countless infants were slaughtered in Your place,*

Lord, thank You for first coming among us as the Unborn Christ Child. Today, untold numbers of our tiny sisters and brothers have been abandoned by the world’s leaders, by the traditional defenders of justice, by the healing professions and even by their own parents. But You are their Savior – You have not forgotten them. Savior, rescue and protect these little ones from the neglect and violence of an uncaring world.

Merciful Lord, Your tiny infant heart, which was later emptied on the cross, offers this world it’s only hope. Forgive us our sins against the unborn, against their parents and against all Your children. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.

Prince of Peace, through Your healing Spirit, help us to lovingly accept every conceived child created in Your image and likeness, as a messenger of peace and goodwill towards all people. Amen

[Litany from: http://www.unbornwordalliance.com/book_app_2.htm]

Marian mission in Boston, Lincolnshire.

On the weekend of the 13 and 14th of November the Heralds of the gospel in U.K. carried out a Marian mission in Boston, Lincolnshire. Bringing the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to dozens of homes and attending the Saturday and Sunday Masses at St. Mary’s Church in Boston, and organizing a candlelight procession and adoration of the blessed Sacrament with the parishioners.

In Defense of Marriage

The Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage assists the bishops and State Catholic Conferences in promoting and defending the authentic teaching of the Church regarding the nature of marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman directed to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. They have an excellent website at:
http://www.marriageuniqueforareason.org/

They have a very interesting video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh_81zsW6U8&feature=player_profilepage

How The Church Teaches: Cardinal Ratzinger's Letter on "The Many Faces of AIDS"

ZE10120501 - 2010-12-05
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-31158?l=english
How The Church Teaches
Cardinal Ratzinger's Letter on "The Many Faces of AIDS"
By Steven A. Long

NAPLES, Florida, DEC. 5, 2010
In the current media-engendered vortex of illusion regarding the Church's teaching about disordered sexual acts and condoms, the principal constituent is of course a certain incomprehension regarding how the Church teaches, as distinct from journalistic interviews.

Also to blame, of course, is the current culture of the 24-hour news cycle that holds that nothing could be more defining or important than the story of the moment. Thus, the media swirl may too quickly become self-hypnotizing. But in the Roman Catholic faith, the magisterium serenely propounds the doctrine of faith and morals, and when direction from the universal teaching authority is required no one is left in doubt as to the provenance of the supplied doctrine.

Such an occasion occurred -- for those with memory to recall -- in 1988, when then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger addressed a memorable letter as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to Archbishop Pio Laghi, who was at the time nuncio to the United Sates, regarding the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' administrative board's document "The Many Faces of AIDS." In that document, Cardinal Ratzinger, representing the CDF with the full knowledge and support of Pope John Paul II, formally expressed the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

One might have expected the media to make some reference to this formal teaching instrument, understanding the difference in Roman Catholic life between journalistic conversations and magisterial acts. Doing so would have placed discussions about Catholic teaching in their proper historical and doctrinal context.

Nonetheless, for those who wish to place the recent journalistic remarks of the Holy Father in their magisterial context, his own pellucid words from 1988, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, are perhaps the best source. These may be found below. They represent the formal teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, and anyone claiming the contrary should of course be able to point to some official magisterial pronouncement supporting such a claim.

The idea that Pope Benedict the XVI is unaware of the nature of the Church's teaching instruments, or that he intended to alter Church teaching with a few brief comments in a journalistic interview, is preposterous on its face. This is something the current media culture seems to fail to grasp.

* * *

On "The Many Faces of AIDS"
Letter to Archbishop Pio Laghi
May 29, 1988

The lively discussion, widened and sometimes distorted by the press worldwide, which followed the publication of the NCCB Administrative Board's well-known document, "The Many Faces of AIDS," and in which were involved distinguished representatives of the episcopate, has generated in many of the faithful, and not only in the United States, a good deal of confusion regarding the authentic Catholic position on the moral problems involved. The Holy See wishes, therefore, to express its deep concern that the unity so necessary among the bishops in the teaching of Christian moral doctrine be clearly and publicly demonstrated.

In the first place, and on a more general level, one must keep in mind the problem posed by the worldwide reaction which accompanies certain documents issued by various episcopal conferences. This requires a particular sense of responsibility and prudence in the choice of themes to be treated and in the manner in which these statements are published, not to mention a careful composition of the texts themselves. At least in some cases, when the subjects under discussion are of interest to the universal Church, it would seem advisable to consult in advance with the Holy See.

Secondly, regarding the precise moral issue in question here, I want to draw attention to the clarification which appeared in the March 10 edition of L'Osservatore Romano, in an unsigned article entitled "Prevention of AIDS: Christian Ethical Aspect," and I quote,

"To seek a solution to the problem of infection by promoting the use of prophylactics would be to embark on a way not only insufficiently reliable from the technical point of view but also and above all, unacceptable from the moral aspect. Such a proposal for 'safe' or at least 'safer' sex -- as they say -- ignores the real cause of the problem, namely, the permissiveness which, in the area of sex as in that related to other abuses, corrodes the moral fibre of the people."

In the case here under discussion, it hardly seems pertinent to appeal to the classical principle of tolerance of the lesser evil on the part of those who exercise responsibility for the temporal good of society. In fact, even when the issue has to do with educational programs promoted by the civil government, one would not be dealing simply with a form of passive toleration but rather with a kind of behaviour which would result in at least the facilitation of evil.

The problem of educational programs in specifically Catholic schools and institutions requires particular attention. These facilities are called to provide their own contribution for the prevention of AIDS, in full fidelity to the moral doctrine of the Church, without at the same time engaging in compromises which may even give the impression of trying to condone practices which are immoral, for example, technical instructions in the use of prophylactic devices.

In a society which seems increasingly to downgrade the value of chastity, conjugal fidelity and temperance, and to be preoccupied sometimes almost exclusively with physical health and temporal well-being, the Church's responsibility is to give that kind of witness which is proper to her, namely an unequivocal witness of effective and unreserved solidarity with those who are suffering and, at the same time, a witness of defense of the dignity of human sexuality which can only be realized within the context of moral law. It is likewise crucial to note, as the board statement does, that the only medically safe means of preventing AIDS are those very types of behaviour which conform to God's law and to the truth about man which the Church has always taught and today is still called courageously to teach.

I am confident that these considerations, which are known to His Holiness and have his fullest support, will be welcomed by the cardinal and bishop members of the conference and I wish to express my sincerest hope for a successful conclusion of this important meeting of the entire episcopate of the United States."

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Prefect
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

December 8th - The great Feast of Immaculate Conception

You are all fair, O Mary; the original stain is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel, the honor of our people, and the great advocate of siners.
O Mary, Virgin most prudent, Mother most merciful, pray for us; intercede for us with our Lord Jesus Christ.

"We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which asserts that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin is a doctrine revealed by God and, for this reason, must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful."

In 1854, Pope Pius IX, in the Papal Bull ineffabilis Dei, declared Mary's Immaculate Conception to be a dogma of the Faith. Pope Pius was not inventing a new concept but re-affirming the very ancient belief held by Christians from both East and West, that Mary was conceived free of the stain of original sin, through the future merits of her Son’s Incarnation, Passion, and Death. God created Mary to be a pure vessel to bear God-made-flesh. Only Christ is sinless on his own account. Mary was rendered sinless on account of a prevenient action of God, applying Christ's future merits and perfection to her. Mary sinlessness was purely on account of God's grace, and the work of her beloved and most Holy Son, Jesus Christ.

Like every single member of the human race, Mary needed a saviour. And in Christ through his merits as saviour of mankind, God redeemed Mary in a most remarkable manner, preserving her from the stain of Original Sin. In the Gospels Mary rejoices in the wonderful work of her saviour, connecting her salvation in Christ with all generations calling her blessed:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my saviour. For he has looked with favour on his lowly servant:
From this day all generations will call me blessed (Matthew 1:46-48).

“The Church invented nothing new of her own when she began to extol Mary; she did not plummet from the worship of the one God to the praise of man. The Church does what she must; she carries out the task assigned her from the beginning.” Mary: The Church at its Source - Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

Mary, whom the Angel Gabriel called "full of grace", and whom "all generations will called 'blessed'" has been viewed as unique since the earliest days of the Christian faith. Just as Christ has was called the "new Adam," the Church Fathers, especially Saints Justin (AD 150) and Irenaeus (AD 180), described Mary as the "new Eve, who - unlike Eve - humbly obeyed God. The Church Fathers also called her the "new ark of the covenant" and theotokos, God-bearer. Thus the ancient doctrine of Mary's Immaculate Conception and sinlessness unfolded.

St. Ephrem the Syrian (d. AD 373) described Mary as without stain or blemish, the "all-pure, all-immaculate, all-stainless, all-undefiled, all-incorrupt, all-inviolate" (see Nisibine Hymns, and "Precationes ad Deiparam"). St. Ambrose (d. AD 397) wrote "lift me up not from Sarah, but from Mary, a Virgin not only undefiled, but a Virgin whom grace has made inviolate, free of every stain of sin" (Commentary on Psalm 118).

St. Augustine uses language similar to the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception, in describing the holy Virgin Mary, “concerning whom I wish to raise no question when it touches the subject of sins, out of honour to the Lord; for from Him we know what abundance of grace for overcoming sin in every particular was conferred upon her who had the merit to conceive and bear Him who undoubtedly had no sin.”(On Nature and Grace, 42).

Later Church Fathers, such as St. John of Damascus (d. AD 755) and St. Andrew of Crete (d. AD 740) continued to speak about Mary's sinlessness as bearer of God Himself. John of Damascus wrote:
The Father's...sanctifying power overshadowed her, cleansed and made her holy, and, as it were, predestined her. Then Thou, Word of the Father...didst take flesh of the Blessed Virgin, vivified by a reasoning soul, having first abided in her undefiled and immaculate womb...(Sermon I: On the Assumption)
St John also spoke of Mary's "holy, undefiled, and stainless soul" (Sermon II: On the Assumption).

This wonderful and most beautiful belief continued right down through the history of the Church even though, there was no official dogma of the Immaculate Conception until 1854. Let us give honour to the Most Holy Trinity, and to Jesus Christ Incarnate, by honouring devoutly the great Mother of God!

Don't prepare for 'Christmas'. Prepare for the Feast of The Nativty of Our Lord!

In our modern, secular society, preparing to celebrate the great feasts of the Church requires great effort. We fit our Spiritual efforts around our daily commitments, rather than the other way round. Our worldly obligations, in practice, take precedence over those which feed our souls. These are so often left ’for another day‘. And unless we make a conscious effort, our focus always remains in the here and now and never on the eternal.

Yet the Church has always offered us ways to help us prepare to celebrate any Feast day, and even more especially the great Feasts of Christmas and Easter: fasting, prayer, and giving.

Fasting: making room for God.

Fasting provides us with the opportunity to "empty" our bodies and minds of worldly things, in order to more completely fill ourselves with the Word and the Spirit. The process starts with food - not our essential food, but all those many extras and ’treats’ with which we so regularly indulge ourselves.

We are now in the first week of Advent, which was often in the past called the ‘Little Lent’. Advent is a penitential period of preparation for the coming of the Christ Child into our hearts and lives. Are we ready? Or do we expect to treat December purely as a time to ‘buy for Christmas’, assuming that we should receive all the spiritual blessings of this great feast, without making any effort - or offering a gift in return. How easy it is for us to lapse into unthinking greediness, and to teach our children indifference and worldliness, simply by our thoughtless carelessness.

Let us try to make an effort this Advent to prepare properly, in advance, to bring the gift of ourselves to the Christmas manger, to make a journey of desire with the shepherds and the Three Holy Kings, so that on Christmas night we may greet the newborn Christ without shame.

Here are some ideas to consider:

* Reduce the amount of food you do eat. Cut out "second helpings" and snacks. Never allow yourself to feel overfull.
* Keep your food simple. Spend less time planning menus, cooking, serving, and eating.
* Cut back on TV, radio, the computer etc. Reduce the endless noise that permeates our daily lives. Try to spend at least a little time in quiet prayer or meditation. If it is helpful and you want to listen to something, play recorded liturgical music.
* Reduce your entertainment hours. Cut out movies, video games, surfing the internet, and junk reading, and use the time for more spiritually-enriching activities.
* Add something new, however small, to your daily prayer routine. If you normally ask God's blessing only before meals, add a prayer of thanksgiving after meals, too. If you normally say "bedtime" prayers, add the morning prayers. Pray more. Make a "family altar" as the place for prayer, or place an icon or religious picture on the kitchen table.
* If you have the time, read the Epistle and Gospel for each day at the dinner table, or quietly by yourself.
Make a family prayer list of those you will remember each day - both the living and the dead, and include relatives, benefactors, teachers, co-workers, friends, and anyone you know who is currently suffering. For younger children consider making a "picture" list, so that they can see the people for whom they are praying.
* Replace the novels, magazines etc. with some spiritual reading.
* Try and attend one extra Mass during the week.
* Say one (extra) Rosary during the week.
* Consider beginning or renewing a family or personal commitment to some long-term "giving" project that uses you talents and time as Christ directs us - to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, or comfort those in despair (see Matthew 25:34-46)
* Don’t pre-celebrate the Feast! If you intend to put up decorations: a Christmas tree, lights and greenery, don't put them up too early. Wait until the eve of the feast, when the Church is also anticipating its celebration.
* Celebrate the full Christmas season with the Church. The season lasts for twelve days after Christmas Day, and finishes on the Feast of the Epiphany. Resist the desire to clear everything away on New Years Day!

A 'firm purpose of amendment?' Is it necessary for a valid Confession? - Part II

Vol II: The Penitent Christian
Excerpt from a Sermon by Fr. Francis Hunolt
The Nature of a Purpose of Amendment

I do not mean to say that it is always an infallible sign of an inefficacious purpose for one to relapse into the same sins. Past sins, (even grievous ones), may be committed again, after some time, or under the pressure of a great temptation or occasion. Our wills, alas, are inconstant and changeable, so that today we may be honestly determined to do the will of God, and tomorrow, quite differently disposed. What I say holds good chiefly of those who spend months and years in the same vices, showing no sign of amendment from one confession to another, and making no use of the proper means to correct their bad habits. Of such people I say that they have not a firm purpose of amendment, no matter what they say to the contrary in confession, for their actions contradict their words. Hence, there must be an earnest determination to avoid all sin.

II. There must be a firm purpose to avoid all sin for all time and under all circumstances. God accepts no temporary armistice; if you wish to be reconciled to him, you must declare with him a peace which is to last forever. You must be resolved at the present moment never again to commit a single mortal sin, under any circumstances whatever. At the present moment, I say; for your purpose (no matter how strong it may be), cannot keep you from sinning in the future; but your will must be so disposed that you are firmly determined as long as your good purpose lasts, that mortal sin shall be incompatible with it; and if it lasted for eternity, it would be impossible for you ever to commit a mortal sin. God wishes to make a lasting peace with you; he will not be satisfied with half of your heart. In virtue of your purpose, you must be firmly resolved to avoid all the proximate occasions of sin, to overcome all bad desires and inclinations, and to fulfil all the obligations that arise from sin. If you have not a firm resolution to that effect, your purpose is of no use, and your confession is invalid.

There are many who purpose to avoid sinful acts, yet retain their evil desires and inclinations. As a sick man, who abstains from certain articles of food and drink, solely because the physician obliges him to do so, meanwhile, eagerly desires the forbidden meats; so, would-be penitents often hunger after their past excesses and rejoice secretly in the recollection of past forbidden pleasures which they have only abandoned perforce.

They wish they had made more use of the opportunities formerly offered them of
indulging their passions; they regard as happy those who still gratify themselves in that way. They wish that it were not forbidden, but lawful, to indulge in such pleasures; and they are so disposed, that, if there were no hell, they would sin without scruple. They do not fear sin, nor offending God, but solely hell-fire.

This being a mere slavish fear, which does not fully exclude the will to commit sin, therefore, does not suffice for a true conversion. Nay, to be thus disposed, to say, for instance, if impurity were not forbidden under pain of hell, I would commit it, is a new mortal sin; because it is a purpose of offending God if there were no hell, as well as a real complacency in and desire for the sinful action. O sinner, how can you thus treat your good God? You give him your heart as you would give your money to a cut-throat who threatens your life. “Here,” you say, “take all my money, but spare my life!” while you think in your heart that, if he had not a dagger pointed at your throat, you would be very far from parting with your purse so easily. “Here,” you say to God, “here is my will and the assurance of my obedience; I must obey thee and abandon sin; but if had not hell to fear, if I could live forever, then I know what I should do!” Away with such purposes of amendment! They are of no avail to the forgiveness of sin!

They do not completely abandon sin who do not give up the proximate occasions and results of sin: I mean, those ill-gotten gains, those improper intimacies, all those things which have been a scandal and a frequent cause of sin to themselves and others. Some men, not satisfied with the sins they commit themselves, leave, as it were, an inheritance of sin to their descendants. So, an unchaste man, who cannot any longer gratify his passions, dies; but he leaves behind him bad books, lewd pictures, and statues enough to corrupt the living. A vindictive man dies; but he leaves behind him a legacy of hatred stamped in the memories of his children, by his oft repeated expressions of rancour against his enemy. An avaricious man dies; but he leaves to his heirs a load of unjust and usurious gains that is sufficient to damn them. All these people make bad confessions; their sorrow is useless, their purpose vain, the absolution they receive invalid!

What a blessing it would be, what a consolation for the confessor, what a splendid proof of an earnest purpose of amendment, if the penitent could always say with truth: “Father, I am seriously resolved to amend, and, in order to prove my sincerity, here are ‘the heads’ of my sins. I have wronged my neighbour, but I have made complete restitution. I have the money here that belongs to him. Can you tell me how to restore it without exposing my good name?” or, “I have lived in improper intimacy for so long with a certain person; but that person is now gone away, or, I have left the house in which I used to sin;” or, “For some months past I have not spoken a word to one whom I disliked, but we are now reconciled.” Oh, what a splendid proof of a sincere resolution to amend!

But, alas, that proof is not always at hand! Alas! In that Day of Wrath when the “Written Book shall be produced;” when that great account-book shall be opened, out of which the thoughts, words, and actions of all men shall be judged—how many confessions and absolutions we shall then find rejected by the Judge, although, in the opinion of men, they were valid!

Then, we shall see the truth of the words, “Many are called, but few chosen” (St. Matthew 20: 16), even amongst those who were judged to be repentant sinners.
“Pour out thy heart like water before the face of the Lord” (Lam. 2: 19), is again my conclusion. O sinner, if you wish to be truly converted to God, pour out your heart like water, not like oil, so that no grievous sin may remain in it. Pour out your heart like water, not like money out of a purse. And why? If you let your money fall, you can stoop down, and pick it up; but if you pour out water on the ground, it is absorbed by the earth, and you can never recover it. In making your purpose of amendment, pour out with your sins, all the will, desire, or hope of returning to them again, crying out with St. Paul: “For I am sure that neither death nor life nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Rom. 8: 38, 39.) Amen.

Source: http://www.JMJsite.com.

What is a 'firm purpose of amendment?' Is it necessary for a valid Confession? - Part I

Vol II: The Penitent Christian
Excerpt from a Sermon by Fr. Francis Hunolt
The Nature of a Purpose of Amendment

“Would to God that all sinners whose souls are dead might thus surely recover the
life of sanctifying grace in the Sacrament of Penance! Would to God, that the amendment of their lives always proved the truth of their resurrection! But how many are deluded on this point! How many are there of whom, when they come out of the confessional, we might say with truth in the words of the Gospel of today. “Behold, a dead man is carried out!” Dead he went in, and dead he comes out. His repentance is only an apparent one. This occurs either through culpably omitting a grievous sin in the examination of conscience, or through want of a true supernatural sorrow for sin, or else through want of a firm purpose of amendment, which is the third requisite to a good confession. Of the nature of this purpose learn, today, my brethren,

I. That he who desires to possess the life of grace in the Sacrament of Penance must have a firm purpose of avoiding mortal sin; and II. That he must have a firm purpose of avoiding all mortal sins for all time.

I. True contrition does not consist in mere words, nor in sighs and tears, but in an act of the will by which I hate and detest them all from a supernatural motive, and wish from my heart that I had never committed them. The purpose of amendment that I make in presence of God and of my confessor does not consist in mere words, but in an earnest and present determination of my will, from a supernatural motive, not to commit again a single mortal sin in any way whatever, for the sake of any person, pleasure, or profit, and to use all the necessary efforts to carry out this determination. If this firm purpose is wanting, repentance is of no avail, confession is useless, and the absolution received is invalid.

The Council of Trent says: True repentance requires not merely a detestation of one’s sins, but also a firm purpose of amending one’s life. But, alas! Of the numbers who go to confession, how few there are who make this earnest attempt to amend their lives! “I firmly purpose to avoid all sin, and to amend my life,” such are the words many
sinners utter with the mouth; but what do their hearts say?

Ask your own conscience. Do you not often think, when saying those words: “I shall never be able to do as I say I cannot give up this or that”? “I will amend,” says the mouth. “But,” thinks the heart: “I cannot look favourably on that man whom I have long borne hatred to, much less, can I say anything good about him.” “I will amend,” says the mouth.” But,” thinks the heart: “when difficulties arise at home I will not abstain from cursing and swearing.” “I will amend,” says the mouth. “But, next Sunday, as usual,” says the heart: “I will go to the ale-house, and get drunk.” “I will amend,” says the mouth. “But if I happen to be in that person’s company, which is
very likely to be the case,” says the heart: “I will not abstain from taking impure liberties.” Has he a firm determination of the will who knows in his conscience that he does not intend keeping his promises of amendment? His purpose consists rather in mere desires, which, like the weather-cock on the steeple, turn round in every direction, according to the wind, but, nevertheless, are not to be moved from their place.

Such a sinner would like to avoid sin, but at the same time to gratify his wicked passions. He would like to love God above all things, with his whole heart, and at the same time to place no restraint on his love for creatures. He would like to enter on the way to heaven, and still to keep on the broad path that leads to hell.

… It is not enough to say: “I would like to do it.” You must say, “I will do it; I am in earnest about it; I will make use of the proper means,” It is useless for the merchant to sit idle in his shop, saying : “I would like to be rich!” or in the soldier to run away from the fight, saying : “I would like to gain the victory” ; or for the student to shut up his books and waste his time, saying : “I would like to be at the head of my class!” All this “would like” is not of the least help to them.

The merchant must labour, the soldier must fight and the student must study earnestly, if they wish to succeed. Hell is filled with such fruitless wishes and desires, which, if they were capable of restoring a sinner to the state of grace, would soon convert the abode of death into the mansion of life, and the prison of the damned into a paradise of joys. Sinner, are you in earnest about being converted and doing penance? Then you must say from your heart, with the penitent David “I said: Now have I begun” (Ps. 56: 11); I am fully determined to avoid all sin, and to amend my life. Now I have begun; the change for the better has already commenced. Ah, (you think), if I only could do that! You should rather say: If I only wished to do it. You do not wish to do it, and there the fault lies. We read in the Gospel of St. Luke that the guests who were invited to the feast “began all at once to make excuse.”

The first said: “I have bought a farm, and must needs go out and see it.” Another said “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to try them;” but the third made it appear an utter impossibility for him to go: “I have married a wife, and therefore, I cannot come” (St. Luke 14: 18- 20). But St. Matthew, who relates the same parable in a different manner, gives, in a few words, the true cause of their remaining away, and shows that their excuses were worthless : “They would not come” (St. Matthew 22 : 3), he says. Thus he gives us to understand, that the excuses we allege for not amending our lives, and which are founded on our weakness, or evil inclinations, or on temptations, habits, and necessity, are referred by the all-seeing God to the one chief cause, “they would not come.”

They do not amend, because they do not wish to amend. They do not abstain from cursing, drunkenness, hatred, injustice, and impurity, because they do not wish to abstain. In a word, the earnest purpose is wanting to them. Ah, what can we not do to secure some temporal gain, to prevent some outlay of money, because we are in earnest about it! How readily we overcome ourselves, and what difficulties we are ready to face! If sinners would only give a penny to some poor person whenever they curse or swear, or send some money to a charitable institution when they fall into their accustomed sins, I am sure that in a short time they would find a great change for the better; and they would have to acknowledge, that they were unable to amend hitherto because they had no wish to amend, and that, as they were wanting in this firm purpose, their confessions were invalid.

Others who flatter themselves that they have a firm purpose of amendment while, in reality, they are always running from one confessor to another, looking for a priest who never gives them a word of advice; who knows not the state of their conscience; who is ignorant of the length of time they have been subject to their bad habits, and who, not being aware that they are in the proximate occasion of sin, cannot remind them of their duty in that respect. Again; the same grievous sins of which you now accuse yourself, you have often confessed before; and you have been confessing them for the last six, seven, or eight months, or even for the last two or three years, or longer. After all that time, you are just as much addicted to vice as before.

How is it possible; how can any sensible man imagine, that you ever had a sincere purpose of amendment, since there is not the least sign of any improvement in you? If a man is really resolved to avoid a certain thing, he can easily find means to carry out his intention. If you are determined not to fall into the mud, you know how to avoid the stone over which you stumbled before. The proverb says: “Even the stupid ass does not stumble twice over the same stone.” If, once or twice you scald a dog that you wish to drive out of your kitchen, you will find that he will not come back again. But you return for the third, sixth, or twentieth time, with the same sins on your conscience, after having fallen over the same stone, or been scalded with the same water. Who can believe that your purpose of amendment was anything more than empty words, to which you did not attach the least meaning? “He is a scoffer, and not a penitent,” says St. Augustine, “who still does what he repents of.” …

This is like the apparent repentance of many who go to confession. They throw themselves down on their knees, praying, sighing, and striking their breasts, and saying to themselves: “I am heartily sorry for having offended God, and I will never sin again!” So much they say with their lips, and then they go to the priest and receive absolution. Those who cannot see the heart would say of such: “Surely, there is now an end of sin! Here is every sign of true sorrow!” But alas, God thinks differently. The consciences of those people are still burdened with sin as before. How do we know that? Have a little patience and in a short time you will see the apparent penitent returning to his former evil ways; a sure sign that he has not had an earnest purpose of amendment; for where there is no amendment, there has been only a useless repentance.

The Feast of Christ the King.

On November 21st, Pope Benedict XVI concelebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica the liturgy of the Solemnity of Christ the King along with 24 newly created cardinals.

"The Gospel of St. Luke presents, as in a great painting, the royalty of Jesus in the moment of his crucifixion," the Holy Father affirmed.

The Holy Father said that "the leaders of the people and the soldiers deride the firstborn of all creation and they test him to see if he has the power to save himself from death." In fact, while the Lord finds himself between two criminals, one of them, aware of his own sins, opens himself to truth, arrives at faith and prays to the king of the Jews: 'Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom,'

He added, "From him who 'is before all things and in whom all things exist' the so-called good thief immediately receives forgiveness and the joy of entering into the Kingdom of Heaven. "With these words, Jesus, from the throne of the cross receives every man with infinite mercy."

He referred to St. Ambrose, who said that this "is a beautiful example of conversion to which one should aspire: forgiveness is quickly offered the thief and the grace is more abundant than the request."

Today is the feastday of St Leo the Great

Saint Leo the Great is the first born pope doctor. His greatness is evident from his roles as peacemaker amidst terror, unifier amidst controversy, and pastoral concern amidst war, diseases, and famine. For two decades during his pontificate the powers of terrorists and Hell attacked and plundered Rome and its citizens.

Leo believed and trusted in God through the intercession of St Peter, the Rock of the Church, and Jesus Christ. It was he who gave Peter and his successors that power over all mortals who would challenges his church on earth.

In addition to writing, leading, and exemplying a unified doctrine for the church, Leo acted in the role of peacemaker which was rare in his day. He met, nearly single-handedly, Attila the Hun, "The Terror of the World" and showed him God's own enormous and terrible power.

In John F. Fink's excellent book The Doctors of the Church, Volume One: Doctors of the First Millennium, the author begin his information on the chapter on St Leo by stating:

"Perhaps surprisingly considering the amount of teaching and writing many of our popes have done, only two of them were included among the Doctors of the Church.
These two-Pope Leo I and Pope Gregory I-are also the only popes to be called "the Great." There obviously was something about each of them that stood out,and we'll explore that in this chapter and the next."

The above information was taken from the excellent web site of: The Doctors of the Catholic Church.

http://www.doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com/L.html

Invitation Reminder - the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple.

Please click on the image to enlarge.

The Heralds of the Gospel cordially invite you to celebrate with them, the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple.

The beauty of the Liturgy - Excerpts from the Mass sung by the Heralds of the Gospel

Listen to the beautiful sung liturgy. Many more videos featuring the work of the Heralds of the Gospel may be found on You Tube.

Doctrinal Congregation's Note on Opus Angelorum

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a circular letter to the local ordinaries of the Church on the current doctrinal and canonical position of the association known as Opus Angelorum (work of the angels).

The letter, dated Oct. 2 and signed by Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the congregation, was published Thursday by L'Osservatore Romano.

Below is a translation of the explanatory note issued Thursday by Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office.

* * *

[Father Lombardi's explanatory note]

L'Osservatore Romano published today a circular letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, dated Oct. 2, to update bishops on the present doctrinal and canonical situation of the association called Opus Angelorum, so that they can adjust themselves on this matter.

The new circular letter reminds that in 1983 a letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the members of the association Opus Angelorum, in promoting devotion to the angels, should be conformed to the social doctrine of the Church and not spread theories from the alleged private revelations attributed to Mrs. Gabriele Bitterlich, and that they should abide by all the liturgical norms in force, in particular those relating to the Eucharist.

With a decree of 1992, approved by the Holy Father John Paul II, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith completed these directives with a few other norms, entrusting their execution to a delegate appointed by the Holy See, also in charge of relations between the Opus Angelorum and the Order of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross. For many years this delegate was Father Benoit Duroux, O.P., and now it is, for the past few months, Father Daniel Ols, O.P.

Today it can be considered that the Opus Angelorum lives loyally and serenely in conformity with the doctrine of the Church and of the liturgical and canonical norms and constitutes a "public association of the Church." Also the Order of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross and the Sisters of the Holy Cross -- who have a relation with the Opus Angelorum -- are regularly approved by the ecclesiastical authorities.

However, a certain number of members of the Opus Angelorum -- and in particular some priests who have left or been expelled from the Order of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross --- in past years have not accepted the norms given by the authority of the Church, and continue trying to restore a movement that practices what has been prohibited. Because of this, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith exhorts the ordinaries to be vigilant with regard to such initiatives.

[Translation by ZENIT]
For full article see: ZE10110505 - 2010-11-05
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-30858?l=english

Sunday 21 November is a Day of Prayer for Prisoners and their Dependents.

Sunday 21 November is a Day of Prayer for Prisoners and their Dependents. It is followed by Prisons Week, which runs from 21 - 27 November.

This year the theme for Prisons Week is ‘Be With Me’, taken from St Luke’s account of Jesus and the penitent thief: “You will be with me in Paradise”, words which brought hope to an isolated and broken person.

A prayer for Prisoners

A special prayer has been written for Prisons Week.

'Lord, you offer freedom to all people. We pray for those in prison. Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist. Support with your love prisoners and their families and friends, prison staff and all who care. Heal those who have been wounded by the actions of others, especially the victims of crime. Help us to forgive one another, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly together with Christ in His strength and in His Spirit, now and every day.'

The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, has given his support to Prisons Week, saying: “I strongly encourage Christians to think about, pray for, and act for all those affected by prisons during this special week in November.”

Important victory in Europe for the pr0life movement.

On 7 October 2010 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted on a report, which had originally recommended a crack-down on medical personnel who exercise their conscientious objection to abortion and other anti-life procedures.

Ronan Mullen, the Irish senator, and Luca Volonte of Italy, led the assembly in passing amendments which totally reversed the report, from a pro-abortion attack on conscientious objection, to a defence of conscientious objection.

Anthony Ozimic, communications manager of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), commented: "This evening witnessed an incredible victory for the right of staff in medical institutions to refuse to be complicit in the killing of unborn children and other unethical practices.

"SPUC is immensely grateful to the large number of our supporters who lobbied the assembly in recent months, as well as to Senator Mullen, Mr Volonte and the assembly-members who supported them", concluded Mr Ozimic.

In the debate Senator Mullen pointed out that:
the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the rights of unborn children;
there is no human right to abortion, whereas conscientious objection is a basic principle of human rights;
the report's original text was in reality a furtherance of pro-abortion agenda

More information may be obtained at: http://www.spuc.org.uk/news/releases/2010/october07