Walk Honestly

Let us walk honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy: But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscences. Rom 13:13

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The Rock

When evil thoughts come into one’s heart, to dash them against Christ immediately. Rule of St. Benedict

And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank. Num 20:11

O daughter of Babylon, miserable: blessed shall he be who shall repay thee thy payment which thou hast paid us. Blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Psalm 136

And all drank the same spiritual drink; (and they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.)  Cor 10:4

The stone which the builders rejected; the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing: and it is wonderful in our eyes  Psalm 117

And he shall be a sanctification to you. But for a stone or stumbling, and for a rock of offence to the two houses of Israel, for a snare and a ruin to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And very many of them shall stumble and fall, and shall be broken in pieces, and shall be snared, and taken. Isiah 8:14

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Sion, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation. He that believeth, let him not hasten. Isiah 28:16

Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock. Matt 7:24

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Mass for the Beatification of Pius XII

A Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Rite

will be offered for the intention of the
BEATIFICATION OF POPE PIUS XII

Followed by

Veneration of personal Relics of Pope Pius XII
and a lecture on his life and papacy by
Sister Margherita Marchione.

†

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact 718 512 8577

at

The Church of the Holy Innocents
128 West 37th Street
New York, NY

Saturday, September 6th at 1 PM

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Keep One’s Self Unspotted

Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation: and to keep one’s self unspotted from this world. James 1:27

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Elevation

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. John 12:32

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Follow The Bishop

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See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution  of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper  Eucharist, which is [administered] either  by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. (Epistle of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans)

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Time Off

I will be taking a short hiatus from the blog. I will return!

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A Life Of Loving Service

The Catholic Church has always believed and professed and as was fitting for her who was raised to the incomparable dignity of divine motherhood– was a life of such perfect union with the Son that she shared in His joys, sorrows and triumphs. And even after Christ had ascended to heaven she remained united to Him by a most ardent love while she faithfully fulfilled the new mission of spiritual Mother of the most beloved of the disciples and of the nascent Church. It can be asserted that the whole life of the humble handmaid of the Lord, from the moment when she was greeted by the Angel, until her assumption in body and soul to heavenly glory, was a life of loving service. (Paul VI: The Great Sign)

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The Same Forever

Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today; and the same for ever. Heb 13:8

Some suggested that the Holy Father distributed Communion in the traditional manner only because it was the Feast of Corpus Christi–of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ–and that he was making a point about the sacredness of the Eucharist. A new interview with the master of ceremonies for papal Masses, however, makes it clear that he was indeed making a point, but that this was not a one-time thing. In L’Osservatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Vatican, Monsignor Guido Marini was asked whether the “practice [is] destined to become habitual in papal ceremonies.” (Article)

***All well & good. Thanks be to God, the Holy Father has reintroduced a common sense way of receiving the “Source & Summit” of Christianity (Christ Himself). However, why just Papal ceremonies? Is the Eucharist received from the Pope somehow more “special” than received at a humble parish Mass? Is Jesus more present?  Of course not. Same Christ, Same Sacrifice no matter where offered, by whichever Priest of the Church. So, if it is indeed true it is a “more reverent” way of receiving Holy Communion then it is an Objectively “more reverent” way, and should be done in all Churches by all Catholics. Unless of course we don’t want to reverence God any more than what we do now, which should be seen as absurd. Right? ***

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Blessed Art Thou

The Lord hath blessed thee by His power, because by thee He hath brought our enemies to nought. Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth. Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies. Because he hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever, for that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honor of our people. (Reading for the Assumption)

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Mother of the King

And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Apoc 12:1)

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Last Penny

Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing. (Matt 5:26)

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Swiss Guards

Modern, well-educated Swiss young men wear the traditional Renaissance uniform. They have, in common with the mercenaries of the 16th century, the firm conviction that the Church of Jesus Christ and the Successor of Peter deserve, indeed require, them to commit themselves to “if necessary, give up their own lives”.  (Opening sentence from the official Swiss Guard website)

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Like One of the Saints from Olden Times

St. Augustine

Take a look at the man in the below pictures. Doesn’t he look like one of the olden time Saints? He is Bl. Giaconto Longhin, who died in 1936. When I was a kid and I saw statues & pictures of the ancient Sainted bishops, I always wondered if they actually looked like that. You know: patriarchal, long stately white beard, cope & miter, so dignified looking etc.. well, here’s your proof…

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Desertion of Christ

Let all remember that the flood of evil and disaster that has over-taken the world in past years was due chiefly to the fact that the divine religion of Jesus Christ, that provider of mutual charity among citizens, peoples and nations, did not govern, as it should, private, domestic and public life. If things have gone wrong on account of the desertion from Christ, public and private life must return to Him as soon as possible: if error has clouded the minds of men, they must return to that truth which, revealed from on high, indicates the right way to heaven: if hatred has brought them fatal results, they must return to Christian love which alone can heal their many wounds, and carry them over the crisis so filled with danger. (Pius XII: Prayer for Peace)

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Christian Society

The civilization of the world is Christian. The more completely Christian it is, the more true, more lasting and more productive of genuine fruit it is. On the other hand, the further it draws away from the Christian ideal, the more seriously the social order is endangered. By the very nature of things, the Church has consequently become the guardian and protector of Christian society. That fact was universally recognized and admitted in other periods of history. In truth, it formed a solid foundation for civil legislation. On that very fact rested the relations between Church and State; the public recognition of the authority of the Church in those matters which touched upon conscience in any manner, the subordination of all the laws of the State to the Divine laws of the Gospel; the harmony of the two powers in securing the temporal welfare of the people in such a way that their eternal welfare did not suffer. (St. Pius X: Catholic Action)

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Et Transfiguratus Est

And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. (Matt 17:1)

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A Wing and a Prayer

Brought to you by a young Stanley Kubrick!..

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Leo XIII: Calumny, The State & Martrydom

The calumny made headway; and in their credulity the pagans called the first Christians “useless creatures, dangerous citizens, factionists, enemies of the Empire and the Emperors.”But in vain did the apologists of Christianity by their writings, and Christians by their splendid conduct, endeavor to demonstrate the absurdity and criminality of these qualifications: they were not heeded. Their very name was equivalent to a declaration of war; and Christians, by the mere fact of their being such, and for no other reason, were forced to choose between apostasy and martyrdom, being allowed no alternative. During the following centuries the same grievances and the same severity prevailed to a greater or less extent, whenever governments were unreasonably jealous of their power and maliciously disposed against the Church. They never failed to call public attention to the pretended encroachment of the Church upon the State, in order to furnish the State with some apparent right to violently attack the Catholic religion. (Leo XIII: Church & State in France)

(Jules Eugene Lenepveu: The Martyrs in the Catacombs)

(Phillipe De Champaigne: St. Ambrose finding the relics of Ss. Gervase & Protase)

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Helmet of Salvation

And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). (Eph 6:17)

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Words Never Spoken

“Alright Father Humberto, we’ll build the Reiki center right here in between the Zen Garden and the Ecumenical Chapel.”

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