February 2008 Archives

by Stephen R. Le Blanc

            In every age, men seek heroes.  The classic hero confronts a difficult situation, sees it as a challenge and conducts himself in virtue to bring about success.  A helpless victim is saved and disaster is averted.  Often the stakes are mortal and the payoff significant if his mission is successfull.  It is important that we look to the saints as heros and draw lessons from their lives.  In our Catholic faith, we recognize many saintly examples but none is finer than the example given by Christ Himself.  Let us take a closer look at the challenge and mission of Christ.  What was the primary challenge that Jesus Christ encountered?  He encountered the challenge of redeeming fallen man from sin and punishment.  As we examine this fact, we see that man had fallen by disobeying the express wishes of God.  He ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  This terrible action resulted in man being excluded from heaven and condemned to hell for all eternity.  In His Love, God Wished all men to be saved, so he came to offer us another way.  His purpose was to "reverse the curse" as it were.  A masterstroke was required; the fruit had to be restored to the tree. 

The Vatican has just issued a change to the Good Friday prayer for the Jews in the 1962 missal, at the behest of the enemies of Christ. (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/2008/index_en.htm) This disgraceful act is acknowledgement that our sacred traditions are subject to political considerations.  And in the final analysis, the judiazers even failed to please Abe Foxman and the ADL.

While the new prayer is not heretical, it is a far cry from the original prayer of the missal of St. Pius V: 

(pre-1950) Let us pray also for the unfaithful Jews, that our God and Lord would remove the veil from their hearts; that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, Who drivest not even the faithless Jews away from Thy mercy, hear our prayers, which we offer for the blindness of that people, that, acknowledging the light of Thy truth, which is Christ, they may be rescued from their darkness. Through the same Lord, etc. Amen

We really appreciate comments, and are sorry to say that many got stuck in the spam buffer.  We'll try to fix the filter and regularly clean it out.

Staff.

From Sermons for Every Sunday in the Year by Rev. B. J. Raycroft, A. M.

Published by Fr. Pustet & Co.

Copyright 1900 by Rev. B. J. Raycroft

Then Jesus said to him: Be gone Satan, for it is written; The Lord thy God thou shalt adore, and Him only shalt thou serve. (Math. xvii. -5.)

My Dear Friends: We have here a striking proof of Satan's boldness, together with a forcible manifestation of his malice toward mankind. He assailed heaven; he conquered Paradise; now he tempts the Son of God Himself. Exulting in his conquest of Eden, he believed his revenge against heaven and against man was assured. In order that he may accomplish his designs, he has incessantly striven to withdraw the human race from its allegiance to the Creator. "Like a roaring lion," says St. Paul, "he goes about seeking whom he may devour."

The greater the servant of God, the greater is his malicious efforts. When a person is in a position to do much good, when by his example or teaching he may conduct many into the service of God, the devil strains every exertion to subdue this righteous servant, that by his fall many others may be lost to God and be enrolled under the banner of hell. In his victory over our first parents, he had, by his subtle flattery, conquered the first of the human race and the most perfect types of mankind.

In the person of Jesus, he saw a most extraordinary character. He had heard at the baptism of Jesus, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," but still doubted whether Jesus was the Son of God. To test Him, Satan awaits for what seems to him a- favorable opportunity. Our Saviour, after a protracted fast of forty days, is hungry. Then the devil appears, and invites Him to change the stones at His feet into bread, thus relieving His hunger by partaking of the bread so miraculously transformed from stone. “It is written," says our Saviour to him," man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

The devil, by no means dismayed, renews his temptation. Jesus is taken by him, and set upon the pinnacle of the temple. He bids Our Lord to cast Himself down, flattering Him that angels would protect Him from harm. But Jesus is more than man; and consequently not a victim of Satan's cunningness, as were Adam and Eve and millions of others. Satan next holds out a most tempting offer. He will bestow the world and the glory thereof upon the Creator of them, if falling down, He would adore him. Jesus now manifests His power and authority over Satan. He commands the devil: "Be gone Satan, for it is written: The Lord thy God thou shalt adore, and Him only shalt thou serve."

The pride and arrogance of Lucifer were in this instance overthrown. He obeyed the mandate, and departed from Jesus. By his compliance to the command, "Be gone Satan," he acknowledged his own inferiority and the supremacy of the Saviour of mankind. The devil, though damned into hell, adores and serves Almighty God. He adores Him, because he must revere Him as God, the Supreme Ruler; and he serves Him, because he is in hell by divine command, and in obedience to the supreme will.

It is our duty also to adore and serve God; not from compulsion, but from salutary fear and filial love. He has given us free will; hence we can adore and serve Him, or refuse Him the homage of our obedience. Yet, if we do not serve Him, the day will come when we must serve the term of punishment imposed upon us by Eternal Justice. Indeed, it is not the fear of punishment which ought to compel us to serve the Creator; but actuated by love, of the truest and most profound type, we should, with pleasure, obey His will. By obedience toward Him, we perform the noblest duty which is in the power of man to execute. We become not only servants of God, but His children by adoption.

To claim to be a child of the Eternal Father, and have that claim allowed, is the grandest privilege bestowed upon man. We are His children because He created us, and there is no power capable of depriving us of such blessed inheritance, except that within the grasp of our own free will. By our own conduct, we remain, after baptism, children of God and heirs to heaven; or we become imps of Lucifer and victims of hell.

God has not been wanting in His holy care for us. In creating man, observe the majesty which He vouchsafed to confer upon him. "Let us make man," says Almighty God, "according to our own image and likeness." Wonder of wonders that God would, in such a marvelous way, dignify man! That there would be any comparison between the Creator of heaven and earth—the eternal, self-existing Being and His poor, frail creature man! That God, whose immensity is boundless, whose majesty is beyond description, whose glory is equal to His immensity; that He would deign to impress upon man His image and His likeness! Should we hesitate to give to such a Benefactor our allegiance and our homage?

Ought we ever cease praising and thanking Him for so incomparable a favor? With unfaltering love we should obey Him, that by our ready obedience we may give some proof of our high appreciation for this unparalleled beneficence toward the human race.

In order that we may the better understand the kindness of heaven in our behalf, let us institute a comparison. You are aware that the servants of a king or other ruler, considers themselves much honored by being in the special service of their king. As their promotion goes onward, at each step coming closer to their ruler, their gratitude and fidelity increase. Were the king to adopt some of them into his own family, thereby becoming heirs to the kingdom, their joy would know no bounds. In their allegiance to the throne, they would brave every danger, and on every occasion demonstrate their love and attachment to their king.

 But when the king has bestowed every favor within his power, he falls immeasurably short of what the King of kings, Almighty God, has conferred upon you. Could the temporal ruler give you so much as a single faculty of your soul or function of your body? Though you already possess these, he could not so much as put them in healthy operation, were they to become impaired. Ponder well upon the inestimable; the mysterious powers which God has given you, and the feebleness of kings and the meagerness of their grandest gifts; then you will have some conception of God's goodness toward you.

But, how often do you find soldiers and statesmen, serving with fidelity, tyrants who are haughty, unscrupulous, and savage. Soldiers will march bravely to the cannon's mouth, to be shot down in defense of despots. Generals will vie with one another in order that a tyrannical emperor will smile upon them, or that some greater distinction may be conferred upon them.

Even soldiers, whose native land has been pillaged, robbed of its hereditary rights, will rush into the jaws of death in obedience to the tyrant who has trampled upon their rights, impoverished their country, and driven their very parents into exile.

How often, on many a bloody field, have not the Irish braved every danger and met death defiantly in defense of the English crown. You know the history of English gratitude toward them.

Poland is another among the many examples which can be cited. In the Crimean War, after an awful battle, the Czar visited the hospital. There among the wounded and dying, he addressed a Polander who was suffering intense pain from his many wounds. The Czar endeavored to console him by praising his courage and the fortitude, with which he bore his suffering, adding that he proved himself a great soldier, and fell fighting in the noblest cause in which a man could be engaged; namely, in defense of his country's honor. Whereupon the soldier, striving to raise his head upon his hand, replied: "Alas! I have no country. I lie struggling in the grasp of death, for you who have plundered my country and destroyed its existence. Were I dying in a struggle for my native land, these wounds would be the highest marks of honor. Yea, had I a thousand lives, they would all be freely given in defense of Poland's flag! But I die, and the land of my fathers is no more! "

You remember, or have read, with what bravery the German Catholic soldiers, in the Franco-Prussian War, fought to overthrow the French. What the reward was, you remember. For their sacrifices and indomitable service, they were repaid by persecution. Religious orders were expelled, Catholic Church property was confiscated, and bishops were imprisoned. Now, does not all this suggest the words of Cardinal Wolsey: "Had I served my God with half the zeal I served my king, He would not, in mine old age, have left me naked to my enemies."

Now, to serve one's country is the duty of every citizen; and while all, without exception, approve of such devotion to the nation's banner, yet we insist that everybody is bound by stronger obligations to adore and serve God. The duty we owe our country does not conflict with the duty we owe to heaven. In truth, a firm adherence to God makes people better citizens; for our allegiance to the Creator widens our comprehension of our civic obligations, adjusts political and religious differences, enlarges our views of just government, stimulates to honesty and justice and patriotism.

Moreover, a successful ruler must be a great servant of God. Without God for a guide, there is nothing to direct him in the administration of justice, nothing to restrain him from violating the rights and privileges of his people. Compare Charlemagne with Nero, St. Louis with Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Leo XIII with Bismarck, and you will be able to form some notion of the ideas I wish to impress upon you.

All these examples of courage, fidelity, and Christian loyalty serve no other purpose than to awaken in your bosoms a truer devotion to the Lord of all creation. You readily concede that you should adore and serve God; but on account of temptation and lukewarmness, as well as other causes, you sometimes fail in giving God unalloyed homage and undivided service. In obeying God, you are performing at once a duty indispensable to happiness and spotless nobility. In serving God,

an equilibrium between the reason and the passions is established, the true dignity of nations and individuals are better understood, and the sacred rights of all are secured. Peace, good will, prosperity, honesty; in a word, everything which makes a people contented, unselfish, and happy, is realized.

From Sermons for Every Sunday in the Year by Rev. B. J. Raycroft, A. M.
Published by Fr. Pustet & Co.
Copyright 1900 by Rev. B. J. Raycroft

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. (Math. xvii.-5.)

Mount Tabor, my dear friends, is honored by this august group of distinguished persons who gather on its summit. Never was a spot more favored, except the stable at Bethlehem and the Cross on Calvary. In all the grand assemblies of the world, there is nothing to be compared to this memorable gathering. Royalty with all its equipage, is as nothing in the comparison; and Tabor is clad in a splendor as much surpassing the magnificence of kingly halls, as its size preponderates over the crowns of kings and emperors.

From Sermons for Every Sunday in the Year by Rev. B. J. Raycroft, A. M.

Published by Fr. Pustet & Co.

Copyright 1900 by Rev. B. J. Raycroft

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. (Math. xvii.-5.)

Mount Tabor, my dear friends, is honored by this august group of distinguished persons who gather on its summit. Never was a spot more favored, except the stable at Bethlehem and the Cross on Calvary. In all the grand assemblies of the world, there is nothing to be compared to this memorable gathering. Royalty with all its equipage, is as nothing in the comparison; and Tabor is clad in a splendor as much surpassing the magnificence of kingly halls, as its size preponder­ates over the crowns of kings and emperors.

Who constitute this sublime group? The Gospel just read to you, gives you their names. They were Peter, James, and John, the Apostles; Moses, Elias, and Jesus. Our Saviour took with Him Peter, James, and John, three poor and unlettered men, to show to the world that He did not depend upon the power or erudition of the great for the promulgation of His doctrine; and that these are not necessary to the acquirement of the eternal splendor of heaven. But His Apostles He wanted with Him to be witnesses of His Transfiguration, to behold with their own eyes a glimpse of His majesty. He was soon to be crucified—to die an ignominious death upon the cross. In the hour of darkness, in the infamy of the cross, the apostles may doubt His divinity. He now impresses upon their souls a splendor and a sublimity which will never be effaced. The rabble may bind Him in the garden and drag Him to prison as an infamous impostor; Jews may mock Him, scourge Him, and crown Him with thorns, but the memory of Mount Tabor can never be obliterated. No degradation is so complete, no calumny so subtle or vicious, no death so disgrace­ful, as to banish the magnificence of that glorious scene!

Moses appears as the representative of the ancient laws; Elias comes as the prince of the prophets. Both testify that this is the Son of God; that He is the embodiment of the law and the prophets, that it was of Him they prophesied.

To intensify this testimony, Jesus was transfigured before them: "And His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as snow."  The Apostles are astounded by the glory of the Son of God and the magnificence of the environ­ments. St. Peter exclaims: "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if Thou wilt let us make three tabernacles; one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias. And while He was yet speaking, behold a white 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."

 The Eternal Father again declares Him to be His Son, and commands mankind to hear Him. Overawed by the grandeur of the sight, the presence of Moses and Elias, the splendor of the Transfigur­ation, the appearance of the cloud, and the voice of the Almighty from the heavens, the Apostles are seized by fear. They are thrilled with admiration and awe by the breath of heaven; they are confirmed in faith; they are prepared now to witness the humili­ation of Christ, without suffering from scandal or loss of faith.

Now you may say to yourselves: "Oh, had we been blessed by that grand manifestation of Christ's power, every doubt would be banished from our souls! We could labor with a greater zeal for the glory of God, and our devotion toward Him could never grow cold. Death itself would be welcome; no terror would be contained therein; for it would only be a means of uniting us forever with the consuming object of our affections." Whatever you may think in your own minds, it is certain that many a one tossed upon the billows of doubt and infidelity would rejoice in that scene. They would thank God with the most glowing fervor for such a sublime privilege. They would become adherents of the Cross. They would glory in being followers of the Crucified.

But have you not sufficient evidence to convince the skeptic, though he saw not the glory of Tabor? Have you not arguments the most convincing and irresistible of Christ's divinity? Yea, you, too, have testimony, and to my mind, even more persuasive than the Transfiguration, although an expression of this sort may appear exaggerated.

From the universal conduct of man may be drawn proofs of Our Lord's divinity, which are in their nature incontrovertible, and challenge the admiration of all thinking people; for in man's actions we observe him governed by one or more of these motives: the thirst for wealth, the thirst for pleasure, or the thirst for power. From these three impelling motives we shall demonstrate the divinity of Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

The thirst for wealth! What is it that man will not attempt in order to seize this glittering object of his desires? The polar snows are no barrier to him; nor can the torrid heat prevent him; pestilence terrifies him not; he will even defy death itself in his burning desire for wealth. In his feverish excitement, no toil is too wearisome, no risk too dangerous, no exposure too exhausting for him. Friendship will be bartered; the sacred pledges of honor will be violated; family ties will be torn asunder, if these only are obstacles to his ambition for opulence! Honesty is nothing! Reputation is of no moment! The rights of others are of no consequence! Health, contentment, and the charms of home are all to no purpose; he must have money! If he cannot get it by fair means, he will obtain it by treachery. He will condemn himself to servitude in prison; he will even plunge his hands into the blood of his fellow-men for the sake of its acquirement.

Still, in the presence of this feverish craving, amidst these surging masses, you see persons turning aside from the throng and taking the vow of voluntary poverty. Leaving wealth—departing from its lucrative honors—they exile themselves. For what? Why do they differ from the multitude? Why bid an everlasting farewell to that for which others sacrifice everything? Are there any formulas in science which will solve this phenomenon? Is there any genius who will explain this abandonment upon scientific principles? Is there a single fact in the nature of things to unravel this mystery? No; it cannot be explained except on the hypothesis that Jesus is divine and the Son of the Most High. The religious of both sexes have listened to the command given by Almighty God on Mount Tabor: "Hear ye Him." These have not only heard Him, but have obeyed his heavenly invitation.

Let us now consider the second great motive prompt­ing man's conduct—the thirst for pleasure. It may be simple amusement of some sort or another; or it may be an indulgence in the brimming bowl which destroys. In drunkenness some take delight. They hesitate not to wallow in the mire, if their heads only reel under the influence of potent beverage.

But the one, universal motive impelling mankind is carnal pleasure. The passion burns in the heart, ofttimes producing a gale which drives men and women, too, from the path of honor into whirlpools of destruction. To satiate this desire, innocence is immolated upon the altar of sinful pleasure. The noblest virtue is sold in the market of lust. The hopes of a promising career are weighed in the balance of passion, and are but a trifle in the scales of carnal desires. Either legitimately or illegitimately, the human race is borne to the goal of sexual pleasures. Some will be hurled along by their unbridled desires, until respect, reputation, and purity are lost. They care not, finally, whether a thousand point the finger of scorn at them. They are unmindful where they exhibit their profligacy. Modesty is for them no more. Chastity is banished from their hearts. The gentle affections of the heart are impoverished, the intellect is robbed of its light, and shame is stamped upon a countenance once beautiful in aspect and inno­cent in expression. In the abodes of impurity, innocence and health, fortunes and accomplishments are squan­dered, though a father's heart is breaking and a mother is bent in grief. There is no regard for friends or family affection. Pleasure, carnal pleasure is the one controlling, overmastering motive! For that they barter themselves, trample upon everything sacred, disregard the tears and entreaties of parents, spurn the voice of the Church, and defy high heaven! In their head­long course, they care not whether they die in the slums of debauchery or in the hospitals for incurables, or be damned forever to the regions of the vile and the impure. Yet, notwithstanding the prevalence and force of the thirst for pleasure, we behold persons turning aside from the blandishment of life, from the gaiety of society, from the allurement of companions and making the vow of perpetual chastity.

Can you explain this strange occurrence? Can you account for the fulfillment of that vow so contrary to human passion? Will the skeptic or infidel produce some philosophical or scientific maxim to controvert this prodigy of human sacrifice? We challenge them to bring forth their contradictory arguments; but they will not—they cannot; the facts are in evidence against them. The only explanation, the only hy­pothesis which can be assumed, is that Jesus is God; and that His influence over the human heart at this distant day, is as powerful now as His majesty was overawing to the Apostles Peter, James, and John.

We next approach the third motive of human activity —the thirst for power. This desire has caused ruin on earth and war in heaven. The craving for power drove Lucifer from the glories of celestial bliss into the pit of hell. The love of power expelled our first parents from the Garden of Eden. To become like unto God, telling good from evil, was the ambition which plundered their innocence, made exiles of them, and subjected their progeny to misery and death. The wish to be greater than his brother, to be more influential with God, induced Cain to stain his soul with the gentle blood of his brother.

Alexander the Great lamented because his father, Philip of Macedon, was so success­ful. He will conquer all, thought Alexander, and there will be no victories left for me. Cesar, too, longed for power and greatness, though they accom­plished his ruin.

So it is the same with all the celebrated conquerors and many renowned statesmen. You know the ambition of Napoleon Bonaparte. His thirst for pre­eminence plundered other nations while it exhausted his own. He dictated treaties, spurned the laws of nations drenched the nations in blood, and in his mad desire for conquest, dragged the venerable Pope Pius VII from Rome and made him a prisoner. It is not needful, however, to recall these prodigious examples in order to prove the limitless extent of the thirst for power.

You are witnesses of its presence. In our day the thirst for power has become epidemic. The public mind is restless, and surges in its eagerness for potency and popularity. In one hand are held corrupt prin­ciples; in the other, the fairest promises of honesty integrity, and justice. The latter, however, are often only masks disguising dishonesty, faithlessness, and injustice.

Ambition for power regards not the undying principles of honor; despises truth, if truth does not serve better than falsehood; courts fraud, deception, and treachery, when these assist to the temple of worldly greatness. The burning thirst for fame, distinction, and control converts the honorable into rascals, the honest into rogues and the truthful into liars. There is no compact so sacred, which will not be violated; no virtue is so exalted, which will not be humbled or silenced; no tie of friendship so dear, which will not be broken in the reckless desire for power!

Cunningness is called wisdom; bribery, generosity; violated pledges, clever­ness! The victim of this passion resolves to conquer or to perish. He toils day after day in feverish applica­tion. Health is nothing, family happiness is nothing. There is not anything which can stay his determined, all-consuming purpose.

He exclaims: "I will have power, though the effort costs me health, though I trample upon friends, though I favor the base, the low, and intriguing,—I will have power! Religion will be no barrier! The teachings of the Church shall be no restraint! The welfare of my immortal soul shall be no hindrance! The glory of my country shall not deter me! 0h Power! Everything I will offer at your shrine, if you only crown me one of your elect!"

Still, notwithstanding that this strife is found in every sphere of human endeavor, notwithstanding its universality, you are aware that many take the vow of entire obedience. They lay down their will at the feet of their superior. In the future, his or her will is to be theirs; at his or her command, they obey in all things not involving sin.

They may be prodigies in the sciences and the arts—in every branch of human attain­ment they may excel—still they humbly submit to the will of another, although this other may be inferior in everything which goes to make up great natural gifts and vast acquirements. He or she may be of only ordinary ability; they may be remarkable for their extensive research and matchless genius,—yet they bow down before his commands and acknowledge his guidance.

Again we inquire, is there any facts within the grasp of human knowledge to account for this inexplicable surrender of man's will? Is there any theory within the entire domain of science to offer a solution for this problem? Science is baffled, the sage is confounded; passion itself is frustrated at the sight of this marvelous renouncement of the human will!

In this perplexity, in this search for a solution, we turn once more to the Transfiguration, and recall again the words: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him."  It is devotion to Jesus which has drawn them from the avenues of ordinary life and common passion. They have bid adieu to society, to the allurements of fame and the attractions of popularity, for the thorn- crowned Son of Man. In the divinity of Christ is found the reason of these phenomena; and to me they are more persuasive than the Transfiguration: for they are more prolonged in their duration; are visible to an infinitely greater number of witnesses, and are beheld in wonderment in this our own time.

These are arguments that are incontestable. There is no other explanation for the taking of the three vows of voluntary poverty, perpetual chastity, and entire obedience. But while we as Catholics profess the divinity of Jesus; while we expect no proofs—nor do we want them—still, why do we not conform our lives more and more to the doctrines of Jesus?

To read Pope St. Pius X, Pope Leo XIII, and many other popes regarding the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, one would get the impression that the Church held his writings in the highest regard next to Scripture, and his scholastic philosophy as worthy of perpetual observance and study.  Leo XIII wrote, "The Fathers of Trent made it part of the order of the conclave to lay upon the alter, together with the code of sacred Scripture and the decrees of the supreme Pontiffs, the Summa of Thomas Aquinas, whence to seek counsel, reason, and inspiration."  Pope Leo ordered Thomistic philosophy to be taught and observed throughout the Church.  St. Pius X, confirming Leo XIII, said, "We, therefore, declare that all the ordinances of Our predecessor on this subject [Thomistic scholastic philosophy] continue fully in force, and, as far as may be necessary, We do decree anew, and confirm, and order that they shall be strictly observed by all."  St. Pius added, "there is no surer sign that a man is tending to Modernism than when he begins to show his dislike for the scholastic method."

A pernicious error that resurfaced in the preceding century is to say that babies who die without Baptism enter Heaven.  This effectively denies the existence of Original Sin.  Had the Church defended the necessity of Baptism, would Catholics have given in so easily to abortion and birth control?

The Church teaches infallibly that children must be baptized to enter Heaven.  The Council of Carthage under Pope St. Zosimus (A.D. 418), in defending infant baptism, declares:

Likewise, if anyone says that it might be understood that, in the kingdom of Heaven, there will be some middle place or some place anywhere that infants live who departed this life without Baptism, without which they cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven which is eternal life: let him be anathema.

For when the Lord says: `Unless one be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he shall not enter into the kingdom of God' (St. John 3:5), what Catholic will doubt that he will be a partner of the devil who has not deserved to be a co-heir of Christ?

(an excerpt from the book by St. Louis Marie de Monfort)

Saint Dominic, seeing that the gravity of people's sins was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew into a forest near Toulouse where he prayed unceasingly for three days and three nights.  During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of Almighty God.  He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated, and finally he fell into a coma.

At this point Our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said: "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?"

Oh, my Lady," answered Saint Dominic, "you know far better than I do because next to your Son Jesus Christ you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation."

The dioceses of Charlotte is now planning on offering the Tridentine Mass in all of their ten Vicariates.  They've posted the contact info in their newspaper but when contacted said they will not post where the Masses will be held.  It will be up to those interested Catholics to contact their local Vicar Forane. 

Holy Mother the Church gives us the necessary elements to assist us in our Faith.  One of these elements is the rich symbolism contained in the liturgy.  Have you ever thought about the meaning of the burning candles during Mass?  Read below to enrich your understanding of the altar candles as they burn with constancy during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Excerpts from “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” by Rev. Nicholas Gihr.

“Light is strictly prescribed for the celebration of Mass.  According to the decree of the Church, wax-candles must burn on the altar during Mass.  The wax should be pure, unadulterated, and, as a general rule, white, even on the feriae (days) of Advent and Lent; only in exceptional cases are candles of unbleached or yellow wax becoming.  For centuries the Church has prescribed pure beeswax as the material for the liturgical candles; this was done and is still done chiefly for mystical reasons.”

1. For the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 13 April 2008, I have chosen the theme: Vocations at the service of the Church on mission. The Risen Jesus gave to the Apostles this command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19), assuring them: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28: 20). The Church is missionary in herself and in each one of her members. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, every Christian is called to bear witness and to announce the Gospel, but this missionary dimension is associated in a special and intimate way with the priestly vocation. In the covenant with Israel, God entrusted to certain men, called by him and sent to the people in his name, a mission as prophets and priests. He did so, for example, with Moses: “Come, - God told him - I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people … out of Egypt …when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you will serve God upon this mountain” (Ex 3: 10 and 12). The same happened with the prophets.