Acts, Chapter 23,
Verse 6
Paul
was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees, so he called out before
the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; [I] am on
trial for hope in the resurrection of
the dead.”
People get divided over issues and pick sides. Whose
side are you on? Where do you place your hope in this life? Are you like the
Sadducees who believe there is no resurrection or are you like the Pharisees
who believe in the resurrection? Yes, like Paul we are on trial for having a
hope in the resurrection.
History records
the striking example in Peter Miles, raised from the dead by St. Stanislaus of
Cracow, who preferred to return to Purgatory rather than to live again upon
earth. The celebrated miracle of this resurrection happened in 1070. It is thus
related in the Acta Sanctorum on May 7. St. Stanislaus was Bishop of Cracow
when the Duke Boleslas II governed Poland. He did not neglect to remind this
prince of his duties, who scandalously violated them before all his people.
Boleslas was irritated by the holy liberty of the Prelate, and to revenge
himself he excited against him the heirs of a certain Peter Miles, who had died
three years previously after having sold a piece of ground to the church of
Cracow. The heirs accused the saint of having usurped the ground, without
having paid the owner. Stanislaus declared that he had paid for the land, but
as the witnesses who should have defended him had been either bribed or
intimidated, he was denounced as a usurper of the property of another and
condemned to make restitution. Then, seeing that he had nothing to expect from
human justice, he raised his heart to God, and received a sudden inspiration.
He asked for a delay of three days, promising to make Peter Miles appear in
person, that he might testify to the legal purchase and payment of the lot.
They were granted to him in scorn. The saint fasted, watched, and prayed God to
take up the defense of his cause. The third day, after having celebrated Holy
Mass, he went out accompanied by his clergy and many of the faithful, to the
place where Peter had been interred. By his orders the grave was opened; it
contained nothing but bones. He touched them with his crosier, and in the name
of Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, he commanded the dead man to
arise. Suddenly the bones became reunited, were covered with flesh, and, in
sight of the stupefied people, the dead man was seen to take the Bishop by the
hand and walk towards the tribunal. Boleslas, with his court and an immense
crowd of people, were awaiting the result with the liveliest expectation.
“Behold Peter,” said the saint to Boleslas; “he comes, prince, to give
testimony before you. Interrogate him; he will answer you.” It is impossible to
depict the stupefaction of the Duke, of his councillors, and of the whole con
course of people. Peter affirmed that he had been paid for the ground; then
turning towards his heirs, he reproached them for having accused the pious
prelate against all rights of justice; then he exhorted them to do penance for
so grievous a sin. It was thus that iniquity, which believed itself already
sure of success, was confounded. Now comes the circumstance which concerns our
subject, and to which we wished to refer. Wishing to complete this great
miracle for the glory of God, Stanislaus proposed to the deceased that, if he
desired to live a few years longer, he would obtain for him this favor from
God. Peter replied that he had no such desire. He was in Purgatory, but he
would rather return thither immediately and endure its pains, than expose himself
to damnation in this terrestrial life. He entreated the saint only to beg of
God to shorten the time of his sufferings, that he might the sooner enter the
abode of the blessed. After that, accompanied by the Bishop and a vast
multitude, Peter returned to his grave, laid himself down, his body fell to
pieces, and his bones resumed the same state in which they had first been
found. We have reason to believe that the saint soon obtained the deliverance
of his soul. That which is the most remarkable in this example, and which
should most attract our attention, is that a soul from Purgatory, after having
experienced the most excruciating torments, prefers that state of suffering to
the life of this world; and the reason which he gives for this preference is,
that in this mortal life we are exposed to the danger of being lost and
incurring eternal damnation.
Since the French Revolution, revolting from God’s ways has been the norm for governments and people. Before the French Revolution, Emperors and Empresses, Kings and Queens received from God, via the Catholic Church, authority to rule. They were bound to rule by obeying God’s Rules. There were good Catholic popes, bishops’ emperors and kings. There were also bad popes, bishops, emperors and kings who abused the authority God had given them to rule. But each one of them, at death, have had to give a detailed account of how they had used the divine authority they had been given to rule. In fact, everyone has some sort of authority, and we will have to give a strict account to God as to how we used His authority for the good or the bad. I as a priest will have to give an account of how I used my priestly authority over the parishioners under my care. I will have to give an account of all the money, buildings and programs that I have had under my care while I was an associate pastor and as pastor. Each one of you, bishops, religious and priests reading this, will also have to give an account of how you used your God given authority over God’s flock. For us who have been vigilant in guiding God’s flock to heaven, there will be a reward. For each one of us who have been lazy, there will be punishment. But each one of us who has abused our God given authority to persecute holy priests and people or mislead our people by telling them not to worry about sin, the devil and eternal damnation, it will be one horrible awakening into eternal chastisement. The road to Hell is paved with skulls of bishops and priests”.
Each husband will give an account of how he ruled over his wife and children. Each parent will have to give an account of the way they have raised their children. Each teacher, each principal, each government leader; each Emperor, King, Empress, Queen, and those under their orders, will also be rewarded or terribly chastised for how they did or did not implement God’s rules on their subjects. They will also have to give a detailed account on how they spent God’s money and treated God’s people placed under their care.
I am totally in favor of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. He is the head of the pope, cardinals, bishops, priests and religious. The Church is head of the Emperors and Kings and those subject to their authority. Under this system, when the Holy Roman Empire existed, there was all sorts of great Christian growth as well as cultural growth: the great cathedrals, universities, hospitals, buildings, art, all over the world, was created in this divinely ordered society where God was the center of government and society. His divinely revealed laws were the laws that men lived by even though people broke them. This didn’t just start under the great Catholic Emperor Constantine. We can see it under the rule of the Judges of the Old Testament, who ruled by God’s authority, inforced His laws and guided by His wisdom. Under this divine system these judges/prophets were able to guide the Jewish people into a flourishing society. Under King David we see the great development and peace of Israel. When King Solomon ruled on the throne of his father King David, he did not ask for riches or a long life, but for divine wisdom. When he was faithful to The True God and lived by His wisdom, he built the great Temple and palace and had wealth unknown before his time. But when he became overcome by his lust and all his wives, he succumbed to allowing his wives to bring into God’s kingdom the abomination of worshipping of devil gods. From then on, the kingdom of Israel went down and was eventually divided. And so, his-story (King Saul, King Solomon and all the other Kings who abused God’s authority) goes on through out time.
Jesus, when He showed his Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1671, gave an important message to King Louis XIV of France. He was told to consecrate France to Jesus’ Sacred Heart and there would be great success in all his battles and in France. He was also instructed to put the Sacred Heart on the flag of France to remind everyone that France belongs to God, not the king. King Louis XIV never did what Jesus asked. King Louis XV also failed to comply with what Jesus asked for. When King Louis XVI came to rule, again, he did not obey Jesus’ request. After France financed the American Revolt against Britain, they ended up deep in debt. So, to try to resolve the problem, King Louis XVI called together the Estate General. From there, the other Estates were formed to try to solve the financial crisis. The 1st. Estate consisted of clergy. The 2nd consisted of Nobles. The 3rd. consisted of mostly bourgeois lawyers and other representatives. This is when democracy took power away from the king. No longer was it God, from above, who was giving authority through the His Church, to the kings and queens. Now, through democratic voting, authority was given to the leaders from below. What ever was the desire of the people who had the most power became law and Man became god.
From this democracy came the “Reign of Terror” in France where thousands and thousands of bishops, priests, religious and lay people were put to death by the guillotine. King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their kingdom and heads. Blood flowed so profusely in Paris that people could not stand the stench. It literally saturated the soil and would squish up when walking on the soil around where they were daily killed. So, when we think of voting on what is or is not moral, sanctioning what is or is not popular, we are giving into the authority of people and not the Divine Revealed Laws of God. The consequences of this are evident every time you watch the news filled with murders, raping, stealing and wars. And yet everyone, Catholics and non-alike, want to judge what is and what is not moral by democratic decision. When will we wake up to the reality, we are selfish.
·
We
want pleasure.
·
We
are greedy.
·
We
will steal and kill to get our drugs.
·
We
will use and then discard our sex partners.
·
We
will kill unborn babies, up to 9 months, because it is lawful and convenient.
·
People
say it is good to blow up innocent people for political reasons.
·
Cartoon
child pornography is ok because of freedom of speech.
God created us. Jesus died for us. Let us humbly submit to His divine loving laws while we still have somewhat of a chance to survive. Let us give Jesus His due and obey Him as our King and resubmit society under Him and His laws. It is so good to be a traditional Catholic and believe in the Kingdom of Christ the King. And Mary is our Queen too.
Cappuccino Day[3]
Italy is famous for the
variety of coffees it produces. Cappuccinos are loved among coffee lovers and
despite its vague history, many people still appreciate the comfort it brings.
Thus, comes a happy day called Cappuccino Day, where people from all over can
order a frothy and whipped cup of coffee and eat with whatever meal they’re
having. Let’s take a look at how Cappuccino Day came to be.
The name “Cappuccino” came
from the Capuchin Friars, a minor order of friars within the Catholic Church,
who in the 16th century was well known for their missionary work helping the
poor and were dedicated to extreme austerity, poverty, and simplicity. Wearing
a brown robe with a pointed hood, it is believed that the name stemmed from a
specific person in the order, Marco d’Aviano. According to the Telegraph, when
an Ottoman Turk army tried marching into Vienna in 1683, d’Aviano united the
outnumbered Christian troops and made them victorious in defending Vienna. The legend
says that after the Turks fled, they left behind Ottoman coffee, and because the
Christians found it to be bitter, they sweetened it with milk and honey and
named it after the Order of Capuchins. Another source says that the idea of the
cappuccino drink appears to have originated in the 1700’s, in the “Kapuziner”
coffee houses in Austria, which contained coffee with cream and sugar and
eventually added spices. However, the cappuccino we know today was invented in
Italy during the 1900’s after the invention of the espresso machine gained
popularity. The first record of the cappuccino appeared in the 1930’s. After
World War II, the espresso machine improved, and so changed the process of
making cappuccinos, which now have steamed and frothed cream and thus spread
its popularity around the world.
How
to Celebrate Cappuccino Day
Buy a cappuccino at your
favorite cafe. If you’d rather have a cup at home, get an espresso machine and
make a cup yourself. Or if you love the process of making cappuccinos, look up
famous baristas and be wowed by their ability to make beautiful creations with
coffee. Cappuccinos are one of the hardest drinks to make, but their elegance
and frothy taste will be sure to have you wanting a cup for yourself. If you’re
a lover of taking photos of your food, take a picture of your cappuccino and
hashtag #CappuccinoDay to show to your friends.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
111. The saints were not abnormal beings: cases to be studied by a
'modernistic' doctor. They were — they are — normal: of flesh, like yours. And
they won.
Daily Devotions
[1]Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory
Explained (with Supplemental Reading: What Will Hell Be Like?)
[4]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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