Purgatory[1]
Father Gerard,
that the custom of having thirty masses said for the dead is also widely spread
in Italy and other Christian countries. These Masses are called the Thirty Masses of St. Gregory, because the pious custom seems to
trace its origin back to this great Pope. It is thus related in his Dialogues
(Book 4, chap. 40): A Religious, named Justus, had received and kept for
himself three gold pieces. This was a grievous fault against his vow of
poverty. He was discovered and excommunicated. This salutary penalty made him
enter into himself, and some time afterwards he died in true sentiments of
repentance. Nevertheless, St. Gregory, in order to inspire the brethren with a
lively horror of the sin of avarice in a Religious, did not withdraw the
sentence of excommunication: Justus was buried apart from the other monks, and
the three pieces of money were thrown into the grave, whilst the Religious
repeated all together the words of St. Peter to Simon the Magician, Pecunia tua
tecum sit in perditionem—“Keep thy money to perish with thee.” Sometime
afterwards, the holy Abbot, judging that the scandal was sufficiently repaired,
and moved with compassion for the soul of Justus, called the Procurator and
said to him sorrowfully, “Ever since the moment of his death, our brother has
been tortured in the flames of Purgatory; we must through charity make an effort to deliver him. Go, then, and
take care that from this time forward the Holy Sacrifice is offered for thirty
days; let not one morning pass without the Victim of Salvation being offered up
for his release.” The Procurator obeyed punctually. The thirty Masses were
celebrated in the course of thirty days. When the thirtieth day arrived and the
thirtieth Mass was ended, the deceased appeared to a brother named Copiosus,
saying, “Bless God, my dear brother, today I am delivered and admitted into the
society of the saints.” Since that time the pious custom of celebrating thirty
Masses for the dead has been established.
A Guide to Plenary Indulgences for the All Souls'
"Octave", November 1-8
Visiting a Cemetery: An indulgence, applicable only
to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a
cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed. The indulgence is plenary
each day from November 1-8; on other days of the year it is a partial
indulgence.
Visiting a Church on November 2:
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is
granted to the faithful who, on All Souls' Day (or, according to the judgment
of the ordinary, on the Sunday preceding or following it, or on the solemnity
of All Saints), devoutly visit a church or an oratory and recite an Our Father
and the Creed.
Praying for the Faithful Departed:
A partial indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is
granted to the faithful who,
- devoutly
visit a cemetery and at least mentally pray for the dead;
- devoutly
recite lauds or vespers from the Office of the Dead or the prayer Eternal
rest. (Manual of Indulgences, fourth edition, 1999)
Indulgence Requirements:
- To
gain a plenary indulgence, in addition to excluding all attachment to sin,
even venial sin, it is necessary to perform the indulgent work and fulfill
the following three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic
Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.
- A
single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary
indulgences, but Holy Communion must be received and prayer for the
intention of the Holy Father must be recited for the gaining of each
plenary indulgence.
- The
three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the
performance of the prescribed work; it is, however, fitting that Communion
be received and the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father be said on
the same day the work is performed.
- The
condition of praying for the intention of the Holy Father is fully
satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. A plenary
indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of the day, a partial
indulgence can be acquired multiple times.
- If
a visit to a Church or an oratory is required to obtain an indulgence
attached to a particular day, this may be accomplished from noon of the
preceding day until midnight of the particular day.
Manual of Indulgences, fourth edition, 1999 (Enchridion
Indulgentarium)
[1]Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory Explained (with Supplemental Reading: What Will Hell Be Like?)
Vinny’s Corner-Sadie Hawkins Day
· 1889 North and South Dakota Statehood
· How to celebrate Nov 2nd
o Ever thought about tossing together deviled eggs in shapes of circles?
o How about spending the day with buffalo at a local farm or wildlife sanctuary?
o Traffic professionals appreciate some recognition, so make some thank-you cards and hand them out with a grin.
o Relax by watching broadcasts or reading up on Ohio’s history.
o At some point, take a moment to remember lost loved ones.
o Embrace the peaceful energy of the numbats by spending time outdoors.
o Lastly, why not end the day with a traditional Finnish Kekri meal, trying out some new recipes to expand your culinary horizons?
November 2-10 San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival
Notoriously
passionate wine and food lovers descend on Southern California each November
for the region’s largest festival of its kind. How notorious are we talking?
Well, let’s just say any festival that lures some of the best national chefs,
local culinary stars, and celebrated winemakers and brewmasters means serious
gastronomic pleasure is in order
Introduction to Amos
Amos was a sheep
breeder of Tekoa in Judah, who delivered his oracles in the Northern Kingdom
during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (786–746 B.C.). He prophesied in
Israel at the great cult center of Bethel, from which he was finally expelled
by the priest in charge of this royal sanctuary. The poetry of Amos, who
denounces the hollow prosperity of the Northern Kingdom, is filled with imagery
and language taken from his own pastoral background. The book is an anthology
of his oracles and was compiled either by the prophet or by some of his
disciples. The prophecy begins with a sweeping indictment of Damascus,
Philistia, Tyre, and Edom; but the forthright herdsman saves his climactic
denunciation for Israel, whose injustice and idolatry are sins against the
light granted to her. Israel could indeed expect the day of the Lord, but it
would be a day of darkness and not light. When Amos prophesied the overthrow of
the sanctuary, the fall of the royal house, and the captivity of the people, it
was more than Israelite officialdom could bear. The priest of Bethel drove Amos
from the shrine—but not before hearing a terrible sentence pronounced upon
himself. Amos is a prophet of divine judgment, and the sovereignty of the Lord
in nature and history dominates his thought. But he was no innovator; his
conservatism was in keeping with the whole prophetic tradition calling the
people back to the high moral and religious demands of the Lord’s revelation. Amos’s
message stands as one of the most powerful voices ever to challenge hypocrisy
and injustice. He boldly indicts kings, priests, and leaders. He stresses the
importance and the divine origin of the prophetic word; one must either heed
that word in its entirety or suffer its disappearance. Religion without justice
is an affront to the God of Israel and, far from appeasing God, can only
provoke divine wrath. The Lord is not some petty national god but the sovereign
creator of the cosmos. Amos alludes to historical forces at work through which
God would exercise judgment on Israel. Several times he mentions deportation as
the fate that awaits the people and their corrupt leaders, a standard tactic of
Assyrian foreign policy during this period. Through the prophetic word and
various natural disasters the Lord has tried to bring Israel to repentance, but
to no avail. Israel’s rebelliousness has exhausted the divine patience and the
destruction of Israel as a nation and as God’s people is inevitable. As it is
presented in this book, Amos’s message is one of almost unrelieved gloom. A
later appendix, however, ends the book on a hopeful note, looking beyond the
judgment that had already taken place in fulfillment of Amos’s word.
NOVEMBER
2 Thursday-All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls)
FIRST SATURDAY
Amos,
Chapter 3, Verse 8
8 The lion has roared, who would not fear?
The Lord GOD has spoken, who would not prophesy?
Have you ever visited a zoo and heard the
lion roar?
Your heart quickens and your body is ready
for action. Has your hearts become complacent. If so, let us hear the roar of
the lion of Judah, our Lord Jesus Christ, and be ever ready to do the work of
the Holy Spirit.
The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In
green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores
my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you
are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. You set a table before me in
front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Indeed,
goodness and mercy*
will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for endless days.
All
the Faithful Departed-ALL SOULS DAY[1] is the annual commemoration of all
those souls who departed this life in the grace and favor of God but who are
still detained in purgatory. Purgatory is that third place in the other world
in which the souls of the departed suffer the temporal punishment of those sins
for which in life they have not sufficiently atoned, and in which they are
purified until they are worthy to appear in the presence of God.
Is there
a purgatory?
Yes, it is a doctrine of our faith.
1. Even under the Old Law the Jews held to this belief, and accordingly
Judas Maccabeus sent twelve thousand silver drachmas to Jerusalem to procure
the offering of sacrifices for the dead.
2. Under the New Law Jesus Christ seems to point to such a place (Matt.
v. 26, xii. 32). The apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians: The fire shall try
every man’s work; of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide, which he hath
built thereupon [upon Christ], he shall receive a reward; if any man’s work
burn, he shall suffer loss [by the fire of purgatory], but he himself shall be
saved, yet so as by fire (i. Cor. iii. 13-15). A fire from which a man may be
saved cannot be the fire of hell; for from hell there is no redemption. The
words of St. Paul, therefore, can only be understood of purgatory.
What souls are they that go to purgatory?
The souls of all those who, though dying in the grace of God, have yet
something to atone for. Those persons dying in the grace of God are still
friends of God, and certainly God does not cast those who are His friends into
hell. It is, therefore, as suitable to the idea of God’s mercy as it is
consonant to reason that such souls should be first purified in purgatory.
How can
we assist the souls suffering in purgatory?
1.
By our prayers. The Holy Scripture says, it is a holy and a wholesome thought
to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. The Catholic Church
has therefore always taught that the prayer of the faithful for the departed is
holy and wholesome.
2.
By the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the fruits of which are most beneficial to
the souls in purgatory. For this reason, holy Church has always, from the time
of the apostles, remembered the dead in the holy Mass.
3.
By gaining indulgences, and other good works, by which we supplicate God to
show mercy to the souls of the suffering, to accept what is performed by us in
satisfaction for the punishment to be endured by them, and to bring them into
the kingdom of everlasting peace and light.
When and how was this yearly commemoration of the departed introduced?
The time of the introduction of this commemoration cannot be determined;
for as early as the time of Tertullian he mentions that the Christians of his
day held a yearly commemoration of the dead. Towards the end of the tenth
century St. Odo, abbot of the Benedictines, at Cluny, directed this feast to be
celebrated yearly, on the 2d of November, in all the con vents of his Order,
which usage was afterwards enjoined upon the whole Christian world by Pope John
XVI. The feast of this day was probably established in order that, after having
one day before rejoiced over the glory of the saints in heaven, we should this
day remember in love those who are sighing in purgatory for deliverance.
Prayer.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls
of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that, by our pious
supplications, they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired.
EPISTLE,
i. Cor. xv. 51-57.
Brethren: Behold I tell you a mystery: we shall all indeed rise again,
but we shall not all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again
incorruptible: and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption: and this mortal must put on immortality. And when this mortal
hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where
is thy sting? Now the sting of death is sin: and the strength of sin is the
law. But thanks be to God, Who hath given us the victory through Our Lord Jesus
Christ.
GOSPEL. John v. 25-29.
At that time Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews:
Amen, amen, I say unto you, that the hour cometh, and now is, when the dead
shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as
the Father hath life in Himself: so, He hath given to the Son also to have life
in Himself: and He hath given Him power to do judgment, because He is the Son
of man. Wonder not at this, for the hour cometh wherein all that are in the
graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that have done good
things shall come forth unto the resurrection of life: but they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.
·
An
excellent book on purgatory, by Rev. F.X. Schouppe, S.J., entitled, Purgatory is worth checking out; after
the death of my own father reading, it brought me much consolation.
Visiting the Dead[2]
Families
travel, often at great distance and in their best apparel, to visit the graves
of friends and relatives, lighting candles, bringing flowers, and kneeling
there in prayer. Processions can be conducted where the priest leads the
congregation in litanies for the dead and blesses the graves with holy water.
Often times these graves are decorated and groomed the week before, so that
when the day of commemoration comes, everything is suitably prepared.
The
"Octave" of the Dead
The
Church has never instituted an octave for All Souls' Day (though prior to 1955
it had one for All Saints' Day). Nevertheless, popular piety has extended all
of the afore-mentioned customs over an eight-day period. The Church has
encouraged this in at least one way: it grants a plenary indulgence, under the
usual conditions, to anyone who visits cemeteries from November 1 to 8.
The
Day of the Dead is also a traditional time for penance and charity. Giving
food to the poor, for example, is a popular corporal work of mercy
on All Souls' Day.
Things to
Do[3]
·
Do pious practices to help the Poor Souls:
attend three Masses for the Poor Souls on this day; remember your family and
friends who are deceased and make an extra sacrifice for them; pray the rosary
for the most forgotten soul in purgatory.
·
The faithful who visit a cemetery to pray for
the faithful departed, saying the Lord's Prayer and the Creed (even if only
mentally), may gain a plenary indulgence once only under the usual conditions:
sacramental confession (eight days before or after the act), Eucharistic
Communion on that day, and prayer for the Pope's intentions (usually one Our
Father and Hail Mary as minimum). Each day between November 1 and November 8,
this gains a plenary indulgence that can only be applied to the poor souls in purgatory.
Any other time of year this gains a partial indulgence. See Praying
for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November for more information
about indulgences for the Poor Souls.
·
There is also solemn commemoration to be used on
All Souls. See Visiting
a Cemetery on All Souls Day, Memorial Day, or on the Anniversary of Death or
Burial.
·
Make a nice poster listing all the family and
friends departed. Put this on display where the members of the family can be
reminded to pray for the loved ones throughout November. Remind family members
to offer extra prayers and sacrifices for the poor souls in purgatory. Of
course, this shouldn't be the only motivation, but do include the fact that
after these souls reach heaven, they will intercede on your behalf.
·
Read the Directory
on Popular Piety and the Liturgy and the section entitled "The
Memorial of the Dead in Popular Piety." Of particular note:
The Christian, who must be conscious of and familiar
with the idea of death, cannot interiorly accept the phenomenon of the
"intolerance of the dead," which deprives the dead of all acceptance
in the city of the living. Neither can he refuse to acknowledge the signs of
death, especially when intolerance and rejection encourage a flight from
reality, or a materialist cosmology, devoid of hope and alien to belief in the
death and resurrection of Christ.
Some
suggested devotions from the Directory (in accordance with time, place
and tradition, popular devotions to the dead take on a multitude of forms):
·
The novena for the dead in preparation for 2
November, and the octave prolonging it, should be celebrated in accordance with
liturgical norms.
·
visits to the cemetery; in some places this is
done in a community manner on 2 November, at the end of the parochial mission,
when the parish priest takes possession of the parish; visiting the cemetery
can also be done privately, when the faithful go to the graves of their own
families to maintain them or decorate them with flowers and lamps. Such visits
should be seen as deriving from the bonds existing between the living and the
dead and not from any form of obligation, non-fulfilment of which involves a
superstitious fear.
·
membership in a confraternity or other pious
association whose objects include "burial of the dead" in the light
of the Christian vision of death, praying for the dead, and providing support
for the relatives of the dead.
·
suffrage for the dead through alms deeds, works
of mercy, fasting, applying indulgences, and especially prayers, such as the De profundis, and the formula Requiem aeternam [Eternal Rest],
which often accompanies the recitation of the Angelus, the rosary, and at
prayers before and after meals.
·
Have family discussions about death, preparing
for death, funerals, and the Sacrament of the Sick. Visit the cemetery with
children. Visits to the cemetery should be uplifting, calm and peaceful, not a
scary event.
·
From the Catholic Culture library:
o Mystery
of God's Justice and Mercy
For many more documents
search the library for "purgatory."
·
In many places this day centers around the
family departed and the cemetery. Families go to gravesites, clean them,
decorate them, add candles. This can be an all-day affair, with picnics and
celebration. Of particular note is the Dia de los Muertos or the Day of
the Dead, celebration in Mexico on November 2. One could say this is the
"Mexican Halloween." For more information on this Catholic holiday,
see Mexico
Connect for a variety of links for information. Please note that as with
many holidays, there is much commercialism and secularism.
Deeply rooted cultural elements connoting particular
anthropological concepts are to be found among the customs and usages connected
with the "cult of the dead" among some peoples. These often spring
from a desire to prolong family and social links with the departed. Great
caution must be used in examining and evaluating these customs. Care should be
taken to ensure that they are not contrary to the Gospel. Likewise, care should
be taken to ensure that they cannot be interpreted as pagan residues.
More
All Souls’ Day Top Events and Things to Do[4]
·
Visit the cemetery where your loved ones are
buried and light a candle. This is exactly what the holiday is meant to
celebrate, and it is also very common for people to do on All Souls’ Day.
·
Watch a movie about All Souls’ Day or
Christianity. Some of our favorites are: All Soul’s Day (2005), Passion
of the Christ (2004), and Raising the Undead (2006).
·
Spread awareness on social media by using the
hashtag #AllSoulsDay, #HonourTheDead and #HeavenAwaits.
·
Create an alter in memory of a loved one. This
can be done within your home and typically uses pictures of the person, candles,
flowers and any other sentimental pieces.
·
Prepare a meal in memory of a deceased family
member. In many countries, it is customary to prepare this meal and it is
believed that the dead return to consume the food.
All Souls' Day (November 2nd) Bread
& Pastry[5]
Baking special breads in honor of the
souls in Purgatory is an ancient custom. All Souls' Bread or Pastry varies
in name, content, and shape depending on country and ethnicity. The All-Souls’
pastry in northern Spain, for example, is called "bones of the holy"
(Huesos de Santo), while the one in Catalonia is referred to as
"little breads" (Panellets). In central Europe the All-Souls’
cakes that are shaped like hares are distributed to little boys while the ones
that are shaped like hens are given to little girls. A similar custom in
western Europe involves the preparing of Soul Food, cooked beans or peas
or lentils, which are then served with some sort of meat dish. Though many of
these culinary practices have a pagan origin (cults of the dead, fertility
rites, etc.), they have been converted to good Christian use. Instead of bribing
malevolent spirits or "feeding" departed love ones, these comestibles
quietly remind us of those who no longer grace our dinner tables but with whom
we one day hope to be united again at the eternal banquet. Further, there is a
laudable custom in which the food that would have gone to feeding one's dearly
departed is instead distributed to the poor. Hungarian Catholics once even
invited orphan children into their homes on All Saints' and All Souls' Day and
gave them new clothes and toys along with generous meals.
First Saturday[6]
How are we to practice the First
Saturday Devotion if there are no Masses on the first Saturday?
·
This presents no obstacle to the praying of the
rosary and spending fifteen minutes keeping Our Lady company.
·
Since Jesus told Lucia that the confession could
be within eight days or even longer still, our confessions can be made whenever
possible as long as we make the intention.
·
The actual reception of Holy Communion will, of
course, be impossible. Since heaven never demands what is impossible for us, a
Spiritual Communion will be accepted until such time as Masses resume.
There are four elements of Spiritual
Communion:
1.
Make an act of faith. The key here is to express to the
Lord our faith in His merciful love and His Real Presence in the Eucharist.
2.
Make an act of love. O Lord God, I love you above all
things.
3.
Express our desire to receive Him.
4.
Invite Jesus to come into our hearts spiritually.
The
Dogma of Purgatory is too much forgotten by the majority of the faithful; the
Church Suffering, where they have so many brethren to succor, whither they
foresee that they themselves must one
day go, seems a strange land to them. This truly deplorable forgetfulness was a
great sorrow to St. Francis de Sales. “Alas!” said this pious doctor of the
Church, “we do not sufficiently remember our dear departed; their memory seems
to perish with the sound of the funeral bells.” The principal causes of this
are ignorance and lack of faith; our notions on the subject of Purgatory are
too vague, our faith is too feeble. In order, then, that our ideas may become
more distinct, and our faith enlivened, we must
take a closer view of this life beyond the tomb, this intermediate state of the
just souls, not yet worthy to enter the Heavenly Jerusalem.
Every
Saturday is a day dedicated to the Mother of God
1. Quia
fecit mihi magna[8].
"For he who is mighty has done great things for me" (Lk. 1:49).
We conclude the work of the ninth
ordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to consecrated
life and its mission in the church and in the world, with this celebration. We
close them on a Saturday - a day traditionally dedicated to the mother of God.
Therefore, we address ourselves to Mary in a particular way in today's
eucharistic sacrifice, borrowing the words of thanks from the Magnificat, which
the church repeats every day in the Liturgy of the Hours: "He has done
great things for me." Fecit mihi magna.
Vatican Council II was a "great
thing" for the church, which could correctly be defined as the most
significant ecclesial event of our century. On the background of this first and
fundamental "great thing," given to us by the Lord, other "great
things" can be recognized, achieved by him during the recent past. The
institution of the Synod of Bishops may surely be placed among these, which by
now has its own history, developed during the postconciliar period. This last
synodal assembly can now be recorded in its history, which was greatly expected
and - we all hope - not less fruitful than the preceding ones.
To the apostolic exhortations Familiaris
Consortio, Christifideles Laici, Pastores Dabo Vobis thus now
we will have the joy of following with a new postsynodal document, of which we
still do not know the incipit but which certainly will reflect what has
emerged during the course of the assembly, which ends today. There have been
weeks of intense work during which consecrated life and its mission have been
at the center of reflection and prayer by the church.
2. My soul thirsts
for God, for the living God" (Ps. 42:3). The readings proclaimed now
contain many lights able to make clear the singular state of ecclesial life
which is consecrated life. The responsorial psalm remembers the liturgy of
baptism with the blessing of the holy water during the great paschal vigil of
Holy Saturday.
Baptism is the first and fundamental
consecration of the human person. Beginning new existence in Christ, the
baptized-man or woman -participates in this consecration, in this total
donation to the Father which is proper to his eternal Son. It is he himself-the
Son-who incites in man's soul the desire to give oneself without reservation to
God: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold
the face of God?" (Ps. 42:3).
Religious consecration, with its
distinct eschatological dimension, is inserted on baptismal consecration. No
one has ever seen God (cf. Jn. 1:18) during this life. This is however the
beatific vision, that is, the seeing of the visage of God "face to
face" (1 Cor. 13:12), the definite vocation beyond time of each man.
Consecrated persons have the duty of reminding everyone of this. Faith prepares
us for this beatific vision, in which God gives himself to man with the measure
of love with which this last one answered to the eternal love, revealed in the
incarnation and in the cross of Christ.
3. "For to me,
to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21), writes Paul the apostle. Amori Christi
nihil praeponatur, St. Benedict proclaims in his rules. Amori Christi in
pauperibus nihil praeponatur, St. Vincent de Paul will say 1,000 years
later.
What marvelous strength these words
contain! Could one think about culture and European civilization without them?
And the great missionary epics of the first and the second millennium, could
they be imagined without them? And what to say about monasticism of the Eastern
Christian, whose beginnings go back to the first centuries of Christianity?
Thus, those who in following the poor, chaste and obedient Christ had abandoned
the world, at the same time transformed it. In them was achieved the
invocation: "Send forth thy Spirit and renew the face of the earth"
(cf. Ps. 103:30). The Holy Spirit knows the "times and the moments"
in which one must call upon persons suited for the duties required by the
historical circumstances.
At that time, he called upon Benedict
and his sister Scholastica. He called Bernard, Francis and Clare of Assisi,
Bonaventure, Dominic, Thomas Aquinas and St. Catherine of Siena. From the
public squares the Gospel reached the university chairs. At the time of the
Eastern schism and the Reformation he called upon Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of
Avila, John of the Cross and then Francis Xavier and Peter Claver. With them, a
deep spiritual reform was achieved, and the missionary epic in the East and in
the West began.
During the centuries closest to us the
Spirit, which renews the face of the earth, called upon others such as John
Baptist de La Salle, Paul of the Cross, Alphonse Maria Liguori and John Bosco,
to only mention but a few of the most noteworthy ones. At the end of the last
century and during the present, the same Spirit of the Father and of the Son
spoke through Teresa of the Infant Jesus, through Maximilian Kolbe and through
Sister Faustina.
What would the world be, ancient and
modern, without these figures-and those of many others? They learned from
Christ that "his yoke is easy and his burden is light" (cf. Mt.
11:30), and they taught this to others.
4. We conclude this
synodal assembly almost on the eve of the solemnity of All Saints. The Book of
the Apocalypse mentions this immense multitude, coming from every nation,
people and tongue, standing before the heavenly throne and before the Lamb of
God (cf. Rv. 7:9). The significant question follows: "Who are these
clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?"
From where do they come? we also ask
ourselves. Do they not come from the innumerable institutes of consecrated
life, male and female, present in the church? The canonizations and the
beatifications proclaimed through the centuries give witness of this. The
beatifications, which during this month have almost accompanied the synodal
way, give particular witness of this.
5. Today, the last
Saturday of October, we offer up to you, Mary, mother and virgin, humble
handmaiden of the Lord and queen of all the saints, the fruits of the work of
the synod. We entrust them to you, queen of the holy rosary, queen of this
beautiful prayer which has sustained us day by day during the entire month.
Make it possible that these fruits,
through a singular exchange of gifts, may be useful also to the cause of the
family, complying with the design of divine providence, which desired the
celebration of this symbol on consecrated life during the Year of the Family.
They praise you, Lord, the consecrated
persons. They praise you, the Christian families of the entire world. She
praises you, the church, for the gift of the synod.
This
item 5454 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
Are you
Afraid?
Is Christ
speaking to your heart? Are you afraid to believe? Are you unsure of your
ability to carry the burden of true religious convictions? Assuage your fears
and begin again asking Mary to help you. She is the first of the warrior saints
to enter heaven. She as our mother and wants us to entertain the same joys of
eternal life and find new ways of being sons and daughters.
Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother
Mary[9]
say hourly upon waking
till you go to sleep
1.
Through the consent of Our Lady, the New Eve, the
Son of God became Man and crushed the head of the ancient Serpent who had
deceived the first Eve. By the Blessed Mother’s assistance, we are able to take
part in her Son’s victory over the Devil and his legions. The Hail Mary: Hail,
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners, now and at the hour of our death. AMEN.
At Morning
O most holy Virgin, Mother of our
Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed
the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and the death of your divine Son, look upon me
with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for
those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that,
being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I
may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and
all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object. Honor,
glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother
of God. Amen. --Saint Bonaventure
2.
The Memorare to Our Lady: Remember, O most gracious
Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, and sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired
with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of Virgins, my mother; to you I
come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions; but in your clemency hear and answer me. AMEN.
3.
Queen of Heaven, Reign with your Son over the Enemy.
Queen of Angels Summon the heavenly hosts to war. New Eve of the New Creation
Crush the head of the Serpent. Our Lady of Victory Come to our aid in battle.
Help of Christians Be our comfort and strength. Virgin Most Powerful, Guard us
from all harm. Holy Mother of God, we fly to your protection. AMEN.
4.
O Mary, powerful Virgin, you are the mighty and
powerful protector of the Church; you are the marvelous help of Christians; you
are terrifying as an army in battle array; you alone have destroyed every
heresy in the whole world. In the midst of our anguish, our struggles, and our
distresses, defend us from the power of the Enemy, and at the hour of our
death, receive our souls in paradise. AMEN.
5.
We fly to your protection, O holy Mother of God.
Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all
dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. AMEN.
At Noon
Mary, most holy Virgin and Queen
of Martyrs, accept the sincere homage of my filial affection. Into thy heart,
pierced by so many swords, do thou welcome my poor soul. Receive it as the
companion of thy sorrows at the foot of the Cross, on which Jesus died for the
redemption of the world. With thee, O sorrowful Virgin, I will gladly suffer
all the trials, contradictions, and infirmities which it shall please our Lord
to send me. I offer them all to thee in memory of thy sorrows, so that every
thought of my mind, and every beat of my heart may be an act of compassion and
of love for thee. And do thou, sweet Mother, have pity on me, reconcile me to
thy divine Son Jesus, keep me in His grace, and assist me in my last agony, so
that I may be able to meet thee in heaven and sing thy glories. Amen.
6.
Most holy Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and
became His mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look
kindly on the wretched ones who implore your powerful patronage. The wicked
Serpent, against whom was hurled the first curse, continues fiercely to attack
and ensnare the unhappy children of Eve. So then, O Blessed Mother, our queen
and advocate, who from the first instant of your conception crushed the head of
the Enemy, receive the prayers which, united with you in our single heart, we
implore you to present at the throne of God; so that we may never fall into the
snares that are laid out for us, and may all arrive at the harbor of salvation.
And in so many dangers, may the Church and Christian society sing once again
the hymn of deliverance and of victory and of peace. AMEN.
7.
O Queen of Angels, Bane of Devils: The proud spirits of
wickedness were humiliated by your perfect humility; their rebellion was
scattered by your perfect obedience. Your fiat overthrew Eve’s baleful consent
to the ancient Serpent, crushing his head, exposing his deceits, and healing
the wounds inflicted by his venom, through the Son you conceived, Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Come to our aid, Our Lady of Victory! When the battle rages, when our
strength fails, when the Enemy wounds us, when defeat seems certain: With your
mantle, cover and protect us; with your bright banner above us, dispel the
darkness; so that we may rally again in combat through the invincible power of
your Son. Then, when our warfare is complete, and our victory won, lead us from
the battlefield to His glorious Throne, so that we may join you there in a glad
song of everlasting triumph! AMEN.
8.
O holy Virgin, Mother of God, my mother and patroness,
I place myself under your protection; I throw myself with confidence into the
arms of your compassion. Be to me, O Mother of Mercy, my refuge in distress; my
consolation in suffering; and my advocate with your Son, who is worthy to be
adored, now and at the hour of my death. AMEN.
At 3PM
Most holy Virgin. and Mother,
whose soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the Passion of thy divine Son,
and who in His glorious Resurrection wast filled with never-ending joy at His
triumph; obtain for us who call upon thee, so to be partakers in the
adversities of Holy Church and the sorrows of the Sovereign Pontiff, as to be
found worthy to rejoice with them in the consolations for which we pray, in the
charity and peace of the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
9.
O Mother of God, we take refuge in your loving care. Do
not let our plea to you pass unheeded in the trials that beset us, but deliver
us from danger, for you alone are truly pure, you alone are truly blessed.
AMEN.
10. My
Queen and my Mother, I give myself entirely to you; and in proof of my
affection, I give you my eyes, my ears, my tongue, my heart, my whole being
without reserve. Since I am your own, keep me and guard me as your property and
possession. AMEN.
11. August
Queen of Heaven! Sovereign Mistress of the angels! You who from the beginning
have received from God the power and mission to crush the head of Satan: We
humbly beg You to send your holy legions of angels so that, under your command
and by your power, they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter them on every
side, resist their bold attacks, and drive them away from here into the abyss
of eternal woe. O good and tender Mother, you will always be our love and hope!
O Mother of God, send your holy angels to defend us and to drive far away from
us the cruel Enemy. Holy angels and archangels, defend us, guard us!
AMEN.
12. Mary,
Mother of Grace, Mother of Mercy, protect me from the Enemy and receive me at
the hour of death. AMEN.
At Twilight
O most holy and afflicted Virgin!
Queen of Martyrs! thou who didst stand motionless beneath the Cross, witnessing
the agony of thy expiring Son--through the unceasing sufferings of thy life of
sorrow, and the bliss which now more than amply repays thee for thy past
trials, look down with a mother's tenderness and pity on me, who kneel before
thee to venerate thy dolors, and place my requests, with filial confidence, in
the sanctuary of thy wounded heart; present them, I beseech thee, on my behalf,
to Jesus Christ, through the merits of His own most sacred death and passion,
together with thy sufferings at the foot of the cross, and through the united
efficacy of both obtain the grant of my present petition. To whom shall I
resort in my wants and miseries if not to thee, O Mother of Mercy, who, having
so deeply drunk of the chalice of thy Son, canst compassionate the woes of
those who still sigh in the land of exile? Offer for me to my Savior one drop
of the Blood which flowed from His sacred veins, one of the tears which
trickled from His divine eyes, one of the sighs which rent His adorable Heart.
O refuge of the universe and hope of the whole world, do not reject my humble
prayer, but graciously obtain the grant of my petition.
13. We
fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our
necessities but deliver us always from all dangers. O glorious and blessed
Virgin. AMEN.
14. Allow
me to praise you, Virgin, most holy; give me strength against your enemies!
Tender heart of Mary be my safety!
At Slumber
Mary most sorrowful, Mother of
Christians, pray for us. Virgin most sorrowful, pray for us.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF
FAITH
SECTION
TWO-I. THE CREEDS
CHAPTER
THREE-I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Article 12-"I BELIEVE IN LIFE EVERLASTING"
Hope of the New Heaven and the
New Earth
Day 142
1042 At the end of time, the
Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the
righteous will reign for ever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. the
universe itself will be renewed:
The Church .
. . will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come the
time of the renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race,
the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its
destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ.
1043 Sacred Scripture calls
this mysterious renewal, which will transform humanity and the world, "new
heavens and a new earth." It will be the definitive realization of
God's plan to bring under a single head "all things in [Christ], things in
heaven and things on earth."
1044 In this new universe, the
heavenly Jerusalem, God will have his dwelling among men. "He will
wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall
there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have
passed away."
1045 For man, this consummation
will be the final realization of the unity of the human race, which God willed
from creation and of which the pilgrim Church has been "in the nature of
sacrament." Those who are united with Christ will form the community
of the redeemed, "the holy city" of God, "the Bride, the wife of
the Lamb." She will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains,
self-love, that destroy or wound the earthly community. The beatific
vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will
be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion.
1046 For the cosmos, Revelation
affirms the profound common destiny of the material world and man:
For the
creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God . . . in
hope because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay....
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until
now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of
the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of
our bodies.
1047 The visible universe,
then, is itself destined to be transformed, "so that the world itself,
restored to its original state, facing no further obstacles, should be at the
service of the just," sharing their glorification in the risen Jesus
Christ.
1048 "We know neither the
moment of the consummation of the earth and of man, nor the way in which the
universe will be transformed. the form of this world, distorted by sin, is
passing away, and we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells, in which happiness will fill and surpass
all the desires of peace arising in the hearts of men."
1049 "Far from diminishing
our concern to develop this earth, the expectancy of a new earth should spur us
on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in
some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to
distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the kingdom of
Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the kingdom of God, insofar as it
can contribute to the better ordering of human society."
1050 "When we have spread
on earth the fruits of our nature and our enterprise . . . according to the
command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once again, cleansed
this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ
presents to his Father an eternal and universal kingdom." God will
then be "all in all" in eternal life:
True and
subsistent life consists in this: the Father, through the Son and in the Holy
Spirit, pouring out his heavenly gifts on all things without exception. Thanks
to his mercy, we too, men that we are, have received the inalienable promise of
eternal life.
Daily Devotions
·
Today's Fast: Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The Pope
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[4]https://www.wincalendar.com/All-Souls-Day
[5] https://www.holytrinitygerman.org/postpentecostfoods.htm
[6]https://www.bluearmy.com/the-practice-of-the-first-saturday-devotion-during-the-corona-pandemic/
[7] Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory Explained (with Supplemental Reading: What Will Hell Be Like?)
[9]Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual
Warfare . TAN Books. Kindle Edition.
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