Resources for Faith and Practice

St. Gregory Nazianzen and the church crisis

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St. Gregory Nazianzen explains the current disaster in the Church’s human element

More than 1600 years ago, St. Gregory Nazianzen, Doctor of the Church, warned us that the human element of the Church suffers shipwreck when She has evil bishops.  Here are his words:

The light and eye of the Church is the Bishop.  It is necessary then that as the body is rightly directed as long as the eye keeps itself pure, but goes wrong when it becomes corrupt, so also with respect to the Bishop, according to what his state may be, must the Church in like manner suffer shipwreck, or be saved.[1]

As the Catholic Church’s bishops go, so go their flocks.  With the spectacular betrayal by the Church’s bishops beginning with Vatican II, it is no wonder that their flocks suffered the shipwreck of heresy and vice, following their bishops! 

With the more recent, spectacular betrayal of the bishops consecrated through Archbishop Lefebvre – who are supposedly faithful to Catholic Tradition – it is no wonder that their flocks are suffering the shipwreck of liberalism, compromise, and laxity, following their bishops (e.g., accepting 95% of Vatican II and countless other evils[2])!


[1]           Words of St. Gregory Nazianzen quoted in the Catena Aurea on St. Luke’s Gospel, St. Thomas Aquinas, editor, explaining Our Lord’s words:

 

The light of thy body is thy eye.  If thy eye be single, thy whole body will be lightsome; but if it be evil, thy body also will be darksome.

 

St. Luke’s Gospel, Ch. 11, v. 34.

 

[2]           Here is a list of many other N-SSPX evils, cited to the N-SSPX’s own sources: https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/priests/sspx-simoulin-challenge-answered.html 

 

Bishop Williamson’s group is not better but is liberal in a somewhat different way.  See, e.g., https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/priests/williamson-the-evil-of-comfortably-tolerating-heresy.html

CC in brief – July 2020

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Catholic Candle note: Catholic Candle often examines particular issues thoroughly, at length, using the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and the other Doctors of the Church.  At the urging of one of our readers, we are going to try a new feature: CC in brief, giving an extremely short answer to a reader’s question.  We invite readers to submit their own questions.

 

Q. What is meant by calling Mary the “Ark of the Covenant” in her litany?

A. Our Faith is deep and rich and this topic deserves a much longer answer.  However, briefly, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the very fitting vessel who contained God on earth.  She was foreshadowed by the Ark of the Covenant, carried by the Israelites in the Old Testament, as the abode of God in a special way.

Gratitude as a Birth of Humility

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Objective Truth Series – Reflections article # 12

In our last Reflection we considered how God works marvelously on our souls in order to instruct us on how to avoid pride. Likewise, we saw how God, by teaching us more about ourselves, is in reality, revealing to us more of what He Himself is doing in our souls. God does so very much for us. 

In St. Basil’s sermon The First Commandment he expounds beautifully about God’s blessings upon us:

1.    “God had made man to His own image and likeness, and honored him with a knowledge of Himself, and endowed him above all living creatures of the earth with the gift of reason, and prepared for his delight the inconceivable joys of paradise”;

2.    “[He] made him the first of earthly creatures”;

3.    “Even after he [man] had been deceived by the devil and had fallen into sin and through sin into death and into things that deserved death, that even then He [viz., God] did not abandon him, but first gave him a law to help him, placed him under the protection of His angels, sent prophets to rebuke his wickedness and teach him justice”;

4.    “The goodness of the Lord has not abandoned us. Nor have we deprived ourselves of His love for us through our own folly: treating lightly the One Who has done us so much honor. We have even been recalled from death and restored again to life through Jesus Christ Our Lord Himself.  And even the way in which this great goodness was shown to us is wondrous beyond measure.”

St. Basil continues, “He has taken our infirmities upon Him; He has borne sufferings, He was wounded for us, and by His wounds we were healed [Is ch. 53, 4]. He has redeemed us from the curse (of the law), being made a curse for us (Gal. ch. 3, 13); endured for us a most shameful death, that He might bring us back to a glorious life.  It was not enough to recall the dead to life, He gave us also the dignity of His own divinity; preparing for all mankind an everlasting rest that surpasses in the greatness of its joy every thought of man.  What shall I render to the Lord for all the things He has rendered to me (Ps. 115, 12)  He is so good that He does not even look for the things He has given us, but that we love Him in return.”

St. Basil explains how we owe God gratitude in return for these blessings.

“Chief among those whom nature teaches us to love are those who do good to us. And this is a love not peculiar to man only; but is common to almost all creatures, leading them to love whoever had done good to them.  If then we have a natural love for those who are good to us, and will suffer anything for them to repay their goodness to us, what words can rightly praise the gifts that God has given us? They are so many as to be beyond number; so great, so wondrous that for one alone (creation) we should give all thanks to the Giver.”

In addition to what God has done for mankind, when we reflect, we can count so many blessings that He has showered upon us individually. God has protected us. He has enlightened us with the Holy Catholic Faith. He has shown us likewise how we can stand up for the truth. If we reflect and ponder His Mercies deeply, we find a flood of gratitude streaming from our hearts and perhaps tears running down our cheeks. How Good God is!

We cannot help but feel our littleness and unworthiness.  Surely, as St. Basil shows, we should keep the wonderful things God has done for us in our mind in order to foster a continual and ever-increasing gratitude in our souls.  Thus, humility can be born in our souls and spring forth a tender and beautiful intimate friendship with God.  Oh dear reader, if we could only give gratitude to God more and more, then a cascade of charity would surely flow from our hearts!  Further, Our Lord would be pleased to see His seeds of humility growing in our souls and that these seedlings are preparing us for Himself.  As often as we look back with 20/20 vision and count our blessings with awe and wonder, we would find that we truly would never want to forget God’s mercies and blessings that He has lavished upon us and we might desire to say the following:


Marvelous mercies, of my Lord,

These do pierce me, quite like a sword,

Bringing rivers, of grateful tears,

To see what Thou dost, through the years.

 

To ponder all, Thy creation,

Events, in every nation,

 Countless blessings, thou hast bestowed,

None of which, has ever been owed.

 

Consider only, one person’s life,

One can see it, with blessings rife,

Some are large, while others are small,

We’ve all been rescued, after all.

 

 Infinite Goodness, I now see,

So much that Thou hast, done for me,

And filled with, confusion am I,

The blessings I count, are piled high!

 

My unworthiness, I now feel so keen,

With counting blessings, I have seen,

O’erwhelming, ‘tis Thy Tender care,

My gratitude, I should not spare!

 

To count them oft, ‘tis a good thing,

To keep one e’er remembering,

To say prayers, to render one’s thanks

To let tears, overrun their banks

 

To give God thanks, could ne’r too much,

‘Cause God’s mercy, our hearts do touch,

One’s heart is swelling, with need to tell,

Our Dear Lord, that, we love Him well.

 

Thus humility, can be born,

From gratitude’s bountiful horn,

Then may God be thanked, in all ways,

So humble the heart, ever stays.

Vatican II Gave the Devil Everything He Wanted

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What a victory for the devil, sending so many people to hell!  The devil could not have planned a better Second Vatican Council to achieve his goals.  So it is reasonable to believe that he and Rome’s Masons were partners in the planning (in secret) of the Second Vatican Council.  For the past 50-plus years VC II has helped the devil ensnare souls and start their trip to hell.

It is time to understand just how much of a disaster it was for those foolish souls who cared so little for their salvation that they willingly went along with the evils of VC II.  And we must fight today against those who are willing to accept even a part of those evil results, (i.e., the liberal N-SSPX which openly accepts 95% of VC II.)

A review of just what the devil gained should concern and motivate a traditional Catholic living in the catacombs to fight against the results of VC II.  The following list will demonstrate just how much the devil achieved during and after the Council.

1.    Loss of the Tridentine Mass, the main source of grace.  Replaced by an anti-Catholic service (i.e., Novus Ordo) that does not give grace.  Without grace you cannot avoid sin and will lose the Faith.  And if you lose the Faith, you lose everything, since there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church.  And which group accepts 95% of VC II?

2.    Religious liberty is now taught and accepted – thanks to Vatican II.  That is, you can be saved no matter what faith you prefer.  Perhaps one that will overlook your sinful life.  Thus, there is no need for the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council.  And which group accepts 95% of VC II?

3.   Universal Salvation is another evil of Vatican II, (i.e., everyone goes to heaven).  Thus, there is no need for penance, religious fervor, sacrifice, prayer for yourself or others, etc.  Your somewhat-sinful lifestyle will be overlooked by a merciful God at your personal judgment.  You no longer need to consider God as all-just (i.e., people must do penance for their sins).  Universal Salvation is so anti-Catholic that only someone who has lost the Faith would believe it.  For one thing, most want to believe that they and their loved ones will be happy in heaven for all eternity.  When you think about it, if everyone goes to heaven, there is no real need for the Catholic Church.  But to keep the Novus Ordo parishes viable, they are made into entertainment destinations (e.g., clowns, folk masses, kissing, handshaking, etc.)  And which group accepts 95% of VC II?

 

4.    The Council shattered traditional grace-giving sacraments with its destructive changes to these basic building blocks of the Catholic Faith.  Demonstrating complete arrogance, it more than “tampered” with them – it altered meanings and words – as if Christ needed help in correcting His “mistakes.”  And which group accepts 95% of VC II?

5.    “Catholic divorce” – an annulment based on very doubtful reasons – was another product of VC II.  Almost anything goes, as long as you can pay what it “costs.”  With low church attendance, they have to keep the money coming in.  And which group accepts 95% of VC II?

6.   Rome stated that the Second Vatican Council was necessary and needed to update the Catholic Faith to make it more relevant in our modern age.  “Open a window and let in some fresh air.”[1]  As it turned out, even Pope Paul stated that the “smoke of Satan has entered the sanctuary,” (in lieu of fresh air).  It is obvious that if you want to change, update, modernize the Catholic religion, you have already lost the Faith.  As the Blessed Virgin warned at La Salette, “Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the anti-Christ.”  And which group accepts 95% of VC II?

7.    The greatest victory for the devil was to replace the Catholic Church with the anti-Catholic conciliar church, joined and accepted by most Catholics in the 1960s and ‘70s with little regard or concern for their salvation.  Archbishop Lefebvre then made it clear that this new religion of Vatican II was a new church, and warned that there was no salvation outside the Catholic Church.  And which group accepts 95% of VC II?                                    

I’m sure the above is not a complete list of the devil’s total goals, (i.e., to reduce or eliminate the need for the Catholic Church).  What it does illustrate is that most people will continue to go to hell.  With no graces coming from the Novus Ordo, it is not possible to keep the Faith and avoid sin.  Thus, the leaders in Rome will not come back to tradition (before Russia is consecrated to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart), no matter what the liberal N-SSPX claims will happen after a deal is signed. 

What are we to do?  Stand up fearlessly for the uncompromising traditional Catholic faith, and follow Christ’s instructions to Lucy at Fatima in 1943:

The sacrifice required of every person is the fulfilling of his duties in life and the observance of My laws.  Be an example of religious fervor, helping others to keep the traditional Catholic faith, love God, strive to be an ordinary saint, eternally happy.[2]


[1]           Words of Pope John XXIII.

[2]           Quoted from a pamphlet entitled Remember Our Lady of Fatima Said, published by Franciscan Marytown Press, Kenosha, WI.

Should nations be run by “experts”?

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In our “corona-crazy” time[1], our political leaders receive much advice from medical “experts”.  Some leaders are attacked in the media for not following the advice of the “experts”.  For example, radical Democrat, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, attacked President Trump for not “listening to the medical experts”.[2]  Pelosi means Trump was not making decisions which followed the opinions of the “experts”.

Even if we assumed that the medical “experts” all agree (which they do not) concerning how to respond to the current corona-craziness, who should run the country?  Should Trump (or any political leader) simply do whatever the health “experts” tell him to do?

In other words, should specialized “experts” run the government and the nation?  No!  A nation (and other political bodies) should no more be run by specialized “experts” who are focused on a particular field than an individual man should make all of his decisions based on one of his passions which is focused on a particular desire.

 

Let’s look at how an individual man should weigh competing concerns when making his decisions

A man has many desires such as food and sleep.  He has many passions such as fear and anger.  These passions and desires are good and are part of the nature God gave him.  But a man should not be ruled by those desires and passions.  For example, he should not allow his fears to rule him. 

Instead, man should be ruled by reason, while taking reasonable account of “advice” he receives from his passions.  So, e.g., a man should “consult” his fears while his reason is weighing what decision to make.  But if a man’s fear rules him then he acts wrongly because he acts as if nothing is more important than to be safe.  He lives (and wastes his life) locked up in safety, whereas there are many things more important than safety.

If a man’s desire for food ruled him, then he acts as if nothing is more important than eating.  His decisions would lack balance (and temperance) and all of his decisions and actions would serve the goal of eating.

If a man’s desire for sleep ruled him, then he would act as if nothing is more important than sleeping and his need for sleep would not be balanced with other parts of life.  The man would get a full night’s sleep every night but would lose his job because he does not come to work on time.

If a man’s desire for health (or fear of disease) is allowed to rule him, then he would stay away from all possible health risks and he would waste his life in useless fear.  Here is how billionaire Howard Hughes allowed himself to be ruled by the desire for health (or the fear of disease):

Howard Hughes – the billionaire aviator, motion-picture producer and business tycoon – spent most of his life trying to avoid germs.  Toward the end of his life, he lay naked in bed in darkened hotel rooms in what he considered a germ-free zone.  He wore tissue boxes on his feet to protect them.  And he burned his clothing if someone near him became ill.  …

He wrote a staff manual on how to open a can of peaches – including directions for removing the label, scrubbing the can down until it was bare metal, washing it again and pouring the contents into a bowl without touching the can to the bowl.[3]

This is unreasonable!  The correct course is for a man’s intellect to rule him and to make decisions which take into account all of the various desires and passions as far as they are reasonable.  A person should take risks, act reasonably, weigh the different competing concerns, the advantages and disadvantages, all in light of his Final End and the Common Good.

 

Now let’s apply this principle to see how a leader must make decisions for a nation

A nation’s leader should act like a man consulting his passions as far as they are reasonable, but making his decisions with his intellect.  A nation’s leader should be a man of reason and prudence, analogous to the intellect in that individual man (in the example above).  This nation’s leader (just like the intellect of an individual man) must balance competing concerns, advantages and disadvantages of different courses of conduct, and make decisions for the Common Good.

This leader should take into reasonable account the advice of “specialists” and “experts” but he should not necessarily follow their advice.  This is analogous to an individual man taking into account the “advice” of his other faculties (such as the desire for food which reminds him that he should maintain his strength and his health by eating when reasonable and appropriate).

So, a nation’s leader should receive advice from military experts.  But these military advisors tend to elevate the importance of military concerns – which is the focus of their careers – often downplaying other important aspects of life.  The nation’s leader should no more slavishly follow the advice of such an expert than an individual man should slavishly follow one of his passions, e.g., fear – whose single-focus is avoiding danger. 

The advice of this military expert (like the individual man’s passion of fear) should be weighed by reason and then the nation’s leader should make an independent judgment what is best for the nation. 

Likewise, other specialized “experts” (e.g., doctors), tend to focus mainly on the concerns of their own specialized field (e.g., medicine).  So, a nation’s leader should no more follow – slavishly – the advice of an expert in infectious disease prevention, than a man should slavishly follow his passion whose single-focus is food.  Instead, the advice of the experts should be weighed by the leader before he makes an independent judgment what best promotes the Common Good of the nation.

 

Conclusion

If a nation’s leader is not “listening to the infectious disease experts”, this does not tell us that he is wrong.  It might be better not to follow them in the particular circumstances.

A nation’s leader should not be singularly focused on disease prevention or any other single aspect of national life.  He must weigh competing concerns and make a prudential judgment what is best for the country, based on the Common Good.


[1]           There is evidence that the danger of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is greatly exaggerated in order to justify heavy–handed government intrusion and destruction of rightful liberty.  However, even if this virus were terrifying and not exaggerated, this virus presents the issue of whether our leaders should simply follow “the experts” in making their decisions.

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Words to Live by – from Catholic Tradition

For Love of God you should undergo all things cheerfully, all labors and sorrows, temptations and trials, anxieties, weaknesses, necessities, injuries, slanders, rebukes, humiliations, confusions, corrections, and contempt.  For these are helps to virtue.

The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis, Book III, Chapter 35.

How to assist a person in dying a holy death

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Catholic Candle note: Recently, Catholic Candle examined the permission the Church traditionally gives to a person who is in danger of death, to confess to a priest to whom an uncompromising Catholic could not otherwise support (or confess to) because that priest is a compromiser, an apostate, or someone whom it is otherwise impermissible to support. Find the article here: https://catholiccandle.org/2020/01/01/using-a-compromised-priest-when-dying/

 

Catholic Candle also addressed how uncompromising laymen can bury their dead in these times of great apostasy when an uncompromising priest is not available. Find the article here: https://catholiccandle.org/2020/04/02/a-traditional-catholic-funeral-and-burial-when-there-is-no-uncompromising-priest-available/

 

Between this last confession (discussed in the first of those articles) and the burial (discussed in the second article), is the crucial moment of death. Below, we give recommendations how to assist at a person’s death, based on the experience of some of the Catholic Candle Team, who recently assisted at the deaths of two uncompromising Traditional Catholics.

We recommend that you save these articles for future reference and use.

How to assist a person in dying a holy death

What is death and when does it occur?

Death is the separation of body and soul. This separation occurs at an instant, not progressively, over time. However, we say a person is “dying” when his body becomes progressively less able to perform the physical functions of life. A person’s soul leaves his body sometime after his body ceases to function.

 

Cessation of breathing and of heartbeat are not death. Those two bodily functions cease before death. Likewise, so-called “brain death” occurs before death and is not real death. “Brain death” is merely the ceasing of those brain functions that can be measured by a monitoring machine.

 

Although we cannot be sure of the exact moment of death, we are sure it occurs after those bodily functions cease. We know that death has already occurred when the body undergoes a general corruption (i.e., throughout the entire body). Localized corruption of a particular part of the body is not a reliable sign of death. That localized corruption is called “gangrene” and can occur while a person is alive.

 

 

A dying person especially needs our help because temptations are often very great while a person is dying

 

We usually do not know the spiritual battles a person is waging in the last moments of his life, because he is usually too weak and frail to indicate “on the outside” the battles which are raging within him. But these battles occur!

 

The devil is a far better “doctor” than human doctors and he knows better than the human physicians when a person is about to die. In a person’s final hours, the devil knows it is his last chance to influence where the dying person will spend eternity.

 

As every faithful and informed Catholic knows, death is the most important moment of life. The devil knows that too. The devil also knows that the dying person is in a weakened state and has less strength to fight the devils and sin.

 

Although these final battles are usually hidden, occasionally God Wills that they become known to us, for our good. Here is the account of the death of one man we know of, written by his close relative, describing the man’s spiritual combat against the devils and sin during the last moments of his life:

 

My uncle was a pious and humble, bedridden traditional Catholic who was in veterans’ hospice care. On his death bed, he was under attack by the devil to such an extent that fear took over and he was able to get out of bed and run down the hall shouting, “They [viz., the devils] are trying to get me to commit mortal sin!” The attending nurse recited a psalm to him as she helped him back to bed. One hour later, his esophageal cancer pierced his aorta and he began coughing up blood. Being frightened, he leaped out of bed and ran to the door of his room, where he collapsed and died.

 

Because our loved ones especially need our help during their final struggle, we should be generous, remaining at their side and helping them to the very end.

 

 

Dying persons are often aware even when they are non-responsive and apparently unconscious

 

Because a dying person needs our help in his final spiritual battle, we should persevere helping until we are as certain as we can be, that he is dead and no longer needs our help.

 

We cannot know with certainty when this separation of soul and body (death) occurs, so we should “err” on the side of remaining longer to assist the person in dying a holy death. A person might be non-responsive to stimuli and apparently not breathing, yet fully aware and undergoing a final spiritual battle for his soul.

 

We should not stop helping a dying person even if he is non-responsive and is apparently unconscious. There are reports of persons being well aware but unable to manifest consciousness or react to stimuli. For example, in 2014, a woman suffered a stroke and slipped into a coma, becoming non-responsive. While in a coma, she was “painfully aware” of all around her. She could not move, see, or speak. She could hear and think but could not respond. She panicked but her panic did not manifest itself exteriorly. This woman later recovered and told her story.[1]

 

Even when dying persons are in a coma or in a “sleep” from which they cannot be awoken, they often can hear us, are conscious and are able to pray. The sense of hearing is the last sense to cease functioning.

 

Recently, we assisted an uncompromising Traditional Catholic during her fifteen-hour final death struggle. About six o’clock in the morning, she slipped into a non-responsive state, no longer reacting to any stimuli. She was breathing but seemed to be in a “sleep” from which she could not be awoken.

 

About six hours into her ordeal, as we were at her bedside, one of us asked her to squeeze his finger if she could hear him. She immediately gave his finger a quick and firm squeeze before again becoming entirely unresponsive to all stimuli for the remaining nine hours in which she showed signs of life.

 

 

How to assist the dying

 

Death is a frightening and lonely occasion. Death is a time of sorrow – so make sure you assist the dying person with as much moral support as you can, being ever-present and attentive, in order to encourage him in his death struggles.

 

Do your best to give the dying person strength, encouragement and human moral support. Remember that love “divides” sorrows[2] – including the sorrows of death. Human contact with a dying person is very important. Hold his hand. Reduce (divide) his sorrows of death, as much as you can. Give him frequent little caresses or movements/touches, so he knows you are still there. (Without movement, we easily lose awareness that something/someone is touching us.)

 

Let him know he is dying and that you came to help him prepare to die well. The dying person shouldn’t be given false hope that he will live. He should not be denied the truth of his situation any more than those around him should lie to themselves. It is not a loving act to ignore reality out of fear of alarming him. To do so might imperil his immortal soul.

 

The dying person needs to face his mortality, to repent of his sins, to pray, to receive Extreme Unction (if an uncompromising priest is available), to be encouraged to trust totally in Jesus and His forgiveness and love, etc. The dying person must spiritually prepare himself for judgment. To help him do this is the single greatest act of love you can show him.

 

We should not take salvation for granted, e.g., we should not tell him, “soon you will be in heaven”. This imperils the dying person’s salvation because it encourages him to merely “wait for heaven” rather than spend this precious time preparing to die as well as possible.

 

It is very valuable but taxing work, to assist a dying person hour-by-hour. It is not necessary that we get him to respond to us frequently or at all. The important thing is that he knows we are there, not that he gives us proof that he is paying attention to us.

 

Throughout the dying person’s time on his deathbed, it is good to offer him short ejaculations that encourage a focus on Christ, our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, who is the patron of the dying and of a happy death. We should frequently ask for the prayers of the Saints, especially the dying person’s patron saints.

 

Even if the dying person is non-responsive, pray out loud (or whisper in his ear) and encourage him to pray inside himself, along with you. Also, frequently, lovingly, and calmly repeat prayerful ejaculations for him, such as:

 

❖  Into Thy hands, Oh Lord, I commend my spirit.

❖  Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have pity on Thy dying servant (handmaid).

❖  Eternal Father, I accept with a joyful and resigned heart the death it will please Thee to send me, with all its pains and sufferings.

❖  O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.

❖  My Jesus, mercy!

❖  Be merciful to me, Oh Lord, a sinner!

❖  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

❖  Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee!

❖  Holy Mother Mary, pray for me.

❖  Holy Mary, Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, do thou defend me from the enemy, and receive my soul.

❖  St. Joseph, obtain for me grace and mercy!

 

 

Interspersed with these ejaculations, give little expressions of moral support such as:

 

❖  We [your names] are here with you.

 

❖  We love you.

 

❖  We are praying for you.

 

❖  Offer up your sufferings; this is very pleasing to Our Dear Lord.

 

❖  Place all of your trust in the Sacred Heart of our dear Lord, and in our dear Mother Mary.

 

❖  Our Lord is merciful! Offer up your sufferings to Him!

 

As you are helping with these prayerful ejaculations and words of moral support, it is not necessary that you be continually speaking. Use your best judgment mixing words and silence, so that the dying person keeps a spiritual focus and knows that he is not alone.

 

Even if the dying person appears non-responsive, pray either out loud or in his ear. Continue until you are sure he is dead. If the dying person is able to pray with you (either audibly or interiorly), coax him to do so.

 

 

What to avoid

 

We are not assisting the dying person principally in order to soothe him or make him comfortable. Our main job is to help him die well and save his soul. Therefore, don’t impede his effectively waging his spiritual warfare. For example, don’t:

 

➢  Distract the dying person from his spiritual struggles.

 

➢  Minimize his situation or “sugarcoat” the fact that he is dying.

 

➢  Hold out false hope that he will recover or distract him with thoughts of a false recovery.

 

➢  Play or sing secular songs.

 

➢  Talk to the dying person about secular things unconnected with his dying, e.g., events in the news, happenings in the family, etc.

 

➢  Excessively puff him up with praise or give him assurances that he has already finished his final job (preparing well for death).

 

 

Make use of sacramentals when assisting the dying

 

The sacramentals of the Church are very powerful at a person’s deathbed. When helping the dying, use these:

 

§  A St. Benedict medal

 

§  Holy water

 

§  Bring your rosary (and maybe one for the dying person).

 

§  Bring a blessed candle, a candlestick, and matches. Light the blessed candle unless oxygen use in the room prevents that.

 

§  Bring a crucifix for the dying person to hold. If necessary, hold the crucifix with him so that it does not leave his hand. Have the dying person kiss it often, if possible.

 

§  Confirm that the dying person is wearing a brown scapular. Bring one in case he is not wearing one. Often non-Catholic caregivers take a patient’s scapular off (for whatever reason). So, a dying person who “always wears a scapular” might not have one on while he is dying.

 

§  Bring holy water and use it to sprinkle the dying person, make Signs of the Cross on his forehead, senses, hands, and, perhaps, his feet.

 

 

Prayers to use in assisting the dying

 

·         Sing Traditional Catholic hymns, e.g., Oh Sacred Head Surrounded.

 

·         Recite the Traditional Catholic Prayers for the Dying (see below).

 

·         Frequently, invoke the help of St. Joseph, the patron of a holy death.

 

·         Recite acts of Contrition, Faith, Hope, and Charity.

 

·         Recite the Memorare (“Remember, Oh Most Gracious Virgin Mary …”).

 

·         Recite Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Bes.

 

·         Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary with him.

 

 

Traditional Catholic Prayers for the Dying when death becomes close

 

As death approaches more closely, the sick person’s soul should be commended to God. Here is a good traditional formula through which to do this:

 

Go forth, O Catholic soul, out of this world, in the Name of God the Father almighty, Who created you; in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, Who suffered for you; in the Name of the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified you, in the name of the holy and glorious Mary, Virgin and Mother of God; in the name of the angels, archangels, thrones and dominions, cherubim and seraphim; in the name of the patriarchs and prophets, of the holy apostles and evangelists, of the holy martyrs, confessors, monks and hermits, of the holy virgins, and of all the saints of God; may your place be this day in peace, and your abode in Holy Sion. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

O merciful and gracious God, O God, according to the multitude of Thy mercies Thou blotteth out the sins of such as repent, and graciously remit the guilt of their past offenses, mercifully regard this Thy servant (handmaid) N.____ and grant him (her) a full discharge from all his (her) sins, who with a contrite heart most earnestly begs it of Thee. Renew, O merciful Father, whatever has been vitiated in him (her) by human frailty, or by the frauds and deceits of the enemy: and associate him (her) as a member of redemption to the unity of the body of the Church. Have compassion, Lord, on his (her) sighs, have compassion on his (her) tears; and admit him (her), who has no hope but in Thy mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


I commend you, dear Brother (Sister), to the almighty God, and consign you to the care of Him, whose creature you are, that, when you shall have paid the debt of all mankind by death, you may return to thy Maker, Who formed you from the dust of the earth. When, therefore, your soul shall depart from your body, may the resplendent multitude of the angels meet you: may the court of the apostles receive you: may the triumphant army of glorious martyrs come out to welcome you: may the splendid company of confessors clad in their white robes encompass you: may the choir of joyful virgins receive you: and may you meet with a blessed repose in the bosom of the patriarchs. May St. Joseph, the sweetest Patron of the dying, comfort you with a great hope. May Mary, the holy Mother of God, lovingly cast upon you her eyes of mercy. May Jesus Christ appear to you with a mild and joyful countenance, and appoint you a place among those who are to stand before Him forever. May you be a stranger to all that is punished with darkness, chastised with flames, and condemned to torments. May the most wicked enemy, with all his evil spirits, be forced to give way: may he tremble at your approach in the company of angels, and with confusion fly away into the vast chaos of eternal night. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Him fly before His Face, let them vanish like smoke; and as wax that melts before the fire, so let sinners perish in the sight of God; but may the just rejoice and be happy in His presence.

May then all the legions of Hell be confounded and put to shame; and may none of the ministers of Satan dare to stop you in your way. May Christ deliver you from torments, Who was crucified for you. May He deliver you from eternal death, Who vouchsafed to die for you. May Jesus Christ the Son of the living God place you in the ever-verdant lawns of His Paradise; and may He, the true Shepherd, acknowledge you for one of His flock. May He absolve you from all your sins, and place you at His right hand in the midst of His elect. May you see your Redeemer face to face, and standing always in His presence, behold with happy eyes the clearest Truth. And may you be placed among the company of the blessed and enjoy the sweetness of the contemplation of your God for ever. Amen.

Receive, Lord, Thy servant (handmaid) into the place of salvation, which he (she) hopes to obtain through Thy mercy. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid) from all danger of Hell; and from all pain and tribulation. R. Amen

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid) as Thou didst deliver Enoch and Elias from the common death of the world. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver Abraham from the midst of the Chaldeans. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver Job from all his afflictions. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver Isaac from being sacrificed by his father. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver Lot from being destroyed in the flames of Sodom. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver Moses from the hands of the Pharaoh, King of Egypt. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst deliver the three children from the fiery furnace, and from the hands of an unmerciful king. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver Susanna from her false accusers. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver David from the hands of Saul and Goliath. R. Amen.

 

Deliver, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid), as Thou didst deliver Peter and Paul out of prison. R. Amen.

 

And as Thou didst deliver that blessed virgin and martyr, Saint Thecla, from three most cruel torments, so be pleased to deliver the soul of this Thy servant, and bring it to the participation of Thy Heavenly joys. R. Amen.

 

We commend to Thee, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (handmaid) N.____, and we pray Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, that as in mercy to him (her) Thou becamest man, so now Thou would be pleased to admit him (her) to the bosom of Thy patriarchs. Remember, Lord, he (she) is Thy creature, not made by strange gods, but by Thee, the only living and true God; for there is no other but Thee, and none can equal Thy work. Let his (her) soul rejoice in Thy presence, and remember not his (her) former iniquities and excesses, which he (she) has fallen into, through the violence of passion and the corruption of his (her) nature. For although he (she) has sinned, yet he (she) has always firmly believed in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; he (she) has had a zeal for Thy honor, and faithfully adored Thee as his (her) God, and Creator of all things. Remember not, Lord, we pray Thee, the sins of his (her) youth, and his (her) ignorances; but according to Thy great mercy, be mindful of him (her) in Thy Heavenly glory. Let the heavens be opened to him (her), and the angels rejoice with him (her). Let the archangel St. Michael, whom Thou didst appoint the chief of the heavenly host, conduct him (her). Let the holy angels come out to meet him (her), and carry him (her) to the city of heavenly Jerusalem. Let blessed Peter the apostle, to whom God gave the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, receive him (her). Let St. Paul the apostle, who was a vessel of election, assist him (her). Let St. John the beloved disciple, to whom the secrets of Heaven were revealed, intercede for him (her). Let all the holy apostles, who received from Jesus Christ the power of binding and loosing, pray for him (her). Let all the saints and elect of God, who in this world have suffered torments in the name of Christ, intercede for him (her); that being freed from the prison of his (her) body, he (she) may be admitted into the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost, lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.

 

 

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

May Mary the most merciful Virgin Mother of God, kindest comforter of them that mourn, commend to her Son the soul of this His servant (handmaid), that through her maternal intercession, he (she) may overcome the dread of death and, with her as guide, joyfully reach his (her) longed-for home in the heavenly fatherland. R. Amen.

 

 

Prayer to St. Joseph

 

To thee I have recourse, St. Joseph, Patron of the dying; and to thee, at whose blessed death watchfully assisted Jesus and Mary, by both these dearest pledges I earnestly recommend the soul of this servant (handmaid) in the sufferings of his (her) last agony, that he (she) may by your protection be delivered from the snares of the devil and from eternal death, and may merit to attain everlasting joy. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

 

 

Prayers following Death

 

After the person has apparently died, the following prayers can be said:

 

Come to his assistance, all you Saints of God: meet him, all you Angels of God: receiving his soul, offering it in the sight of the Most High. May Christ receive you, who hath called you, and may the Angels conduct you to Abraham’s bosom. Receiving his (her) soul and offering it in the sight of the Most High.

 

Eternal rest give to him (her), Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon him (her).

 

Kyrie eléison.

 

Christe eléison.

 

Kyrie eléison.

 

[Our Father (silently)]

 

V. …and lead us not into temptation.

R. But deliver us from evil.

V. Eternal rest give to him (her), Lord.

R. And let perpetual light shine upon him (her).

V. From the gates of Hell.

R. Deliver his (her) soul, Lord.

V. May he (she) rest in peace.

R. Amen.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.

R. And let my cry come to Thee.

V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with thy spirit.

 

Let us pray. To Thee, Lord, we commend the soul of your servant (handmaid) N.____, that being dead to this world he (she) may live to Thee: and whatever sins he (she)( has committed in this life through human frailty, do Thou in Thy most merciful goodness forgive. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

 

Grant, O God, that while we lament the departure of this Thy servant (handmaid), we may always remember that we are most certainly to follow him (her). And give us grace to prepare for that last hour by a good life, that we may not be surprised by a sudden and unprovided death, but be ever watching, that, when Thou callest, we may, with the Bridegroom, enter into eternal glory: through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

Conclusion of the article

 

Death is the most important moment of life. Life is the preparation for this moment. Be generous helping the dying person die well.


[1] May 2, 2016 article ‘I was still in there’: A 32-year-old learns what it’s like to be trapped inside her own body, by Lindsey Bever, found here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/05/02/i-was-still-in-there-a-32-year-old-learns-what-its-like-to-be-trapped-inside-her-own-body/

 

[2] “Friendships multiply joys and divide griefs”, written by author and historian, Thomas Fuller and found here: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/353382

 

Approaching the responsibility of homeschooling

Posted on by Catholic Candle

Catholic Candle note: This is the First Part in a new series on EDUCATING YOUR CHILDREN during the crisis in the Church.  There can be no more important concern for traditional Catholic parents today than how to best educate their children since it is so intrinsically connected to helping them save their precious souls.

     Part I:  Reflects on how one traditional Catholic family approached the gargantuan responsibility of this formidable task.

     Part II:  Investigates what choices were available to the next generation, and how they met the challenge.

     Part III:  Examines what is involved in Home Schooling.

     Part IV:  Looks at some of the Benefits of educating your children at home.

How one Traditional Catholic family approached the gargantuan responsibility of homeschooling

Parents have always been recognized as the primary educators of their children (under the aegis of the Catholic Church).  But in the “old days” (before Vatican II) Catholic parents could confidently send their children off to their local parish school in the knowledge that they would learn more about their Faith and also get a decent education.  Which they did.

However, when our children were growing up in the aftermath of VC II, it was a very different situation.  We began to realize very soon that we could no longer assume that sending them to the parish school would automatically get them a good Catholic education.  It was a painful realization, and with it came the question of what other choices there might be.  However credible or doubtful, we felt constrained to check them out.

Thinking of our Blessed Mother’s promise that the flame of the Faith would always burn in Portugal, we left our children in the capable hands of a generous grandmother and flew to Lisbon to view firsthand the religious-educational situation.  We investigated all aspects, including employment for my husband.  (A job was not possible because there wasn’t even enough work for Portuguese citizens, let alone foreigners.)  All things considered, it became clear that moving to Portugal was not the answer.  Our Lady did promise that the true Faith would be kept alive, there, but that could conceivably mean in some remote corner of the country, not necessarily a guarantee that the Catholic schools would be free of the effects of Vatican II.

Our next stop was Ireland, which at first glance seemed a distinct possibility.  However, it might have been Our Lady who sent us to a restaurant where we were seated next to two young women who were teachers at a Catholic grade school.  They were almost giddy telling us how wonderful it would be teaching the new religion coming from Vatican II.  That, and other considerations, left Ireland out completely.  So we headed home satisfied that we tried, and that we would have to do our best at home to raise our family in the traditional Catholic Faith.

Now the only answer was to keep our eyes focused on finding a good school.  And finding a good school was always a top priority.

We bought our first house across town and joined our new parish.  Our oldest was making her First Communion, and we were learning to be cautious about what was being taught in parish schools.  Our new parish had a new pastor, and we invited him to dinner to hear in what direction he intended to lead his flock.

Well, it turned out he didn’t particularly plan to do much leading.  He made it clear he was “letting Sister” decide what catechisms and classroom subjects, etc., she would use.  (This was in the days when the sisters were beginning to “speak up” and wanted a greater voice in the Church.)  I recall that as Father left the house that evening, my husband turned to me and said it was clear we couldn’t leave our children in that school.  And we didn’t.

Next came several years at our “good ol’ neighborhood” (public) school, until they began the disastrous “drug education” and “sex education” programs, which under the pretense of warning children about drugs and sex, actually accomplished the opposite: piqued their curiosity.  Scratch school #2.

You know the old saying about God never closing a door on you without opening a window.  The good Lord directed us to a parish in a run-down part of town that was operated by a stubborn priest who ran the school his way.  And his obstinacy was what allowed us to send our children to his grade school.  He threw out the Diocesan directives and guidelines and hired his own good teachers, used the good Baltimore catechisms, and engaged nuns who wore the full habits.  (A word about those Diocesan guidelines in Part II.)

The school wasn’t in the best neighborhood and was located next to a large rough public school.  There were a number of issues we had to deal with, including letting the pastor know we wouldn’t allow our children to attend the daily Novus Ordo mass.  This prompted a recurring reminder from him every month when we paid for five tuitions that we wouldn’t have to pay if we were members of the parish.  (But, of course, we weren’t and couldn’t be.)  The implied “bribery” notwithstanding, the school accomplished what we needed it to: it got our children safely through the grades.

Safely, yes, but not without a small price to pay along the way, especially for our oldest daughter.  She attended five different schools in those eight years, which was not easy.  And sometimes she had to listen to catty classmates whine: “Why do you have to wear your skirts so long?”  One night, after the rosary, we were reading about St. Joan of Arc being burned at the stake, and she said in a burst of fervor, “Oh, I would be willing to do that for Our Lord!”  I recall answering her that God was not asking her to die a fiery death, but He did ask her to put up with the occasional churlish question about her dresses.

So that brought us to high school.  For several years before our oldest graduated from grade school, we had begun looking around for a good high school for them.

Both my husband and I had attended our local Catholic high school, but it was a no-brainer that we wouldn’t be able to send our children there.  Its curriculum had transformed into an unrecognizably liberal stew of modernism.  So that was a non-starter.

The choices were very limited.  There was a traditional boarding school in a nearby state, but you hate to send a 13-year-old homebody away from home (unless there is absolutely no alternative.)  There was also a correspondence school, and we listened to what their representative had to say.  (Nobody we ever heard of talked of Home Schooling in those days.)  And the purportedly “conservative” Franciscan seminary/boys’ school in the area was just for “he”s, and we were starting with a “she”.  (Which turned out to be Providential since the school proved to be only a tad behind in its swerve into modernism.)

However, we heard of another “conservative” Catholic high school in a different city fairly close by, and we looked into that.  This appeared a definite possibility, and we visited it one Sunday.  The nun-principal told us that there was a waiting list to get in, but she took us on a tour of the school nevertheless.  She gave us all the particulars about tuition costs and where our daughter could get her uniform, books, etc.  The sister looked a bit non-plussed when we said firmly that our daughter would not be attending the daily Novus Ordo mass, but she rallied to tell us that they had a protestant girl and an Egyptian boy at the school who similarly did not attend the service.  The upshot was that she decided she would allow her to by-pass the waiting list because she was a good student and would be coming from a distance.  (Since our daughter did not have a driver’s license, the commute would be two daily round trips – 120 miles a day.)

So it appeared all set.  That is, until we got a phone call from her the next day saying she was very sorry that they didn’t have room in the school for our daughter after all.

But as before, when that door closed, another window opened.  Testimony to that is our discovery of a private high school that was started up a handful of years earlier by a small group of conservative industrialists-businessmen.  They, too, had been looking for a decent school for their children, but had given up and started their own.  Long story short, it was nearly as good as we expected, even though it necessitated a 100-mile round trip daily.  (The headmaster of the school told us at the graduation of our last child that they had been figuring how many miles our family had traveled in those nine years, and they concluded it’d been over 300,000 miles.)

The next obvious challenge was going to be finding a good traditional Catholic college.  An important point to make here is that parents must realize that high schoolers do not have the intellect, wisdom, or experience to select the correct college that will determine their success in life, and more importantly, their salvation.  THAT IS THE JOB FOR THE PARENTS.

My husband investigated lead-after-lead all across the country from well-meaning people who thought they knew just what we were looking for.  Invariably, these small Catholic colleges used to be good, but every one of them proved to be liberal.  He always talked to the Dean of Students, and he got to be quite good at recognizing the signs of problems and asking the right questions, e.g., What did they do when a student used drugs?  Did they have single sex or coed dorms?  What kind of dress code did they have?  What curriculum did they use?  Etc.  He didn’t even have to discuss curriculum and textbooks with many of them because they disqualified themselves after the first three questions.

Unfortunately, it appeared there was no such thing as a solid, good Catholic college anymore.  Until …

Another window opened.  Deo gratias!  He found a gem, even if it proved to be a great distance away.  Here it must be stressed that the most important point in settling on a college is to visit it beforehand to confirm what the Dean has told you.  He did visit the campus, and again, it was nearly as good as we’d hoped.  Granted, it was thousands of miles from home, but that’s what it took to find the right school.  It was worth the numberless hours and time and effort it took to locate it.  It was well worth avoiding many of the problems of young adults.

I might mention that while my husband and I did not homeschool our family, it was only because we were able to find the last of the good schools to send them to.  And even then, it took considerable effort to research and locate the schools, pay the tuitions, and find a way to get them there.

However, if we weren’t compelled to homeschool the first time around, we got the chance to do so in Round 2, with our grandchildren.  Which will be discussed in Part II, in the next Catholic Candle.

The Ladder of Objective Truth: God’s school of sanctity

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Objective Truth Series – reflections article #11

In the last several reflections, we have examined how God sculptures souls, how He reveals what one should know about oneself through the corrections of others. We have also considered ways one can keep alert against pride and the subtle tricks of the devil who is always trying to ensnare souls in pride. We considered how Our Mother Mary teaches us tactics to counter the devil including making acts of humbling ourselves. It is rather like a student in a course of humility.

As the years of one’s life roll by, one often finds that he comes to certain landmarks of understanding. This occurs also in the spiritual school as well. God has an amazing way of bringing His Truth out, to what seems for a soul,—into a new light.  This new light is really the soul seeing things in a more objective way. Thus, this more objective way seems completely new to the soul.

God, in His Infinite Goodness and Wisdom, knows when a soul is ready to receive insights that God wants to give. God prepares the soul by events and circumstances and having the soul make incremental steps of minor understanding of how life works. God also prepares the soul to be open and docile to His Instructions, much like a farmer preparing the soil for seeds. The soul finds itself making certain comparisons and drawing certain conclusions that it never did before.

One finds himself amazed that something he sees now as so obvious, he never saw before.  Yet, one must keep in mind how God works on souls and he will certainly understand how God gave the seemingly “new” insight in the timing that was God’s alone. These insights are things that stay with the soul, in other words, the soul does not forget them. They are true learning and make permanent effects on the soul. In this way the soul feels itself drawn to a higher level, much like a mountain climber when he looks down after reaching a new height.

Gratitude comes over the soul and the soul finds itself thanking God and loving God more. This new insight may be something that seems to be an irony, a paradox, a contradiction, yet this insight turns out to be a show of God’s Infinite Mercy, Goodness, and Generosity. The insight delights the soul and the soul finds itself marveling in awe.  This insight is so unexpected that it could never be anticipated or imagined ahead of time.

For example, one could consider a man who liked electrical appliances and always liked to have the nicest and most convenient ones which were available on the market. However, it seemed that many of his appliances were breaking down very often and he spent a lot of time troubleshooting and/or replacing his appliances.  After dealing with what he considered “a cross” for a long period of years, one day it occurred to him while he was in prayer that God had been showing him that he was too attached to things of the world. The man was amazed at first that this idea had not come to him before.  Yet as he pondered the subject a bit more, it became clear to him that God revealed this defect to him now because he was ready to see it now, but had not been ready previously.

It is often in this way the soul finds the understanding of things that it never considered before. Then the soul often finds in itself a higher level of love for God sparked, that seems to come out of the blue.

Reflecting back, because hindsight is 20/20, one also finds that he accepts crosses with a more even temper.  He doesn’t find himself getting as annoyed with things as much as he used to. God is tempering the soul and calming it down and giving His peace to the soul. It is as if the soul becomes more indifferent to troubles.  The soul then can see God’s Will in all things. Likewise, one can then see the truth in St. Paul’s words, “All things work together unto the good for those who love God.”   Romans, 8:28. Therefore, the soul doesn’t fret but keeps its peace.  A soul could find itself saying inside the following words:

Gentle Master, thou hast me shown,

In all the years that, I have known,

Lessons learned, along my life’s way,

You have taught me, from day to day.

 

Thy mercy to me, wretch that I am,

Training me to be, a gentler lamb,

So I could seek, like Thee to be,

Thou makest things, clearer to me.

 

And step by step, this ladder I climb,

Of Thy Truth, evermore sublime,

Unworthy though, I know I be,

Yet wouldst bring me, higher to Thee.

 

Now I durst but, only thee beg,

Thou willst that I go up, peg by peg,

More grateful I find, myself to know,

Thou didst bring me, e’re I go.

 

Sublime Truth, for Thee I now thirst,

And now, for me Thou art first,

My one and only, heart’s desire,

‘Cause Thou hast kindled, my mind’s fire.

 

Oh ladder of, objective Truth,

I hunt for Thee, like a sleuth,

I’m grateful to be, in the seeking,

And that I am, in Thy keeping.

Posted on by Catholic Candle

Words to Live by – from Catholic Tradition

If we wish to save our souls, we must overcome human respect, and bear the little confusion which may arise from the scoffs of the enemies of the Cross of Jesus Christ.  “For there is a shame that bringeth sin, and there is a shame that bringeth glory and grace.” (Eccl. iv. 25.)

St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Doctor of the Church, Sermon 27, On Human Respect, for the Sunday after the Ascension.

Be Assured Your Prayers are Always Answered; So Persevere

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God wants you to be happy with Him in heaven, and He also wants you to be happy while you are on earth.  That doesn’t mean life on earth is easy and always joyous, with salvation assured.  Both have to be earned.

God will always answer your prayers, to help you realize your goals of heaven and a happy life on earth.  But if you pray for something that would be harmful and against His Will and your best interest, He will always answer, but in a way that is best for you.  He knows what is best for you and what will help you reach your goals of happiness on earth and in heaven.  You will thank God for the benefits received when He answered your prayer in the most helpful way that you may not have appreciated at the time, e.g., an answer with a needed cross to point you in the right direction.

If you review honestly all of your past prayers that were answered not to your liking, you will come to realize that He knew best.  And you will now be grateful for all He does for you.  It is just wonderful that we are all looked after by a loving God, putting our minds at ease.

Your good parents acted in much the same way when you were in school.  They insisted that you study hard, thus giving you less free time.  You might not have appreciated it one bit, feeling put upon and convinced that they didn’t understand you, and that your friends didn’t have to study hard, and their parents weren’t so strict.

Years later, upon graduating with honors and having your dream job offered, you began to realize that they knew what was best, and you are very grateful for all they did for you.

God is far wiser and more interested in your welfare than even the best parents, so expect the best answer to all your prayers every time.

Prayers not answered to your liking are a helpful cross to put you on the correct track for salvation and happiness.  Understand these crosses you receive are exactly what you need.  So, thank Our Lord for all His help.  Consider:

If there was anything better or more useful for your salvation than joyfully accepting a cross, Christ would have shown it by word and example.[1]

Our Lord teaches us that we should thank God for the crosses we suffer, and these crosses should cause us to have great hope of salvation.[2]

We frequently judge that things are as we wish them to be: for we easily lose true perspective through personal feelings.[3] 

To many the saying, “Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow Me,” seems hard, but it will be much harder to hear that final word: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”[4] 

Lord, You know what is best for me; let this be done or that be done as You please.  Grant what You will, as much as You will.[5] 

Use temporal things but desire eternal things.  You cannot be satisfied with any temporal goods because you were not created to enjoy them.[6]

Prayer is our only direct communication with Our Lord, and is our main source of grace during this time of the Great Apostasy, when we are without an uncompromising Priest, the Mass, and the Sacraments (at least in most places).  So, we must persevere in prayer for happiness on earth and in Heaven.

 

 


[1]           From The Imitation of Christ, Book II, Chapter 12.  (Note: The word “cross” was used instead of “suffering”, and “your” instead of “man’s”.)

[2]           Teaching of St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, quoted in the Catena Aurea of St. Matthew’s Gospel, St. Thomas Aquinas, greatest Doctor of the Church, Chapter 26, #8.


[3]           The Imitation of Christ, Book I, Chapter 14.


[4]           The Imitation of Christ, Book II, Chapter 12.

[5]           The Imitation of Christ, Book III, Chapter 15.


[6]           The Imitation of Christ, Book III, Chapter 16.

Judas is in Hell

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Catholic Candle note:  The article below pertains to another scandalous error of the conciliar church.  However, a reader would be mistaken if he assumed that grave conciliar errors somehow mean that we do not have a pope.

Sedevacantism is wrong and is (material or formal) schism.  Catholic Candle is not sedevacantist.  On the contrary, we published a series of articles showing that sedevacantism is false (and also showing that former Pope Benedict is not still the pope).  Read the articles here: https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/faith/against-sedevacantism.html 

Here is what St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church, teaches concerning the need to recognize and respect the authority of a superior – such as the pope – even when he is bad:

Even should the life of any superior be so notoriously wicked as to admit of no excuse or dissimulation, nevertheless, for God’s sake, Who is the source of all power, we are bound to honor such a one, not on account of his personal merits, which are non-existent, but because of the divine ordination and the dignity of his office.[1]

However, even while recognizing the authority of the post-Vatican II popes and our duty to obey them when we are able, we know we must resist the evil they promote and do.  Read more about this principle here: https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/faith/against-sedevacantism.html#section-7

 

Judas is in Hell.
The Conciliar Church says he might be in heaven.

Faithful and informed Catholics know that Judas is in hell.

Our Lord declared that it would have been better for Judas to have never been born.  Here are His words:

The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed: it were better for him, if that man had not been born.[2]

Our Lord’s words tell us Judas is in Hell.  For if Judas were ever to go to heaven, even if (hypothetically) he were to first spend trillions of years in Purgatory, then it would be better for Judas to have been born, because trillions of years are finite and are as nothing compared to eternity. 

When trillions of years are over, eternity would be just beginning (to speak metaphorically).  Any amount of time in Purgatory – however long – is insignificant compared to unending eternity in heaven.  Thus, Judas must be in hell because it is good to have been born for anyone who eventually goes to heaven.

Also, we know Judas is among the lost.  Our Lord says that none of His Apostles are among the lost except Judas, the son of perdition.  Here are Our Lord’s words:

And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to Thee.  Holy Father, keep them in Thy name whom Thou has given Me; that they may be one, as We also are.  While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name.  Those whom Thou gavest Me have I kept; and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture may be fulfilled.[3] 

Thus, we know that Judas, the son of perdition, has been lost and is in hell.

The Doctors of the Catholic Church echo Our Lord’s clear declarations that Judas is in hell.

St. Thomas Aquinas, greatest Doctor of the Church, teaches that God could have saved Judas[4] but God knew that He would not save Judas and so He prepared a place in hell for Judas based on His (viz., God’s) foreknowledge that Judas would damn himself.  Here are St. Thomas’s words:

To save Judas would not be contrary to justice but rather would have been beyond justice.  Nonetheless, to save Judas would have been contrary to God’s foreknowledge and contrary to the fact that there was a place in hell for Judas because God knew Judas would damn himself [abusing his free will].[5]

Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church, teaches that Judas never repented of his grave sin – but rather that he committed suicide out of despair, adding guilt to guilt. Here are St. Leo’s words:

The traitor Judas did not attain to this mercy, for the son of perdition (Jn. 17:12), at whose right hand the devil had stood (Ps. 108:6), had before this died in despair; even while Christ was fulfilling the mystery of the general redemption. Even he perhaps might have obtained this forgiveness, had he not hastened to the gallowstree; for the Lord died for all evildoers.  But nothing ever of the warnings of the Savior’s mercy found place in that wicked heart: at one time given over to petty cheating, and then committed to this dread parricidal traffic.  …  The godless betrayer, shutting his mind to all these things [expressions of the Lord’s mercy], turned upon himself, not with a mind to repent, but in the madness of self-destruction: so that this man [viz., Judas] who had sold the Author of life to the executioners of His death, even in the act of dying sinned unto the increase of his own eternal punishment.[6]

St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, declares Judas is in hell.  Here are St. Augustine’s words:

For if it is not lawful to take the law into our own hands, and slay even a guilty person whose death no public sentence has warranted, then certainly he who kills himself is a homicide.  …  Do we justly execrate the deed of Judas, and does truth itself pronounce that by hanging himself he rather aggravated than expiated the guilt of that most iniquitous betrayal, since, by despairing of God’s mercy in his sorrow that wrought death, he left to himself no place for a healing penitence?  …  For Judas, when he killed himself, killed a wicked man, and passed from this life chargeable not only with the death of Christ, but also with his own: for though he killed himself on account of his crime, his killing himself was another crime.[7]

The Council of Trent Catechism teaches that Judas lost his soul and thus, is in hell:

Furthermore, no one can deny that it is a virtue to be sorrowful at the time, in the manner, and to the extent which are required.  To regulate sorrow in this manner belongs to the virtue of penance.  Some conceive a sorrow which bears no proportion to their crimes.  Nay, there are some, says Solomon, who are glad when they have done evil.  Others, on the contrary, give themselves to such melancholy and grief, as utterly to abandon all hope of salvation.  Such, perhaps, was the condition of Cain when he exclaimed: My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon.  Such certainly was the condition of Judas, who, repenting, hanged himself, and thus lost soul and body. Penance, therefore, considered as a virtue, assists us in restraining within the bounds of moderation our sense of sorrow.[8]

The Council of Trent Catechism further teaches that Judas’s apostleship brought him only eternal ruin.  Here are the catechism’s words:

Some are attracted to the priesthood by ambition and love of honors; while there are others who desire to be ordained simply in order that they may abound in riches, as is proved by the fact that unless some wealthy benefice were conferred on them, they would not dream of receiving Holy Orders. It is such as these that our Savior describes as hirelings, who, in the words of Ezechiel, feed themselves and not the sheep, and whose baseness and dishonesty have not only brought great disgrace on the ecclesiastical state, so much so that hardly anything is now more vile and contemptible in the eyes of the faithful, but also end in this, that they derive no other fruit from their priesthood than was derived by Judas from the Apostleship, which only brought him everlasting destruction.[9]

In addition to the Doctors of the Church, the Church’s traditional, public prayers tell us that Judas is in hell.  Here is the traditional Collect both for Holy Thursday and Good Friday:

O God, from whom Judas received the punishment of his guilt, and the thief the reward of his confession: grant unto us the full fruit of Thy clemency; that even as in His Passion our Lord Jesus Christ gave to each a different recompense according to his merits, so having cleared away our former guilt, He may bestow on us the grace of His resurrection: Who with Thee liveth and reigneth ….  (emphasis added).

Commenting on this Collect, Dom Guéranger explains that the Church “reminds our heavenly Father of His justice towards Judas and His mercy towards the Good Thief”.[10]  This “justice towards Judas” is Judas’s eternal punishment.


Conclusion of this section of the article

We know Judas is in hell from:

·         Our Lord’s words;

·         The teaching of the Doctors of the Church;

·         The Council of Trent Catechism; and

·         The Church’s Traditional public prayers.

 

The conciliar church says that Judas might have saved his soul

The conciliar church is a different and anti-Catholic religion.[11]  The conciliar church says that Judas might be in heaven or might go to heaven in the future.

On April 8, 2020, Pope Francis said that Judas might have saved his soul.  Here are his words:

Something that calls my attention is that Jesus never calls him [viz., Judas] “traitor”: [Jesus] says he will be betrayed, but he doesn’t say to [Judas], “traitor.”  He never says, “Go away, traitor.”  Never.  In fact, he calls him, “Friend,” and he kisses him.  The mystery of Judas ….  What is the mystery of Judas. I don’t know … Don Primo Mazzolari explains it better than me … Yes, it consoles me to contemplate that capital [viz., the heading of the article] of Vezelay [an author]: How did Judas end up?  I don’t know.  Jesus threatens forcefully here; he threatens forcefully: “woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”  But does that mean that Judas is in Hell?  I don’t know. I look at that capital. And I listen to the word of Jesus: ‘Friend.’”[12]

Pope Francis is here promoting universal salvation (i.e., everyone goes to heaven) by suggesting that even Judas might go in heaven. 

Although Pope Francis has a penchant for grabbing attention for his modernist pronouncements, his evil suggestion that Judas might be in heaven is not the first time the conciliar church has suggested that Judas might be saved.  In 1994, Pope John Paul II specifically denied the meaning of Our Lord’s words showing Judas’s damnation.  Here are Pope John Paul II’s words:

Even when Jesus says of Judas, the traitor, “It would be better for that man if he had never been born” (Mt.26:24), His words do not allude for certain to eternal damnation.[13]

Conciliar (false) “theologian” Hans Urs von Balthasar, who was a close associate of Cardinal Ratzinger (former Pope Benedict XVI), also promoted the idea that Judas might be in heaven or might go to heaven.  In his book, Dare We Hope “That All Men Be Saved?”, von Balthasar stated:

I would like to request that one be permitted to hope that God’s redemptive work for his [sic] creation might succeed.  Certainty cannot be attained, but hope can be justified.  That is probably the reason why the Church, which has sanctified so many men, has never said anything about the damnation of any individual.  Not even about that of Judas ….  Who can know the nature of the remorse that seized Judas when he saw that Jesus had been condemned (Mt. 27:3)?”[14]

On December 11, 2019, conciliar (so-called) “archbishop” Vincenzo Paglia, the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, goes so far as to declare that anyone who says “Judas is in hell” is a heretic.  Here are Paglia’s words:

I always celebrate funerals for those who commit suicide, because suicide is always a question of unfulfilled love.  We must also remember that, for the Catholic Church, if someone says that Judas is in hell, he is a heretic.[15]

It seems that the conciliar church’s only “heretics” are those that profess the Catholic Church’s traditional teachings.

Why does the conciliar church teach that Judas might be in heaven (or might go to heaven)?

The conciliar church promotes three of its goals by suggesting that Judas might be in heaven or might go to heaven:

1)    It promotes change:  This error (that Judas might be in heaven) is one of countless revolutionary changes which the modernists favor because the modernists despise the Church’s traditional teachings and have a “blind and unchecked passion for novelty”.[16]

2)    It promotes universal salvation:  This error (that Judas might be in heaven) promotes the heresy of universal salvation.  Judas’s damnation is an obstacle to the conciliar church promoting of the heretical “hope” that all men are saved.[17]

 

3)    It promotes acceptance of suicide:  The (supposed) salvation of Judas helps to reduce an obstacle to the conciliar church’s leaning toward accepting suicide and assisted suicide.[18]

Conclusion of this article

Judas is in hell, although the conciliar church promotes three modernist goals by suggesting that Judas might be in heaven.

Consider the parallel between Judas and the modern hierarchy:

·         Judas was one of the original twelve bishops and “princes of the Church”.

·         Judas’s betrayal did as much as he could do to destroy Our Lord.

·         Judas’s reputation is being whitewashed by the modern “Judases” who are the current princes governing the Church and who are doing as much as they can do to destroy Our Lord in His Mystical Body (viz., the Church).

Although we cannot pray for Judas (since he is in hell), let us pray for the modern “Judases” who are betraying Our Lord’s Mystical Body! 

Let us also do reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the great evil those modern “Judases” do, which offends God so much and which brings so many souls to damnation!

[1]           Quoted from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Third Sermon for Advent, entitled: On the Three Advents of the Lord and the Seven Pillars which we ought to Erect within us.

 

[2]           St. Matthew’s Gospel, 26:24.


[3]           St. John’s Gospel, 17:11-12.

[4]           God could have saved Judas but chose (for God’s inscrutable reasons) to allow Judas to damn himself.  Sacred Scripture shows the truth that God can turn the heart of any man, to Himself:

The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord: whithersoever He will He shall

turn it.

Proverbs 21:1 (emphasis added).

For a further explanation of the Traditional Catholic truth that God could save anyone He chose to save but allows people to damn themselves by abusing their free wills, read this article:  https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/priests/williamson-bishop-williamson-teaches-the-heresy-that-even-god-is-powerless-to-save-some-men.html

 

[5]           Quoted from St. Thomas Aquinas’s commentary on the work called The Sentences, written by Peter Lombard, the great medieval theologian called “The Master”, Book 4, dist. 46, Q.1, a.2, quaestiuncula 4, solutio 2, ad 3 (bracketed words added).

Here is the Latin:

ad tertium dicendum, quod damnare petrum, cui ex beneficio gratiae sibi collatae salus debetur, esset contrarium justitiae; unde hoc Deus non potest, loquendo de potentia ordinaria. sed salvare Judam non esset justitiae contrarium, sed praeter eam, ut patet ex dictis; sed tamen esset contrarium ejus praescientiae et dispositioni, qua ei aeternam poenam paravit; unde justitiae ordo non impedit quin posset salvare judam; sed impedit ordo praescientiae et dispositionis aeternae.

[6]           Sermon 62, De Passione Domini, in The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, F.M. Toal, D.D., translator, Regnery, Chicago, ©1955, vol. 2, p.183, (parenthetical citations are in the original; emphasis added; bracketed comments added to show the context).

 

[7]           The City of God, Bk. I, Ch. 17 (emphasis added).

 

[8]           Council of Trent Catechism, section The Sacrament of Penance, subsection Penance Proved To Be A Virtue, (emphasis added).

 

[9]           Council of Trent Catechism, section: The Sacrament of Holy Orders, subsection: The Right Intention, (emphasis added).

 

[10]         Dom Prosper Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, the volume called Passion and Holy Week, James Duffy, Dublin, ©1886, Second Edition, p.464 (emphasis added).

 

[11]         Although the conciliar church is a different religion, this does not mean that the pope is not the head of the Catholic Church although he is also a leader of the false conciliar religion.  To read more about the conciliar church being a different and false religion, read these articles:

 

Ø  https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/priests/sspx-to-aid-a-deal-i-e-a-personal-prelature-with-pope-francis-and-the-false-conciliar-church-the-sspx-relies-on-the-big-lie.html

 

Ø  https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/faith/nothing-good-conciliar-church.html

 

Ø  https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/faith/archbishop-lefebvre-the-conciliar-church-is-not-the-catholic-church-nor-a-mere-mindset-but-is-a-new-church.html

 

[13]         Crossing the Threshold of Hope, by Pope John Paul II, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, ©1994, p.186.

[14]         Words of von Balthasar quoted from his book, pages 185-187, published in a book review found here: https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Hope-That-All-Saved/product-reviews/B00JYIDM7M?pageNumber=3 (emphasis added).

 

There are other problems with von Balthasar’s words quoted here.  We do not discuss those other problems, such as his declaration that God’s redemptive work was “for” His creation.  Von Balthasar’s words fit with Vatican II’s heresy that “[M]an … is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself”.  Gaudium et spes, §24.  The truth is that God’s motive for doing all He does is for His own greater glory, rather than “for” His creatures.  Any other motive is unworthy of God.  Read a fuller explanation of this truth here: https://catholiccandle.neocities.org/priests/leroux-another-false-teaching.html

 

[16]         Pope St. Pius X describes modernists in terms of their break with tradition and their embrace of novel doctrines:

 

[T]hey pervert the eternal concept of truth and the true meaning of religion; in introducing a new system in which “they are seen to be under the sway of a blind and unchecked passion for novelty, thinking not at all of finding some solid foundation of truth, but despising the Holy and Apostolic Traditions.”

 

Pope St. Pius X, Pascendi Dominici Gregis, 1907, 13, quoting from the encyclical Singulari nos of Pope Gregory XVI, June 25, 1834 (emphasis added).

 

[17]         Von Balthasar’s book, in which he says Judas might be in heaven, is called: Dare We Hope “That All Men Be Saved?”  https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Hope-That-All-Saved/product-reviews/B00JYIDM7M?pageNumber=3

 

On April 23, 2020, so-called “bishop” Georg Bätzing (current head of the German bishops’ conference) promoted this same heresy of universal salvation when claiming that the coronavirus is not a punishment from God because: “My God has not known such thoughts since Jesus died for us.  That is when God made his decision for life.  God does not punish”.  https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/head-of-german-bishops-coronavirus-not-divine-punishment-since-god-does-not-punish (emphasis added).

 

[18]         On December 11, 2019, conciliar “archbishop” Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, connected Judas’s partial “rehabilitation” with the treatment of others who commit suicide:

 

“I always celebrate funerals for those who commit suicide, because suicide is always a question of unfulfilled love.  We must also remember that, for the Catholic Church, if someone says that Judas is in hell, he is a heretic.”  …

 

“I would like to remove ideology from these situations forever and for everyone,” the archbishop said.  “For me, those who take their own lives manifest the failure of the whole of society, but not of God.  And God never abandons anyone.” 

 

Everything within the block quotation is from the news report found here: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/abp-paglia-on-judas  The quotation marks show the words of (so-called) archbishop Vincenzo Paglia in this report.

Frequent Acts of Humility: an Anti-Pride Medicine

Posted on by Catholic Candle

 

Objective Truth Series – reflections article #10

In the last reflection we considered how important it is to look for and to want to do God’s Will and not our own.  We saw how seeking God’s Will helps us avoid frustration and discouragement.  We again saw the value of agere contra, as counterattacks to combat the devil.  Simply saying little quotes in one’s mind can have a tremendous impact on one’s attitude as well as help to foster acquired virtue.[1]  Because virtue is the repeated act of doing good and needs to be practiced over time, it is very important to repeat the action for any particular virtue sought.

Furthermore, Our Lord said, “He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  It follows that Our Lord is encouraging us to make acts of humility often.  Thus if we repeat humbling thoughts and/or prayers, even small ejaculations frequently, we will get into the habit of thinking and putting ourselves in our proper place.

Since God is the Sculptor of souls, He chooses a soul; He loves that soul and then makes the soul worthy of His Love.  If we make acts of humility and self-abnegation, then God won’t chisel us so hard.  In fact, our frequent acts of humility which are inspired by Him, are in a sense, our cooperating with the Divine Sculptor.  Thence, as a consequence, our wills become more and more submissive to God’s Will.

We can make little acts of humility anywhere and just about any time. Some examples of these little acts are:

 “My life is in Thy Hands, O Lord.”

“Thy Will be done, O Lord, not my will.”

“O God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (500 days indulgence)

“Without Thee, Lord, I can do nothing.”

“Jesus, Meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.”

Of course, these acts of the will and acts of self-abnegation are very helpful if they pertain to our particular faults.  For example, if one’s particular fault is pride in the form of impatience, one could say things like:

“Lord, You know how frail I am and how impatient I get, please help me patiently accept Thy Will”; or

“Help me to seek Thy Will in all the circumstances that come to me.”

Or one could use an even harder-hitting abnegation such as:

“Lord, You know how I ridiculous I am when I get upset at the least thing that conveniences me; please help me let go of my irritable will and cheerfully accept every circumstance that comes to me.”

These acts of humility remind us that we are worthless compared to God.  They keep us more recollected and living in the Presence of God.  When we keep in mind that, “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (St. James, 4:6), these acts will help us persevere and keep in Divine friendship.  All in all, by saying frequent acts of humility, we can fight pride and foster the virtue of humility.  

These acts then become like our daily doses of anti-pride medicine.  This anti-pride medicine is something we should be glad to self-administer very often, knowing that this medicine helps our souls so much and by this medicine, we will be pleasing God.  With all these preventative measures against pride in mind, our hearts could gladly praise God in words like these:

Through humble acts, though they be small,

One is reminded, he can fall,

No one is safe and none secure,

‘Cause for we humans, pride’s a lure.

 

By simple quotes and simple prayers,

Help us not be, caught unawares,

Pride is subtle, and Satan sly,

Can’t be seen, with the naked eye.

 

‘Tis why we need, to keep alert,

And very often, to assert,

Our wretchedness, how we are low,

And by this means, virtue can grow.

 

These acts do build, virtue’s muscle,

Can ev’n be said, mid daily bustle,

They give a boost, to one’s morale,

And ‘round passions, keep a corral.

 

So little by little, God’s Plan,

Has a striking effect, on man,

God’s chisel works, as blow by blow,

One’s littleness, one comes to know.

 

So he wants not, to self-exalt,

And only wants, to see his fault,

Let only God, not man be praised,

Let man by God, alone be raised.

 

So with joy, let lowly acts come,

And ev’ry day, try to make some,

With medicine, doses ‘gainst pride,

We’ll find ourselves, e’er on God’s side.


[1]           There are two types of each moral virtue: 1) an acquired virtue; and 2) an infused virtue.  The acquired moral virtues come from repeated acts, e.g., repeated acts of temperance cause the acquired virtue of temperance.  By contrast, God gives us infused moral virtues (e.g., the infused virtue of temperance) along with sanctifying grace.

Posted on by Catholic Candle

Words to Live by – from Catholic Tradition

The Voice of Christ:

Let not your heart be troubled……When you judge that almost all is lost, then very often you are in the way of gaining great merit.

The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis, Book III, Ch. 30.