Today is Feast of St. John Capistran C., a Franciscan, who organized Christians to crusade against the Moslems who threatened to overcome Europe. The Turks were defeated in 1453 at the battle of Belgrade and saved Christians.
We carry palm branches as a tribute of unending joy, before Christ, victorious over death; also as a symbol of our wavering fickleness, betraying Christ unto His Death. Jesus is our “example;” let us never lose sight of the eternal joy of “sharing in His Resurrection” when with Him we now “suffer on a cross” (Prayer). In glorious language we read how the Son of God became the “slave” of man; how “He humbled himself” and is now our pledge “in the glory of God the Father” (Epistle). Even as Christ adhered to the Father, so must we despite the seeming “prosperity of the sinner” (Gradual). The “long Gospel” enables us, as it were, to be eyewitnesses of Christ’s Passion and Death, revealing His Love “unto the end” on Calvary.
Today is Feast of St. John Capistran C., a Franciscan, who organized Christians to crusade against the Moslems who threatened to overcome Europe. The Turks were defeated in 1453 at the battle of Belgrade and saved Christians.
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The Crucifix over the main altar is veiled today. Think it over in amazement! Jesus is obliged to hide Himself when “humanity” ‘stones” ‘Divinity” (Gospel).
The Jewish synagogue makes its final decision to ignore the miracles, the doctrine and the sinless of Christ, even though all these were prophesied in their own Old Testament. Due to stiff necked pride and hard-hearted materialism, their part of the covenant had become a dead letter. Jesus makes a terrifying analysis of them: “You are not of God.” In the Epistle St. Paul indicates how the High Priest of the Old Testament offered the blood sacrifices of victim goats , an offering which acknowledged that man deserves to be done away with for trying to do away with God by sinful rebellion. He now beholds the Altar of Calvary where Jesus, Eternal High Priest, sheds His Precious Blood to “cleanse our conscience” and “to serve the Living God.” Let us not “stone” Christ or cause Him to hide Himself. Today, Psalm Judica me and Gloria Patri after the Introit and Psalm at Lavabo are omitted. Today is Feast of St. Benedict Abbot, of the VI Century who lived as a hermit in a cave near Subiaco, Italy, later formed monastic communities devoted to education of children. His Holy Rule based upon the Gospels, endures to this day. Benedictine Doctors of the Church include St. Gregory, St. Anselm, St. Bede, St. Bernard and St. Peter Damian. St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Boniface converted England and Germany respectively. Due largely to the Benedictines, Western Europe was converted to the True Faith. The Feast is celebrated as I Class in Benedictine houses, and is moved to Monday. This Week: Monday 22 March Mass of Monday After First Passion Sunday. In Benedictine houses, the feast of St Benedict will be celebrated. This also occurs in houses of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest who have St Benedict as one their patron saints. Tuesday 23 March Mass of Tuesday After First Passion Sunday. Wednesday 24 March Mass of Wednesday After First Passion Sunday, with commemoration of St. Gabriel Archangel, who was messenger to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation, proclaimed she was “full of grace...and blessed among women.” At Matins the Archangel says, “I am Gabriel, who stands in God’s presence, and I have been sent to announce this good tidings to thee.” The angel explained Mary would conceive by the Holy Ghost and bear a Son whom she should name Jesus, Savior. Mary exclaimed: “Behold the hand-maiden of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.” Thursday 25 March The I class Feast of the Annunciation of the BVM. Holy Day of Obligation. St. Anselm said: “The Eternal Father’s Son and the Virgin’s Son are one and the same.” Friday 26 March Is the important feast of the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary. By a special concession during the Season of Passiontide, the feast is celebrated in white vestments. Mary, Mother of Sorrows, I beseech thee, by the bitter agony thou didst endure at the foot of the Cross to offer to the Eternal Father, in my name, thy Beloved Son, Jesus, all covered with Blood and Wounds, in satisfaction for my sins, for the needs of Holy Church, the conversion of sinners, the relief of the Souls in Purgatory, and for the special grace I now implore. Amen. Mention your request. Saturday 27 March Mass of Saturday After I Passion Sun-day, with commemoration of St. John Damascene C. D. of Damascus, who died in 749. The Saint fought against the Iconoclasts who opposed veneration of statues and pictures of Our Lord and the Saints. Jesus then took the loaves and...distributed them to those reclining...as much as they wished” (Gospel).
We all “wish” to be fed with joy, now and forever. The discipline of Lent may sadden our poor frail nature, and so the Church analyses the causes of true joy on this “Rejoice” or Laetare Sunday (Introit). The first cause of genuine “joy” is a sincere Easter Confession. It emancipates us from the slavery of sin. We now enjoy the “freedom” of Christ’s Gospel of love because we have been freed from the “bondage” of that fear which prevailed in the days before Christ (Epistle). The second source of genuine “joy” is a fruitful Easter Communion for which preparation and thanksgiving have been made. The soul’s instinctive hunger is satisfied by this personal communing with God. The Host and Chalice of the Blessed Sacrament are open to all men regardless of race or nationality. Humanity fed with Divinity is joyously united in a real social and mystical union. Men will then ideally work for one another in “a city which is compact together” (Communion Verse). How did the custom of rose coloured vestments become established in the Church? It goes back to the IV Century when the Roman Empress, and wife of Constantine the Great, St. Helena, presented roses of pure gold to the heads of allied countries and important persons which were especially blessed by the Pope on this day. This became known as the Sunday of the Roses. Thus, the cus-tom arose of wearing rose coloured vestments which was extended to the whole Church although the custom of giving golden roses died out. In today's Gospel we see our Lord casting out a demon. And our Lord tells us what happens to the soul when the demon has been cast out. The devil returns and brings seven others worse than himself to enter that soul once again.
The devils do not always manifest themselves by taking possession of a body, in this manner. They much prefer to be unknown and unseen. Very likely most of the people that we know or see are under the influence of one or more demons. Heretics and apostates often become blind to the truth due to the influence of demons. If we wish to avoid a like misfortune, we must not allow ourselves to waste the graces and opportunities that God has given us. This season of Lent our Holy Mother the Church wishes us to examine our conscience so that we can make a good confession. The principal requisite for a good confession is contrition. True contrition is supernatural. Contrition is supernatural, when we are sorry for our sins, not on account of their natural evil consequences, but from a supernatural motive, because thereby we have offended God and deserved hell. If one were sorry for one's sins only from a natural motive, say, on account of the temporal loss, or from shame, or because sin is base and degrading, and unworthy of a rational being, this would be only a natural sorrow. Such a sorrow is good in itself, but it is not sufficient to obtain the forgiveness of sins. The reason is because those who have only a natural contrition, do not hate and detest the sin as such, but only the temporal evils of sin; they are not sorry for having offended God, but only for the temporal evils which they have brought on themselves by sin; and as their heart is not yet averted from the evil God cannot forgive them. Alas! There are many sinners who have only natural contrition. As for everything salutary for the welfare of the soul, so for true supernatural contrition, we need the grace of God, but because God wishes to be asked for His graces, at least for those subsequent graces by means of which we are saved, we must pray to Him to give us the grace of true contrition. The Saints did so. Saint Charles Borromeo every year entered into a spiritual retreat of at least eight days, in order to prepare himself for his annual confession. On the day on which he made it, he spent several hours on his knees, in order to ask God for the grace of true contrition, and yet St. Charles had scarcely a venial sin to confess. It is therefore desirable, not only to invoke the Holy Ghost at the beginning, but also after the examination of conscience, to pray God to give us the grace of true contrition. God is the King of heaven and earth. A subject who rebels against his king deserves death; what does the sinner deserve who raises the standard of rebellion against his God and with barefaced impudence says to him: "I will not serve Thee." God is goodness itself towards us and showers upon us numberless benefits; is it not the basest ingratitude towards Him to return evil for His goodness and benefits? What a horrible crime the Jews committed when they crucified Jesus? What does the sinner do? He renews the crime of the Jews as often as he commits a mortal sin, for he that sins crucifies Jesus anew. Consider how severely God punished the rebellious angels whom He cast out of heaven into the abyss of hell; Adam and Eve, who with their posterity, He chastised with his indignation and tribulations of every sort; the people in the days of Noah, whom he drowned in the deluge; the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, whom He destroyed by fire and brimstone. Let us consider what we lose by sin. We lose by every mortal sin sanctifying grace that grace purchased for us by the blood of Jesus; we lose all our previous merits as well as the supreme prerogative, obtained by our baptism, of being children of God and heirs, with His own divine Son, to the kingdom of heaven. What a loss! Lastly, let us consider what awaits the sinner. Hell. Hell with all its pains that will never end. Oh, who would not, considering all this, hate and detest sin above all things! Let us do all we can to obtain by the grace of God true supernatural contrition. Without contrition confession is useless, worse than useless. Without contrition, true and supernatural, no sinner can be saved. All of them that have ever been, saved, have been saved by contrition, while, on the other hand, every soul in hell today is there for want of contrition. Let us then follow in the footsteps of the true penitents, excite ourselves in every confession — nay, daily, to a hearty sorrow for our sins, that God may pardon us here and give us penitents a place in His kingdom hereafter. Amen. In all Dioceses of Wales today: St David, Patron of Wales
The earliest life of St David dates from five centuries after his death, probably in 589. He became eminent as abbot and bishop at the site now known as St David’s, but formerly Mynyw, from which the present diocese of Menevia is named. He is credited with a monastic rule based on the example of the Eastern Fathers, and also with a Penitentiary. He was invited to preside at the synod of Llandewibrefi. Monks trained at his monastery evangelized South Wales and made foundations in Cornwall, Brittany and Ireland. St David is said to have sent a Mass rite to Ireland. At his death his contemporary St Kentigern, founder of St Asaph’s in North Wales, witnessed in vision his joyful entrance into the joy of his Lord. His holy relics have been found hidden in the fabric of St David’s Cathedral, where they are carefully preserved. He was canonized by Pope Callistus II in 1123. GWEDDI AR DDEWI SANT: O Dduw a gyfododd y bendigedig Ddewi yn apostol ac yn noddwr I’th bobl yng Nghymru, caniata, atolygwn arnat, trwy ei eiriolaeth edfryd y bobl hyn I’r gwirionedd a ddysgwyd ganddo ef, a chael ohonynt fywyd tragwyddol. Trwy Iesu Grist ein Harglwydd. Amen. Dewi Sant, gweddïa dros Gymru! |
Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco: Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui facis mirabilia magna solus: praetende super famulos tuos, et super congregationes illis commissas, spiritum gratiae salutaris; et, ut in veritate tibi complaceant, perpetuum eis rorem tuae benedictionis infunde.
Any views expressed neither represent those of the Latin Mass Society or the Diocese of Wrexham.
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