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| How Can We Begin a Holy Life? Insights from Venerable Louis de Granada |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-24-2025, 10:32 AM - Forum: Articles by Catholic authors
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How Can We Begin a Holy Life? Insights from Venerable Louis de Granada
![[Image: 86d4f1e981e13536f1e39c2b718d400e_L.jpg]](https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/media/k2/items/cache/86d4f1e981e13536f1e39c2b718d400e_L.jpg)
Robert Lazu Kmita, Remnant Columnist, Romania | February 22, 2025
How can we become saints? As always, to find the answer to such questions, we turn to the great masters of Christian Tradition.
Chapter 5 of the Gospel according to Matthew concludes with an invitation that resonates throughout both the Old and New Testament:
“Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.”
This is a call to holiness which, for the baptized, is not optional but mandatory. But if we accept this, where should we begin? In other words, how can we become saints? As always, to find the answer to such questions, we turn to the great masters of Christian Tradition.
Return to the Gospel: The Essence of the Message of Fatima
Undoubtedly, the French Revolution was the event that sparked a wave of revolts against the Social Reign of Christ, a reign built upon the millennia-old alliance between altar and throne. In the centuries that followed, no supernatural event has been more significant than the apparition at Fatima (1917). The essence of this event can be summarized in the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, after the vision of hell, spoke plainly and clearly:
“The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI.”
If we add to this the threefold proclamation of the Angel, who held a flaming sword in his left hand, we find the key to overcoming the immense crisis the world and the Church are currently experiencing:
“Penance, Penance, Penance!”
The Queen of the Universe, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, calls us to cease committing evil; the Angel urges us to embrace that spiritual state and the penitential deeds associated with it, which alone can attract God’s mercy and His abundant graces upon us. In fact, the very essence of the Gospel is contained in this message. The words first spoken by the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, and then by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, were repeated by these two divine messengers who came to awaken the modern world from what Saint John Chrysostom called “the drunkenness of sin.” And these words tell us everything we need to know:
“Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
All the spiritual masters of the Christian era have “resisted unto blood, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4) in order to fulfill what God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Angel of Fatima insistently ask of us. Some saints went even further: they left us a priceless treasure—teachings on how to triumph in this battle “against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness” (Ephesians 6:12).
But everything has a beginning. What exactly is that beginning? If we decide to pursue the ideal of holiness, where do we start? Today, we will explore the teachings of one of the greatest masters of Christian mysticism and asceticism.
[/i]
![[Image: Luis_de_Granada.jpg]](https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/images/2024/Luis_de_Granada.jpg)
Fray Luis de Granada
Admirers of the Venerable Louis
If someone were to ask what saints such as Vincent de Paul, Teresa of Ávila, Francis de Sales, Rose of Lima, and Charles Borromeo have in common—besides their ardent love for God and neighbor—the answer would be easy to find: they were all great admirers of a particular author. And not just any author, but one who could truly be considered a “professional writer”—Venerable Louis of Granada (1504–1588).
His books on spiritual theology—especially the most famous ones: [i]The Book of Prayer and Meditation (1554), A Memorial of Christian Life (1565), and The Sinner’s Guide (1556–57)—are bestsellers in Christian spirituality. The vast number of editions and surviving copies attest to this. Beyond this empirical fact, the testimonies of saints who read his works are overwhelming.
For instance, one statement attributed to Saint Teresa of Ávila claims that reading his books contributed to the conversion of at least one million (!) souls in his time.[ii] Unfortunately, I have not yet identified the exact work where the Carmelite saint made this assertion. However, I have found another equally significant reference in her Constitutions. When discussing what kinds of books should be present in Carmelite monasteries, the abbess concludes the list with the following words:
“(…) and those books written by Fray Luis de Granada and by Father Fray Pedro de Alcantara. This sustenance for the soul is in some way as necessary as is food for the body.”[iii]
In a note discussing which books by Fray Luis the saint had in mind, editors identify the same three works mentioned above: The Book of Prayer and Meditation (Salamanca, 1554), The Sinner’s Guide (Lisbon, 1556), and The Memorial of Christian Life (Lisbon, 1565).[iv]
A book by Thomas Austin Dyson, Lives of Some of the Sons of St. Dominic, cites a letter from Saint Francis de Sales in which he offers valuable advice to another bishop on how to read the writings of the Venerable Dominican:
Quote:“Have by you Lewis of Granada entire. Let him be your second breviary. Saint Charles Borromeo had no other theology to preach but Lewis of Granada, yet he preached very well; but this is not his principal use; it is that he will form your mind to the love of true devotion and all spiritual exercises necessary for you. My wish is that you begin to read him with the great Guide for Sinners, that you then pass on to the Memorial, and, in fine, that you read all he wrote. But to read him with fruit you must not run through him hastily; he must be pondered, and have his full weight, and chapter after chapter must be mused upon and applied to the soul with much thought and prayer to God. You must read him with reverence and devotion, like a book containing the most useful inspirations man can receive from on high, and thereby reform all the powers of the soul.”[v]
Thus, what the great Doctor Caritatis recommended to his fellow bishop was not mere reading, but deep meditation on the texts of Venerable Louis (Luis/Ludovic) of Granada. Aware of the immense graces God bestows through his works, Saint Francis emphasized the discipline of reflection and prayer accompanying their reading, which can bring enormous spiritual benefits. The reason for this lies in the quality of Louis de Granada’s writings: they are not only clear but also simple without being simplistic, while also possessing great stylistic beauty. Undoubtedly, however, their clarity is their greatest strength.
The First and Most Powerful Remedy Against Sin
Among the many remedies, the first with which we can begin the path of meditation is The Sinner’s Guide. Despite its impressive length, the structure of the book is simple. More than half of it is dedicated to arguments in favor of a virtuous life. This reflects the conviction shared by all the saints throughout history: the defining trait of a Christian is a virtuous life.
At the end of the 28 chapters in which he presents every imaginable argument proving the necessity of virtue, the Venerable author reveals, in chapter 29, the first remedy against sin: a firm resolution not to commit it.[vi] This, then, is where anyone who wishes to fulfill the words of the Gospel must begin:
“Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
The decision to sin no more is also the response we must give to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who asks that the baptized cease offending God. For nothing is a greater offense against our Creator than sin itself. But what is the foundation of this resolution? The Venerable author draws our attention to two fundamental principles that underlie it. The first is stated at the beginning of Chapter 29:
Quote:“Before entering upon this subject, bear in mind that there; are two principles in which you must be firmly established if you would change your life and give yourself to God. The first is a just appreciation of the importance of the labor you are about to undertake; you must be convinced that this is the sole interest, the sole profit, the sole wisdom in the world.”
Then, after a series of substantial biblical citations, he presents the second principle:
Quote:“The second principle with which you must be imbued is that as this is such a glorious and profitable engagement, you must undertake it with vigor and a firm determination to conquer. Be persuaded that all the dangers which you will encounter will be of little moment compared to the sublime end you have in view. It is a law of nature that nothing great is accomplished without labor and trouble, You will no sooner have resolved to give yourself to God than Hell will send out its forces against you.”
Do not think that passages like this are meant to discourage us. On the contrary, the author seeks only to emphasize how serious and important this work is—the work of tending the soil of our own souls. We must break up the hardened ground, uproot all the weeds, and begin cultivating the good fruits of virtue. The beginning, however—rooted in the two principles above—is singular and emphasized with unwavering firmness:
Quote:“Your first determination must be a deep and unshaken resolution never to commit mortal sin, for it can only rob us of the grace and friendship of God. Such a resolution is the basis of a virtuous life.”
A statement like this is worth memorizing. At the very least, it should be repeated daily and recalled whenever we wish to make a good confession. Thus, according to the Venerable Louis of Granada, this is the true beginning of holiness. In summary, the matter is clear:
Quote:Holiness is synonymous with repentance for past sins, penitential works, and good (i.e., meritorious) deeds—all grounded in a firm decision to sin no more.
If we understand that by doing this, we fulfill both Christ’s call to penance and conversion as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary’s urgent request to cease offending God, we must acknowledge that we have every reason not to hesitate.
Sancta Maria, Auxilium Christianorum, ora pro nobis!
The texts containing the visions and the secret can be read on the official Vatican website: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congr...ma_en.html [Accessed: 22 February 2025].
[ii] Saint Teresa’s statement is mentioned, for example, on the EWTN website: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library...guide-9832 [Accessed: 17 February 2025].
[iii] The Collected Works of Sr. Teresa of Avila, Volume Three, Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriquez, O.C.D., Washington D.C., ICS Publications, Institute of Carmelitane Studies, 1985, p. 321.
[iv] Op. cit., p. 445, notes 7.
[v] Saint Francis of Sales, Letter of 3rd of June, 1603, quoted in Lives of Some of the Sons of St. Dominic, by a Father of the Same Order, New York: D.& J. Sadlier & Company, 1883, pp. 280-281.
[vi] This chapter of the book can be read here: https://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/guide29.htm [Accessed: 22 February 2025]. The entire work can be found online here: https://www.catholictradition.org/Classi...-guide.htm [Accessed: 22 February 2025].[/i]
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| Vatican says Pope Francis is still "critical" & "not out of danger." |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-23-2025, 05:44 AM - Forum: Pope Francis
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Pope Francis receives blood transfusions, Vatican keeping prognosis confidential
'This morning Pope Francis presented with an asthmatic respiratory crisis of prolonged magnitude, which also required the application of oxygen at high flows,' announced the Vatican, listing Francis' condition as 'critical.'
Feb 22, 2025
(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis, who remains in critical condition, was recently administered a blood transfusion and “high flows” of oxygen, the Vatican announced Saturday, adding that at this time his prognosis is being withheld from the public.
Per the Vatican:
Quote:The Holy Father’s condition continues to be critical, therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger.
This morning Pope Francis presented with an asthmatic respiratory crisis of prolonged magnitude, which also required the application of oxygen at high flows.
Today’s blood tests also showed plateletopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of hemotransfusions.
The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday. At the moment the prognosis is reserved.
Saturday’s update follows Friday’s press conference in which the doctors attending to Francis in the Gemelli stated that his condition is “fragile” and warned often that the 88-year-old is not out of danger.
The doctors did mention Friday that Francis was taking oxygen occasionally, but the Saturday update suggests that such use has become more frequent or more intense. Prior to Saturday, there had not been mention of Francis needing hemotransfusions.
Francis was taken to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome last Friday for bronchitis, and since then was diagnosed with double pneumonia in what was described as a “complex” medical scenario.
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| St. John Damascene - On the Assumption |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-23-2025, 05:35 AM - Forum: Doctors of the Church
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]ST JOHN DAMASCENE - THREE SERMONS ON THE ASSUMPTION
( κοίμησις)
[Taken from here]
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK BY MARY H. ALLIES
London
THOMAS BAKER
1 SOHO SQUARE, W.
1898
Imprimatur
Herbertus Cardinalis Vaughan
Archiepiscopus Westmonasteriensis
Die 12 Augusti 1898
SERMON I. ON THE ASSUMPTION
(κοίμησις).
The memory of the just takes place with rejoicing, said Solomon, the wisest of men; for precious in God’s sight is the death of His saints, according to the royal30 David. If, then, the memory of all the just is a subject of rejoicing, who will not offer praise to justice in its source, and holiness in its treasure-house? It is not mere praise; it is praising with the intention of gaining eternal glory. God’s dwelling-place does not need our praise, that city of God, concerning which great things were spoken, as holy.31 David addresses it in these words: ‘Glorious things are said of thee, thou city of God.’ What sort of city shall we choose for the invisible and uncircumscribed God, who holds all things in His hand, if not that city which alone is above nature, giving shelter without circumscription32 to the supersubstantial Word of God? Glorious things have been spoken of that city by God himself. For what is more exalted than being made the recipient of God’s counsel, which is from all eternity?
Neither human tongue nor angelic mind is able worthily to praise her through whom it is given to us to look clearly upon the Lord’s glory. What then? Shall we be silent through fear of our insufficiency? Certainly not. Shall we be trespassers beyond our own boundaries, and freely handle ineffable mysteries, putting off all restraint? By no means. Mingling, rather, fear with desire, and weaving them into one crown, with reverent hand and longing soul, let us show forth the poor first-fruits of our intelligence, in gratitude to our Queen and Mother, the benefactress of all creation, as a repayment of our debt. A story is told of some rustics who were ploughing up the soil when a king chanced to pass, in the splendour of his royal robes and crown, and surrounded by countless gift bearers, standing in a circle. As there was no gift to offer at that moment, one of them was collecting water in his hands, as there happened to be a copious stream near by. Of this he prepared a gift for the king, who addressed him in these words: ‘What is this, my boy?’ And he answered boldly: ‘I made the best of what I had, thinking it was better to show my willingness, than to offer nothing. You do not need our gifts, nor do you wish for anything from us save our good will. The need is on our side, and the reward is in the doing. I know that glory often comes to the grateful.’
The king in wonder praised the boy’s cleverness, graciously acknowledged his willingness, and made him many rich gifts in return. Now, if that proud monarch so generously rewarded good intentions, will not Our Lady (ἡ ὄντως ἀγαθὴ δέσποινα), the Mother of God, accept our good will, not judging us by what we accomplish? Our Lady is the Mother of God, who alone is good and infinite in His condescension, who preferred the two mites to many splendid gifts. She will indeed receive us, who are paying off our debt, and make us a return out of all proportion to what we offer. Since prayer is absolutely necessary for our needs, let us direct our attention to it.
What shall we say, O Queen? What words shall we use? What praise shall we pour upon thy sacred and glorified head, thou giver of good gifts and of riches, the pride of the human race, the glory of all creation, through whom it is truly blessed. He whom nature did not contain in the beginning, was born of thee. The Invisible One is contemplated face to face. O Word of God, do Thou open my slow lips, and give their utterances Thy richest blessing; inflame us with the grace of Thy Spirit, through whom fishermen became orators, and ignorant men spoke supernatural wisdom, so that our feeble voices may contribute to thy loved Mother’s praises, even though greatness should be extolled by misery. She, the chosen one of an ancient race, by a predetermined counsel and the good pleasure of God the Father, who had begotten Thee in eternity immaterially, brought Thee forth in the latter times, Thou who art propitiation and salvation, justice and redemption, life of life, light of light, and true God of true God.
The birth of her, whose Child was marvellous, was above nature and understanding, and it was salvation to the world; her death was glorious, and truly a sacred feast. The Father predestined her, the prophets foretold her through the Holy Ghost. His sanctifying power overshadowed her, cleansed33 and made her holy, and, as it were, predestined her. Then Thou, Word of the Father, not dwelling in place,34 didst invite the lowliness of our nature to be united to the immeasurable greatness of Thy inscrutable Godhead. Thou, who didst take flesh of the Blessed Virgin, vivified by a reasoning soul, having first abided in her undefiled and immaculate womb, creating Thyself, and causing her to exist in Thee, didst become perfect man, not ceasing to be perfect God, equal to Thy Father, but taking upon Thyself our weakness through ineffable goodness. Through it Thou art one Christ, one Lord, one Son of God, and man at the same time, perfect God and perfect man, wholly God and wholly man, one substance (ὑπόστασις) from two perfect natures, the Godhead and the manhood. And in two perfect natures, the divine and the human, God is not pure God, nor the man only man, but the Son of God and the Incarnate God are one and the same God and man without confusion or division, uniting in Himself substantially the attributes of both natures. Thus, He is at once uncreated and created, mortal and immortal, visible and invisible, in place and not in place. He has a divine will and a human will, a divine action and a human also, two powers of choosing (ἀυτεξούσια) divine and human. He shows forth divine wonders and human affections,—natural, I mean, and pure. Thou hast taken upon Thyself, Lord, of Thy great mercy, the state of Adam as he was before the fall, body, soul, and mind, and all that they involve physically, so as to give me a perfect salvation. It is true indeed that what was not assumed was not healed.35 Having thus become the mediator between God and man, Thou didst destroy enmity, and lead back to Thy Father those who had deserted Him, wanderers to their home, and those in darkness to the light. Thou didst bring pardon to the contrite, and didst change mortality into immortality. Thou didst deliver the world from the aberration of many gods, and didst make men the children of God, partakers of Thy divine glory. Thou didst raise the human race, which was condemned to hell, above all power and majesty, and in Thy person it is seated on the King’s eternal throne. Who was the instrument of these infinite benefits exceeding all mind and comprehension, if not the Mother ever Virgin who bore Thee?
Realise, Beloved in the Lord, the grace of to-day, and its wondrous solemnity. Its mysteries are not terrible, nor do they inspire awe. Blessed are they who have eyes to see. Blessed are they who see with spiritual eyes. This night shines as the day. What countless angels acclaim the death of the life-giving Mother! How the eloquence of apostles blesses the departure of this body which was the receptacle of God. How the Word of God, who deigned in His mercy to become her Son, ministering with His divine hands to this immaculate and divine being,36 as His mother, receives her holy soul. O wondrous Law-giver, fulfilling the law which He had Himself laid down, not being bound by it, for it was He who enjoined children to show reverence to their parents. ‘Honour thy father and thy mother,’ He says. The truth of this is apparent to every one, calling to mind even dimly the words of holy Scripture. If according to it the souls of the just are in the hands of God, how much more is her soul in the hands of her Son and her God. This is indisputable. Let us consider who she is and whence she came, how she, the greatest and dearest of all God’s gifts, was given to this world. Let us examine what her life was, and the mysteries in which she took part. Heathens in the use of funeral orations most carefully brought forward anything which could be turned to praise of the deceased, and at the same time encourage the living to virtue, drawing generally upon fable and fiction, not having fact to go upon. How then, shall we not deserve scorn if we bury in silence that which is most true and sacred, and in very deed the source of praise and salvation to all? Shall we not receive the same punishment as the man who hid his master’s talent? Let us adapt our subject to the needs of those who listen, as food is suited to the body.
Joachim and Anne were the parents of Mary. Joachim kept as strict a watch over his thoughts as a shepherd over his flock, having them entirely under his control. For the Lord God led him as a sheep, and he wanted for none of the best things. When I say best, let no one think I mean what is commonly acceptable to the multitude, that upon which greedy minds are fixed, the pleasures of life that can neither endure nor make their possessors better, nor confer real strength. They follow the downward course of human life and cease all in a moment, even if they abounded before. Far be it from us to cherish these things, nor is this the portion of those who fear God. But the good things which are a matter of desire to those who possess true knowledge, delighting God, and fruitful to their possessors, namely, virtues, bearing fruit in due season, that is, in eternity, will reward with eternal life those who have laboured worthily and have persevered in their acquisition as far as possible. The labour goes before, eternal happiness follows. Joachim ever shepherded his thoughts. In the place of pastures, dwelling by contemplation on the words of sacred Scripture, made glad on the restful waters of divine grace, withdrawn from foolishness, he walked in the path of justice. And Anne, whose name means grace, was no less a companion in her life than a wife, blessed with all good gifts, though afflicted for a mystical reason with sterility. Grace in very truth remained sterile, not being able to produce fruit in the souls of men. Therefore, men declined from good and degenerated; there was not one of understanding nor one who sought after God. Then His divine goodness, taking pity on the work of His hands, and wishing to save it, put an end to that mystical barrenness, that of holy (θεόφρονος) Anne, I mean, and she gave birth to a child, whose equal had never been created and never can be. The end of barrenness proved clearly that the world’s sterility would cease and that the withered trunk would be crowned with vigorous and mystical life.
Hence the Mother of our Lord is announced. An angel foretells her birth. It was fitting that in this, too, she, who was to be the human Mother of the one true and living God, should be marked out above every one else. Then she was offered in God’s holy temple, and remained there, showing to all a great example of zeal and holiness, withdrawn from frivolous society. When, however, she reached full age and the law required that she should leave the temple, she was entrusted by the priests to Joseph, her bridegroom, as the guardian of her virginity, a steadfast observer of the law from his youth. Mary, the holy and undefiled (πᾶνάμωμος), went to Joseph, contenting herself with her household matters, and knowing nothing beyond her four walls.
In the fulness of time, as the divine apostle says, the angel Gabriel was sent to this true child of God, and saluted her in the words, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.’ Beautiful is the angel’s salutation to her who is greater than an angel. He is the bearer of joy to the whole world. She was troubled at his words, not being used to speak with men, for she had resolved to keep her virginity unsullied. She pondered in herself what this greeting might be. Then the angel said to her: ‘Fear not, Mary. Thou hast found grace before God.’ In very deed, she who was worthy of grace had found it. She found grace who had done the deeds of grace, and had reaped its fulness. She found grace who brought forth the source of grace, and was a rich harvest of grace. She found an abyss of grace who kept undefiled her double virginity, her virginal soul no less spotless than her body; hence her perfect virginity. ‘Thou shalt bring forth a Son,’ he said, ‘and shalt call His name Jesus’ (Jesus is interpreted Saviour). ‘He shall save His people from their sins.’ What did she, who is true wisdom, reply? She does not imitate our first mother Eve, but rather improves upon her incautiousness, and calling in nature to support her, thus answers the angel: ‘How is this to be, since I know not man? What you say is impossible, for it goes beyond the natural laws laid down by the Creator. I will not be called a second Eve and disobey the will of my God. If you are not speaking godless things, explain the mystery by saying how it is to be accomplished.’ Then the messenger of truth answered her: ‘The Holy Spirit shall come to thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. Therefore He who is born to thee shall be called the Son of God.’ That which is foretold is not subservient to the laws of nature. For God, the Creator of nature, can alter its laws. And she, listening in holy reverence to that sacred name, which she had ever desired, signified her obedience in words full of humility and joy: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.’
‘O the depth of the riches, of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God,’ I will exclaim in the apostle’s words. ‘How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways.’ O inexhaustible goodness of God! O boundless goodness! He who called what was not into being, and filled heaven and earth, whose throne is heaven, and whose footstool is the earth, a spacious dwelling-place, made the womb of His own servant, and in it the mystery of mysteries is accomplished (το πάντων καινῶν καινότερον άποτελεῖ μυστήριον). Being God He becomes man, and is marvellously brought forth without detriment to the virginity of His Mother. And He is lifted up as a baby in earthly arms, who is the brightness of eternal glory, the form of the Father’s substance, by the word of whose mouth all created things exist. O truly divine wonder! O mystery transcending all nature and understanding! O marvellous virginity! What, O holy Mother and Virgin, is this great mystery accomplished in thee? Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Thou art blessed from generation to generation, thou who alone art worthy of being blessed. Behold all generations shall call thee blessed as thou hast said. The daughters of Jerusalem, I mean, of the Church, saw thee. Queens have blessed thee, that is, the spirits of the just, and they shall praise thee for ever. Thou art the royal throne which angels surround, seeing upon it their very King and Lord. Thou art a spiritual Eden, holier and diviner than Eden of old. That Eden was the abode of the mortal Adam, whilst the Lord came from heaven to dwell in thee. The ark foreshadowed thee who hast kept the seed of the new world. Thou didst bring forth Christ, the salvation of the world, who destroyed sin and its angry waves. The burning bush was a figure of thee, and the tablets of the law, and the ark of the testament. The golden urn and candelabra, the table and the flowering rod of Aaron were significant types of thee. From thee arose the splendour of the Godhead, the eternal Word of the Father, the most sweet and heavenly Manna, the sacred Name above every name, the Light which was from the beginning. The heavenly Bread of Life, the Fruit without seed, took flesh of thee. Did not that flame foreshadow thee with its burning fire an image of the divine fire within thee? And Abraham’s tent most clearly pointed to thee. By the Word of God dwelling in thee human nature produced the bread made of ashes, its first fruits, from thy most pure womb, the first fruits kneaded into bread and cooked by divine fire, becoming His divine person, and His true substance of a living body quickened by a reasoning and intelligent soul.37 I had nearly forgotten Jacob’s ladder. Is it not evident to every one that it prefigured thee, and is not the type easily recognised? Just as Jacob saw the ladder bringing together heaven and earth, and on it angels coming down and going up, and the truly strong and invulnerable God wrestling mystically with himself, so art thou placed between us, and art become the ladder of God’s intercourse with us, of Him who took upon Himself our weakness, uniting us to Himself, and enabling man to see God. Thou hast brought together what was parted. Hence angels descended to Him, ministering to Him as their God and Lord, and men, adopting the life of angels, are carried up to heaven.
How shall I understand the prediction of prophets? Shall I not refer them to thee, as we can prove them to be true? What is the fleece of David which receives the Son of the Almighty God, co-eternal and co-equal with His Father, as rain falls upon the soil? Does it not signify thee in thy bright shining? Who is the virgin foretold by Isaias who should conceive and bear a Son, God ever present with us, that is, who being born a man should remain God? What is Daniel’s mountain from which arose Christ, the Corner-Stone, not made by the hand of man? Is it not thee, conceiving without man and still remaining a virgin? Let the inspired Ezechiel come forth and show us the closed gate, sealed by the Lord, and not yielding, according to his prophecy—let him point to its fulfilment in thee. The Lord of all came to thee, and taking flesh did not open the door of thy virginity. The seal remains intact. The prophets, then, foretell thee. Angels and apostles minister to thee, O Mother of God, ever Virgin, and John the virgin apostle. Angels and the spirits of the just, patriarchs and prophets surround thee to-day in thy departure to thy Son. Apostles watched over the countless host of the just who were gathered together from every corner of the earth by the divine commands, as a cloud around the divine and living Jerusalem, singing hymns of praise to thee, the author of our Lord’s life-giving body.
O how does the source of life pass through death to life? O how can she obey the law of nature, who, in conceiving, surpasses the boundaries of nature? How is her spotless body made subject to death? In order to be clothed with immortality she must first put off mortality, since the Lord of nature did not reject the penalty of death. She dies according to the flesh, destroys death by death, and through corruption gains incorruption (φθορᾷ τὴν ἀφθαρσιαν χαρίζεται), and makes her death the source of resurrection. O how does Almighty God receive with His own hands the holy disembodied soul of our Lord’s Mother! He honours her truly, whom being His servant by nature, He made His Mother, in His inscrutable abyss of mercy, when He became incarnate in very truth. We may well believe that the angelic choirs waited to receive thy departing soul. O what a blessed departure this going to God of thine. If God vouchsafes it to all His servants—and we know that He does—what an immense difference there is between His servants and His Mother. What, then, shall we call this mystery of thine? Death? Thy blessed soul is naturally parted from thy blissful and undefiled body, and the body is delivered to the grave, yet it does not endure in death, nor is it the prey of corruption. The body of her, whose virginity remained unspotted in child-birth, was preserved in its incorruption, and was taken to a better, diviner place, where death is not, but eternal life. Just as the glorious sun may be hidden momentarily by the opaque moon, it shows still though covered, and its rays illumine the darkness since light belongs to its essence. It has in itself a perpetual source of light, or rather it is the source of light as God created it. So art thou the perennial source of true light, the treasury of life itself, the richness of grace, the cause and medium of all our goods. And if for a time thou art hidden by the death of the body, without speaking, thou art our light, life-giving ambrosia, true happiness, a sea of grace, a fountain of healing and of perpetual blessing. Thou art as a fruitful tree in the forest, and thy fruit is sweet in the mouth of the faithful. Therefore I will not call thy sacred transformation death, but rest or going home, and it is more truly a going home. Putting off corporeal things, thou dwellest in a happier state.
Angels with archangels bear thee up. Impure spirits trembled at thy departure. The air raises a hymn of praise at thy passage, and the atmosphere is purified. Heaven receives thy soul with joy. The heavenly powers greet thee with sacred canticles and with joyous praise, saying: ‘Who is this most pure creature ascending, shining as the dawn, beautiful as the moon, conspicuous as the sun? How sweet and lovely thou art, the lily of the field, the rose among thorns; therefore the young maidens loved thee. We are drawn after the odour of thy ointments. The King introduced thee into His chamber. There Powers protect thee, Principalities praise thee, Thrones proclaim thee, Cherubim are hushed in joy, and Seraphim magnify the true Mother by nature and by grace of their very Lord. Thou wert not taken into heaven as Elias was, nor didst thou penetrate to the third heaven with Paul, but thou didst reach the royal throne itself of thy Son, seeing it with thy own eyes, standing by it in joy and unspeakable familiarity. O gladness of angels and of all heavenly powers, sweetness of patriarchs and of the just, perpetual exultation of prophets, rejoicing the world and sanctifying all things, refreshment of the weary, comfort of the sorrowful, remission of sins, health of the sick, harbour of the storm-tossed, lasting strength of mourners, and perpetual succour of all who invoke thee.’
O wonder surpassing nature and creating wonder! Death, which of old was feared and hated, is a matter of praise and blessing. Of old it was the harbinger of grief, dejection, tears, and sadness, and now it is shown forth as the cause of joy and rejoicing. In the case of all God’s servants, whose death is extolled, His good pleasure is surmised from their holy end, and therefore their death is blessed. It shows them to be perfect, blessed and immoveable in goodness, as the proverb says: ‘Praise no man before his death.’ This, however, we do not apply to thee. Thy blessedness was not death, nor was dying thy perfection, nor, again, did thy departure hence help thee to security. Thou art the beginning, middle, and end of all goods transcending mind, for thy Son in His conception and divine dwelling in thee is made our sure and true security. Thus thy words were true: from the moment of His conception, not from thy death, thou didst say all generations should call thee blessed. It was thou who didst break the force of death, paying its penalty, and making it gracious. Hence, when thy holy and sinless body was taken to the tomb, the choirs of angels bore it, and were all around, leaving nothing undone for the honour of our Lord’s Mother, whilst apostles and all the assembly of the Church burst into prophetic song, saying: ‘We shall be filled with the good things of Thy house, holy is Thy temple, wonderful in justice.’ And again: ‘The Most High has sanctified His tabernacle. The mountain of God is a fertile mountain, the mountain in which it pleased God to dwell.’ The apostolic band lifting the true ark of the Lord God on their shoulders, as the priests of old the typical ark, and placing thy body in the tomb, made it, as if another Jordan, the way to the true land of the gospel, the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of all the faithful, God being its Lord and architect. Thy soul did not descend to Limbo, neither did thy flesh see corruption. Thy pure and spotless body was not left in the earth, but the abode of the Queen, of God’s true Mother, was fixed in the heavenly kingdom alone.
O how did heaven receive her who is greater than heaven? How did she, who had received God, descend into the grave? This truly happened, and she was held by the tomb. It was not after bodily wise that she surpassed heaven. For how can a body measuring three cubits, and continually losing flesh, be compared with the dimensions of heaven? It was rather by grace that she surpassed all height and depth, for that which is divine is incomparable. O sacred and wonderful, holy and worshipful body, ministered to now by angels, standing by in lowly reverence. Demons tremble: men approach with faith, honouring and worshipping her, greeting her with eyes and lips, and drawing down upon themselves abundant blessings. Just as a rich scent sprinkled upon clothes or places, leaves its fragrance even after it has been withdrawn, so now that holy, undefiled, and divine body, filled with heavenly fragrance, the rich source of grace, is laid in the tomb that it may be translated to a higher and better place. Nor did she leave the grave empty; her body imparted to it a divine fragrance, a source of healing, and of all good for those who approach it with faith.
We, too, approach thee to-day, O Queen; and again, I say, O Queen, O Virgin Mother of God, staying our souls with our trust in thee, as with a strong anchor. Lifting up mind, soul and body, and all ourselves to thee, rejoicing in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles, we reach through thee One who is beyond our reach on account of His Majesty. If, as the divine Word made flesh taught us, honour shown to servants is honour shown to our common Lord, how can honour shown to thee, His Mother, be slighted? How is it not most desirable? Art thou not honoured as the very breath of life? Thus shall we best show our service to our Lord Himself. What do I say to our Lord? It is sufficient that those who think of Thee should recall the memory of Thy most precious gift as the cause of our lasting joy. How it fills us with gladness! How the mind that dwells on this holy treasury of Thy grace enriches itself.
This is our thank-offering to thee, the first fruits of our discourses, the best homage of my poor mind, whilst I am moved by desire of thee, and full of my own misery. But do thou graciously receive my desire, knowing that it exceeds my power. Watch over us, O Queen, the dwelling-place of our Lord. Lead and govern all our ways as thou wilt. Save us from our sins. Lead us into the calm harbour of the divine will. Make us worthy of future happiness through the sweet and face-to-face vision of the Word made flesh through thee. With Him, glory, praise, power, and majesty be to the Father and to the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
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| The Catholic Trumpet: +ABL’s Uncompromising Rejection of the 1983 “Code of Canon Law” |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-23-2025, 05:27 AM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet
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+ABL’s Uncompromising Rejection of the 1983 “Code of Canon Law”
The Catholic Trumpet | February 22, 2025
The 1983 Code of Canon Law is not merely a legal revision—it is a modernist betrayal of the Church, condemned outright by Archbishop Lefebvre. This episode exposes how this Vatican II-inspired Code:
Undermines the authority of the Church by adopting the errors of collegiality
Abolishes the distinction between clergy and laity, paving the way for laicization
Legalizes ecumenical sacrilege, including "Eucharistic hospitality"
Dismantles the priesthood, replacing the altar of sacrifice with a Protestantized ministry
Using verbatim quotes from Archbishop Lefebvre, compiled by catacombs.org, we demonstrate why this modernist Code must be rejected. Yet, the Neo-SSPX has adopted it following Bishop Fellay’s 2012 agreement with Rome.
This episode is not speculation—it is historical, theological, and doctrinal fact.
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| The Catholic Trumpet: Fr. Ruiz Sermon Transcription - Ambiguity in Actions Also Destroys The Faith |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-22-2025, 08:35 AM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet
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Ambiguity in Actions Also Destroys The Faith
![[Image: rs=w:1280]](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df55e1a9-c854-4d0b-a2a9-94177954436c/IMG_1653.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1280)
The Catholic Trumpet [slightly adapted and reformatted,emphasis mine] | February 21, 2025
The original audio of Father Ruiz was delivered in Spanish and has been translated into English. We have taken every precaution to ensure the accuracy of these transcriptions. However, should you find any errors, we kindly ask that you notify us at thecatholictrumpet@gmail.com.
Fr. Ruiz, 02/02/2025
The Feast of the Purification
February 2, The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, and also the Feast of the Candelaria (The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple).
Reading of the Epistle of the Prophet Malachi: “Know that I send my angel to prepare the way before you, and soon the Lord of hosts will come to His temple, whom ye seek, and the angel of the covenant which ye desire. Behold, the Lord of hosts is coming, but who shall bear the day of His coming? And who shall stand up to see? For He shall be like the burning fire, and like the firewood of the firewood-tree, and He shall sit down like the one who melts and purifies the silver, and He shall purify the children of Levi, and He shall crucify them like gold and silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to God with holiness. And the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem shall be gracious to the Lord, as in the past centuries, and in the ancient centuries, says the Almighty Lord.”
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke: “In that time, the days of the purification of Mary, according to the law of Moses, they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord. And to offer in sacrifice, as it is commanded in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two pigeons. There was in Jerusalem a just and fearful man of God, named Simeon, who awaited the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit dwelt in him. And he had revealed to the Holy Spirit that he would not die without first seeing the Christ of the Lord. He then came to the temple moved by the Holy Spirit, and when they entered, the child Jesus with His parents to comply with the law, with him according to the law, Simeon taking Him in his arms, he praised God and said, Now, Lord, leave your servant in peace. According to your word, because my eyes have seen your Savior, whom you have put before the face of all the peoples, as a light that illuminates the gentiles and glory of your people Israel.”
Before I start, I think that everything has been finalized, that Monsignor Williamson passed away recently. I have been praying for him, especially offering the Mass for the [eternal] rest of his soul. And as it may be, he has ordered several bishops to ensure continuity, because in the Fraternity of St. Pius X they no longer want to be bishops, apparently, or [if they do], they will do it according to the conditions imposed by the Vatican, or the Pope, and all that is very doubtful. I do not know how all [of] this is going to happen. In any case, Monsignor Williamson, I think the best thing he has done in his life is to ensure the continuity of the Episcopal [Episcopacy] in the Tradition. At the end of his life, he had [said] some things... some statements that we may not have been very much in agreement with, but we must at least, I think, recognize the merit of [him] having ensured the continuity of the Episcopal [Episcopacy], because today there are no longer bishops who profess the Faith. So let's not forget to pray for his soul, for the rest of his soul, and continue to support the Church, the little that remains of the Tradition in the Church, which are already very few, and which is reduced to a new crisis. There was already a crisis in the Church, a crisis in the world, now [there is] a crisis in Tradition. We need what they call today “resistance”, because it is really the continuation of Tradition, the continuation of the work of Monsignor Lefebvre, the continuation of the same Faith, and that is what we should be proud of belonging to, to that branch that still wants to profess the whole Faith of the Church. And that's where all the Faith of the Church is professed, and this is the [state of the] Church.
I also brought some books on the position of the Church, especially for families. If you want to buy one, after the Mass, we have them available. We have this small booklet with a speech by Pope Pius XII and with a text by Monsignor Toth- Monsignor T. Hammer Toth- who is also an authority in the Church.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are celebrating the Feast of the Candelaria (The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ), the Feast of the Purification of the Most Holy Virgin, which is celebrated on February 2, and which is the last Christmas Feast, which is linked to the mystery of the birth of Our Lord, and which still reminds us of when Our Lord was a child, when He was little. Our Lady took Him to the Temple, as was prescribed at that time by the Old Law, the Old Law of God, the Old Law of Moses, which at that time was still in force, and which later ceased to be in force after Our Lord promulgated the New Law, the New Testament, that Testament which is now in force, and the Old Testament is no longer in force, but at that time it was in force, and that is why Our Lord, the Virgin Mary, [and] St. Joseph, respected these precepts of the ancient practices of the Old Law of God.
Then they went, as was customary, to present the Child Jesus, and also the Virgin Mary, as was prescribed of the Purification, which was done for women after having had a child. The Virgin Mary did not really need to be purified, because she was already pure. In fact, her presence in the Temple purified the Temple. She was so holy, but she submitted to the Law with all humility, [and] with all obedience. Then she took the Child Jesus, and was received by the Elder Simeon, who had a prophetic spirit, and God had revealed to him that he would see the Messiah. And he had that great grace to take the Child Jesus in his arms, and to say the Nunc Dimittis, which is a very beautiful prayer, which is said every day in the office of the priests, in the office of the Church, in the breviary, and it is said every day in the evening prayers.
So this Presentation of Jesus Christ is the same thing that we have done right now, before the Mass, in the procession, just as the Virgin took Him in her arms and took Him to the Temple, so we have taken the lit candle, which is a symbol of Jesus Christ. That candle that is lit, and that fire that represents the light of God, the light of truth, the light of divinity, and at the same time it is a candle made of wax, which symbolizes the purest flesh of the Child God, and the wick symbolizes His soul. But this procession also reminds us that we are in this life, we are passing by, we are passing through this world, and throughout our lives, we carry the testimony of our Faith in Jesus Christ, and we must give testimony of that Faith. That is why this is the symbolism of the procession. We are passing through this world and we carry that candle that symbolizes Faith, which also symbolizes Jesus Christ, that [is why] we carry it.
You can also see in the procession, the Church, the Holy Church, which is in this world without being from this world, and that passes through the centuries always carrying the same Faith, and continuing the work of Christ through the centuries, and she does not stop walking, right? So the Church has already passed 20 centuries of the coming of Jesus Christ, and the Church continues, the Church continues to give testimony of the truth, the truth of Jesus Christ, and to transmit to [us] the same Jesus Christ. Because the Church transmits to us in the Eucharist, the same Jesus Christ- He communicates it to us, He gives it to us to eat, and the Church has always done the same throughout the centuries, to transmit what we have received.
That is the notion of tradition. 'Tradition' means to transmit, that is what it means in Latin, right? Tradition means to deliver, to transmit. That is the mission of the Church, and in this time of darkness, the same Church, the same Catholics, Catholicism is in darkness. Why? Because there is no longer that full profession of Faith. If you have a profession of Faith, many people say “they believe”, but their Faith is very ambiguous, it is not known exactly what they think, and they themselves do not know well what they think, and what they should believe. So there are few people who have the total profession of Faith, the profession in all the truths of our Faith, not only in some, not only in a general way, right? We can say, “Well, I believe in the Church”, “I believe, yes, it is fine”, but it is not enough, we must believe in all the truths that the Church teaches, and that is [what it means] to continue the Church, that is [what it means] to continue the tradition, that is [what it means] to continue to maintain the Faith, the Faith of the Church.
Because if the Church lets us believe in [just] a single truth of the Faith, then it would no longer be the Church, it would have already failed, and as our Lord says, “The Church will not be destroyed”, that is the prophecy that our Lord said: “The gates of hell will not prevail against it”, that is to say that the Church will not be destroyed until [His] Second Coming. But the Church can be reduced [to a small] number of people, but there will always be at least some people who have the total profession of Faith, the partial profession is not enough. It is not enough, we have to have the profession of all the truths, not only of part of the Faith, but of all the dogmas of the Faith. If we have most but an exception of one only, no, there is no longer any Faith, it is no longer the Catholic Faith, it has to be all the truths of the Faith. They (the truths of the Faith) have to be professed, and that notion of the total profession, many people no longer understand, they do not understand the need for all of the Faith to be professed.
Some say, “Yes, I have faith, I believe in many things”, but they do not see the necessity that we must accept all of the Faith, all the truths of the Faith without exception. And it is not enough that I profess some things, I must profess all, all the truths of the Faith. That is why the Church taught us the Creed, in the Creed it is like a compendium, so small, of all the truths of the Faith, although some are contained in other truths, but it is there to tell us, “I believe in all that is the Faith of the Church.” So the devil is very cunning, and tries to corrupt the Faith, and sometimes he says “Yes, yes, but nothing else”, a detail, right? And in that way you also lose the Faith, right? Like if I were to deny, like the heretics in history who accepted everything, but they only denied one thing, and that's why they were no longer Catholic, that's why they were excommunicated, that's why they were condemned by the Church, that's why they were thrown out of the Church, because they did not have the Catholic Faith.
So today people no longer understand the value of that intransigence, that is, [to] accept everything, I cannot make exceptions in matters of the Faith, I can make exceptions in other things, right? I can give you another shirt, I can give you something else that I have, even if I run out of that, right? Of course, in those things you can make exceptions, but in matters of the Faith, there are no exceptions that can be made, as long as they are truths of the Faith. Sometimes there are things that are not really of the Faith, which are opinions, or which are things that we do not know well, but what the Church has defined, what the Church has taught, what is in our catechisms, many people despise the catechism, but the catechism is the compendium of the truths of our Faith, too, and it is very important to reread the catechism, even if one is an adult. [It is] what we do in the seminary, when us priests study at the seminary, it is the same, it is the catechism, but much more explained, much more detailed, that is what is called the Theology of the Church, which has always been the same, the same, the same truths, but more explained, more detailed.
We must always return to the source of our Faith, and have that mentality that the whole truth must be accepted. There can be no exceptions. You cannot say, “Well, I think…” like people with that democratic spirit say today: “No, I don’t believe this”, or “I think that is true” or “I think that is not true.” No, in matters of the doctrine of the Church, we cannot give an opinion.
There are some things that the Church has not yet explained to us, so we do not know what to think. In those cases, one can give an opinion, because the Church has not yet established an answer. However, this is not something that happens every day, that there are certain things the Church has not yet pronounced upon. On these specific occasions, in those cases, on those points, one can say, “Well, maybe it is like that”, or “Maybe it is another way”. But when the Church has already taught or clarified something, we have no right to be giving our own opinion on it. There are people who say, “No, I think that it can be aborted in the first three months”, or “I think it can be aborted at the beginning, because I think it is still not a child”, but Pope Pius XII already spoke about that and said that when children are conceived at the time of fertilization, at that time God infuses the soul, and it is already a child, it is already a person, even if it is the size of a [single] cell. There is no longer the right to an opinion, because the Pope has already spoken, [he has] already said, so we have no right to say “No”. That is the democratic mentality that there are so many people today who want to impose authority “because we are several”, “because we are many”, “because we all think like that”. No, in the Church it is not like that, the teaching comes from above, it comes from Jesus Christ.
We must preserve that legacy of Tradition, it is what we are trying to do, it is what we are trying to do, to preserve the traditions [of the Faith], and that is why we are [being] persecuted, we are [being] ignored, we are [being] discredited, right? As in the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, to the priests who have come out, they say, “No, they are sedevacantists”, that is the great trick that they pull out when a priest does not agree with them, “They are sedevacantists”. They also accused me of being a sedevacantist, but for them it is very easy to speak that way, but they are making a concession, why? Because in the Faith I can't just say, “I believe”, I must prove it in my actions, to show whether I am professing my Faith or not.
Lets say, for example, I am sharing a ceremony with the Protestants, in other times it would be called communicatio in sacris, that is, if I, as a Catholic, want to do a ceremony with the Protestants, it is called the communicatio in sacris, and it is a very serious sin. And a person who did that was excommunicated. They would be punished in past times, and they would be suspected of heresy. Even the priests, if they did something like that, they would be suspended- they could no longer say the Mass, they could no longer confess, or, [for doing this], they were even excommunicated. So why can't we all pray together with the Protestants? Because they do not have the same Faith. “Ah, but what matters is that I continue to believe what I believe, even if he says what he says, I still believe what ” No, this is wrong because you are doing something that is distorting what you believe.
So it is not enough to say, “I believe”, you also [must] show what you believe through your actions. And there are actions that are incompatible with your Faith, right? If you do an act that is contrary to the Faith, even if you say, “I won’t abandon my Faith, I still believe”, it cannot be. In the same action that you do, you are already losing the Faith. So this is something that is very important. The Faith is not just a question of saying, “I think so”, but it is also linked to your actions. So if I do something that distorts my Faith, I am denying my Faith, therefore I cannot pray with a Protestant.
Today many people respond, if one says, “Let's pray the [i]Our Father with a Protestant”, they will say, “Ah, how good, even though we are not of the same religion, at least we are praying together”. That's what people think. Well, no, that's a very serious sin, because that person does not have the same Faith as us. And if I pray with her, I am communicating with her faith, and I am distorting mine. It is a sin to pray with someone who is not Catholic. Today people do not see that. They do not understand that. And it seems nice to them, “Ah, the Pope was with the Buddhists, he was with the Protestants, and they prayed together. Oh, how beautiful, how romantic, what charity, how much charity”. And that is a deception, and it is a great sin. That is communicating in things that cannot be communicated, because we do not have the same Faith. So I cannot pray with them, because they do not believe the same. They do not have the same Faith, we do not have the same Faith. I cannot pray with a Protestant.
It does happen sometimes that there are cases where Protestants come to a Catholic Mass, to see what? To see and to meet. Well, in that case, he is the one who joins us, but it is not us who join him. It is very different. And sometimes there are people who are starting to convert, to approach the true Faith. Well, yes, they can attend a Mass, but they are there, and they are the ones who come to us, but it is different when I go to them, or if I go to participate in a ceremony of theirs, or if I go to participate in a prayer of theirs. Not only a ceremony, but also a prayer. Today many people do not understand this, because they have already been communicating that ecumenical spirit, that conciliar spirit, and then they are making a compromise, by saying that they are “Catholic”, but in their actions they are doing something that discredits their Faith, that contradicts their Faith. And they do not see it, because their priests no longer remember that, and no longer see the need for intransigence in the Faith.
So there are actions that are a little more difficult to understand, because the Church has always recommended not to collaborate with people of another religion. And today many people say, “No, we are just working together”, right? In politics, the Church has always discouraged collaborating with people who are not Catholic, right? So today there are political parties that say, “Ah, it's just that I defend life, I defend this”. But be cautious. I mean, the Church says you have to be very careful with that, because if we get too involved with them, we are also in a situation that can be dangerous. The Church has always forbidden Catholics from collaborating with Protestants, unless they put very strict rules on things that could happen, but it is very difficult, right? So this is another way to undermine our Faith, that is, to do actions that endanger our Faith. For example, we are seeing that modernism has taken control in the Church, in the structure of the Catholic Church, and the [modernists] are the ones who govern. In other times they would be punished, [it would be] forbidden, because now they are the ones who have taken power, who have made a coup in the Church. But all that is abnormal, so we cannot agree, we cannot collaborate with them, because the fact of collaborating [with them] puts us in danger.
So when a priest [hears confessions], if he [meets the] Catholic criteria, he is going to give good advice to the penitents, he is going to give advice that is really useful to them, that helps them, but if I have principles that are not Catholic, I am going to give deviated advice, I am going to hurt them, I am going to disorient them. So that is why we do not advise the faithful to go to confession to modernist priests, because they have another theology, another way of seeing things. So that hurts the person, I am not saying that one day or another it is going to take away their Faith, but it puts them in danger, it puts them in danger.
And we do not have the right to do things that somehow limit our Faith or weaken it. So that prudence that we need to have, if I, even more serious, a priest who has the true Faith, the true Tradition of the Faith of the Church, and wants to put himself in the orders of a bishop, who is a modernist, what is the modernist bishop going to tell him? Well, he is going to tell him, “Well, do not confess because it is no longer necessary to confess”, he is going to tell him anything, because he has other principles, another doctrine, and that is going to hurt not only the priest who wants to obey him, but also the people who are going to depend on that priest.
So it is going to create a situation of error, a situation of error that is harmful, and that weakens the priest, because he is going to do things with another criteria, and it is going to be a serious problem, right? I had the case of a person who was dying, and they sent him, they went to ask a priest in the official church, and they sent him a modern priest, who did not even [hear his] confession, he did not [even] give him the Extreme Unction, he only gave him a reading, to the patient, I do not know if he could understand what he said, and that was all he did, and he left. So that priest who is doing this, not giving the aid to a dying person as it should be, but those are the criteria that the modernist bishops have today. So I can not put myself [under] the orders of a modernist bishop, because that is putting my Faith in danger, and the Faith of the people who depend on me. So that wrong attitude does a lot of damage, and also contradicts the Faith, right? I cannot, I cannot do that.
So that's the problem today of the Fraternity (SSPX), that they are already in collaboration, they are no longer saying, “Ah, we recognize the Pope, we pray for the Pope”. It is not that, they are already collaborating, and not only are they collaborating, they are listening to what the bishops of the dioceses ask them. In the Fraternity, they say “Ah, the bishop told us this, you have to do this”, but [the bishop] does not [take care of] those people, and he is a modernist. What advice are they going to give them? What are they going to ask the priests? Are they going to disorient them?
There is a case that I already said the other day, that in Houston there were about ten families, people who came from the modern church, but they wanted to get closer to Tradition. And they asked a priest of the Fraternity (SSPX) if he could help them, if he could assist them. And he told them, “No, I have to ask the bishop for permission.” That is, if the bishop, if he had said “No”, he would have abandoned these faithful. So, he is no longer acting according to Tradition, according to the spirit of Monsignor Lefebvre, who founded the Fraternity to assist all his abandoned faithful who were in the world, who did not have traditional priests. But now in the Fraternity they say, “No, if the bishop does not give me permission, I cannot help you.”
There are people who ask for the sacraments and do not go. For example, there are people who are in the hospital, who are very sick, and who are dying, and they ask [the SSPX priests] and they do not go. They say, “No, we only take care of our faithful.” But those are slogans of the official church. Surely, they are slogans, that is, “You only take care of your faithful”. They do not want the Fraternity to grow, they do not want the Tradition to develop.
So, they just want to be limited where they are, in their churches. But those are slogans of the modernist bishops. They have a whole other criterion to confer the Sacraments. The Church has conditions to give the Sacrament of Baptism, it has conditions to give the sacrament of Marriage, which are no longer the same, they are no longer the same as before. So, today they have another criteria, but they don't have the Catholic criteria. So, if I want to collaborate with them, or they fold to me, or I fold to them, but we cannot do both at the same time.
So, if we put ourselves under people who are losing the Faith, who have already lost it, and who have a modernist criteria, then they will tell me things that are wrong. [For example], how to confess, what is a sin, and what is not a sin, right? [They will tell me] in what cases a person can be married, in what cases they cannot? So, that's another pastoral [related example]. But every pastoral [guidance] is always inspired by Faith, the principles of Faith. We have very different principles of Faith, because we cannot act in the same way, and so we cannot collaborate.
When one makes imprudent acts in matters of Faith, it is a sin against Faith. For example, if I do actions that are imprudent in matters of Faith, then I'm sinning against Faith, because I'm exposing my Faith- I'm putting it in danger. So, sometimes that's a serious problem, right? A serious problem in matters of Faith. And I cannot, I should not [put my faith in danger]. So, it's not enough to say, “We are traditionalists, we are the children of Monsignor Lefebvre, we follow what he told us.” This is not true, they do not follow it, because Monsignor Lefebvre clearly says that 'we must separate ourselves from this Conciliar Church.' They do not want to accept that the Conciliar Church is another Church, that it is a different Church. Just because it is usurping the positions of the Church, of the true Church, it does not mean that it is the true Church. And that's something mysterious, right? That the Conciliar Church and the Catholic Church are apparently mixed, and it's something mysterious, but we know well what the true Church is. It is the true Tradition, and we must stay on that line, on that path, which is not just ours, it is not our “opinion”. The church has existed for 2,000 years, and we are following the same path, the same Faith. As we did today, the same procession, carrying the candle, which symbolizes Faith, so the Church has continued through the centuries to transmit, to continue, the same profession, the same Faith.
If you read the lives of the saints from the first centuries, they believed the same as us, they were exactly the same, they did not think like Luther, they did not think like the Protestants, no, no, no, they would say the opposite. You have to read Saint Augustine, you have to read the Fathers of the Church. They had the same Faith as us, they were not modernists, they were not this laxity that we see today in the official Church, [where] everything is allowed. You have to read the saints of the first centuries, and they also had the moral understanding, and [taught] that we should not communicate (ecumenically) with those who are not Catholic, because it is a sin. Today they are the Protestants, at that time they belonged to other religions, they had other heresies, and the Catholics stayed away from them. For example, St. Athanasius stayed away from the bishops who were Arians, because they did not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, already at that time there was no ecumenism, but there were those who wanted to mix things up too.
So we must understand that we are not alone, we are not separated, we are not separated from what has happened before, we are not the only Catholics there have been, there is a continuity through the centuries, there is a continuity, and [with] this continuity, we are in communion with all the saints of the history of the Church, with all the popes, with all the bishops, with all the good people who have lived, that one day we will meet, after the final trial. We will meet all those people and we will [see] that everything that happened to them has also happened to us, that is, the persecution, the enmity with the world, the difficulties, the crosses, and the same Faith. We are in communion [with them], but we sometimes think only of what happens to us. We do not think that the Church is one, and that we are, through the centuries, we have always had the same thoughts, the same Faith, the same Charity, and the same unity in Faith. And that is very important, that we put ourselves in that perspective, because if not, maybe one day we will say, “No, I'm finally going to go back to hear the New Mass, I'm going to go back, because everyone does that”, because I don't see that I'm really continuing the Church, and that today I represent the Church, at this time I represent the Church, we represent the Church.
So it is a great grace, it is a great grace from God, that God grants us to be [alive] today, because there are people who are traditionalists, but they do not appreciate what they have. And they [think this way], because someone saw it wrong, or because a priest made them reflect, even if it was unfair, even if it was unfair, they do not have to abandon tradition for that. They do not realize how important Tradition is today, and that today it is the few that remain, the few that are left, the few Catholics. We do not have the right to play with that, because it is a great grace, and a sign of predilection from our Lord, in our time, to understand what is happening, and to know where the true Faith is, where the true Church is, and if I do not understand that, or I do not want to understand it, because I am doing an act of negligence, it is a sin.
And to leave Tradition, for any problem, and I have seen many cases of people like that, who did not really appreciate the value of having the Mass, having the true Sacraments, the true Mass. And then they [start] looking for other things, who knows what, and they get away from the true Tradition, sometimes for human whims, sometimes because they want to follow their way of seeing things, and that is a ... God will ask for much stronger accounts (will hold us to a higher standard), those who knew the truth, and who got away from it, God will ask for stronger accounts, as Our Lord said, “He who lived without the law, will be judged without the law, but he who lived with the law, will be judged with the law,” that is, the one who received more, will be asked for more, and the one who received less, will be asked for less, so will be the judgment of God be.
But there are people who waste the graces of God, they waste them, and they say, “No, I do not have time”, “Ah yes, yes, it is true, the Mass is very important, the rosary is very important, yes, it is true, but I do not have time”, “I have something more important [to do]”, “I cannot do this now”. They recognize [the truth], but at the same time they do not want to recognize [it], in their actions. Those people waste opportunities. God gives us opportunities to be better, to sanctify us, and today, it is more difficult to save yourself. In this world it is more difficult to save yourself, much more difficult to save yourself than in other times. If someone has the grace, to have the Tradition, to have the true Sacraments, and they waste it, they will be asked, with much more severity, accounts (regarding their private judgement), with more severity, they will be asked for an account [of the graces given], for the waste, that they made of that opportunity, right?
So, “Yes, yes, I am very traditional, but I do not pray the Rosary”, why? “Oh, it's because I do not feel like it”, “That is, I prefer to watch a movie”, “I prefer to go eat here, go eat there”, and they do not pray the Rosary. No, today you have to pray the Rosary, we are in an emergency situation, the world is in an emergency situation, and we know it well, why don’t they pray? Why don’t we pray? So, you have to be careful with that.
Faith, certainly, is something that is in our mind, in our heart, especially in our mind, and it is the truth, and the addition of our will, our will to the truths of Faith, to what God said, to what God taught, to the teaching of God. So, you have to, you have to, you have to believe, but it is not enough to believe, if there are no works, because bad works destroy Faith, bad works are sometimes incompatible with Faith. If I say, I have the Faith, and I go and participate in an act of worship, in a protestant [worship], I am doing a contradictory act with my Faith, even if I say, internally I don’t deny [my Faith].
Lately, there was a movie released, from a person who, by the way, we know is an anti-Christian, but they released a movie, of the missionaries in Japan, and, at first, that movie seems very well done, and it seems to even take part, by the Catholics of Japan, the martyrs of Japan, but it says that one of them, a priest, was imprisoned by the pagans, and they forced him to practice their religion, so he practiced that religion, but inside “he still had Faith”, that is a deception, that movie. Many people who have seen it, believe that it is was a good movie, but it is enunciating an error, if I do acts that are contrary to my Faith, I can not keep it, because there are acts, for example, there are acts that are a sin, there are acts that are against Faith, for example, [to] profess another religion, which is not my religion, that is an act that is contrary to the Faith, directly. I cannot practice a religion, or simulate, live in another religion, and keep Faith inside [of] me, it is not possible. You lose it for the action [that you do], and in that movie, they want to make you believe that this priest, that even though they forced him, to practice the religion of the Japanese, paganism, and that he kept believing [his own Faith], and that when he died, he went to heaven. Poor thing, it is not possible, that is not possible, and that man who made that movie, is an anti-Christian. But why does [one make] that kind of movie, one can ask, with what purpose, make that kind of movie? There are people, who have told me, “Ah, it's okay, it's very good, that movie, how they persecuted the Christians, in Japan, and that many died martyrs”. They do not realize that there is a deception there, as well as they do not realize the false traditionalists, who want to collaborate with Rome, and want at the same time, to “keep the Faith”, it is not possible.
We must separate, until Rome becomes, and it is what we expect, and Monsignor Lefebvre told us, in the spiritual itinerary, those priests, who want to keep the Faith, they have to separate from this church, and yet they say, in the Fraternity (SSPX), “We are the children of Monsignor Lefebvre”, then, they [should] obey, they [should] listen to what he said, then.
Let's meditate, this, today, in which Our Lady came to Jesus, she brought us to Jesus, she is the Mediator, she is the Mother of Jesus, and she communicated it to us, she brought it to the world, then, we have to thank her, and with her, [be thankful for] everything, all the riches of the Church, all the spiritual riches, and all the Faith of the Church, the Virgin Mary communicated this to us, with her son. So let's give thanks to Our Lady, for this, for her fidelity, which has been, which has been redundant, in our salvation, that is, we have an immense debt to Our Lady.
So let's do like the old Simeon, if we can read the Nunc Dimittis, it is very beautiful, if you can read it, in some book, I recommend it to you today, because, it is a Hymn of Thanksgiving to God, it is the hymn that we will say, all eternity in heaven, if we are faithful, and [a hymn] of thanksgiving, because we have had access to this Child, that the old Simeon, embraced, received Him in his arms, and it is the greatest treasure, true, but, there is no access to Jesus, if there is no Faith. So, the gateway, is the Faith, the gateway to the Church, is Faith, the gateway, to all the graces of the Church, to all the riches of the Church, is Faith. If I despise [my] Faith, or I make exceptions, here or there, with the Faith, I'm in danger. I could lose everything, and, there is no Charity, as far as there is [no] Faith, so, do not make illusions. Those who speak about Charity without [having the] Faith, that Charity, it is impious, that naturalistic Charity, which is an absurd thing. No, Charity, always refers to the love of God, then, a naturalistic Charity, today everyone talks about “Charity”, but it is not Charity, it is, it is a natural love, a human love, which can be, sometimes, a big deviation [from the true meaning of Charity].
So we are going to ask, in this Mass, we ask, the Virgin Mary, that, that we be faithful, and that, as she took Jesus, all her life, that we also take Jesus, the testimony of Jesus, which is, Jesus in our soul, through Faith, and, we are, in the same procession, of the Church, which has gone through the centuries, that procession, which is, a symbol of tradition, the Tradition of the Church. We are not disconnected, we are not alone. We ask you, and I also ask you prayers, for the soul of Monsignor Williamson, the Mass is said, for the rest of his soul, today.
Holy Mary, In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.[/i]
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| St. John Damascene - On Holy Images |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-21-2025, 09:55 AM - Forum: Doctors of the Church
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ST JOHN DAMASCENE ON HOLY IMAGES
( πρὸς τοὺς διαβάλλοντας τᾶς ἁγίας εἰκόνας)
FOLLOWED BY THREE SERMONS ON THE ASSUMPTION
( κοίμησις)
[Taken from here]
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK
BY MARY H. ALLIES
London
THOMAS BAKER
1 SOHO SQUARE, W.
1898
Imprimatur
Herbertus Cardinalis Vaughan
Archiepiscopus Westmonasteriensis
Die 12 Augusti 1898
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE
A Treatise on Images will not be out of place in a public, which is confusing the making of images with the making of idols. A great Christian of the eighth century found himself called upon to face an imperial Iconoclast. He would willingly have remained silent, but he would not bury his talent of eloquence. He brought it forth and witnessed to the teaching of the Church in language which present ‘exciting scenes’ in Anglican churches brings home in the most forcible way. Our English image breakers are in the camp of Leo the Isaurian, who in the eighth century waged war against holy images, on the plausible pretext that they withdrew honour from God. The seventh General Council condemned his assault, and it determined the different kinds of worship, using the Greek terms of latreia and douleia. The special champion of holy Images is St John Damascene, whose treatise is now published for the first time in English. Every article in the creed has its special defender. St John Damascene proclaims the Communion of Saints and the honour of God through His chosen and favoured servants. No part of Catholic belief is a vain word, nor can the true children of the Church say with their lips what they do not hold in their hearts. I believe in the Communion of Saints follows upon I believe in God, so that the enemies of the Saints are the enemies of God. This is the doctrine which St John Damascene traces back to the eternal ages before time was, in the divine ἐικων of the Father in the Person of the Son. God, the Son, is the Image by essence, and then He becomes a visible image or form in time, clothed in flesh and blood, showing us by His own example that our worship of God is through corporeal things. Again and again the Saint repeats that as we must not make an image of the Invisible God, so neither must we refuse to look upon the Son, His Image, first in eternity, and then Incarnate.
What are the consequences of rejecting divinely appointed images? Hopeless and heart-destroying doubt caused by the undue exaltation of humanity: in other words, creature, instead of divine, worship. We are so constituted that images we must have: our minds cannot reach God’s throne without the help of corporeal things. Agnosticism has said it. We cannot love what we do not know, and is not God unknowable? Halting formularies say it when they point to matter, which God has glorified, as inglorious. And halting formularies lead to halting souls, and to the proclamation of the strange device that religious truth is of no consequence so long as men lead good lives.
The sermons on the Assumption were preached by the Saint in or about a.d. 727. According to Alban Butler, he had special reasons for honouring the Mother of God. By her intercession he regained the use of his strong right hand. It was a practical demonstration of Catholic teaching, We reach God most surely through those who love Him best, and thus the Protestant phrase, which expresses a purely Catholic thought ‘straight to God,’ is exemplified in the Communion of Saints. St John’s language about the Θεοτοκη will astonish those who stigmatise the love of her as a ‘Roman corruption.’ The crowning triumph of the Assumption follows justly on the divine maternity. Her body was all pure, because her all holy (παναγία) soul made it the resting-place of our Lord. The Mother is so identified with the Son that her life is part of His. The tomb is not for her, and thus the writer of the eighth century bears full testimony to Catholic tradition.
All believers are at one in wishing to reach God; the question is one of detail. Which is the shortest road? St John Damascene speaks with the Church when he says it is through the glorification of matter in the Person of the Eternal Word. Either give matter its proper place, or take away matter which the Lord Himself has exalted, and we are no longer composite beings, but spirits ill at ease in a material world. Take away the King’s army, and you uncrown the King Himself. Forget His Mother, and with her the connecting link between earth and heaven. Then we may be heathens once more, groping after the unknown God, and our latter state will be more appalling than the heathendom of old, before the light had appeared to illumine earth’s dark places.
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| The Catholic Trumpet: Holy Prelate: Prophecy, Resistance, and the Battle for the Kingship of Christ |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-20-2025, 11:54 AM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet
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The Holy Prelate: Prophecy, Resistance, and the Battle for the Kingship of Christ
In this episode, we explore the prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success, focusing on the foretold emergence of a holy prelate to oppose the tide of apostasy and protect the priesthood. We examine how +Archbishop Lefebvre fulfilled this prophecy, standing firm against the heresies of Vatican II and modernism.
Through his actions, the true Catholic resistance is upheld, and the Social Kingship of Christ is defended.
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| Just as in France, Italy has had plenty of arson attacks in Catholic Churches |
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Posted by: Stone - 02-20-2025, 09:14 AM - Forum: Anti-Catholic Violence
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Italy: Let's Burn Down a Church!
![[Image: evivo4hryafruqygd67l2353wxy3q336yvf3hki....64&webp=on]](https://seedus4268.gloriatv.net/storage1/evivo4hryafruqygd67l2353wxy3q336yvf3hki.webp?secure=w6fNTyO516qk0HH_YR_s0A&expires=1740193764&webp=on)
gloria.tv | February 20, 2025
Not only in France, but also in Italy there is a trend to burn down churches, reveals ProItaliaCristiana (17 February).
On 7 February an incendiary device was thrown through a window of the church of S. Maria dei Servi in Foce, a district of Val Bisagna, Genoa.
On 5 February, an arson attack destroyed a Romanesque chapel in Via Bormani, in Diano Marina, Liguria.
On 2 February, an illegal immigrant set fire to the doors of the church of S. Martino in Greco, in Milan, and fled.
On 26 January, in Scicli, Sicily, the roof of the church of San Matteo was deliberately destroyed.
The same is happening in France (2024: 50 churches), Canada, the United States and Latin America.
The regime's media are not talking about it, on the contrary, they are happy that it is happening, otherwise they would speak out.
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