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  COVID patients transferred between quarantine sites with garbage bags over their heads in Australia
Posted by: Stone - 02-18-2021, 09:26 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular] - No Replies

COVID patients transferred between quarantine sites with garbage bags over their heads
In Melbourne, Australia, questions are being raised about excessive precautions.

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MELBOURNE, Australia, February 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – COVID-positive patients have been seen evacuating from the Holiday Inn in Melbourne with garbage bags covering their heads.

At least one patient was shown moving from inside the Holiday Inn across the sidewalk to a bus holding a large, black garbage bag over his or her head during Channel Nine’s live broadcast of Today.



Patients were escorted to their buses by hotel quarantine staff dressed in full PPE, causing Today hosts to question why a patient with a respiratory illness would further restrict their breathing with a garbage bag.

The next patient to leave the Holiday Inn, however, wore only a mask as he carried his young child into the bus.

Water damage on four levels of the building prompted the transfer of patients from the Holiday Inn to the Pullman Hotel. 

Last week, several of 48 patients were also spotted wearing garbage bags over their entire bodies as they were evacuated from a different Melbourne Holiday Inn.

Some Twitter users speculated the most recent incident was more a privacy issue than anything else.


Others thought it was simply bad healthcare advice.





The precedent for this behavior was set by UK healthcare workers in April 2020 when they ran out of PPE in the Intensive Treatment Unit.

Soon after, the Miami New Times published a story on weird “PPE” spotted around Miami, including caution tape, an alien suit, and underwear.

Two hotel quarantine breaches and subsequent snap lockdowns in Melbourne have led Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews to consider following in the footsteps of the Northern Territory with purposefully built quarantine camps. The creation of such camps raises numerous concerns about privacy, civil liberties, human rights, and due process.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is considering similar measures.

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  New rules from Chinese gov’t make no mention of the Vatican in process for appointing new bishops
Posted by: Stone - 02-18-2021, 09:12 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism - No Replies

New rules from Chinese gov’t make no mention of the Vatican in process for appointing new bishops
The new rules will also require registered clergy, who are each assigned a unique identifying record number, to 'guide' their congregations 'to be patriotic and law-abiding.'

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BEIJING, China, February 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – The Chinese government have released new guidelines regarding the Catholic clergy in China, including a rule whereby bishops must be elected from among the state-sponsored Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), appointed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and consecrated through China’s Catholic Bishops Conference (CCCB), which is not recognised by the Vatican.

No reference is made in the new ruling to the Vatican’s wishes in the appointment of bishops in China, despite the highly criticized 2018 deal, renewed in 2020 for a further two years, that allowed Pope Francis to appoint bishops in conjunction with the CCP.

As part of the agreement made in 2018, Pope Francis recognized seven bishops appointed by the Chinese government who had previously been excommunicated, even requesting that two underground, legitimate Chinese bishops cede their offices to accommodate the former schismatics.

According to reports, the Vatican-China deal afforded the Holy See the ability to approve or deny candidates forwarded by the CCPA. This framework has already been used to install three bishops in China.

The document laying out the new rules, “Administrative Measures for Religious Clergy,” which has been translated into English by Bitter Winter, a magazine on religious freedom in China, takes effect on May 1. Now, “Catholic bishops are approved and consecrated by the Chinese Catholic Bishops’ Conference,” after being appointed by the CCP, according to Article XVI of the new rules. 

LifeSiteNews spoke to China expert and Population Research Institute founder Steven Mosher, who called the new rules “a slap of the face of the Vatican.”

“Catholics are told by article 16 that bishops in China should be democratically elected through the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, i.e., appointed by the CCP, and consecrated through the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference. There is no mention of the Vatican or the Pope, which in theory should appoint the bishops under the Vatican-China deal of 2018," Mosher explained.

“Since the Sino-Vatican Agreement is still secret, it is impossible to know for certain what it says about the appointment of bishops. We know that Pope Francis believes that he appoints the bishops of the Catholic Church in China, because he has said so. It is also clear that the CCP is here asserting that it appoints those self-same bishops.”

“So what is the reality?” Mosher asks.

“My understanding of the [2018] agreement is that it says that the CCP shall nominate, and the Pope shall confirm, bishops. This, presumably, gives the Holy Father a veto over bishop appointments in China. At the same time, however, a senior Chinese official has said, quite plainly, that the Pope cannot continually veto candidates, nor can he indefinitely refuse to give his consent to a CCP nominee. In these circumstances, he said, the ordinations will go forward anyway.”

On account of this, Mosher noted that “the new regulations state quite plainly that the CCP is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to deciding who heads Chinese dioceses. I take their statement at face value.”

Additional measures for the clergy in China have been included in the new rules beside those of episcopal ordinations. All priests will be required to register in a database that will “regulate the management of religious clergy” from May. The purpose of the database, run by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, will be to continually assess a religious minister’s loyalty to the CCP, as Article III of the rules stipulates:

Quote:Religious clergy should love the motherland, support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, support the socialist system, abide by the Constitution, laws, regulations, and rules, practice the core values of socialism, adhere to the principle of independent and self-administered religion in China, adhere to the direction of the Sinicization of religion in China, operate to maintain national unity, religious harmony, and social stability.

The new rules will also require registered clergy, who are each assigned a unique identifying record number, to “guide” their congregations “to be patriotic and law-abiding.” They are prohibited from organizing or participating in “unauthorized religious activities held outside the authorized places of religious activities,” as well as “preach in schools and other educational institutions other than religious institutions.”

Clergy who are unregistered, not satisfying the stringent rules attached to membership of the database, yet claiming to be priests and acting as such, will be breaking the law, including those priests and bishops who remain loyal to Rome and reject the CCPA.

[Emphasis mine.]

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  February 18th - St. Simeon
Posted by: Stone - 02-18-2021, 08:54 AM - Forum: February - No Replies

February 18 – St. Simeon, Bishop & Martyr
Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)

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How venerable our Saint of to-day, with his hundred and twenty years, and his episcopal dignity, and his Martyr-crown ! He succeeded the Apostle St. James in the See of Jerusalem ; he had known Jesus, and had been his disciple; he was related to Jesus, for he was of the House of David ; his father was Cleophas, and his Mother that Mary, whom the tie of kindred united so closely to the Blessed Mother of God, that she has been called her Sister. What grand titles these of Simeon who comes with all our other Martyrs of Septuagesima, to inspirit us to penance ! Such a veteran, who had been a cotemporary of the Saviour of the world, and was a Pastor who could repeat to his flock the very lessons this Jesus had given him, – such a Saint, we say, could never rejoin his Divine Master save by the path of martyrdom, and that martyrdom must be the Cross. Like Jesus, then, he dies on a Cross, and his death, which happened in the year 106, closes the first period of the Christian Era, or, as it is called, The Apostolic Age. Let us honour this venerable Pontiff, whose name awakens within us the recollection of all that is dear to our Faith. Let us ask him to extend to us that fatherly love, which nursed the Church of Jerusalem for so many long years. He will bless us from that throne which he won by the Cross, and will obtain for us the grace we so much need, – the grace of conversion.

The following is the Lesson given on St. Simeon:

Quote:Simeon, the son of Cleophas, was ordained Bishop of Jerusalem, and was St. James’ immediate successor in that See. In the reign of the Emperor Trajan, he was accused to the Consul Atticus of being a Christian and a relation of Christ, for, at this time, all they, that were of the House of David, were seized. After having endured various tortures, Simeon was put to death by the same punishment which our Savior suffered, and all the beholders were filled with astonishment to find how, at his age (for he was a hundred and twenty years old), he could go through the intense pains of crucifixion, without showing a sign of fear or irresolution.

Receive, most venerable Saint! the humble homage of our devotion. What is all human glory compared with thine! Thou wast of the family of Christ; thy teaching was that which His divine lips had given thee; thy charity for men was formed on the model of his Sacred Heart; and thy death was the closest representation of His. We may not claim the honor thou hadst of calling ourselves Brothers of the Lord Jesus; but pray for us, that we may be of those, of whom he thus speaks: Whosoever shall do the will of my Father that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. We have not, like thee, received the doctrine of salvation from the very lips of Jesus; but we have it in all its purity, by means of holy Tradition, of which thou art one of the earliest links; oh! obtain for us a docility to this word of God, and pardon for our past disobedience. We have not to be nailed to a cross, as thou wast; but the world is thickly set with trials, to which our Lord himself gives the name of the Cross. These we must bear with patience, if we would have part with Jesus in his glory. Pray for us, O Simeon, that henceforth we may be more faithful; that we never more become rebels to our duty; and that we may repair the faults we have so often committed by infringing the law of our God.

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  Days after Ash Wednesday [Thursday - Saturday]
Posted by: Stone - 02-18-2021, 08:39 AM - Forum: Lent - Replies (3)

Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)

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Although the law of fasting began yesterday, yet Lent, properly so called, does not begin till the Vespers of Saturday next. In order to distinguish the rest of Lent from these four days which have been added to it, the Church continues to chant Vespers at the usual hour, and allows her ministers to break their fast before having said that Office. But beginning with Saturday, the Vespers will be anticipated; every day (Sundays excepted, which always exclude fasting), they will be said at such an early hour that when the faithful take their full meal, the evening Office will be over. It is a remnant of the discipline of the primitive Church, which forbade the faithful to break their fast before sunset, in other words, before Vespers or Evensong.

The Church has given to these three days after Ash-Wednesday a resemblance to the other Ferias of her Lenten Season, by assigning to each of them a Lesson from, the Old Testament, and a Gospel, for Mass. We, of course, insert them, adding a few reflections to each. We also give the Collect of these three days.

The Station, in Rome, for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, is in the Church of Saint George in Velabro, (the Veil of Gold.) 

Collect
Deus, qui culpa offenderis, pœnitentia placaris: preces populi tui supplicantis propitius respice: et flagella tuæ iracundiæ, quæ pro peccatis nostric meremur, averte. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. 
O God, who by sin art offended, and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of thy suppliant people: and turn away the scourges of thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Epistle
Lesson from Isaias the Prophet. Ch. xxxviii.

In those days, Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaias the son of Amos the prophet came unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live. And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, And said: I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Ezechias wept with great weeping. And the word of the Lord came to Isaias, saying: Go and say to Ezechias: Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears: behold I will add to thy days fifteen years: And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it, saith the Lord almighty.

Quote:Yesterday, the Church spoke to us upon the certainty of death. Die we must: we have not only God’s infallible word for it, but no reasonable man could ever entertain the thought that he was to be an exception to the rule. But if the fact of our death be certain, the day on which we are to die is also fixed. God, in His wisdom, has concealed the day from us; it becomes our duty not to be taken by surprise. This very night, it might be said to us, as it was to Ezechias: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die. We ought to spend each day as though it were to be our last. Were God even to grant us, as He did to the holy king of Juda, a prolongation of life, we must come, sooner or later, to that last hour, beyond which there is no time, and eternity begins. The Church’s intention in thus reminding us of our mortality, is to put us on our guard against the allurements of this short life, and urge us to earnestness in the great work of regeneration, for which she has been preparing us during these last three weeks. How many there are of those who yesterday received the ashes, who will never see the joys of Easter, at least in this world! To them, the ceremony has been a prediction of what is to happen to them, perhaps before the month is out. And yet the very same words that were pronounced over them were said to us. May not we ourselves be of the number of those who are thus soon to be victims of death? In this uncertainty, let us gratefully accept the warning, which our Jesus came down from heaven to give us: Do penance; for the kingdom of God is at hand.

Gospel
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. Ch. viii.
At that time: When Jesus had entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grieviously tormented. And Jesus saith to him: I will come and heal him. And the centurion making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to this, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And Jesus hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed him: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. And the servant was healed at the same hour.

Quote:The sacred Scriptures, the fathers, and theologians tell us that there are three eminent good works which are, at the same time, works of penance: prayer, fasting, and almsdeeds. In the lessons she gives us on these three days, which form as it were the threshold of Lent, the Church instructs us upon these works. Today it is a prayer she recommends to us. Look at the centurion of today’s Gospel, who comes to our Savior, beseeching Him to heal his servant. His prayer is humble; in all the sincerity of his heart, he deems himself unworthy to receive Jesus under his roof. His prayer is full of faith; he doubts not for an instant that Jesus is able to grant him what he asks. And with what ardor he prays! The faith of this Gentile is greater than that of the children of Israel, and elicits praise from the Son of God. Such ought to be our prayer, when we solicit the cure of our souls. Let us acknowledge that we are not worthy to speak to God, and yet, let us have an unshaken confidence in the power and goodness of Him who not only commands us to pray that He may pour out His mercies upon us. The season we are now in is one of prayer; the Church redoubles her supplications; it is for us that she makes them; we must take our share in them. Let us, during this season of grace, cast off that languor which fastens on the soul at other times; let us remember that it is prayer which repairs the faults we have already committed, and preserves us from sin for the future.

Humilitate capita vestra Deo. 
Parce Domine, parce populo tuo, ut dignis flagellationibus castigatus, in tua miseratione respiret. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Bow down your heads to God.
Spare, O Lord, spare thy people; that having been justly chastised, they may find comfort in thy mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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  Vatican City State issues decree suggesting those who refuse COVID vaccine may lose their jobs
Posted by: Stone - 02-17-2021, 01:52 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Spiritual] - No Replies

Vatican City State issues decree suggesting those who refuse COVID vaccine may lose their jobs

The decree clearly indicates that refusing the vaccine would imperil public health and that therefore the law is required to make sure that doesn’t happen


VATICAN CITY, Italy, February 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) —The Vatican City State – the Holy See’s independent city state – recently issued a decree that includes COVID-19 vaccination among the measures its authorities can use in order to fight the current “public health emergency.” While the decree does not explicitly make taking a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory in the Vatican and attached territories, it does suggest that people employed by the Holy See or the Roman Curia could lose their job if they fail to take the jab.

The decree, available here (in Italian only) on the Vatican City State website, does not mention COVID-19 but any “public health emergency” defined, quoting the World Heath Organization’s 2001 text, as “an event or imminent threat of a disease or health condition, caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or new and highly fatal infectious agent or biological toxin, epidemic or pandemic disease that poses a substantial risk to a significant number of human resources or results in injury or permanent or long-term disability.”

In the decree’s introduction detailing the motives for its publication, vaccination receives specific and even prioritized attention.

Quote:Considering that:

– providing a health response, taking the actions immediately necessary to respond to the pandemic, while also keeping in mind its long-term effects, is important so that a global and regenerative “healing” can take place,

– it is deemed that to undergo vaccination constitutes “the taking of a responsible decision, given that the refusal of the vaccine may also constitute a risk to others” and “that such a refusal could seriously increase risks to public health,”

– there is an urgent need to issue these provisions with the force of law, pursuant to Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Fundamental Law of the State of Vatican City, of November 26, 2000. Vatican City State of November 26, 2000;

The following has been promulgated…

This language clearly indicates that refusing the vaccine would imperil public health and that therefore the law is required to make sure that doesn’t happen. However, the decree appears to balk at calling the vaccine itself compulsory as such, insofar as its refusal is not explicitly listed among the acts that can entail an administrative fine. Fines from 25 Euros ($30) may be issued for the improper wearing of protective equipment such as masks, and fines of up to 1,500 Euros ($1,815) may be issued for failure to observe a mandated quarantine.

The decree’s seven pages mention the various measures that can and must be taken “to ensure the health and well-being of the work community while respecting the dignity, rights and fundamental freedoms of each of its members,” “according to the principle of necessity, taking into consideration the actual risk to public health and following the criteria of timeliness, appropriateness and proportionality.” These measures concern “citizens, residents in the State, (…) personnel serving in the Governorate of the Vatican City State and in the various bodies of the Roman Curia and of the Institutions linked to it.”

According to the decree, these measures include:

·      the restriction of movement and assembly of people

·      physical distancing, isolation and quarantine

·      the adoption of special hygiene rules

·      protocols for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE

·      therapeutic protocols

·      vaccination protocols

Articles 5 and 6 of the Decree mainly regard the vaccine. Here below are their texts in full, as translated and highlighted by LifeSiteNews:


Quote:Article 5
(Biological agents)

§1. In the presence of situations of declared public health emergency, in addition to what is provided for in Article 19 of the Technical Regulations for the implementation of Law No. LIV on the protection of safety and health of workers in the workplace, the competent administration, in accordance with the opinion of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene, takes all necessary measures aimed at reducing the risk of exposure to biological agents and infection by them, including the provision and administration of vaccines scientifically considered adequate to reduce the impact of the spread and transmission of infection.

§2 The Superior Authority, in agreement with the Directorate of Health and Hygiene, in the event of a public health emergency declared in accordance with Article 12 of the International Health Regulations (2005), having assessed the risk of exposure to the biological agent and transmission of contagion, in the performance of work activities involving public service tasks, relations with third parties or posing a risk to the safety of the working community, may deem it necessary to implement a prophylaxis entailing the administration of a vaccine in order to protect the health of citizens, residents, workers and the work community.

Article 6
(Measures regarding workers)

§1. With due regard to what is provided for in §2 of Art. 5, the Administration may assign, for the period of the above-mentioned risk, the worker who, for proven reasons of health cannot undergo the administration of the vaccine, to other tasks, equivalent or, if not available, lower, guaranteeing the economic treatment corresponding to the tasks of origin.

§2 The measures referred to in §2 of Art. 5 are tantamount to preventive, periodic and ex officio health checks, which are the responsibility of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene. Therefore, the worker who without proven health reasons refuses to undergo them is subject to the provisions of art. 6 of the Rules for the Protection of Human Dignity and Fundamental Rights to be observed regarding health checks in view of the recruitment of personnel and during the employment relationship, and Rules for the protection of employees suffering from particular serious diseases or in particular psychophysical conditions of November 18, 2011.”

Article 6, §1 is interesting. In saying that a worker who refuses the vaccine for “proven reasons of health” may be reassigned to a task in which he or she will not pose a risk to the health of others. But the text also implies that workers who refuse the vaccine without “proven reasons of health” and who are in a position to pose a risk to other “citizens, residents, workers and the work community” may not receive another task and payment. In other words, they would lose their job and income.

The task of intervening in the case of non-compliance with the public health measures imposed by the “Superior Authority” of the Vatican City State is assigned by the decree to its Gendarmerie Corps that can surveil and impose fines on non-compliant workers and residents.

The decree concludes with the words:

Quote:The original of the present decree, bearing the seal of the State, shall be deposited in the Archives of the Laws of the State of Vatican City and the corresponding text shall be published, in addition to the Supplement to the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, by being posted in the courtyard of San Damaso, on the doors of the offices of the Governorate and in the post offices of the State, instructing everyone concerned to observe it and to have it observed.

Vatican City, February eighth, two thousand and twenty-one.

(signed) Giuseppe Card. Bertello

Cardinal Bertello is the governor of the Vatican City State, having held the position since 2011.

Administrative fines are listed in an Annex to the decree. Vaccination is not mentioned: the fines apply to the transgression of rules regarding “prohibition of assembly”, obligation to use protective equipment and to use it “correctly,” “social distancing measures,” “fiduciary seclusion or quarantine,” “behavioral requirements” (the “rules of conduct in public places or places open to the public established by the measures issued by the competent authority”) and restrictions to circulation and movements (“violation of the limitations of circulation and displacements within the State, and in entry and exit to the same.”)

These two last situations could theoretically bring a vaccine obligation into play. Getting the jab could, for example, could be construed as a “behavioral requirement.” time will tell whether that will be the case. As to restrictions to circulation and movements, these could also be interpreted as applying to Vatican residents who refuse a COVID-19 vaccine insofar as refusing to be vaccinated is presented by the decree itself as a potential hazard to public health.

All of this must be read in the light of two facts. The first is that, in the present sanitary emergency, over 99.95 percent of the population survives and most COVID-19 victims who actually die of the disease are very ill or very old and have a very short life expectancy. Second, the Vatican is using and distributing the Pfizer mRNA shot that was developed using cell lines derived from voluntary, late-term abortions.

And now the Vatican has become one of the first states to impose these vaccines on its own workers, under more or less veiled threats and with no mention of freedom and informed consent.

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  Prayers to Jesus, by the Merit of each Particular Pain which He suffered in His Passion
Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 02-17-2021, 12:16 PM - Forum: In Honor of Our Lord - No Replies

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DEVOTION TO THE PASSION

Prayers to Jesus, By the Merit of each Particular Pain which He suffered in His Passion.

(Taken from St. Alphonsus’ Prayer-Book - Pages 442-444)

    O My Jesus!  By that humiliation which Thou didst practice in washing the feet of Thy disciples, I pray Thee to bestow upon me the grace of true humility, that I may humble myself to all, especially to such as treat me with contempt.

    My Jesus, by that sorrow which Thou didst suffer in the Garden, sufficient, as it was, to cause Thy death, I pray Thee to deliver me from the sorrow of hell, from living for evermore at a distance from Thee, and without the Power of ever loving Thee again.

    My Jesus, by that horror which Thou hadst of my sins, which were then present to Thy sight, give me a true sorrow for all the offences which I have committed against Thee.

    My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst experience at seeing Thyself betrayed by Judas with a kiss, give me the grace to be ever faithful to Thee, and nevermore to betray Thee, as I have done in time past.

    My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst feel at seeing Thyself bound like a criminal to be taken before the judges, I pray Thee to bind me to Thyself by the sweet chains of holy love, that so I may nevermore see myself separated from Thee, my only Good.

    My Jesus, by all those insults, punches, and spittings which Thou didst on that night suffer in the house of Caiphas, give me the strength to suffer in peace, for love of Thee, all the affronts which I shall meet with from men.

    My Jesus, by that ridicule which Thou didst receive from Herod in being treated as a fool, give me the grace to endure with patience all that men shall say of me, treating me as base, senseless, or wicked. 

    My Jesus, by that outrage which Thou didst receive from the Jews in seeing Thyself placed after Barabbas, give me the grace to suffer with patience the dishonor of seeing myself placed after others.

    My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in Thy most holy Body when Thou wast so cruelly scourged, give me the grace to suffer with patience all the pains of my sicknesses, and especially those of my death.

    My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in Thy most sacred Head when it was pierced with the thorns, give me the grace never to consent to thoughts displeasing unto Thee.

    My Jesus, by that act of Thine by which Thou didst accept of the death of the cross to which Pilate a condemned Thee, give me the grace to accept my death with resignation, together with all the other pains which shall accompany it.

    My Jesus, by the pain which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross on Thy journey to Calvary, give me the grace to suffer with patience all my crosses in this life.

    My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in having the nails driven through Thy hands and Thy feet, I pray The to nail my will to Thy feet, that so I may will nothing save that which Thou dost will.

    My Jesus, by the affliction which Thou didst suffer in having gall given Thee to drink, give me the grace not to offend Thee by intemperance in eating and drinking.

    My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst experience in leaving Thy holy Mother when you were on the cross, deliver me from an inordinate love from my relatives, or for any other creature, that so my heart may be entirely and always Thine.

    My Jesus, by that desolation which Thou didst suffer in Thy death in seeing Thyself abandoned by Thy Eternal Father, give me the grace to suffer all my desolations with patience, without ever losing my confidence in Thy goodness.

    My Jesus, by those three hours of affliction and agony which Thou didst suffer when dying upon the cross, give me the grace to suffer with resignation, for love of Thee, the pains of my agony at the hour of death.

    My Jesus, by Thy great sorrow which Thou didst feel when Thy most holy Soul, when  Thou was expiring, separated itself from Thy most sacred Body, give me the grace to breathe forth my soul in the hour of my death, offering up my sorrow then to Thee, together with an act of perfect love, that so I may go to love Thee in heaven, face to face, with all my strength, and for all eternity.

    And Thee, most holy Virgin, and My Mother Mary, by that sword which pierced Thy heart when Thou didst behold Thy Son bow down His head and expire, do I pray to assist me in the our of my death, that so I may come to praise Thee and to Thank Thee in paradise for all the graces that Thou hast obtained for me from God. 


In honor of the sorrows of Our Lady, three Hail Mary’s

My Jesus Crucified, have mercy on me.

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  30 Day Novena to St. Joseph begins on February 17th
Posted by: Stone - 02-17-2021, 08:47 AM - Forum: Novenas - No Replies

30 Day Novena to St. Joseph begins on February 17th

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A possible Novena to be said:  This prayer to Saint Joseph was composed by Pope Leo XIII and was promulgated in his 1889 encyclical, Quamquam Pluries.


PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH AFTER THE ROSARY

To you, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction. And having implored the help of your thrice-holy Spouse, we now, with hearts filled with confidence, earnestly beg you to take us also under your protection.

By that charity with which you were united to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly love with which you cherished the Child Jesus, we beseech you and we humbly pray that you will look down graciously upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by His Blood, and will help us in our need by your power and strength.

Defend, O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen off-spring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving Father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. As you once rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us ever under your patronage, that, following your example and strengthened by your help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen. 

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  St. Thomas Aquinas: Meditations for Each Day of Lent
Posted by: Stone - 02-17-2021, 08:23 AM - Forum: Lenten Devotions - Replies (46)

LENTEN MEDITATIONS
by St. Thomas Aquinas

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Vision of St. Thomas Aquinas


Ash Wednesday : Death

By one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death.--Rom. v. 12.


1. If for some wrongdoing a man is deprived of some benefit once given to him, that he should lack that benefit is the punishment of his sin.

Now in man's first creation he was divinely endowed with this advantage that, so long as his mind remained subject to God, the lower powers of his soul were subjected to the reason and the body was subjected to the soul.

But because by sin man's mind moved away from its subjection to God, it followed that the lower parts of his mind ceased to be wholly subjected to the reason. From this there followed such a rebellion of the bodily inclination against the reason, that the body was no longer wholly subject to the soul.

Whence followed death and all the bodily defects. For life and wholeness of body are bound up with this, that the body is wholly subject to the soul, as a thing which can be made perfect is subject to that which makes it perfect. So it comes about that, conversely, there are such things as death, sickness and every other bodily defect, for such misfortunes are bound up with an incomplete subjection of body to soul.


2. The rational soul is of its nature immortal, and therefore death is not natural to man in so far as man has a soul. It is natural to his body, for the body, since it is formed of things contrary to each other in nature, is necessarily liable to corruption, and it is in this respect that death is natural to man.

But God who fashioned man is all powerful. And hence, by an advantage conferred on the first man, He took away that necessity of dying which was bound up with the matter of which man was made. This advantage was however withdrawn through the sin of our first parents.

Death is then natural, if we consider the matter of which man is made and it is a penalty, inasmuch as it happens through the loss of the privilege whereby man was preserved from dying.


3. Sin--original sin and actual sin--is taken away by Christ, that is to say, by Him who is also the remover of all bodily defects. He shall quicken also your mortal bodies, because of His Spirit that dwelleth in you (Rom. viii. II).

But, according to the order appointed by a wisdom that is divine, it is at the time which best suits that Christ takes away both the one and the other, i.e., both sin and bodily defects.

Now it is only right that, before we arrive at that glory of impassibility and immortality which began in Christ, and which was acquired for us through Christ, we should be shaped after the pattern of Christ's sufferings. It is then only right that Christ's liability to suffer should remain in us too for a time, as a means of our coming to the impassibility of glory in the way He himself came to it.

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  The Law of Fasting and Abstinence [1921]
Posted by: Stone - 02-17-2021, 08:12 AM - Forum: Lent - Replies (2)

The Law of Fasting and Abstinence
Imprimatur Patrick J. Hayes,
Archbishop of New York, 1921

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When He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry.--MATT. iv. 2.

Again the devil took Him up into a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, And said to Him: All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me.--MATT. iv. 8-9.


Immediately after our Lord was baptized in the Jordan, before entering upon His public ministry, He retired to a desert and rocky region along the western coast of the Dead Sea, and there fasted for forty days and forty nights. It is in commemoration of this event in the life of our Saviour that the Church has set aside the season of Lent.

I. The meaning of the law of fasting and abstinence. 

1. The law of fasting requires that only one full meal be taken a day; but it does not forbid that, in addition to this, some food be taken in the morning and in the evening in accordance with the approved custom of one's locality. This law does not forbid the eating of fish and flesh at the same meal, and it permits one to take his full meal either at noon or in the evening, as he may wish.

2. The law of abstinence requires that one abstain from meat, as well as soup or broth made from meat; it does not forbid the use of eggs, butter, milk, cheese, etc.

3. The days of abstinence are all the Fridays of the year; this is in memory of our Lord's death on Good Friday. But when Friday falls on a Holyday, e.g., Christmas, meat may be eaten.

4. The times of fasting are: (a) the Ember Days, i.e., Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in a week of each of the four seasons of the year. The purpose of these fasts is to consecrate each season of the year by some days of mortification, to thank God for His graces, ask His blessing upon the harvest, and to pray for those whom it is customary to ordain to the priesthood at those times, (b) The vigils of Pentecost, Assumption, All Saints, and Christmas. These days are called vigils because in ancient times the faithful used to spend the night before them in watching, prayer and fasting, © The longest, strictest and most venerable fast of the year is that of Lent, which goes back to the times of the Apostles. It commemorates our Lord's forty days' fast in the desert, associates us with His suffering by the practice of penance, and prepares us for the great feast of Easter. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and terminates at noon on Easter Saturday. 

5. The days of both fasting and abstinence are: (a) Ember Days; (b) the vigils mentioned above: © Ash Wednesday and the Fridays and Saturdays in Lent.


II. The obligation of the law of fasting and abstinence. 
1. Fasting in general is of the natural law, because nature and common sense teach us that it is necessary for subduing the passions, elevating the mind to spiritual things and making satisfaction for sin. Hence it has been practiced at all times, as we learn from the Old Testament (Exod. xxiv. 18; Jonas iii. 10; Dan. i. 15; I Esdras. viii. 23, etc.). Moreover, fasting has its basis in the law of mortification laid down by our Lord (Luke xiii. 5). But as neither the natural, nor the divine law has fixed the time and circumstances for observing fast and abstinence, the Church, in virtue of her divinely given authority of making laws that are for the advantage of the faithful, has determined the days, the times, and the manner of fasting and abstaining. 

2. The law of abstinence binds all those who have completed their seventh year. The law of fasting obliges all who have completed their twenty-first year, and who have not yet entered upon their sixtieth year. 

3. Reasons which excuse from the law of fasting and abstinence are: (a) infirm health, which would be made worse by fasting; (b) necessary work that is incompatible with fasting; © works of charity or piety for which there is some necessity, or which are more valuable than fasting, e.g., waiting on the sick, making a pilgrimage. 4. Those who are in doubt as to whether they are excused from fasting or abstinence should consult their confessor. Dispensations may be granted by parish priests (See Code, ec. 1243 ff.).


EXHORTATION 
1. Those who are able to fast should do so gladly and cheerfully in memory of the great event which Lent commemorates, and for the sake of the great blessings it brings with it. 

2. Those who are excused from fasting and abstinence should remember that they are not exempt from the law of mortification and self-denial which they can fulfill by saying extra prayers, hearing Mass when possible on week days, giving alms to the poor or for holy purposes, refraining from unnecessary amusements, delicacies, etc.

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  Ash Wednesday
Posted by: Stone - 02-17-2021, 07:31 AM - Forum: Lent - Replies (6)

INSTRUCTION ON ASH WEDNESDAY
Taken from Fr. Leonard Goffine's Explanations of the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays, Holydays, and Festivals throughout the Ecclesiastical Year  36th edition, 1880

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Why is this day thus named?

BECAUSE on this day the Church blesses ashes, and places them on the heads of her faithful children, saying: "Remember man, thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return."



Why is this done?

St. Charles Borromeo gives us the following reasons for this practice : that the faithful may be moved to sincere humility of heart; that the heavenly blessing may descend upon them, by which they, being really penitent, will weep with their whole soul for their sins, remembering how earth was cursed because of sin, and that we have all to return to dust; that strength to do true penance may be given the body, and that our soul may be endowed with divine grace to persevere in penance.

With such thoughts let the ashes be put upon your head, while you ask in all humility and with a contrite heart, for God's mercy and grace.



Is the practice of putting ashes upon our heads pleasing to God?

It is, for God Himself commanded the Israelites to put ashes on their heads for a sign of repentance. (Jer. xxv. 34.) Thus did David (Ps. ci. 10.) who even strewed ashes on his bread; the Ninivites, (Jonas iii. 5.) Judith, (Jud. ix. i.) Mardochai, (Esth. iv. i.) Job, (Job. xlii. 6.) etc. The Christians of the earliest times followed this practice as often as they did public penance for their sins.



Why from this day until the end of Lent are the altars draped in violet?

Because, as has been already said, the holy season of Lent is a time of sorrow and penance for sin, and the Church desires externally to demonstrate by the violet with which she drapes the altar, by the violet vestments worn by the priests, and by the cessation of the organ and festive singing, that we in quiet mourning are bewailing our sins ; and to still further impress the spirit of penance upon us, there is usually only a simple crucifix or a picture of Christ's passion, left visible upon the altar, and devoutly meditating upon it, the heart is mostly prepared for contrition.


In the Introit of this day's Mass the Church uses the following words to make known her zeal for penance, and to move God to mercy: Thou hast mercy upon all, O Lord, and hatest none of the things which Thou hast made, winking at the sins of men for the sake of repentance, and sparing them; for thou art the Lord our God. (Wisd.'&.i. 24.25.) Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me; for my soul trusteth in thee. (Ps. 1-vi. 2.) Glory be to the Father, &c.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH: Grant to thy faithful, O Lord, that they may begin the venerable solemnities of fasting with suitable piety, and perform them with tranquil devotion. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, etc.

EPISTLE (Joel ii. 1219.; Thus saith the Lord: Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning. And rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil. Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Sion: sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather together the people; sanc- tify the Church; assemble the ancients; gather together the little ones, and them that suck at the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his bed, and the bride out of her bride-chamber. Between the porch and the altar the priests, the Lord's ministers, shall weep; and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people; and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that the heathens should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations: Where is their God? The Lord hath been zealous for his land, and hath spared his people. And the Lord answered, and said to his people: Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be filled with them; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations, saith the Lord Almighty.

EXPLANATION: The Prophet Joel exhorts the Jews to sorrow and penance for their sins, that they evade the expected judgment to be sent by God upon the city of Jerusalem. He required of them to show their repentance not merely by rending their garments, a sign of mourning with the Jews, but by a truly contrite heart. The Church wishes us to see plainly from this lesson of the prophet what qualities our penance should possess, if we desire rec- onciliation with God, forgiveness of our sins, and deliverance at the Last Day, which qualities are not merely abstinence from food and amusements, but the practice of real mortification of our evil inclinations, thus becoming with our whole heart converted to God.


GOSPEL (Matt. vi. 16 21.) AT THAT TIME, Jesus said to his disciples: When you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face, that thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee ? Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth, where the rust and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to your- selves treasures in heaven, where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.

EXPLANATION: Jesus forbids us to seek the praises of men when performing good works, (fasting is a good work,) and still worse it would be to do good as the Pharisees , through hypocrisy. He also warns us against avarice and the desire for temporal riches, urging us to employ our temporal goods, in giving alms, and doing works of charity, thus laying up treasures in heaven, which are there rewarded and will last there forever. "What folly", says St. Chrysostom, "to leave our goods where we cannot stay, instead of sending them before us where we are going to heaven!"

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  Archbishop Lefebvre: 1974 Sermon on the Feast of Pentecost
Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-16-2021, 04:11 PM - Forum: Sermons and Conferences - No Replies

Sermon delivered Pentecost Sunday, 1974
A Sermon delivered by His Excellency Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre


In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Dear Brethren, we are gathered here, coming from far away, coming from diverse regions, different areas, even other countries, to bring your children so that they can receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. You have the desire that the Sacrament of Confirmation be given in an authentic manner to your children. This is a desire that is certainly legitimate. Oh, I would not go so far as to say that the Sacrament of Confirmation given today [in the new rite] would not be valid. It can happen that the sacraments are not valid. In any case it can occur that the Sacraments are doubtfully valid, that is, that they are doubtful. For the holy Chrism is the matter of the Sacrament of Confirmation, and today, unfortunately, it is heard that the holy Chrism is sometimes made with oils, which, according to what the writers of theology have taught us - these are not personal feelings - these matters are doubtful. We have always been taught that not just any oil can be used to make the holy Chrism.

This is why, in the truly tragic circumstances that the Church is passing through, we well understand your desire to be certain that your children receive a valid sacrament which, if your children are well prepared, bestows the Holy Ghost in their souls, so that He can give them those gifts which are essential to the Christian life. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are not extra things beyond the necessary. Not at all! These gifts are truly necessary for all Christian life.

These gifts perfect the virtues that we have in us, allow the inspirations of the Holy Ghost to come in, facilitate the action of the Holy Ghost in our souls. We need this action of the Holy Ghost. And you, my dear children, who are going to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in a few minutes, you must know that you need the Holy Ghost, precisely because you are arriving at an age where you are becoming conscious of your Christian life, of what the Christian life is. And you are coming to realize, I think, that the Christian life is a combat. The Christian is a soldier, the Christian is a militant. We are in the Church Militant, and consequently when you arrive at the age of ten years, twelve years, you have to struggle. Struggle against whom? To fight against evil, sin, which is in the world, the sin which is manifested on all sides in the world, scandal. For what is scandal? Scandal is the act, which leads to sin. And many scandals are everywhere, everywhere - in reading material, in that which can be seen, in that which can be heard. And alas! it all stirs souls up to go away from God instead of bringing them towards the Good Lord. So you will have to make decisions from now on by yourselves, and to say, "This is good. This is bad, I cannot do it." We have to make choices during our whole life. And it is precisely to make choices that you need the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

You need this help, a help quite particular, brotherly, I could almost say maternal, on the part of the Holy Ghost, who watches over your souls. See how the Holy Ghost came down on the Virgin Mary and transformed her life, the life of the Mother of Jesus. The Holy Ghost descended on the first Christians even visibly, changing their lives. He descended on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. And behold, the Apostles, who were timid, fearful men, who feared persecution, who shut themselves in, hid themselves during the persecution of the leaders of that time - the scribes, the Pharisees - the Apostles became valiant soldiers, heroes, witnesses, martyrs. They dared to confront anyone. To those who said to them, "You do not have the right to speak," St. Peter answered, "Non possumus non loqui - we cannot fail to speak. We have to speak; you will put us in prison." He was chained, St. Peter; and then St. Peter was delivered by an angel. And they have all done the same thing the holy popes, the Apostles, all the successors of the Apostles, and those who have resolved to follow the Apostles in this testimony that they gave of their faith. Many of them have given their blood, as a consequence, to testify for their faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. That is the Holy Ghost; without the Holy Ghost they would never have been able to do that. It is the Holy Ghost who has penetrated them, and who has given them this strength, this courage that comes from God.

Now we are convinced that receiving the gifts of the Holy Ghost, you are going to realize presently that the bishop imposes his hands on you and enumerates all those gifts of the Holy Ghost that are going to descend on you. As you have seven virtues, the three theological virtues - I hope you know them, that someone has taught them to you - faith, hope, and charity. So also you have the four moral virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. You have seven virtues, and there are likewise seven gifts. And these seven gifts perfect, complete, the seven virtues that you have in you.

The gift of wisdom, the gift of understanding, the gift of knowledge, which perfect the theological virtues; and then counsel, piety, fortitude, fear of the Lord, which perfect the four moral virtues that you have. I hope that you know all that, that someone has taught it to you, for it is very important to know that the Good Lord has given us such beautiful things. It is so nice to think that the Holy Ghost helps us to know the Good Lord. There are some people who can look at these beautiful things, these beautiful mountains that we have around us, this magnificent valley, and everything that you have been able to see today in passing through it, the beautiful nature that the Good Lord has given us, the magnificent creatures, splendid things. There are those who look at all those things and yet never think about the Good Lord. Never! They imagine that it is man who made that, that man is the master of nature; and they think only of what man can do with nature. They never think of singing the praises of the Good Lord, saying, "How beautiful it is, all these glaciers, this snow, all these colors, these clouds, these trees, these forests, these flowers, these rivers, all this that has been given us by the Good Lord." That is nothing, nothing, nothing, in comparison with what the Good Lord has put in our hearts and in our souls!

A soul is so beautiful! So beautiful is a soul that is virtuous, a soul that has received the Holy Ghost, a soul that thinks of God, that is united to the Good Lord, who prays to God, who is a soul of prayer, who on entering a chapel or a church raises herself towards the Good Lord, thanks the Good Lord, sings the praises of God, even in the midst of suffering, even when going through crosses and trials. And there are so many who have been in the concentration camps, so many who have been imprisoned and who have rediscovered the faith in the concentration camps and in the prisons. The Good Lord knows what He is doing when He sends us trials. If we know how to receive them, if we know how to welcome them, the crosses, if we know how to be real fighters, the Good Lord gives us grace, gives us light. That is what the Holy Ghost does. That is what the Good Lord does for us.

And in a few moments, you are going to receive the Sacrament that confirms the graces you have received at your Baptism. For you received the Holy Ghost at Baptism, when the priest said, "Exi, immunde spiritus - go out unclean spirit!" "lmmunde spiritus." "Go forth from this child!" "Et da locum Spiritui Sancto - and give place, leave place for the Holy Ghost!" The priest said that when he pronounced the words of the Sacrament of Baptism over your souls. "Exi, immunde spiritus, et da locum Spiritui Sancto."

Therefore, the Holy Ghost had already taken possession of your hearts and your souls at the moment of Baptism. But now, when we grow up, Our Lord has willed that we receive Confirmation, a fullness of the Holy Ghost, in order to be able to respond to all the difficulties that we can meet with in exercising our Christian life and to arrive at last at the goal for which we are created, to reach heaven, to reach paradise, to come to eternal life. That is why we are created, that is why we have the gifts of the Holy Ghost. And in this world, we will keep the gifts of the Holy Ghost, even more. They will blossom out in such a way that we will be in astonishment at what the Good Lord has done for us.

Then we will know God face to face. Here we know Him only by faith, by our books, by our prayers, by what we can see around us. Just imagine, the Good Lord! But there we will see Him as He is, and that will be for us an eternal joy.

Give thanks, then, to the Good Lord that you are receiving today the Sacrament of Confirmation. You already know the ceremonies, which are going to take, place right away, among them the imposition of hands to bestow the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Then the bishop is going to sign your forehead with the holy chrism, the holy chrism which precisely signifies fortitude, and the Sign of the Cross, which should demonstrate the witness that we are not afraid to bear before the world, the Sign of the Cross, which is the sign of our faith.

"We believe in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Crucified." That is what St. Paul said, "I preach Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Crucified." That is what is continued on our altars, during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Crucified. Let us not be afraid to carry the cross on our foreheads before the entire world. So that is what the bishop is going to give. Then, right away, the bishop is going to give you a little blow on the cheek, which also signifies that you are capable of resisting difficulties in trials and in temptations.

And finally you, yourselves, will pronounce your faith. You will proclaim your faith by reciting the Credo, the Our Father, the Hail Mary. And so you will be ready, ready to remain faithful to your promises. Be faithful, always faithful, to God, faithful to your obligations, faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ, faithful to the most Holy Virgin Mary, faithful also to your dear parents; for they certainly have only one desire in bringing you here, and that is to see you continue to preserve the Christian life all through your life. That will be the greatest repayment that you can give them, to follow their teaching, to follow their example, to act in such away that they will have this joy, this consolation, in the midst of this world, which is in the process of losing the faith, which is falling apart, collapsing in all the senses of the word, in all possible ways.

And you, dear children, thanks to the faith of your parents, you will also uphold, you will continue the holy Church of which you are members, and to which you are attached, and to which your parents too are firmly attached.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

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  Woman Gets Late-Night Police Visit For Anti-Mask Facebook Posts
Posted by: Stone - 02-16-2021, 02:06 PM - Forum: Socialism & Communism - No Replies

WATCH: Woman Gets Late-Night Police Visit For Anti-Mask Facebook Posts
'I know what Communism is and we have been living in it for the past year'


National File | February 16, 2021
 
Florida hair and makeup artist and mother of three Angelique Contreras received an intimidating late-night knock on the door from a law enforcement officer in Palm Beach County after she published anti-mask posts on Facebook. NATIONAL FILE has obtained video footage of this disturbing 10:30 PM encounter. Contreras verbally confirmed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office that it was a sheriff’s officer who made the house call.

According to Contreras, Palm Beach County is trying to send citizens who can’t wear masks due to medical exemptions into a parking garage basement while County Commission meetings take place. Local press reporting confirms that mask-exempt citizens who want to speak at meetings will be sent to a separate building beneath a parking garage, instead of being able to address their leaders directly. When a man on Facebook joked about dumping garbage onto a County Administrator’s lawn, Contreras replied with the retort, “thousands of Mask(s).” This was enough to get the sheriff’s office to show up to her house, with the officer making clear that such Facebook posts are monitored in this day and age. Contreras’ children are aged 11, 3, and 1.

“No matter what a person’s political beliefs are, I do not believe anyone deserves to be bullied by our local government officials. We should not be intimidated by law enforcement. What happened at my house was clearly political intimidation,” Angelique Contreras, who hails from a family of patriotic Cuban refugees, told NATIONAL FILE. “I know what Communism is and we have been living in it for the past year.”

Contreras replied to a friend’s joke, stating that they could leave “thousands of Mask” on a county commissioner’s lawn. Contreras said the post could be interpreted to mean leaving masks on public property where county government meetings take place.

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“As a United States citizen I do have the right to peacefully protest on any public property and I don’t understand why I was chosen to be intimidated and harassed for my posts,” Contreras said. “In regards to my situation, I want to know who’s watching my Facebook page, who is the unknown citizen who was on my property and the officer’s dereliction of duty, and who gave the order.”

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  Whistleblower from Berlin nursing home: the terrible dying after vaccination
Posted by: Stone - 02-16-2021, 01:24 PM - Forum: COVID Vaccines - No Replies

Whistleblower from Berlin nursing home: the terrible dying after vaccination


2020 News | February 14, 2021

For the first time, there is an eyewitness report from a Berlin nursing home on the situation after the vaccination. It comes from the AGAPLESION Bethanien Havelgarten retirement home in Berlin-Spandau. There, within four weeks after the first vaccination with the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine Comirnaty, eight of 31 seniors, who suffered from dementia but were in good physical condition according to their age before the vaccination, died. The first death occurred after only six days, and five other seniors died approximately 14 days after vaccination. The first symptoms of the disease had already appeared shortly after the vaccination. From information available to 2020News the patients have not been duly informed about the risks of this vaccine. One reason being that no detailed information about the novelty of this mRNA vaccine which has only conditionally been certified in the European Union have been provided.

Attorney at Law Viviane Fischer and Attorney at Law Dr. Reiner Füllmich of the Corona Committee spoke in a video interview with the whistleblower about the closer circumstances of the vaccination, the symptoms that occurred and the different nature of the deaths in temporal connection with the vaccination.

On January 3, 2021, 31 female and male residents of the dementia ward “ground floor/protected area” had been vaccinated with Comirnaty. Relatives of another three seniors had objected to vaccination, and two residents were in terminal care, so no vaccination was given.

The residents of this ward are very active, “self defending” dementia patients who are physically in good condition. They are allowed to move around the ward all day without restriction. The day before the vaccination, the 31 vaccinated persons were all in good health. A few days earlier, all had tested negative for Corona, according to the whistleblower report.

According to the whistleblower, the first vaccination event with Comirnaty on January 3, 2021, took place in such a way that all residents were gathered in the recreation room of the first floor area. A vaccination team consisting of an aged vaccinator, three aides and two federal soldiers in camouflage uniforms performed the vaccinations. The home staff as well as the home physician assisted in the process. The role of the soldiers, who at no time moved away from the vaccine, has not been conclusively determined.

What the whistleblower was able to establish, however, was that the presence of the uniformed men greatly intimidated the seniors. The group, which normally shows a “strong defensive behavior” in the case of unfamiliar treatments, was hardly recognizable, so predominantly “lamblike” they had let the vaccination with Comirnaty pass over them. The whistleblower suspects that this could also be related to the fact that the elderly seniors, who had still experienced the war, could not properly assess the role of the soldiers and possibly felt reminded of war-traumatic circumstances.

During the first vaccination, a resisting senior citizen was detained by a nurse under the watchful eyes of the German soldiers, the eyewitness reported. A judicial decision for the detention, which as such represents a coercion and therefore requires in principle a judicial evaluation in the individual case, had not been issued.

According to the whistleblower’s account, the administration of the second vaccination dose took place without warning always on the spot where the person to be vaccinated was found. For example, an elderly lady lying unsuspecthe ingly in bed who began to resist the second dose was restrained by two members of tnursing staff in order to overcome her resistance – again without the necessary court order. The swabbing for the PCR test, which some seniors tried to resist, is also regularly done with the use of physical force against the seniors resisting the unwanted treatment, the whistleblower said.

According to the whistleblower, the vaccination education of the caregivers and relatives – the seniors are unable to effectively consent to vaccination due to their dementia – was based on outdated information sheets from the RKI/Grünes Kreuze. In particular, the information required by Regulation (EC) No. 507/2006 on the fact the vaccine Comirnaty has only been granted conditional marketing authorization and why this is the case is missing. In particular, the information should have been provided that from the point of view of the regulatory authority EMA, the data situation still needs to be improved with regard to various aspects, e.g. the interaction of Comirnaty with other drugs.

Already on the day of vaccination, four of the vaccinated seniors began to show unusual symptoms. In the evening of that day they were fatigued and extremely tired, some of them fell asleep at the table during dinner. A sharp drop in blood oxygen saturation was noted. In the further course, the leaden fatigue continued, the oxygen saturation in the blood remained insufficient, in some cases gasping breathing occurred, and fever, edema, skin rash, a yellowish-gray discoloration of the skin, and a (characteristic) muscle tremor of the upper body and arms occurred.

The seniors also showed a change in demeanor, were partially unresponsive, and refused to eat or drink. One vaccinated senior, who had previously been “in great shape” for her age and suffered from no serious previous illnesses, died as early as January 9, 2021, just six days after vaccination. Deaths among vaccinated seniors and senior citizens occurred on January 15, January 16, January 19 (2 deaths), January 20, February 2, and February 8, 2021. The most recently deceased senior citizen was a former opera singer who had been playing the piano the day before vaccination. The whistleblower reports on the state of health that the old gentleman regularly went jogging, danced, played music and was otherwise very dynamic and active.

Of the seniors who tested negative before vaccination, various suddenly showed a positive test result after vaccination. However, all of these seniors did not show any of the known COVID-19 symptoms, i.e., symptoms of colds such as cough, cold, loss of sense of smell and taste, etc.

On January 24, 2021, the second dose of Comirnaty was applied to 21 seniors. After this vaccination, according to the whistleblower, eleven seniors are now showing persistent extreme fatigue, partially gasping for breath, partially edema, skin rash, and the yellowish-grayish skin discoloration. As of February 10, 2021, none of the seniors who received the second dose of Comirnaty has died, but the health of some of the seniors in this group is steadily deteriorating.

The whistleblower impressively describes the different nature of the dying process of the vaccinated. Normally, the person dying would eventually accept their approaching death and – perhaps after seeing a loved one for the last time – go in peace. Dying as after vaccination, however, was different, he said. It is “inhumane.” The old people he had seen dying had breathed heavily, trembled strongly, and seemed as if inwardly they had passed away already. It seemed to him like a lonely, futile struggle against death, as if “the people knew that their time had not yet come, and therefore they had not yet been able to let go.”

The AGAPLESION Bethanien Havelgarten senior citizens’ residential home was requested to comment on the events on February 3, 2021 by Attorney at Law Viviane Fischer, in the name and on behalf of two journalists researching the topic, but has still not received a response.

Attorney at Law Viviane Fischer filed a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor’s office on February 3, 2021, 12:04 a.m., and informed the police as well as Prof. Klaus Cichutek, the head of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which is responsible for recording vaccination side effects, and the Senator for Health of Berlin, Dilek Kalayci, about the events. The health department was also informed, as well as the office of the senate administration responsible for nursing homes.

Lawyer Fischer requested the public prosecutor’s office to secure the body of the last deceased old gentleman, She alerted the officials to the imminent death of the eighth death victim, which was to be feared at that time promptly. In the meantime he succumbed to his illness.

Upon telephone inquiry on February 8, 2021, the file could not be found in the registry at the public prosecutor’s office. Such a registration, so it was communicated, can in Corona times take up to six weeks.

On February 8, 2021 Attorney a Law Fischer has therefore additionally filed a criminal complaint via the Internet guard of the Berlin police.

A press inquiry with view of initiated investigations, seizure of the corpses and possible similar occurrences in the past examined by the authorities, which Attorney at Law Fischer had placed again in agency of the two journalists on February 8, 2021, answered the police in the evening of February 9, 2021, as follows: “So far the Berlin police led no investigations in connection with the deaths described by you. Such investigations are always initiated when a doctor certifies a non-natural cause of death when issuing the death certificate. The two deaths you mentioned are also not known to the Berlin police. In this respect, no investigations were conducted nor has the body of the deceased been seized. The criminal charges filed by you are available to the Berlin police and are currently being investigated by a specialist department of the criminal police or by the Berlin public prosecutor’s office. Information for this can be received from the press office of the public prosecutor’s office in Berlin.”

The investigation behavior of the police presenting itself at present as little engaged stands in contrast to the legality principle and pursuit obligation for criminal offences, to which police and public prosecutor are subject, Attorney at Law Dr. Fuellmich states. A violation of this could justify the reproach of an obstruction of justice in the office pursuant to § 258 a StGB.§ Section 160 (I) sentence of the Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates: “As soon as the public prosecutor’s office becomes aware of the suspicion of a criminal offense through a report or by other means, it must investigate the facts of the case in order to decide whether to file a public complaint.” Section 163 (I) sentence 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates: “The authorities and officers of the police service must investigate criminal offenses and issue all orders that do not permit any delay in order to prevent the case from becoming obscure.

It would therefore be contrary to current law for the police to take action only when the family doctor, emergency physician or even the vaccinator himself filling out the death certificate confirmed an unnatural cause of death. It was already questionable whether an external physician, who in case of doubt could not know the medical history in detail, would at all be able to assess the situation and the dying process correctly. According to Dr. Fuellmich, the lawyer, there is undoubtedly a considerable initial suspicion that the extraordinary accumulation of deaths – otherwise only one or two seniors die per month in the respective department of the nursing home – was not due to natural causes.

With regard to the eleven seniors whose health condition had deteriorated after administration of the second dose of Comirnaty, there was also imminent danger.

The police, the health offices and the senate administration have a guarantor position to avert danger for the population. If the persons installed to fend off danger from the public do not follow their obligation, a punishability of the acting persons because of active assistance and/or assistance by omission to the body injury (possibly even with death consequence) – committed while in office – comes into consideration, Attorney at Law Fischer states. Also a negligent act participation must be examined. In order to avoid dangers for possible future victims the police is obligated to immediately start professional investigations. Post-mortem examinations must be carried out. A retreat to a possible theoretical assessment of police experts, as this was indicated to Attorney at Law Fischer by the police department in charge (LKA 115, offenses against humans), could not be accepted. The question, which symptoms develop after a vaccination and possibly cause the death of the patient can at present not be answered by any expert simply because up-to-date no study exists for instance regarding the endangerment of old humans by the vaccine. In particular no interaction studies regarding other medicines have been performed. After deaths in Norway following the Corona vaccination, the vaccination of very old, fragile people is no longer recommended in Norway.

The causal relationship between vaccination and the accumulation of deaths, especially among the elderly, is such that government action is urgently needed to protect the health and lives of all those willing to be vaccinated and those who have already received a dose of Comirnaty. The precautionary principle may include temporarily suspending the use of this vaccine for the duration of a full and transparent investigation into any role it may have played in the deaths of the elderly whose fates are the subject of this article.

These governmental measures should also be taken, in particular, for the benefit of those who wish to visit vaccination centers, are residents of retirement or nursing homes, or have a job in health care with contact with patients.

Comirnaty seems by no means as safe as one might think based on the government’s vaccination campaign and the many public statements by politicians and experts who support the government’s lockdown course.

Comirnaty is a so-called mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine. The mRNA contains the “blueprint” for a protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2. Through vaccination, this blueprint enters the body cells of the vaccinated person via tiny fat particles (fat nanobodies). These are then supposed to produce a protein that is found on the surface of the virus. This is intended to induce a response in the immune system that will in turn cause an appropriate immune response to occur in the event of subsequent infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Because of the unusually short duration of clinical testing on humans, it is obvious from the point of view of 2020news.de that not all possible negative effects of this vaccine could be researched. In particular, experts believe there is a risk of the formation of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). This is the term used to describe antibodies that bind to the surface of viruses but do not neutralize them, instead leading to enhanced uptake of the virus into a cell and thus promoting the spread and multiplication of the virus. Infection-enhancing antibodies promote immunopathogenesis and constitute a long-known potential hazard of certain vaccines.

The occurrence of this hazard has been well documented for previous unsuccessful attempts to develop vaccines against coronaviruses (such as SARS-CoV). In some preclinical animal studies, test animals became severely ill or even died after encountering the wild virus because of the appearance of infection-boosting antibodies.

Experts also fear that the occurrence of autoimmune diseases and an impairment or endangerment of fertility, pregnancy, unborn life, breastfeeding with breast milk and children whose mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy cannot be ruled out. In their view the probability of the occurrence of these negative consequences could not – or not sufficiently – be investigated due to the design of the clinical trials in humans, which BioNTech/Pfizer conducted before the conditional approval of Comirnaty.

According to the assessment of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-containing lipid nanoparticles contained in Comirnaty may, too, be possible triggers of observed serious reactions in connection with the vaccination. This is also troubling because in numerous preclinical studies, PEG liposomes have been shown to transport substances across the blood-brain barrier. Certain liposomes have also been linked to the death of specific cells in the liver and lungs in animal studies. For more details, see the recording of Corona Committee Meeting #37 (starting at 03:55:00).

According to the EMA Dashboard, as of February 12, 2021, 54,828 adverse vaccine reactions have already been reported. As of January 31, 2021, there were 26,849.

Because of the multiple concerns about the vaccine, a withdrawal request against the approval has already been submitted to the EMA. According to lawyer Fischer, Attorney at Law Dr. Renate Holzeisen will file an action against this approval, including summary proceedings, with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in due time on behalf of clients residing in Italy. Such an action and such an application is possible within a period of two months after the conditional approval of Cominarty had been granted. According to lawyer Fischer, these proceedings will now also be accompanied by an international network of lawyers and scientists, to which the members of the Corona Committee also belonge. The judgment in the main proceedings and the decision in the summary proceedings will have an impact in all member states of the EU for which the conditional approval of Comirnaty has effect.

On February 12, 2021, the public prosecutor informed Attorney at Law of the European Union (EU) of the European Commission (EU) of the European Commission’s decision in the matter of the European Commission’s decision in the matter of the European Commission’s decision in the matter. This, in turn, is intended to induce a response in the immune system that will cause an appropriate immune response to occur in the event of subsequent infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Because of the unusually short duration of clinical testing on humans, it is obvious from the point of view of 2020news.de that not all possible negative effects of this vaccine could be researched. In particular, experts believe there is a risk of the formation of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). This is the term used to describe antibodies that bind to the surface of viruses but do not neutralize them, instead leading to enhanced uptake of the virus into a cell and thus promoting the spread and multiplication of the virus. Infection-enhancing antibodies promote immunopathogenesis and constitute a long-known potential hazard of certain vaccines.

The occurrence of this hazard has been well documented for previous unsuccessful attempts to develop vaccines against coronaviruses (such as SARS-CoV). In some preclinical animal studies, test animals became severely ill or even died after encountering the wild virus because of the appearance of infection-boosting antibodies.

Experts also fear that the occurrence of autoimmune diseases and an impairment or endangerment of fertility, pregnancy, unborn life, breastfeeding with breast milk and children whose mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy cannot be ruled out – in particular because the probability of the occurrence of these negative consequences could not be investigated or not sufficiently investigated due to the design of the clinical trials in humans, which BioNTech/Pfizer conducted before the conditional approval of Comirnaty.

According to the assessment of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-containing lipid nanoparticles contained in Comirnaty may also be possible triggers of observed serious reactions in connection with the vaccination. This is also troubling because in numerous preclinical studies, PEG liposomes have been shown to transport substances across the blood-brain barrier. Certain liposomes have also been linked to the death of specific cells in the liver and lungs in animal studies. For more details, see the recording of Corona Committee Meeting #37 (starting at 03:55:00).

According to the EMA Dashboard, as of February 4, 2021, 41,140 adverse vaccine reactions have already been reported. As of January 31, 2021, there were 26,849.

Because of the multiple concerns about the vaccine, a withdrawal request against the approval has already been submitted to the EMA. According to attorney Fischer, attorney Dr. Renate Holzeisen will file an action against this approval, including summary proceedings, with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in due time on behalf of clients residing in Italy. Such an action and such an application would be possible within a period of two months after the conditional approval of Cominarty had been granted. These proceedings would now also be accompanied by an international network of lawyers and scientists, to which the members of the Corona Committee also belonged. The judgment in the main proceedings and the decision in the summary proceedings will have an impact in all member states of the EU for which the conditional approval of Comirnaty has effect.

On February 12, 2021, the public prosecutor informed attorney Viviane Fischer in writing: “Your criminal complaint is already known here, but not yet recorded in our system, so I cannot provide you with any further information on this at present. However, within the scope of the permissible investigations, everything necessary will be arranged with the necessary acceleration.”

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  April 5th - St. Vincent Ferrer
Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-16-2021, 11:14 AM - Forum: April - Replies (2)

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Saint Vincent Ferrer
Thaumaturge, Dominican Missionary
(1357-1419)

This wonderful apostle, the Angel of the Judgment, was born at Valencia in Spain in 1357. At the age of eighteen, he was professed in the Order of Saint Dominic. After a brilliant course of study he became Master of Sacred Theology, and began to preach. For three years he read only the Sacred Scriptures, and came to know the entire Bible by heart. He brought the light of Christ to the Jews of Valencia, and their synagogue became a church.

Grief at the great schism then afflicting the Church reduced him to the point of death at the age of forty, but Our Lord Himself whom he saw in glory, healed him and bade him go forth to convert sinners, for My judgment is near. In the language of Scripture, a judgment is a time of trial during which the good become better by prayer and abandonment to God's Providence, and the impious blaspheme. The judgment which was to fall upon Europe, the rending of the robe of Christ through the still greater fragmentation of the Church, would follow soon after Saint Vincent's time; his passage preserved large numbers of souls from its fatal dangers.

This virtually miraculous apostolate lasted twenty-one years. He preached throughout western Europe, in the towns and villages of Spain, Switzerland, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland. Everywhere tens of thousands of sinners were reformed. Infidels, heretics, Jews were enlightened and warmed by the Sun of Justice. Stupendous miracles enforced his words. Twice each day the miracle bell summoned the sick, the blind, the lame to be cured, and the most obdurate sinners became Saints. Speaking only his native Spanish, he was understood in all tongues. Processions of ten thousand penitents followed him in perfect order. Convents, orphanages, hospitals, arose where he passed.

Amid all the honors which came to him, his humility remained profound, his prayer constant. He always made prayer his principal preparation for preaching. Once, however, when a person of high rank was to be present at his sermon, he neglected prayer for study. The nobleman was not particularly struck by the discourse which had been thus carefully laid out. But he came again to hear the Saint, and the second sermon, for which Saint Vincent's supplications before the Crucifix were the preparation, made a deep impression on his soul. When Saint Vincent heard of his reaction, he remarked that in the first sermon it was Vincent who had preached, but in the second, Jesus Christ.

Saint Vincent fell ill at Vannes in Brittany, and received the crown of everlasting glory in 1419.

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  April 4th - St. Isidore
Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-16-2021, 11:12 AM - Forum: April - Replies (1)

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Saint Isidore
Archbishop and Doctor of the Church

Saint Isidore was born of a ducal family, at Carthagena in Spain. His two brothers, Leander, Archbishop of Seville, Fulgentius, Bishop of Ecija, and his sister Florentina, are all recognized by the Church as Saints. As a boy Isidore despaired over his poor success in study, and ran away from school. Resting in his flight at a roadside spring, he observed a stone, which had been hollowed out by the slow but constant dripping of water. This lesson decided him to return, and then, by determined application, he succeeded.

He went back to his master and with the help of God became, even as a youth, one of the most learned men of the time. He assisted in converting Prince Recared, the leader of the Arian party; and with his aid, though at the constant peril of his own life, expelled that heresy from Spain. Then, following a call from God, he turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of his friends, and embraced a hermit's life. Prince Recared and many of the nobles and clergy of Seville went to persuade him to come back, representing the needs of the times and the good he could do, and had already done, among the people. He refused, and, as far as we can judge, his retreat gave him the necessary opportunity of acquiring the virtue and power which afterwards made him an illustrious Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

On the death of his brother Leander, he was called to fill the vacant see. As a teacher, ruler, founder, and reformer, he labored not only in his own diocese, but throughout Spain, and his influence attained foreign countries. He died in Seville on April 4, 639, and within sixteen years of his death was declared a Doctor of the Catholic Church.

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