01 February 2023
A Guest Post From Jack Seney
Mr Seney has some thoughts on the Houck case about taking children to abortuary protests & on the case of Fr Fidelis Moscinski.
I am glad to see the not-guilty verdict in the case of Pennsylvania pro-life activist Mark Houck. Just as I am not happy to see a guilty verdict in the case of Father Fidelis Moscinski of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, who non-violently protested a Long Island abortuary by trying to lock its gates shut.
In the case of Houck, Biden Justice Department feds had attempted to charge him with "crimes" that local prosecutors had already dismissed as unprovable. The Biden government tried to convict Houck of "assaulting" a cranky 72 year-old abortion clinic volunteer who followed Houck and his son while shouting at and menacing the boy. Thank God that the case was a total failure as it deserved to be.
At the same time, I will repeat my reservations about getting young kids involved in abortion center demonstrations. The annual March For Life and its smaller versions at various times around the country throughout the year are the places for children to participate. Involving them in what could become the physically dangerous business of abortuary protests (because of the abortuary staff, not peaceful pro-lifers) is ill-advised in my view and the Houck case has been piece of evidence #1 to support my position on that.
In the case of Father Moscinski I must assume that he knew he would be found guilty and that he would face jail or prison time for his peaceful "offenses." He wants to sacrifice himself on behalf of innocent babies targeted by the legalized murder that is abortion, and may God bless him and give him strength for this.
Moscinski might be sentenced to a year in jail and be kept away from his usual activities of helping the poor and homeless and of advocating for babies. But I am sure that he prayed greatly about this beforehand and that he has been called to make this sacrifice. I am also sure that he will conduct a ministry behind bars among the prisoners, and may God bless it.
In the case of Houck, Biden Justice Department feds had attempted to charge him with "crimes" that local prosecutors had already dismissed as unprovable. The Biden government tried to convict Houck of "assaulting" a cranky 72 year-old abortion clinic volunteer who followed Houck and his son while shouting at and menacing the boy. Thank God that the case was a total failure as it deserved to be.
At the same time, I will repeat my reservations about getting young kids involved in abortion center demonstrations. The annual March For Life and its smaller versions at various times around the country throughout the year are the places for children to participate. Involving them in what could become the physically dangerous business of abortuary protests (because of the abortuary staff, not peaceful pro-lifers) is ill-advised in my view and the Houck case has been piece of evidence #1 to support my position on that.
In the case of Father Moscinski I must assume that he knew he would be found guilty and that he would face jail or prison time for his peaceful "offenses." He wants to sacrifice himself on behalf of innocent babies targeted by the legalized murder that is abortion, and may God bless him and give him strength for this.
Moscinski might be sentenced to a year in jail and be kept away from his usual activities of helping the poor and homeless and of advocating for babies. But I am sure that he prayed greatly about this beforehand and that he has been called to make this sacrifice. I am also sure that he will conduct a ministry behind bars among the prisoners, and may God bless it.
$5.4 Million Altar for World Youth Day Generates Controversy in Portugal
The Vatican says they had nothing to do with it. The Mayor says it was planned by the city & representatives of the Vatican & the Church in Portugal.
From Crux
By Crux Staff
ROME – Although Pope Francis hasn’t even formally confirmed his presence yet, the 2023 edition of World Youth Day in Lisbon is already generating controversy over a $5.4 million price tag for the altar area from which the pontiff is expected to celebrate a closing Mass.
Last week Lisbon city officials published details for the massive 54,000-square foot altar and stage area, for 4.2 million Euro plus VAT, or value-added tax, for a total outlay close to $5.4 million. The contract has been awarded to Portugal’s largest construction company, Mota-Engil.
The expense has generated criticism in the local press and from opposition politicians, who’ve demanded that Mayor Carlos Moedas of Lisbon appear before parliament to answer questions about the awarding of the contract.
“If the housing crisis was an altar for World Youth Day, it would already be solved,” Fabian Figueiredo, from the Left Bloc party, said on Twitter. “The problem is not lack of money but spending priorities.”
“As a Catholic and a man of faith I am saddened by this display of unnecessary opulence at such a difficult time,” wrote Twitter user Manuel Barbosa as quoted by the Reuters news agency.
In an apparent effort to sidestep the controversy, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni has told news outlets that the organization of the August 1-6 World Youth Day is a local matter, and responsibility for the budget lies with the city council.
Moedas, however, has told reporters that plans for the altar/stage were worked out in meetings with the organizing committee for World Youth Day as well as representatives of both the church in Portugal and also the Vatican.
The altar stage is designed to accommodate up to 2,000 people, including the pope and his party, 1,000 bishops and 300 other concelebrants, a 200-member choir, 30 translators in sign language, and a 90-member orchestra, along with guests, staff and technicians.
City officials say the work will be complete in roughly 150 days, and that the stage will remain and can be used for other events in the future, such as outdoor concerts and rallies.
Responding to the criticism over costs, Auxiliary Bishop Américo Aguiar of Lisbon has said that a meeting will be held this week with the Lisbon City Council as well as the local Urban Rehabilitation Society, which is responsible for the project, to try to reduce expenses by as much as possible.
Lisbon was chosen in 2019 to host the next edition of World Youth Day, originally set for 2022 but delayed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Benevacantists have a Pope… and So Do We
I couldn't have been more wrong!!! I'd assumed that Br Bugnolo's 'conclave' would elect Br Bugnolo. They elected FRANCIS instead!
From One Peter Five
By Aurelio Porfiri
We have recently been able to witness an unusual, certainly curious event. That is, the convening of a “conclave” by a group that puts forward the following theory: Benedict XVI never voluntarily renounced the Papacy, but “stepped aside” while continuing to govern the Church as pope. But if he wanted to continue to govern the Church, why did he leave everything ungoverned? The Benevacantists (or “Sedeimpeditists” or “BiP”) don’t see it that way. Some of them maintain – there are divisions among them – that Benedict was forced into a position to remain silent and inactive, even while maintaining the true office of the Papacy.
Now, we use these terms even if today they are no longer valid as Benedict XVI is no longer with us. Therefore the Holy See, according to their theory, is no longer impeded and Benedict is Pope is not really possible, even with all the good will of the deceased Pontiff. In death he cannot be Pope.
But is he dead?
Because there are some who are not so convinced. Perhaps they think that the Pope has entered into “vita impedita” to continue to govern the Church from Heaven? (But what a thirst for power this Ratzinger…).
However, most of the BiP Catholics had to accept that he was dead and had to reflect on what would happen from then on.
For Fra’ Alexis Bugnolo, the solution was simple enough: to convene a conclave.
And he summoned it to a hotel in Rome, inviting all the inhabitants of Rome and surrounding areas – provided they had proof of their belonging to the Catholic Church – to vote. The date set was January 30th – this past Monday. It must be said that the two most representative exponents of this movement in Italy – Alessandro Minutella and Andrea Cionci – did not join Bugnolo’s initiative, and indeed, they decisively dissociated themselves from Bugnolo.
Nevertheless, the conclave went ahead.
Now, if there is one thing that all members of this group agree on, it is that Benedict XVI was the Pope. And the implication of this is that Pope Francis (or Cardinal Bergoglio, as they call him), is a real curse, heretic and antipope – and these were the most polite definitions. All of us who observe this phenomenon were curious as to who they would elect. A rumor had reached us about a proposal to make American Bishop René Henry Gracida the Pope. But there was one small, insignificant problem: he is 100 years old. The very definition of a “transitional Pope.” Then the wait became feverish, who would they have put in Benedict XVI’s place to plug the disaster represented by Pope Francis?
As it turns out, the conclave was, according to the official press release, “Unanimous for Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as successor of St. Peter and successor of Pope Benedict XVI.”
You read that right: they elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio. It would be like telling a person whose house is on fire that to save the same house they will also need to set fire to the garage. Fra’ Bugnolo, however, was keen to inform the world (in the aforementioned press release) that he had proposed Bishop Gracida. And so, this rather fringe wing of BiP that actually attempted to elect an antipope, ended up calling all of the BiP to adhere to the same pope to whom the rest of the Catholic faithful adhere.
I feel grateful for all of this, because it has cheered up some days that otherwise would have been gray and boring.
How to Argue - Induction & Abduction: Crash Course Philosophy
Video Number Three in Crash Course Philosophy, with Hank Green.
Europe, No Longer Christian According to President of the French Bishops’ Conference
From the sermon from Bld Charlemagne's Mass in the Imperial Cathedral, Frankfurt. I've included the Google translation of the description of the video.
From Catholic Conclave
"Only a part of the cultural heritage".
According to the President of the French Bishops' Conference, the Christian faith is being massively questioned today, even in Europe. He explained this to the faithful at the Mass in Honour of Blessed Charlemagne in Frankfurt Cathedral on Saturday evening.
"It no longer gives the majority of people in our countries a basis for their lives, their actions, for weighing decisions, for their ideas about the world," said Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort of Rheims on Saturday evening, according to a sermon distributed in advance at the traditional Mass in Honour of Blessed Charlemagne in Frankfurt Cathedral.
For many people in Europe, the Christian faith is "only part of the cultural heritage", and only a few are still intent on seeking in faith "a living source", said de Moulins-Beaufort (60). The words of Jesus may still touch people, but often "only like a passing feeling".
Church as a "relic of the past"
Across the European continent, the Church is "no longer the mother that enables people to live in the Spirit", said the Bishops' Conference president. "It no longer offers provides the resources of meaning, consolation and commitment that compensate for their own inadequacies."
To many, the Church is seen "as a relic of the past" and is seen as more of a nuisance. The Catholic Church even appears to many people "as a disturbing force whose social usefulness is largely diminished by the hitherto covered-up crimes committed within it".
Mass in honour of Charlemagne
Looking at the congregation gathered in the cathedral, the Archbishop asked, "Can we not recognise that we are in a period of purification, so that the Gospel may reappear as the fire that renews our ideas about the world?" In this way, he said, the Church can once again become the place "where an unexpected measure of freedom" and a deep joy can be experienced. The Catholic Church in today's Europe can no longer be the force that unites the inhabitants. Rather, it resembles a "small, humble remnant that nevertheless becomes the bearer of a promise for all humanity".
The service in Saint Bartholomew's Cathedral in honour of Charlemagne (c. 748 to 814) has been held since 1332. Every year on the last Saturday in January, the Catholic Church in Frankfurt commemorates Emperor Charlemagne, who died on 28 January 814. He is revered as the founding father of Europe and is the Patron Saint of the City of Frankfurt and the Imperial cathedral.
In memory of Emperor Charlemagne, who is not only the founding father of Europe, but also the patron saint of the city and the imperial cathedral, the Catholic City Church in Frankfurt will be celebrating the traditional Charlemagne office on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 6 p.m. in St. Bartholomäus Cathedral.
Since time immemorial, the unique liturgy with medieval chants has only been celebrated in the Karlsstadt Aachen and in Frankfurt, where the German emperors were elected in the Middle Ages. The main celebrant and preacher is a different European bishop every year. Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort from Reims is expected this year.
From Catholic Conclave
"Only a part of the cultural heritage".
According to the President of the French Bishops' Conference, the Christian faith is being massively questioned today, even in Europe. He explained this to the faithful at the Mass in Honour of Blessed Charlemagne in Frankfurt Cathedral on Saturday evening.
"It no longer gives the majority of people in our countries a basis for their lives, their actions, for weighing decisions, for their ideas about the world," said Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort of Rheims on Saturday evening, according to a sermon distributed in advance at the traditional Mass in Honour of Blessed Charlemagne in Frankfurt Cathedral.
For many people in Europe, the Christian faith is "only part of the cultural heritage", and only a few are still intent on seeking in faith "a living source", said de Moulins-Beaufort (60). The words of Jesus may still touch people, but often "only like a passing feeling".
Church as a "relic of the past"
Across the European continent, the Church is "no longer the mother that enables people to live in the Spirit", said the Bishops' Conference president. "It no longer offers provides the resources of meaning, consolation and commitment that compensate for their own inadequacies."
To many, the Church is seen "as a relic of the past" and is seen as more of a nuisance. The Catholic Church even appears to many people "as a disturbing force whose social usefulness is largely diminished by the hitherto covered-up crimes committed within it".
Mass in honour of Charlemagne
Looking at the congregation gathered in the cathedral, the Archbishop asked, "Can we not recognise that we are in a period of purification, so that the Gospel may reappear as the fire that renews our ideas about the world?" In this way, he said, the Church can once again become the place "where an unexpected measure of freedom" and a deep joy can be experienced. The Catholic Church in today's Europe can no longer be the force that unites the inhabitants. Rather, it resembles a "small, humble remnant that nevertheless becomes the bearer of a promise for all humanity".
The service in Saint Bartholomew's Cathedral in honour of Charlemagne (c. 748 to 814) has been held since 1332. Every year on the last Saturday in January, the Catholic Church in Frankfurt commemorates Emperor Charlemagne, who died on 28 January 814. He is revered as the founding father of Europe and is the Patron Saint of the City of Frankfurt and the Imperial cathedral.
In memory of Emperor Charlemagne, who is not only the founding father of Europe, but also the patron saint of the city and the imperial cathedral, the Catholic City Church in Frankfurt will be celebrating the traditional Charlemagne office on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 6 p.m. in St. Bartholomäus Cathedral.
Since time immemorial, the unique liturgy with medieval chants has only been celebrated in the Karlsstadt Aachen and in Frankfurt, where the German emperors were elected in the Middle Ages. The main celebrant and preacher is a different European bishop every year. Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort from Reims is expected this year.
Heretic Cardinals Warn Bishops Not To Try To Change The Church Without Francis
You can't 'change the Church' with or without Francis!
Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre - Vol. III - A Sermon at Martigny
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21 March 19821
My dear friends,
I am sure the Blessed Virgin Mary is happy today, that she is looking upon us with joy and that she has been much consoled with the prayers offered to her throughout the night just past. You have certainly been most obedient to the wishes of the Blessed Virgin Mary, following the initiative of some true and faithful Catholic laymen.
In all her apparitions and particularly at Fatima, she asked us to pray and do penance. This is why you are here, many of you coming from far away. In spite of inconveniences you have willingly taken on this penance and have come here to pray. To pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose wish we shall fulfill in a few minutes when we repeat, in the words of Pope Pius XII, the consecration of the world and of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
What Christian today, what faithful Catholic, does not feel the need to pray and do penance, in present world circumstances? We are a little like those who invited their friends to the wedding feast at Cana and, when they ran short of wine, turned to the Virgin Mary with anxious looks, asking the Mother of Jesus to put in a word with her Divine Son to relieve them of this worry of having no more wine to serve their guests. So Mary turned to Jesus and said to Him, "They have no wine." And Jesus performed the wonderful miracle of transforming water into wine. A mirror image of the situation we find ourselves in today!
We too turn to the Blessed Virgin, where we can still today find the grace of God, where we can still find divine life in this world. The wine symbolizes precisely the Blood of Christ, which transmits divine life to us. We shall listen to the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary saying, "Do whatever He tells you." So now, we too are making a resolution to listen to the Blessed Virgin and to do whatever Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us.
And what is He telling us? What is He revealing? His Revelation tells us that the most beautiful, the most admirable, the most perfect of His creatures did not make good use of the freedom which Our Lord, as God, gave them. Yes, He has shown us that this extraordinary conflict took place in heaven between the good angels and the wicked angels, between those who wanted to become like God and St. Michael the Archangel at the head of all the angels loyal to God. Quis ut Deus? "Who is like God?"
So He plunged the wicked angels into hell. This is what God tells us. Not only on earth, therefore, do men misuse their freedom, this extraordinary gift which God gave them to do good and not evil. It has already happened in heaven.
So the situation is that, henceforth and for all eternity, there will be, on the one side, the glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ united to the Father and to the Holy Ghost, which will shine in the hearts of all the elect, of all who are united to God: the holy angels, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, all the saints, the martyrs, all who follow the law of God and love Him here below.
And then there is hell. Hell, the place forever of those who tried to resist God, tried to make themselves God a state of eternal separation from God. This is what Our Lord teaches us.
He dwelt among us to make reparation for the sin of our first parents, who had abused their freedom and disobeyed God. So He too found Himself in confrontation and opposition to those who wanted to put Him to death. Because Satan, if he can do no more in heaven, because he has been confined to hell once and for all, can still work here below and try to populate hell in ever greater numbers. God permits him to do this. We have seen Our Lord Jesus Christ persecuted by Satan, by the devil himself. Satan believed that his definitive victory had been achieved. He had succeeded in crucifying God Himself, body and soul. God seemed dead. He had breathed His last.
Satan cried victory, because it was Satan who wanted to crucify Him. This is in the Gospel. When Judas went off to betray Our Lord, having taken the Bread which Our Lord had given Him, the Gospel says, "Satan entered into his soul." So it is indeed a struggle, a struggle between Our Lord and all who wanted to crucify Him. And who showed up as the means of the crucifixion of Our Lord? False religions and bad governments. This is in the Gospel. The Scribes and the Pharisees said, "What do you think? He has blasphemed, because He makes Himself the Son of God, and because He has blasphemed, He must be crucified."
Yes, from that moment Israel abandoned the religion which Jesus had taught them. And instead of recognizing the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, they rejected the Messias and crucified Him. There are also those who said, in the name of pagan governments, as Pilate hesitated to crucify Him, "If you do not put Him to death, you are no friend of Caesar, because everyone who makes himself king sets himself against Caesar." So you see, it is perfectly clear: in the Gospel there are false religions and bad governments which crucify Our Lord Jesus Christ. But, as you know, Our Lord escaped them. Satan thought He was dead once and for all, the Scribes and Pharisees too. And Our Lord rose, He ascended to heaven triumphantly, gloriously, henceforth for all eternity. He enters again into the glory of His Father and of the Holy Ghost in the Holy Trinity.
But He founded the Church, His Mystical Body which carries on the struggle, which henceforth will be open to all the attacks of the devil and of all those who wish to destroy Our Lord. Because Our Lord slipped past them, they will persecute members of the Church.
This is what Our Lord said to St. Paul to Saul on the road to Damascus, "Why persecutest thou Me?" Thus Our Lord considered persecution of His members as persecution of Himself. "Why persecutest thou Me?"
Yes, the Church is the Mystical Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ. So, throughout the history of the Church, you have seen this struggle carried on by heretics, by every means at their disposal, in all the attacks which the Church has undergone in the course of her history, all the martyrs and all those who have been witnesses of the divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Church. This conflict continues, it continues into our own day. And it continues with the Blessed Virgin Mary at our side, because she has entered the lists. She is no pacifist, the Blessed Virgin Mary. "She is powerful," says the Scripture, "as an army in battle array." She is represented crushing the head of Satan. So she is in the struggle. She is on our side to help us.
Now what shall we do, we Catholics of the twentieth century, members of the Mystical Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ? Shall we lay down our arms? This is the drama of the Church today. They want us to lay down our arms. They want us to enter into a kind of pacifism which is nothing more nor less than cowardice. In the face of Satan, in the face of the enemy, in the face of all those who seek the destruction of the Church, in the face of those who want to crush all Christians, to finish off Our Lord Jesus Christ here below, we are supposed to lay down our weapons. First of all, the weapon of prayer. We are not supposed to pray any more. The churches will be empty. We will come no more to adore the Blessed Sacrament, no longer pray to the Blessed Virgin. So Satan will be happy, he will have won a great victory, and he will take millions and millions of souls to hell.
There you have it, my dear friends, the great drama which the Church is experiencing today, worse than the attacks of the Moslems in the time of Pope Saint Pius V; worse than Protestantism in the sixteenth century, worse than all heresies and schisms put together.
Today the evil is inside the Church. We must realize that, until the Second Vatican Council, popes, bishops, and priests fought courageously alongside the faithful, leading the faithful in the struggle against Satan and all his works.
Now we are astonished to see that, since the Council, because of two attitudes of those with responsibility in the Church, two attitudes which are contrary to this struggle, which undermine the Church, we are told we have now arrived at a time when we must have peace at any price.
So, vis A vis other religions, we have ecumenism. They are saying about all religions which are against the Church: "Now we must have unity, we must lay down our arms, we embrace you, in.order to have union." The union of truth with error, the union of shadows with the Light, the union of Satan with God. This is what St. Paul says. How is it possible? It is part of what they call Ostpolitik. The Vatican has changed its policy. From now on we must cooperate with all hostile governments, hostile to the Church, governments which have only one end in view: to destroy Our Lord Jesus Christ in His embers, in His Church. This is their one aim. They use possible means, falsehood and with so much more effectiveness dialogue, if that will serve their purpose. This is the program: peaceful coexistence, detente, dialogue. We have handed over to these governments the poor priests and faithful who were fighting in defense of their faith.
At the present time in Czechoslovakia, in Rumania, there are bishops called Peace Priests, appointed by and answerable to the government, as in the Russian Orthodox Church, totally under the control of the communist government. And these bishops turn good priests out, turn good Catholics out, because they will not obey the communist government, because they want to have their children baptized, because they want their children taught the catechism, because the priests want to go out and visit the sick, to take Holy Communion to them, to teach catechism (secretly, if necessary), to hear confessions in homes, if people have difficulty in getting to church. All this is against the communist government regulations. This is why the bishops persecute these good priests.
And I say it is the same thing with us. I also say that these good priests, these good Catholics, are sacrificed on the altar of Ostpolitik and of dialogue with wicked governments, just as we are sacrificed on the altar of ecumenism, in maintaining our Catholic Faith, which teaches that there is only one Church.
There are not two religions, there is only the religion of God, the religion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ is God. He came to earth to found His religion. There are not two religions, there is only one religion, the Catholic religion, and so, if we believe there is only one religion, we should pray and do penance for the conversion of souls, for their conversion and not to embrace them with all their errors and vices. This is not doing them a favor. It is deceiving them. This has always been the attitude of the Church: to send missionaries all over the world, even if they are martyred, to win souls for Christ and for the Church.
It has never been understood that henceforth there should be no more missionaries. We want to uphold and prolong the Catholic Church. We want to uphold the social reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to proclaim that the Catholic Church is the true religion and that everyone is called to convert to the Catholic Church. For this we pray, we do penance and we try with all means at our disposal to do good wherever we are, in order to convert souls.
There you have it, my dear friends, the resolution which we should make today, especially to have devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to her Immaculate Heart. With her we will fight, we will continue the combat. We will continue the fight against ourselves, against all that is evil in ourselves, all that is evil in our families, all that is evil in our cities, so that Our Lord Jesus Christ can reign everywhere and always. We will pray to the Good Lord and to the Blessed Virgin Mary to help us to continue the fight. We will not be taken in by this false ecumenism. This false ecumenism has completely transformed our holy liturgy. We reject this transformed liturgy which is supposed to turn us into Protestants, because we do not want to give the Eucharist to Protestants. They are not of our Faith. They cannot receive our Eucharist. We wish to convert them first, convert them to our Faith, and then they will be able to receive our Eucharist joyfully.
There you have, my dear friends, what I wanted to say to you. In a few minutes we shall join, shall we not, with our Lady of Fatima, with all those who have faith in Our Lady, especially to the great and venerated Pope Pius XII, who drew up this consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We shall repeat his very words and put our entire lives and souls under the protection of the Immaculate Heart and pray that the reign of Mary be established over the earth and over souls.
1. From Fideliter, May/June 1982.
Unholy Row at St Michael’s Church After Parishioner Questions Priest During Mass
'Communion in the hand should remain the norm.' COTH is not & never has been the norm. The norm, in the West, is to receive on the tongue!
From BelfastMedia
By Conor McParland
Parishioners at St Michael the Archangel Church in Finaghy were left stunned at the weekend after an unholy row broke out over the way Holy Communion is served at Mass.
The incident took place at 5pm Mass last Saturday evening.
The Mass was being celebrated by Fr Brendan Mulhall, Parish Priest at Holy Trinity who often stands in at St Michael’s when Fr Ciarán Feeney is unavailable.
In his homily following the Gospel, Fr Mulhall said he wanted to address the congregation on a personal level after being made aware of negative comments about him on social media.
He said someone on social media had described him as the "Antichrist".
“I will be the first to admit I am not perfect but I don’t think I am the Antichrist.
“For years I have believed that social media is very dangerous and very poisonous. I have always believed that Facebook can do a lot of damage in that it gives people who have nothing to say a place to say it.
“I really enjoy coming to St Michael’s and helping out Fr Ciarán and the parishioners here. I am under no obligation to come here and I do not get paid to come here. I simply come to help Fr Ciarán. There probably wouldn’t be Mass if I didn’t come so I am happy to help.
“When I was a teenager I became a Eucharistic Minister here. After 11 years of theological training, I returned here the day after my ordination to celebrate my first Mass. I have always had a strong relationship with St Michael’s.
“As many of you know, I do the 5pm Mass here and then sprint to get the car to do my own 6.30pm Mass at Holy Trinity but if while doing that I am described as a ‘hypocrite’, a ‘fake priest’, a ‘fraud’ and an ‘Antichrist’, I don’t actually think those comments say much about me to be honest.
“Comments like that say more about the darkness that must be in a person to make them speak like that, while all the time believing that they are a faithful Catholic.”
Fr Mulhall went on to hit out at the negative aspect of social media.
“There are priests, bishops, cardinals who are vicious, usually over social media in their opposition to Pope Francis and the direction he is leading the Church in,” he added.
“I think the Devil is working very successfully through the words and computer screens of those who believe they are the true Catholics but who fail to see that their behaviour is the absolute, complete opposite of what Christianity is all about and their attitudes and behaviour are a total contradiction of the Gospel.
“Whether they receive communion on the tongue or on the hand, that fact is not going to change.”
Fr Mulhall’s sermon was greeted with a warm round of applause before one member of the congregation spoke up and questioned the priest over the way Holy Communion is served.
Guidance from Down and Connor remains that Holy Communion should be served on the hand, rather than on the tongue due to Covid-19 pandemic rules.
“Father Ciarán gives communion on the tongue so you have actually confused everyone,” argued the parishioner.
Fr Mulhall then told the parishioner: “During a Mass, one person is appointed to preach a homily and that person is not you.”
The congregation member then hit back: “You put your views across and have to give us an opportunity to reply and that is my reply. You also don’t like singing, you have told me to shut up so many times.
Fr Mulhall responded by saying: “I have never told you to shut up.”
The exchange drew gasps of shock from the congregation before the member stated: “That is my cue to leave now. Thank you for being the devil’s advocate.”
Further gasps followed from the congregation, with shouts of “get out and don’t come back” towards the member.
Fr Mulhall then apologised to the congregation for that “unpleasant experience” and received another warm round of applause.
One parishioner who was at the Mass told the Andersonstown News how shocked she was given that the service was being offered for the Month’s Mind of two deceased parishioners.
“Looking around congregation, there were a lot of older people,” she said. “The fact that it was also a Month’s Mind for two bereaved families, I felt that there was no respect shown for them and their loved ones.
“After the outburst, I was aware that people walked out. There was a lot of very upset people.”
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Down and Connor said: "Communion in the hand should remain the norm. Where accommodation is made for those who object to receiving in the hand this should be made at the end of Communion time and hands should be sanitised immediately after each recipient."
St. Ignatius of Antioch: First Theologian of the Blessed Virgin
A sermon for today's Saint. Please, remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest.
St Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop & Martyr
Today's Holy Mass from Corpus Christi Church, Tynong, VIC, AU. You may follow the Mass @ Divinum Officium.
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Collect of St Ignatius, Bishop & Martyr - Indulgenced Today
According to the Apostolic Penitentiary, a partial indulgence is granted to those who on the feast of any Saint recite in his honour the oration of the Missal or any other approved by legitimate Authority.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
Mercifully consider our weakness, O Almighty God, and whereas by the burden of our sins we are sore, let Ignatius your Martyr be mercifully pleased to deliver us from all things which may hurt our bodies, and from all evil thoughts which may defile our souls.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
Mercifully consider our weakness, O Almighty God, and whereas by the burden of our sins we are sore, let Ignatius your Martyr be mercifully pleased to deliver us from all things which may hurt our bodies, and from all evil thoughts which may defile our souls.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
I would assume that this indulgence also attaches to the recitation of the Troparion and Kontakion of the Saint of the day in the Eastern Calendar which are in my Eastern Rite post at 00.06.
Did Marcel Lefebvre Say the New Mass? SSPX Enemies Caught in a Lie…
Why am I not surprised? Lying is all they can do!
Once again the enemies of the SSPX are telling lies... shocker...
SSPX US District article: https://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/...
Confusion Abounds in Pope’s AP Interview
Has he ever given an interview or answered questions in an inflight presser where confusion didn't abound? It's deliberate, to sneak in his heresies with plausible deniability.
In the AP’s lead story, the headline focused on the Pope’s statement: “Being homosexual isn’t a crime.” Most secular media outlets seemed to agree that this was the most noteworthy statement in the interview. But what the Pope said was not news.
Multiple layers of confusion
The Church has never taught that being homosexual—that is, feeling a physical attraction to members of the same sex—is wrong. Homosexual acts are morally wrong. Because he does not distinguish between the homosexual orientation and homosexual acts, his statement could be interpreted—and no doubt has been interpreted—as a break from the Church’s condemnation of homosexual acts.
Pope Francis seemed to make the appropriate distinction during the interview, but even on that point his statement was confusing:
It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.
The Church teaches that homosexual acts are sinful. Are they crimes? That is a question for secular governments—not the Church—to decide. It is quite possible that a gravely immoral act (say, abortion) could be legal in some societies, and a virtuous act (say, praying at an abortion clinic) could be defined as a crime. The criminal code set by a secular government does not change the Church’s moral teachings.
Part of the morass of confusion here may be attributable to the question posed to the Pope. According to the AP report, the Pontiff “criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as ‘unjust.’” Even here, however, things quickly become tangled, because it is difficult to imagine how a government could enforce a ban on homosexual orientation, except by prosecuting homosexual behavior. So we are back to the crucial distinction that the Pope missed: not between a sin and a crime, but between a temptation and a sin.
Still the overall thrust of the Pope’s remarks is clear, when he says that bishops who supported bans on homosexuality “have to have a process of conversion.” The AP story, suggesting that the Pope wants the Church to adopt a more welcoming attitude toward homosexuals, is accurate. What is not accurate is the Pope’s own treatment of the issue.
Passing the buck on abuse
Questioned about sexual abuse, Pope Francis confesses that he had to undergo a “conversion” on the issue, which happened after “the bomb went off” during his trip to Chile in 2018, and he was forced to acknowledge that he had been wrong to dismiss complaints. This is a startling admission: a recognition that for half of his pontificate to date, he had been willing to accept the findings of bishops who had protected the predators. It was only in 2018, the Pope says—five years after he ascended Peter’s throne and promised to hold prelates responsible—that “I saw the corruption of many bishops in this.”
A more aggressive interviewer might have pressed the Pope on his own track record, asking uncomfortable questions about his protection of the infamous Bishop Zanchetta, for example. But the AP interview zeroed in on another embarrassing case: that of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik. Here, too, the Pope’s response to questions was thoroughly confusing.
Father Rupnik was invited to preach a Lenten Retreat to the Roman Curia in 2020, after he was disciplined by his Jesuit superiors and after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) opened a penal process that ultimately led to his excommunication. The excommunication was lifted less than a month after it was decreed. It is difficult to understand how the Jesuit priest could have been invited to preach at the Vatican, or how his excommunication could have been lifted so quickly, without the approval of the Roman Pontiff. Yet Pope Francis says that he had “nothing to do with this” disciplinary case.
Or does he? On closer reading of the AP interview, it appears that the Pope is saying that he was not involved in a later CDF decision not to pursue another case against Father Rupnik, because the statute of limitations had expired. But as the interview continues, Pope Francis goes on to say that “he ‘always’ waives the statute of limitations for cases involving minors and vulnerable adults, but tends to insist on upholding traditional legal guarantees with cases involving others.” So was it the CDF that decided not to waive the statute of limitations in the Rupnik case? Or was that dicastery following the Pope’s policy?
And by the way, the original CDF case against Rupnik involved not only sexual abuse, but also the abuse of the confessional. It was the latter crime for which he was excommunicated. If the new complaint was similar, the Pope’s explanation for invoking the statute of limitations would be irrelevant.
Mixed messages on the Synodal Path
On the delicate question of the German bishops’ Synodal Path, and the danger of outright schism that it could provoke, Pope Francis was cautious, saying that “the German experience does not help.” He warned against the danger “that something very, very ideological trickles in.” However, rather than confronting the problem directly, and pointing out the issues on which the German bishops are calling for fundamental changes in Church teaching, the Pope downplayed the doctrinal problems. Instead he conveyed the impression that the German hierarchy is simply moving too fast.
“We must be patient, dialogue, and accompany these people on the real synodal path,” the Pope said. This approach is the best answer to the German bishops’ initiative, he explained, “so that it does not end badly in some way, but so is also integrated into the Church.” If the German bishops’ radical ideas could be “integrated into the Church” at a more moderate pace, nothing in the AP interview suggests that Pope Francis would object.
From Catholic Culture via the WayBackMachine
By Phil Lawler, PhD
Another month, another papal interview, another spate of confusion. In a lengthy session with the Associated Press, Pope Francis made a series of puzzling and/or misleading statements about topics including homosexuality, priestly abuse, the Vatican’s policy toward China, and papal resignation.In the AP’s lead story, the headline focused on the Pope’s statement: “Being homosexual isn’t a crime.” Most secular media outlets seemed to agree that this was the most noteworthy statement in the interview. But what the Pope said was not news.
Multiple layers of confusion
The Church has never taught that being homosexual—that is, feeling a physical attraction to members of the same sex—is wrong. Homosexual acts are morally wrong. Because he does not distinguish between the homosexual orientation and homosexual acts, his statement could be interpreted—and no doubt has been interpreted—as a break from the Church’s condemnation of homosexual acts.
Pope Francis seemed to make the appropriate distinction during the interview, but even on that point his statement was confusing:
It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.
The Church teaches that homosexual acts are sinful. Are they crimes? That is a question for secular governments—not the Church—to decide. It is quite possible that a gravely immoral act (say, abortion) could be legal in some societies, and a virtuous act (say, praying at an abortion clinic) could be defined as a crime. The criminal code set by a secular government does not change the Church’s moral teachings.
Part of the morass of confusion here may be attributable to the question posed to the Pope. According to the AP report, the Pontiff “criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as ‘unjust.’” Even here, however, things quickly become tangled, because it is difficult to imagine how a government could enforce a ban on homosexual orientation, except by prosecuting homosexual behavior. So we are back to the crucial distinction that the Pope missed: not between a sin and a crime, but between a temptation and a sin.
Still the overall thrust of the Pope’s remarks is clear, when he says that bishops who supported bans on homosexuality “have to have a process of conversion.” The AP story, suggesting that the Pope wants the Church to adopt a more welcoming attitude toward homosexuals, is accurate. What is not accurate is the Pope’s own treatment of the issue.
Passing the buck on abuse
Questioned about sexual abuse, Pope Francis confesses that he had to undergo a “conversion” on the issue, which happened after “the bomb went off” during his trip to Chile in 2018, and he was forced to acknowledge that he had been wrong to dismiss complaints. This is a startling admission: a recognition that for half of his pontificate to date, he had been willing to accept the findings of bishops who had protected the predators. It was only in 2018, the Pope says—five years after he ascended Peter’s throne and promised to hold prelates responsible—that “I saw the corruption of many bishops in this.”
A more aggressive interviewer might have pressed the Pope on his own track record, asking uncomfortable questions about his protection of the infamous Bishop Zanchetta, for example. But the AP interview zeroed in on another embarrassing case: that of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik. Here, too, the Pope’s response to questions was thoroughly confusing.
Father Rupnik was invited to preach a Lenten Retreat to the Roman Curia in 2020, after he was disciplined by his Jesuit superiors and after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) opened a penal process that ultimately led to his excommunication. The excommunication was lifted less than a month after it was decreed. It is difficult to understand how the Jesuit priest could have been invited to preach at the Vatican, or how his excommunication could have been lifted so quickly, without the approval of the Roman Pontiff. Yet Pope Francis says that he had “nothing to do with this” disciplinary case.
Or does he? On closer reading of the AP interview, it appears that the Pope is saying that he was not involved in a later CDF decision not to pursue another case against Father Rupnik, because the statute of limitations had expired. But as the interview continues, Pope Francis goes on to say that “he ‘always’ waives the statute of limitations for cases involving minors and vulnerable adults, but tends to insist on upholding traditional legal guarantees with cases involving others.” So was it the CDF that decided not to waive the statute of limitations in the Rupnik case? Or was that dicastery following the Pope’s policy?
And by the way, the original CDF case against Rupnik involved not only sexual abuse, but also the abuse of the confessional. It was the latter crime for which he was excommunicated. If the new complaint was similar, the Pope’s explanation for invoking the statute of limitations would be irrelevant.
Mixed messages on the Synodal Path
On the delicate question of the German bishops’ Synodal Path, and the danger of outright schism that it could provoke, Pope Francis was cautious, saying that “the German experience does not help.” He warned against the danger “that something very, very ideological trickles in.” However, rather than confronting the problem directly, and pointing out the issues on which the German bishops are calling for fundamental changes in Church teaching, the Pope downplayed the doctrinal problems. Instead he conveyed the impression that the German hierarchy is simply moving too fast.
“We must be patient, dialogue, and accompany these people on the real synodal path,” the Pope said. This approach is the best answer to the German bishops’ initiative, he explained, “so that it does not end badly in some way, but so is also integrated into the Church.” If the German bishops’ radical ideas could be “integrated into the Church” at a more moderate pace, nothing in the AP interview suggests that Pope Francis would object.
Islam and Western Civilization
Mr Pearce explains why, in his previous essay, he did not include the Qur'an as one of the pillars of Western Civilisation. I should have thought it was self-evident! The Qur'an is the holy book of a violently anti-Western society!
From The Imaginative Conservative
By Joseph Pearce
Several weeks ago I wrote an essay for this illustrious journal entitled “The Seven Pillars of Western Civilization” in which I listed the seven seminal tomes which form the textual foundation of the civilization of the West. These are The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, The Bible, The City of God, the Summa Theologica and The Divine Comedy. Collectively, these texts epitomize why Western Civilization is founded on the three civilizations of Athens, Jerusalem and Rome.
This is not the place to offer explanations with respect to the rationale for why these seven texts were selected instead of other contenders. Those interested in understanding the reason for the selection are invited to read the original essay.
What surprised me was that several readers of the original essay admonished me for failing to include the Qur’an as one of the seven pillars of wisdom on which Western Civilization is built. This seems to beg the obvious question which I thought my essay had answered implicitly. What exactly is Western Civilization? If it is anything at all, it must be something rooted in a cohesive and coherent set of common values, which are themselves the fruit of cohesive and coherent theological and philosophical principles. In brief and in sum, Western Civilization in its fullness and fruitfulness is a synonym for Christendom. It is the consummation of the mythological and philosophical musings of the Greeks and the fulfilment of the theological covenant of the Jews in the Person of Jesus Christ as made manifest in the Church He founded throughout the centuries since His Incarnation. The quest and questions of Athens and Jerusalem are fulfilled and answered in the Gospel as enunciated by the One who proclaims Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life. Christ incarnates the transcendental trinity of the Good, the True and the Beautiful in who He is.
If this is so, the Qur’an is not one of the foundational pillars of wisdom on which the West is built but is a subversive text which undermines those very foundations. If Christ is who He says He is, Muhammed is a false prophet. This is as logically inescapable as it is theologically obvious.
As for the fruit of the Qur’an’s influence with respect to Western Civilization, it has been bitter indeed. Islam as a military force overthrew the emerging Christian civilization in the Middle East and North Africa and would eventually overthrow Constantinople, the capital city of eastern Christendom. At the height of its military incursions into the heart of Christian Europe, it reached as far north as Tours, in northern France. Had Islam prevailed, the Christian Bible and Augustine’s City of God would have been smothered by censorship and the sands of time, which is to say, in modern parlance, that they would have been “cancelled”. There would have been no Summa Theologica of Aquinas and no Divine Comedy of Dante. There would have been no heritage of Western art, no Renaissance, no Romanesque or Gothic architecture, no Shakespeare. These icons of civilization would have been cancelled in a debauch of iconoclasm.
Irrespective of whether we accept or deny the truth claims of the Qur’an, the irrefutable fact is that civilization as we know it in the West would never have existed if Muhammed had prevailed over Christ.
The seven pillars of Western Civilization are the edifying edifices which tower over the landscape of the centuries as a fortress of faith and a beacon of reason. Islam has served throughout the centuries as an outside force which has repeatedly laid siege to the fortress, seeking its overthrow.
There are few better evocations of the real and irreconcilable differences between Christendom and Islam than Chesterton’s poem, “Lepanto”, which tells of the victory of the Christian fleet over an Islamic armada in 1571. If the Christians had been defeated in that naval battle, it is possible that Rome would have fallen as Constantinople had fallen and that Saint Peter’s basilica would have been made into a mosque as Hagia Sophia in Constantinople had been made into a mosque. It is little wonder that the holy and courageous pope, Saint Pius V, should have declared that the date of the battle, October 7, should be celebrated thereafter as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory.
Chesterton ends his poem with a vision of Miguel de Cervantes who had fought and been wounded during the battle. Had he been killed, his classic work of literature, Don Quixote, the first real novel, would never have been written. Perhaps, had he fallen or had the Christians lost the battle, the novel itself as a literary form might never have existed. With this sobering thought in mind, I will end my own defence of Western Civilization with the words that Chesterton used to end his poem:
Cervantes on his galley sets the sword back in the sheath
(Don John of Austria rides homeward with a wreath.)
And he sees across a weary land a straggling road in Spain,
Up which a lean and foolish knight forever rides in vain,
And he smiles, but not as Sultans smile, and settles back the blade….
(But Don John of Austria rides home from the Crusade.)
The featured image is “Les chefs de la croisade traversant le Bosphore” (19th century) and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The 'Heavenly Sovereign' 天皇
The Mad Monarchist says that the images page hs been updated. I'm still unable to find the images page.
FYI: The "Images" page has been updated, as promised, and I would also draw readers' attention to the "walls" page for those who like more than one portrait at a time. Those are large images and a pain to load so keep checking in as I finish putting them all up. -MM
From The Mad Monarchist (28 August 2012)
FYI: The "Images" page has been updated, as promised, and I would also draw readers' attention to the "walls" page for those who like more than one portrait at a time. Those are large images and a pain to load so keep checking in as I finish putting them all up. -MM
Bishop Challoner's Meditations - February 1st
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ON NOT MAKING LIGHT OF VENIAL SINS
Consider first, that although there be no manner of comparison between the guilt of a mortal sin and that of a venial sin, as there is no manner of comparison between a mote and a beam, Matt. vii. 3, yet the guilt even of the venial sin, considering that it is an offence to a God infinitely great and infinitely good, is so displeasing in his sight that no soul that is stained with it can ever be admitted into his presence till this guilt is purged away, and no man living can be allowed, by any power in heaven or on earth, to commit any one venial sin, no, not to save a kingdom, or even to save the whole world; because the offence to God is a greater evil than the loss of the whole world; and we are not to do anything that is evil to save the whole world. Christians, do you think of this when, upon every trifling apprehension of incurring the displeasure of man, you take refuge in a lie, which is sure to displease your God? Do you think of this when you go on with so little concern, indulging yourselves in vanity, curiosity, sensuality, loss of your precious time, anger, impatience, and other sinful habits, upon the notion that these are but venial sins, and therefore need not be regarded? Oh! you will find one day to your cost how much you have been deceived if you do not correct in time this dangerous and pernicious error.
Consider 2ndly, the danger to which the soul exposes herself when she makes light of venial sins; even the danger of the very worst of evils, that is, of mortals in, and of all its dreadful consequences, both for time and eternity: according to that of the wise man, Ecclus. xix., 'He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little.' It is true, venial sin does not of itself immediately destroy, or drive away from the soul, the grace and love of God, and therefore does not of itself bring present death to the soul, as mortal sin does; but then it weakens and cools the fervour of divine love; it lessens devotion; it hinders the inspirations of the Holy Ghost from working effectually in the soul; it leaves the soul feeble and drowsy, sick and languishing; so that upon the coming of a greater temptation she easily yields, and quickly falls into mortal sin. and how can we expect it should be otherwise when we have so little regard for God, or his friendship and love, as not to care how much we displease him, provided we can but escape his avenging justice? Or how can the fire of the love of God be kept alive for any long time in the soul when, instead of being nourished with its proper fuel, it is continually losing ground by a diminution of its heat and strength?
Consider 3rdly, that this danger of falling quickly into mortals sin, by making little or no account of venial sins, is the greater because of the difficulty there often is in distinguishing between what is mortal sin and what is only venial; since even the best divines are often at a loss to find the limits between the one and the other. So that all such as are in the unhappy disposition of venturing, without scruple, as far as the utmost limit of venial sin can be extended, are daily exposed to an evident danger of slipping beyond the bounds, and falling into the pit of mortal sin; the more because of the manifold subtleties and deceits of self-love, which is ever ready to favour and to excuse the inclinations of corrupt nature, and in all such cases to make that appear slight which is really grievous; and the more so when persons give themselves up to a tepid, negligent life, as they generally do who make light of venial sins; for this negligence takes the soul off her guard, disarms her, and lays her interior open to the spiritual sins of pride, envy, and such like disorders, which are mortal sins, and which easily prevail over careless souls, and are seldom thoroughly cured.
Conclude with a sincere resolution of never wilfully, and with full deliberation, consenting to anyone known sin, how venial soever it may seem to be, and much more, of never indulging any habit or custom of any such sin. 'Tis hard to reconcile the indulging such habits as these with the great commandment of the love of God above all things; at least it cannot be expected that divine love should abide to dwell for any long time in a heart where God is so often slighted.
1 February, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day
True Peace
1. Everybody desires peace, but very few people possess it. A good many profound and beautiful definitions have been attempted. Cicero called it "tranquilla libertas," which one might translate as "undisturbed freedom." His general idea was that there can be no peace without liberty. St. Augustine defined it as "hominum ordinata concordia" (De. Civ. Dei, XIX, 13) or "ordered agreement among men." St. Thomas followed on the same lines when he said that peace was "tranquillitas ordinis" (Summa, II-II, q. 29, a. 1 ad. 1) or "tranquillity of order." There are three necessary elements in peace. They are order, harmony, and liberty. Right order is the most important. Everything in us must be in its proper place. As we have shown in the preceding meditation, our lower faculties must be entirely subordinate to right reason, and this must be completely subject to the law of God.
Every act of rebellion against this proper order creates confusion in our nature and makes peace impossible. Furthermore, there must be harmony and agreement. This means that our minds must voluntarily accept and embrace this just order, and not merely endure it with reluctance. As St. Thomas says, peace is an act of charity; it comes indirectly from justice and directly from charity. (Summa, II-II, q. 29; a. 1, ad. 3) We have perfect peace when this just order holds sway within us, provided that we are not enduring it as if it were a yoke, but lovingly accepting it under the inspiration of divine charity. This is that genuine peace which gives us the liberty of the sons of God, that freedom from evil with which Christ has set us free. (Cf. Gal. 4:31; 2 Cor. 3:17) True peace flourishes in an atmosphere of goodness and perishes when it encounters evil. Whether it is in the field of social relations or in the spiritual life, peace without liberty is not peace at all, but slavery and death.
2. When He came into the world, Jesus proclaimed peace. The Angels hovering over His humble manger sang songs of glory to God on high and of peace to men of good will on earth. During His earthly pilgrimage He often spoke of peace. When He forgave sinners their faults, He said to each of them: “Go in peace,” and “sin no more.” (Luke 7:50; 8:48; John 8:11) When He was leaving this earth He bequeathed His peace to His Apostles as if it were a sacred heirloom: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. (John 14:27) We can see from these words that the peace of Jesus is not the same as worldly peace. The Church in its liturgy implores from God that peace which the world cannot give. When the world speaks of peace, it means normally the external, public peace which flows from respect for the law and for the established regime. This is peace; there is no doubt about that. It is necessary and is a gift from God. But it is not enough. We need the inner peace of soul of which we have already spoken, for it is the only true and solid foundation for external peace. Without this peace of soul, external peace is uncertain and fleeting. We have said that true peace is based on three things: Right order, harmony, and liberty. But in order to obtain full and perfect peace still one more thing is necessary; complete and loving abandonment to the will of God. The beginning of real peace and holiness lies in doing the will of God in every detail. The perfection of peace and holiness is to do the will of God in everything purely from love for Him. Dante expresses this profound idea when he describes the peace of the blessed in Heaven, now unshakable in their joyful compliance with the divine will.
"E la sua volontate é nostra pace:
Ella é quel mare, al qual tutto si move
ciò ch' ella crea e che natura face."
(Paradiso, III, 85-87)
"His will is our repose:
He is the ocean into which everything flows
Which He has created in the universe."
3. This absolute and loving abandonment to the will of God in all things brings complete inner peace, but it does not exclude conflict. Interior peace is the result of the practice of virtue and therefore of the struggle against evil. When Our Lord had repeated several times that He had given us His peace, He said also: “Do not think that I have come to send peace upon the earth; I have come to bring a sword, not peace.” (Mt. 10:34) These apparently contradictory words of Our Lord are explained by the fact that the peace of Jesus does not consist in inactivity, but demands action and strife and the conquest of evil. It is a militant peace which Our Lord desires us to possess. Only when we have controlled our passions, when we have made our wills entirely subject to the will of God and have renounced ourselves so that the justice and charity of Jesus Christ can triumph in us, only then shall we reach those serene heights where storms from below cannot come near us and the peace of God reigns supreme.
We find examples of this true and perfect peace among the Saints, Martyrs and Apostles. We read of the Apostles that “they departed... rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.” (Acts 5:41) This is an example of that genuine peace which is the result of victory in the combat against evil and of complete and loving submission to the will of God.
Every act of rebellion against this proper order creates confusion in our nature and makes peace impossible. Furthermore, there must be harmony and agreement. This means that our minds must voluntarily accept and embrace this just order, and not merely endure it with reluctance. As St. Thomas says, peace is an act of charity; it comes indirectly from justice and directly from charity. (Summa, II-II, q. 29; a. 1, ad. 3) We have perfect peace when this just order holds sway within us, provided that we are not enduring it as if it were a yoke, but lovingly accepting it under the inspiration of divine charity. This is that genuine peace which gives us the liberty of the sons of God, that freedom from evil with which Christ has set us free. (Cf. Gal. 4:31; 2 Cor. 3:17) True peace flourishes in an atmosphere of goodness and perishes when it encounters evil. Whether it is in the field of social relations or in the spiritual life, peace without liberty is not peace at all, but slavery and death.
2. When He came into the world, Jesus proclaimed peace. The Angels hovering over His humble manger sang songs of glory to God on high and of peace to men of good will on earth. During His earthly pilgrimage He often spoke of peace. When He forgave sinners their faults, He said to each of them: “Go in peace,” and “sin no more.” (Luke 7:50; 8:48; John 8:11) When He was leaving this earth He bequeathed His peace to His Apostles as if it were a sacred heirloom: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. (John 14:27) We can see from these words that the peace of Jesus is not the same as worldly peace. The Church in its liturgy implores from God that peace which the world cannot give. When the world speaks of peace, it means normally the external, public peace which flows from respect for the law and for the established regime. This is peace; there is no doubt about that. It is necessary and is a gift from God. But it is not enough. We need the inner peace of soul of which we have already spoken, for it is the only true and solid foundation for external peace. Without this peace of soul, external peace is uncertain and fleeting. We have said that true peace is based on three things: Right order, harmony, and liberty. But in order to obtain full and perfect peace still one more thing is necessary; complete and loving abandonment to the will of God. The beginning of real peace and holiness lies in doing the will of God in every detail. The perfection of peace and holiness is to do the will of God in everything purely from love for Him. Dante expresses this profound idea when he describes the peace of the blessed in Heaven, now unshakable in their joyful compliance with the divine will.
"E la sua volontate é nostra pace:
Ella é quel mare, al qual tutto si move
ciò ch' ella crea e che natura face."
(Paradiso, III, 85-87)
"His will is our repose:
He is the ocean into which everything flows
Which He has created in the universe."
3. This absolute and loving abandonment to the will of God in all things brings complete inner peace, but it does not exclude conflict. Interior peace is the result of the practice of virtue and therefore of the struggle against evil. When Our Lord had repeated several times that He had given us His peace, He said also: “Do not think that I have come to send peace upon the earth; I have come to bring a sword, not peace.” (Mt. 10:34) These apparently contradictory words of Our Lord are explained by the fact that the peace of Jesus does not consist in inactivity, but demands action and strife and the conquest of evil. It is a militant peace which Our Lord desires us to possess. Only when we have controlled our passions, when we have made our wills entirely subject to the will of God and have renounced ourselves so that the justice and charity of Jesus Christ can triumph in us, only then shall we reach those serene heights where storms from below cannot come near us and the peace of God reigns supreme.
We find examples of this true and perfect peace among the Saints, Martyrs and Apostles. We read of the Apostles that “they departed... rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.” (Acts 5:41) This is an example of that genuine peace which is the result of victory in the combat against evil and of complete and loving submission to the will of God.
Eastern Rite - Feasts of 1 February AM 7531
Today is the Forefeast of the Encounter and the Feast of the Holy Martyr Tryphon.
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The Typikon should be consulted if the Forefeast falls on the Sunday of the Pharisee, the Publican, or Meatfare.
Because of the Forefeast of the Meeting of the Lord, the service to Saint Tryphon (February 1) may be moved to Compline or to another day, as the Pastor decides, unless the parish is dedicated to Saint Tryphon, or there is a particular devotion to him.
Troparion — Tone 1
The celestial choir of heavenly angels / bends down to the earth / and sees the First-born of all creation / being carried into the Temple as a babe / by a Mother who has not known man, / and in amazement sings with us / a pre-festal hymn.
Kontakion — Tone 6
The Word, unseen with the Father, / now is seen in the flesh, ineffably born of the Virgin, / and is given into the arms of the priest and Elder. / Let us worship Him, our True God.
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The Martyr Tryphon was born in Phrygia, one of the districts of Asia Minor, in the village of Lampsacus. From his early years, the Lord granted him the power to cast out demons and to heal various maladies. He once saved the inhabitants of his native city from starvation. Saint Tryphon, by the power of his prayer, turned back a plague of locusts that were devouring the grain and devastating the fields.
Saint Tryphon gained particular fame by casting out an evil spirit from the daughter of the Roman emperor Gordian (238-244). Helping everyone in distress, he asked only one thing from them: faith in Jesus Christ, by Whose grace he healed them.
When the emperor Decius (249-251) assumed the imperial throne, he began a fierce persecution of Christians. Someone reported to the commander Aquilinus that Saint Tryphon was boldly preaching faith in Christ and that he led many to Baptism. The saint was arrested and subjected to interrogation, during which he fearlessly confessed his faith.
He was subjected to harsh tortures: they beat him with clubs, raked his body with iron hooks, scorched his flesh with fire, and led him through the city after iron nails were hammered into his feet. Saint Tryphon bravely endured all the torments without complaint.
Finally, he was condemned to beheading with a sword. The holy martyr prayed before his execution, thanking God for strengthening him in his sufferings. He also asked the Lord to bless those who should call upon his name for help. Just as the soldiers raised the sword over the head of the holy martyr, he surrendered his soul into the hands of God. This event occurred in the city of Nicea in the year 250.
Christians wrapped the holy body of the martyr in a clean shroud and wanted to bury him in the city of Nicea, where he suffered, but Saint Tryphon in a vision commanded them to take his body to his native land to the village of Lampsacus. Later on, the relics of Saint Tryphon were transferred to Constantinople, and then to Rome.
In Russia, Saint Tryphon is regarded as the patron saint of birds. There is a story that when Tsar Ivan the Terrible was out hunting, his falconer carelessly allowed the Tsar’s favourite falcon to fly away. The Tsar ordered the falconer Tryphon Patrikeiev to find the bird within three days, or else he would be put to death. Tryphon searched all through the forest, but without luck.
On the third day, exhausted by long searching, he returned to Moscow to the place called Marinaya Grove. Overcome with weariness, he lay down to rest, fervently praying to his patron saint, the Martyr Tryphon, for help.
In a dream he saw a youth on a white horse, holding the Tsar’s falcon on his hand. The youth said, “Take the lost bird, go to the Tsar and do not grieve.” When he awakened, the falconer actually spotted the falcon on a pine tree. He took it to the Tsar and told him about the miraculous help he received from the holy Martyr Tryphon. Grateful to Saint Tryphon for saving his life, Tryphon Patrikeiev built a chapel on the spot where the saint appeared. Later on, he also built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Tryphon in Moscow.
The holy martyr is greatly venerated in the Russian Catholic Church as the heavenly protector of Moscow. Many Russian icons depict the saint holding a falcon on his arm.
Troparion — Tone 4
Your holy martyr Tryphon, O Lord, / through his suffering has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God. / For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through his intercessions, save our souls!
Kontakion — Tone 8
By the power of the Trinity you destroyed polytheism to the ends of the earth, / and you were honoured by Christ, all-glorious Tryphon; / having conquered tyrants through Christ the Savior, / you received your crown of martyrdom and the gift of divine healing, for you are invincible.
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1 February, The Chesterton Calendar
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FEBRUARY 1st
Many modern Englishmen talk of themselves as the sturdy descendants of their sturdy Puritan fathers. As a fact, they would run away from a cow. If you asked one of their Puritan fathers, if you asked Bunyan, for instance, whether he was sturdy, he would have answered with tears, that he was as weak as water. And because of this he would have borne tortures.
'Heretics.'
1 February, The Holy Rule of St Benedict, Patriarch of Western Monasticism
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CHAPTER VII. Of Humility
1 Feb. 2 June. 2 Oct.
The fourth degree of humility is, that if in this very obedience hard and contrary things, nay even injuries, are done to him, he should embrace them patiently with a quiet conscience, and not grow weary or give in, as the Scripture saith: “He that shall persevere to the end shall be saved.” And again: “Let thy heart be comforted, and wait for the Lord.” And shewing how the faithful man ought to bear all things, however contrary, for the Lord, it saith in the person of the afflicted: “For Thee we suffer death all the day long; we are esteemed as sheep for the slaughter.” And secure in their hope of the divine reward, they go on with joy, saying: “But in all these things we overcome, through Him Who hath loved us.” And so in another place Scripture saith: “Thou hast proved us, O God; Thou hast tried us as silver is tried by fire; Thou hast led us into the snare, and hast laid tribulation on our backs.” And in order to shew that we ought to be under a superior, it goes on to say: “Thou hast placed men over our heads.” Moreover, fulfilling the precept of the Lord by patience in adversities and injuries, they who are struck on one cheek offer the other: to him who taketh away their coat they leave also their cloak; and being forced to walk one mile, they go two. With Paul the Apostle, they bear with false brethren, and bless those that curse them.
2 February, The Roman Martyrology
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Quarto Nonas Februárii Luna undécima Anno Dómini 2023
The morrow is the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which by the Greeks is called the Hypapante that is, the Presentation of the Lord.
February 2nd 2023, the 11th day of the Moon, were born into the better life:
At Rome, upon the Salarian Way, (in the fourth century,) the holy martyr Apronian. He was a notary, who, while he was a Gentile, was leading the holy Licinius out of prison to present him before the Prefect Laodicius, when he heard a voice from heaven saying, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom which is prepared for you from the foundation of the world," whereupon he believed, and was baptized, and was afterwards put to death confessing the Lord.
Likewise at Rome, the holy martyrs Fortunatus, Felician, Firmus, and Candidus.
At Caesarea, in Palestine, (in the first century,) the holy centurion Cornelius, who was baptized by the holy Apostle St Peter, and by him also raised to be Bishop in that city.
At Orleans, holy Flosculus, (about the year 500), Bishop of that see.
At Canterbury, in England, holy Laurence, (in the year 619,) Archbishop of that see, which he governed in succession to holy Augustin, and converted king Ethelbert himself to the faith. We keep his feast upon the morrow after.
At Prato, in Tuscany, the holy Florentine Virgin Katherine di Ricci, of the Order of Friars Preachers, eminent for the abundance of her gifts from heaven, whose name the Supreme Pontiff Bendict XIV. enrolled among those of holy virgins.
V. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.
February 2nd 2023, the 11th day of the Moon, were born into the better life:
At Rome, upon the Salarian Way, (in the fourth century,) the holy martyr Apronian. He was a notary, who, while he was a Gentile, was leading the holy Licinius out of prison to present him before the Prefect Laodicius, when he heard a voice from heaven saying, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom which is prepared for you from the foundation of the world," whereupon he believed, and was baptized, and was afterwards put to death confessing the Lord.
Likewise at Rome, the holy martyrs Fortunatus, Felician, Firmus, and Candidus.
At Caesarea, in Palestine, (in the first century,) the holy centurion Cornelius, who was baptized by the holy Apostle St Peter, and by him also raised to be Bishop in that city.
At Orleans, holy Flosculus, (about the year 500), Bishop of that see.
At Canterbury, in England, holy Laurence, (in the year 619,) Archbishop of that see, which he governed in succession to holy Augustin, and converted king Ethelbert himself to the faith. We keep his feast upon the morrow after.
At Prato, in Tuscany, the holy Florentine Virgin Katherine di Ricci, of the Order of Friars Preachers, eminent for the abundance of her gifts from heaven, whose name the Supreme Pontiff Bendict XIV. enrolled among those of holy virgins.
V. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.
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