Please take note ...



August 15th is a day of obligation ... please remember to go to church!

Amen! And have a blessed weekend!



This post has been edited by khool: Aug 4 2017, 09:40 AM

Saint of the Day: Saint John-Baptist Marie Vianney.

Born in the fanatically anti-clerical and irreligious age of the French Revolution, Jean-Baptiste Marie grew up an unlettered farmhand and made his First Communion at 13. As such, he encountered great difficulties in his studies for the priesthood and only his sterling character and spiritual depth, backed by the special intervention of his Pastor, finally procured for him his ordination in 1815.

Assigning him to the obscure village of Ars near Lyons, the Vicar General told him: “There is not much love of God in that parish. You will enkindle it!” In fact, the villagers and farmers were living in a state of acute spiritual and moral neglect. Vianney set about working quietly among them, particularly the poor and sick, spending many hours daily before the Blessed Sacrament, pleading for the conversion of his flock.

His chiefest and most successful labor involved spending 14 to 18 hours daily in the Confessional. So many were miraculously healed, Ars itself being morally and spiritually transformed within a few years that the people, consisting of the well and the sick, among them Cardinals and Bishops (usually incognito), besides priests, religious and lay people from every conceivable walk of life from all parts of Europe and even America with their problems, in 20 years, totalled over 2 million! To care for them all, the Cure was dispensed by his Bishop from attending the annual Priests’ retreat.

Toward the end of his life, he was made honorary Canon of Lyons, and the French government knighted him with the Légion d'honneur, though of course he cared nothing for such accolades.He was canonized in 1925.

Reflection: “Anything we do without offering it to God, is wasted” (Saint John Baptist Marie Vianney).



Source: https://www.facebook.com/stpaulspubindia/po...422322091179323

Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 406



Reading 1 (Lv 25:1, 8-17)

The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,
"Seven weeks of years shall you count–seven times seven years–
so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years.
Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, let the trumpet resound;
on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo
throughout your land.
This fiftieth year you shall make sacred
by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants.
It shall be a jubilee for you,
when every one of you shall return to his own property,
every one to his own family estate.
In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee,
you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth
or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.
Since this is the jubilee, which shall be sacred for you,
you may not eat of its produce,
except as taken directly from the field.

"In this year of jubilee, then,
every one of you shall return to his own property.
Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor
or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly.
On the basis of the number of years since the last jubilee
shall you purchase the land from your neighbor;
and so also, on the basis of the number of years for crops,
shall he sell it to you.
When the years are many, the price shall be so much the more;
when the years are few, the price shall be so much the less.
For it is really the number of crops that he sells you.
Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God.
I, the LORD, am your God."

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 67:2-3, 5, 7-8)

R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

The earth has yielded its fruits;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

Alleluia (Mt 5:10)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel (Mt 14:1-12)





REFLECTION

It is not lawful for you to have her. John the Baptist loses his head for saying this. He is meddling in the affairs of Herod, the most powerful man in the province of Galilee. Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, has long begrudged John for declaring his objection to their unlawful relationship and waited for the right time.

John the Baptist is just doing his job as a prophet. He boldly points out their mistake, a violation of God’s sixth commandment.

Now Herod makes another big mistake. In his birthday party, after the daughter of Herodias performs a dance to entertain the distinguished visitors, he makes a promise that he cannot take back. The birthday celebration thus turns into a horror story.

Mistake after mistake happens when we do not listen to God. Our lives, both private and public, are endangered when we heed our pride, hurt, and desire for vengeance. We commit the same mistakes when we have no time to reflect and pray, when we are more concerned about entertaining and gratifying people than about pleasing God.

We are here to please God by obeying his commands and by being more prudent.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.) http://www.ssp.ph/

When exorcists need help, they call him
By John Blake, CNN
Updated 0423 GMT (1223 HKT) August 4, 2017

(CNN)A small group of nuns and priests met the woman in the chapel of a house one June evening. Though it was warm outside, a palpable chill settled over the room.

As the priests began to pray, the woman slipped into a trance -- and then snapped to life. She spoke in multiple voices: One was deep, guttural and masculine; another was high-pitched; a third spouted only Latin. When someone secretly sprinkled ordinary water on her, she didn't react. But when holy water was used, she screamed in pain.
"Leave her alone, you f***ing priests," the guttural voice shouted. "Stop, you whores. ... You'll be sorry."
You've probably seen this before: a soul corrupted by Satan, a priest waving a crucifix at a snarling woman. Movies and books have mimicked exorcisms so often, they've become clichés.

...
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/04/health/e...ctor/index.html

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Lectionary: 614



Reading 1 (Dn 7:9-10, 13-14)

As I watched:

Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened.

As the visions during the night continued, I saw:

One like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9)

R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.

The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.

The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.

Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.

Reading 2 (2 Pt 1:16-19)

Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
"This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Alleluia (Mt 17:5c)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel (Mt 17:1-9)

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."



REFLECTION

A Flicker in the Dark. Married couples are often advised to go on honeymoon when misunderstandings and difficulties threaten their blissful life together. “Relive the happy moments of your honeymoon,” they are told, “so that you will have the strength to cope with the problems you face today.”

In the same manner, Fr. Luigi Zanoni, former superior general of the Society of St. Paul, would tell the novices to look back on their first taste of religious life in the novitiate when they would later be beset by problems threatening their vocation. He often pointed to the novitiate as the religious “honeymoon” with the Lord. There, one who wishes to follow Jesus experiences the sweetness of the intimate moments with the Lord in prayer.

In the Gospel, Jesus allows Peter, James, and John to have a taste of His glory. He shows them that in him the prophecy of Elijah and the Law of Moses are fulfilled. He does this not to attract more followers but to reveal the meaning of His life. He wants to prepare His disciples for His suffering, crucifixion, and death. He knows that they will find the experience very painful and that His crucifixion will weaken their faith. And yet all these have to take place.

Jesus’ transfiguration is akin to a honeymoon. It is a glimpse of the glory that awaits the disciples. It is the moment that would give them the courage to face suffering, persecution, and death. It is a promise that Jesus’ suffering and theirs will end in glory.

In The Letter from Taizé, Bro. Roger writes, “For those who are marked by suffering and by the cross of Christ, the day will come when they will be able to burn with the flame that is fed with all their past life. They will know that in God nothing is lost… When darkness gathers, His love is a fire.”

Indeed, surrounded by the darkness of sorrow and suffering, a Christian has little difficulty seeing the light beyond.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.) http://www.ssp.ph/

A Feast of Beauty
Feast of the Transfiguration 2017 (Sunday)



Living in today's world, it's hard to find beauty in anything, especially in yourself. It is no wonder, that the classic fairy tale story of the ugly duckling resonates with so many of us. In the story of the ugly duckling, the true beauty of the swan is only revealed in the end. Until the beautiful swan is recognised for whom he truly is, he is mocked and ridiculed by the ducks. The ugly duckling is considered unattractive and out of place. When you find a cocoon, you do not see the beauty of the butterfly. Until it emerges, its beauty and majesty are hidden within the cocoon. Unfortunately, for so many of us, in our own eyes, we remain tarnished ugly ducklings as we remain sealed in our dull coloured cocoons. We can only see the ugliness of our pain and tormented souls.

In today’s Gospel, we have our Lord’s Transfiguration where Christ’s Hidden Glory Is Revealed. The Greek word for Transfiguration has given us the scientific word for the transformation of an ugly worm-like caterpillar into a gloriously beautiful butterfly – Metamorphosis. The Transfiguration peeled away the cocoon of people’s perceptions, to reveal the wonder of the true identity of Jesus. By many, He was mocked and ridiculed. His enemies saw Him as a disturber of Israel, a simple carpenter’s son, a person of questionable parentage, a self-thought preacher without any academic qualifications or professional scholarly training. He was not numbered with the rich, the famous, or the powerful, but He was numbered among the poor, the ordinary, and the weak. He was numbered with sinners and transgressors.

On the mount of transfiguration something changed. No name is given to this mountain but traditionally it has been identified as Mount Tabor, a name which is a mystery in itself. It's not clear where the name Tabor comes from or what it means. No Hebrew word comes close to it. But some say that it is an imperfect of a verb, ‘barar,’ which means purify or to make shiny, which seems obvious in the description of this event. The face of our Lord became illuminated, ‘shining’ like the sun. The veil was drawn back. It was no longer the face of a servant which the disciples saw, but the face of God. St. Paul speaks of Moses, the only man to have seen the face of God and lived to tell the tale, hiding his face from the people because the reflected glory of God was fading from his face. In contrast, Peter, James, and John did not see a fading reflected glory of God, but they saw the very face of God, the enduring glory of God, and they too survived, to tell the tale to all generations, thereafter. On this mountain, the veil was removed and Christ’s glory, once hidden is now revealed.

Peter, James, and John quickly recognised the magnitude of this experience. They immediately cast themselves down with their faces to the ground. If God’s glory was not hidden from them, they would have to hide themselves from it. They offered to raise up tabernacles (that is, dwelling places) for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. At this time, they did not understand that God had already chosen His own tabernacle – the flesh of man. St. John would later confess this truth in the opening chapter of his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God….And the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacle) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:1,14). John knew later what he had seen, but not at that moment.

Today, you may not be on the Mount of Transfiguration, yet Christ is among you revealing His glory to you. He is revealed to you in the water of your Baptism – where you were brought forth from the bondage of sin, death, and darkness and brought into the freedom of forgiveness, life, and light. Christ’s glory is revealed to you in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper – where your hunger and thirst for righteousness were satisfied with the very body and blood of Jesus. Christ’s glory is revealed to you in the voice of the absolution – where Christ speaks to you those comforting words of forgiveness of sins and peace with God.

As the three disciples witnessed the unveiling of Christ’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, even more, the veil which separates God and man was completely torn apart and removed on another mount, the Mount of Crucifixion. From Mount Calvary the glory of the Gospel of Christ shines out to the whole world. Into the darkness of sin and death, the glory of God’s forgiveness enlightens your minds and enlivens your hearts.

In one sense, the Mount of Transfiguration and the Mount of Crucifixion might be considered opposing images – glory versus suffering. But in truth, these two mountains must be seen as together. Even as Christ’s appearance changed on the Mount of Transfiguration to a greater glory from that which was seen before, so also Christ’s appearance changed on the Mount of Crucifixion to a greater glory than even that of His transfiguration. In Christ’s death, the love of God was revealed to the dark world – the darkness is gone, the light has come. In Christ’s death, the Transfiguration to recognise the beauty of God revealed primarily in the wounds of the cross where all that is ugly is transfigured by a profundity of beauty; His sacrificial love for us. No wonder, one of the 19th century’s greatest Russian writers and thinkers, Fyodor Dostoevsky, famously reminds us that if ugliness has the capacity to destroy life, “beauty will save the world.”

Today is indeed the Feast of Beauty, Christ’s Beauty. To speak most responsibly of beauty in its deepest reality is, to speak not just of any beauty, but of a specific beauty. Indeed, it is beauty so specific that it goes by a particular name, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ – who He is and what God does in Him – is the very beauty of God. He is the centrepiece, the compass of every Christian vocation. Dostoevsky tells us: “Man can live without science, he can live without bread, but without beauty he could no longer live, because there would no longer be anything to do to the world. The whole secret is here, the whole of history is here.” (novel, Demons). Yes, man cannot live without Christ, Beauty ever Ancient and ever New. It is a beauty that shakes us to the core, which illuminates us, and ultimately is the beauty that will save the world.

Yes, beauty is all around. It is the language of the divine. Let him see who has eyes to see, and be changed by the sight. Let him who has ears to hear do likewise. But those trapped in the ugliness of sin and the darkness of their own self-centred lives, they only see ugliness, not only in others but also in themselves.

That is why we need to be reminded of the glory of Christ’s transfiguration that continues to shine from the glory of His cross. His glory continues to shine on His bride, the Church. With the filth of sin removed in Baptism, the veil is drawn back so that the light of Christ shines upon you. We are not meant to be ugly worms but glorious butterflies. And this beauty of ours continues to be enhanced by His own Body and Blood in the Eucharist and our interior countenance transfigured through the Sacrament of Penance. All of this, Christ has done for you and to you. The darkness has passed away. Death has been vanquished. And through Christ’s holy, precious blood and innocent suffering and death, the veil of sin which separates you from God is removed. The light has come! Life in Christ is yours, and your sins are forgiven. You are no longer ugly, but beautiful!



Source: http://michaelckw.blogspot.my/2017/08/a-feast-of-beauty.html

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 407



Reading 1 (Nm 11:4b-15)

The children of Israel lamented,
"Would that we had meat for food!
We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,
and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic.
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna."

Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin.
When they had gone about and gathered it up,
the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar,
then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves,
which tasted like cakes made with oil.
At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell.

When Moses heard the people, family after family,
crying at the entrance of their tents,
so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved.
"Why do you treat your servant so badly?" Moses asked the LORD.
"Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?
Was it I who conceived all this people?
Or was it I who gave them birth,
that you tell me to carry them at my bosom,
like a foster father carrying an infant,
to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
For they are crying to me,
'Give us meat for our food.'
I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress."

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17)

R. Sing with joy to God our help.

"My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels."
R. Sing with joy to God our help.

"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand."
R. Sing with joy to God our help.

"Those who hated the LORD would seek to flatter me,
but their fate would endure forever,
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them."
R. Sing with joy to God our help.

Alleluia (Mt 4:4)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel (Mt 14:13-21)

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
"This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves."
He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves."
But they said to him,
"Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."
Then he said, "Bring them here to me,"
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.



REFLECTION

Give them Some food yourselves. Jesus puts His disciples into a crisis when He asks them to feed the hungry crowds. He is not willing to send them away hungry; they have listened to Him; He has cured their sick. Now it is the disciples’ turn to do something for the crowds. They, too, must show compassion to them. The disciples argue that they have nothing except five loaves of bread and a couple of fish.

Jesus asks for the bread and the fish, prays over them, says the blessing, and breaks the bread. Then He gives the bread to His disciples for distribution.

We cannot imagine how the bread is multiplied. We do not know what happens to the fish. But the disciples are able to give food to the crowds. They, too, show compassion for the people. They are not just Jesus’ disciples or his companions to protect him. They are empowered to do more.

Discipleship is not a matter of just listening to Jesus. It is also distributing the graces and blessings from Jesus to those whom he intends to give.

If you are a compassionate disciple, Jesus will give you something to distribute. You will not run out of supply. Trust God and use your creativity.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.) http://www.ssp.ph/

Seven priests walk into a bar...and are asked to leave when they're mistaken for a stag do

Seven priests walked into a bar... and were asked to leave because landlord thought they were on a stag do. The seminarians were initially barred from the City Arms in Cardiff on Saturday despite insisting their clothes were not fancy dress. But they managed to get their celebratory pints on the house after the bar manager realised they were the real thing.

Father Michael Doyle said the seven went to the pub in Quay Street to celebrate the ordination of Father Peter McLaren at Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral of St David near Queen Street. He said it was a double celebration because Fr McLaren was the second to be ordained to the priesthood in a week.

He added that the City Arms was a favourite of his colleagues including the Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack.

Fr Doyle said: "They arrived at the City Arms and they were dressed wearing the clerical collar. "The doorman basically said something along the lines of, 'sorry gents, we have a policy of no fancy dress and no stag dos'."

The doorman was good-natured but firm, and the students had started to leave when they were approached by the bar manager. "He basically said, 'you're real, aren't you?'," said Fr Doyle.

"He invited them back in and when they walked back in the entire pub burst into a round of applause, and they had a free round off the City Arms."

Fr Doyle said the group stayed in the pub most of the afternoon chatting to locals, and also discovered that one of them shares the name of one of Brains brewery's most popular ales.

He said: "Reverent Rob James decided to buy the barman a drink and, of course, one of the Brains beers in Wales is the Reverend James, so the Reverend Robert James bought a Rev James for the barman."

City Arms assistant manager Matt Morgan said: "At first one of our staff members thought the group were a stag party in fancy dress and suggested they might want to try another pub, as we generally have a quieter crowd of drinkers than others nearby.

"When we realised our mistake we quickly apologised to the priests and thankfully they were all great sports and saw the funny side of the situation.

"It's not every day you have a group of priests drinking in the pub and they would be welcome back any time."

Fr Doyle said such mix-ups were not uncommon and a drinker in another Cardiff bar had asked the group whether they were a stag do the previous weekend.

He added that the incident was "funny" and "just gold" and that the seminarians had not been put off returning to the pub.

Archbishop Stack said: "It is wonderful to hear that the seminarians were celebrating their own path to priesthood by having a good time in Cardiff, which of course they are allowed to have.

"The diocese is celebrating the ordination of two seminarians in a week despite rumours about the shortage of men presenting themselves for priesthood.

"Priests are part of the community and for the community they serve.

"I would like to add that the Rev Robert James does not have any shares in the brand of beer which shares his name."



Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/01...d=tmgoff_fb_tmg

Minnesota Veterans' Memorial Removed Due to Satanists

The impotence of modern civic religion was recently on display in Belle Plaine, MN, when pressure forced the removal of a beloved monument.



Religious Indifference Takes an Ugly Turn

In that little middle-American town, a covey of satanists exploited the liberal principle of religious tolerance – which in truth is not tolerance but indifference – to agitate for the removal of Christian symbols from the public square. Rather than act against the false notions of religious indifferentism that urges degraded prostration before the devil be given the same regard as the elevating worship of Almighty God, locals opted to saw the baby in half and shut the inn door to all state-sanctioned displays of the Christian religion.

Rise and Fall of a Monument for Veterans

In August 2016, the Belle Plaine Vets Club honored fallen U.S. veterans with a modest monument of a soldier kneeling in prayer in front of a grave marked with a cross. The inscription on the monument reads “Donated by Joseph Gregory U.S. Army,” after the benefactor and local veteran who died in October, 2016. Locals nicknamed the privately-owned cast-iron memorial “Joe”; its post was in the city’s Veterans Memorial Park.

"Joe," late of the Belle Plaine Veterans Memorial Park

In January of 2017, threats of a lawsuit rooted in arguments about the separation of church and state drove city leaders to remove the cross. The action upset locals, many of whom responded by setting up crosses in the park and placing silhouettes of “Joe” in their lawns throughout the city. Officials responded to the protests by creating a free speech zone in the park for the display of any religious memorials provided they honored veterans. The cross was returned to the Vets Club monument in April.

At the invitation of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the satanic temple based in Salem, MA commissioned a veterans’ memorial for the park. The dark artifact was a black cube carved with occult symbols, allegedly to honor nonreligious service members; to extend the mockery, atop the cube was placed an upside-down combat helmet that would act as a basin where visitors could place mementos and letters honoring fallen soldiers.

The city approved the group’s petition to have the memorial installed in the park. Had these plans gone through, it would have been the first satanic monument on public property in the U.S.

The community again reacted in protest. A Rosary Rally was also organized for July by the Catholic group America Needs Fatima, which was attended by over a hundred faithful. By the time of the rally, however, the “Joe” memorial had been removed from the park, and the city had nixed the free speech zone. The monument of the Massachusetts satanists would stay in Salem, but the cross was also gone from Belle Plaine’s Veterans Memorial Park.

An Assessment

Belle Plaine residents observed that the satanists had preyed on a small town that lacks the resources to resist – a point the satanists acknowledged when their spokesman said more such compromises would eliminate lawsuits.

It can be observed that the satanists said they do not worship the devil. Instead, they are angry atheists, progressivists, and pluralists who claim to have millions of dollars in funding as well as a team of aggressive lawyers and they want to fight for the separation of Church and State. Their diabolical trappings are essentially props, puerile tools used to shock, cow, disgust, and offend easy-going ordinary citizens accustomed to conventional social norms.

More significant than questions of litigation, however, are the principles under which a society is to be organized. Almighty God is owed public veneration, but the devil is not. Liberal concepts of freedom of conscience, speech, and religion proved to be feeble and mute in the presence of the sophomoric squawking of the liberal and atheist hoaxers, shams, and opportunists from Salem; it was by the threat of legal action, and not from the merit of their arguments, that they had their way. To the extent that the state makes of this liberal indifferentism a form of civic religion, as occurred in Belle Plaine, it inevitably renders to Caesar not what is Caesar’s, but what is God’s.

“All true felicity flows abundantly upon man from our august religion and its doctrine and practice; and that happy is the people whose God is their Lord. Teach that ‘kingdoms rest on the foundation of the Catholic Faith…’” Quanta Cura of Bl. Pope Pius IX

Slightly late, but still a good reflection for the Transfiguration. God Bless!

Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 409



Reading 1 (Nm 13:1-2, 25–14:1, 26a-29a, 34-35)

The LORD said to Moses [in the desert of Paran,]
"Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan,
which I am giving the children of Israel.
You shall send one man from each ancestral tribe,
all of them princes."

After reconnoitering the land for forty days they returned,
met Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the children of Israel
in the desert of Paran at Kadesh,
made a report to them all,
and showed the fruit of the country
to the whole congregation.
They told Moses: "We went into the land to which you sent us.
It does indeed flow with milk and honey, and here is its fruit.
However, the people who are living in the land are fierce,
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there.
Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb;
Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the highlands,
and Canaanites along the seacoast and the banks of the Jordan."

Caleb, however, to quiet the people toward Moses, said,
"We ought to go up and seize the land, for we can certainly do so."
But the men who had gone up with him said,
"We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us."
So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel
about the land they had scouted, saying,
"The land that we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants.
And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants
(the Anakim were a race of giants);
we felt like mere grasshoppers, and so we must have seemed to them."

At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night the people wailed.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
"How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me?
I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel against me.
Tell them: By my life, says the LORD,
I will do to you just what I have heard you say.
Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall.
Forty days you spent in scouting the land;
forty years shall you suffer for your crimes:
one year for each day.
Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:
here in the desert they shall die to the last man."

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 106:6-7ab, 13-14, 21-22, 23)

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

But soon they forgot his works;
they waited not for his counsel.
They gave way to craving in the desert
and tempted God in the wilderness.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Alleluia (Lk 7:16)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel (Mt 15: 21-28)

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And her daughter was healed from that hour.





REFLECTION

Have Pity on me, Lord. The Canaanite woman calls out to Jesus. From Galilee, Jesus has moved away to the north of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region, after debating with the Pharisees coming from Jerusalem. This move may effectively end His being maligned and discredited as a lousy and untrained countryside preacher because he does not represent the mainstream Judaism of His time.

Jesus needs a little break. As soon as He gets into the region, however, a Canaanite woman asks for intervention. This helpless mother intercedes for her daughter tormented by a demon.

Another exhausting work to do: Exorcism. Today’s exorcists tell us how hard it is to drive away evil spirits. Not everyone can do it; there are priests officially designated for this ministry. It is not simply saying to the demon, “Get out of her, you devil!” The devil can strike back.

The woman meets resistance from the disciples who say she is too noisy. Even Jesus declares that she is not entitled to the miracle. But the woman refuses to give up, and Jesus praises her great faith and heals her daughter.

Let nothing hinder us from crying out to God who gives in to us if we passionately seek God’s help.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.) http://www.ssp.ph/



This post has been edited by khool: Aug 9 2017, 03:22 PM

How to Approach Holy Communion Like a Child




Carl Frithjof Smith, “After First Communion”, 1892

My youngest daughter marks the Mass by the songs.

There are five songs. There are four songs left. Did we sing the bringing-up-the-gifts song? She is marking time until the donuts. She is counting down until the donuts. As we get closer to the donuts, she grows more excited. During Mass I told her in hopes of getting her to stop asking, I hoped one day she feels even more so about the Eucharist. It raised the question in me: Am I marking the time of the Mass or am I entering into it more deeply?

Fortunately, I have a child receiving the sacrament for the first time this year to remind me how better to receive. My youngest son will sign up for continuing religious education for students with special needs so he can receive his first communion this spring. Paul’s Down Syndrome means we notice more when he writes his name, when he signs a word, when he takes initiative, because Paul’s words, deeds and actions require more “will” in order to be. Watching him hold his hands in prayer as he walks, and his bow—I know it isn’t imitative, it’s meant. The words “A little child shall lead them,” float into my head. Paul’s reverence when we walk up to receive is visible, and reawakens our own “awe of God.” He is reminding us how to approach our Lord.

It is also a reminder of how easy it is to lose that sense of wonder at receiving the Eucharist, how quickly my own mind can become cluttered by the world, by everything and anything, and how my youngest daughter is the same. We can be in the presence of Jesus, and somehow not see, somehow not hear, somehow not taste. My daughter asked when she could ask again, and I told her to “Trust me.” And knew, that’s what Jesus asks of us as well. She smiled, nodded and held my hand.

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said, ‘Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?’
And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his native place, and in his own house.’
And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

Jesus wants to enter under our roof—to teach us, to heal us, to bring us deeper into relationship with the Blessed Trinity. However, when we come to the Mass and do not allow ourselves to enter into the mystery of how this sacrament is the summit of our faith, we cannot expect mighty deeds in our lives. Conversely, if we do approach the sacrament of the Eucharist like a child, if we see with the eyes of faith and hear the word of God joyfully, and feast on the food of everlasting life, we should expect mighty deeds to be done in our souls. Mercifully, Christ gave us the whole of Mass to bring ourselves to the altar, and whether we right ourselves in the first moment of the Mass or at the last moment, or somewhere in between, it is the “yes” that God seeks. Some of us are ready with that “yes” sooner than others. The Mass has all of its many parts so that we may tune our ears, our eyes, our hearts to God. It takes time for all of us “grown-ups” to let all of our everyday fall away so we can approach Jesus as the shepherds or the wise men did, with joyful hearts.

After the final blessing and song, my daughter looked at me with bright, hopeful and expectant eyes, but she didn’t even need to ask. “Yes. There will be donuts.”

Source: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/antonetti/h...ld#.WYq0WrjSvP6

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr
Lectionary: 618



Reading 1 (2 Cor 9:6-10)

Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:

He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.

The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9)

R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Alleluia (Jn 8:12bc)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel (Jn 12:24-26)

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."



REFLECTION

WHOEVER SERVES ME MUST FOLLOW ME. Jesus says this to His disciples after Andrew and Philip inform Him about the coming of some Greek visitors wanting to see Him. He teaches the necessity of dying in order to give life and regain one’s own life.

Jesus says that whoever serves Him must follow Him. Do serving and following not mean the same? Here, yes. They differ from each other in meaning. Serving (diakonia) is doing a favor, like preparing food or carrying loads for the journey, or waiting upon another. Following Jesus (akoloutheo) is accompanying Him wherever He goes. It is also learning from Him and His way of thinking.

Discipleship is literally journeying with Jesus up to the end. There is no turning back or giving up.

We easily serve Christ in the beginning, but we let Him go later. We are detached from Him and His teachings. We can be good social workers – giving our best service to the community, having our own humanism, and acting according to our theories and ideologies. Unless we put on the mind of Jesus and follow in His footsteps, however, we cannot be called Christians.

To serve and follow Christ is to be willing to journey and die with Him. Are you ready for this?



SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2017,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.) http://www.ssp.ph/



This post has been edited by khool: Aug 10 2017, 10:40 AM

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr



Lawrence was a Roman deacon under Pope St. Sixtus II. Four days after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom, probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian. According to legend, Lawrence was placed on a gridiron with coals underneath. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!"



Source: https://www.facebook.com/catholicapostolate...?type=3&theater

Ten Ways to Open Up to the Holy Spirit



The Gift of Gifts, the Paraclete, the Counselor and Consoler, Friend, Sanctifier, Third Person of the Blessed Trinity—all of these are different titles given to the Person of the Holy Spirit. In an earlier article we explained the power of the Holy Spirit to transform sinners into great saints—as we saw in the Apostles, and especially Simon Peter. Saint John XXIII actually said: “The saints are the masterpieces of the Holy Spirit.” A future saint can be you and me.

In this article we would like to point out ten specific ways that we can deepen our knowledge, love, intimacy and union with the Holy Spirit and thereby allow Him to do the work of transforming us from sinners into saints. It can be done if we become docile instruments in the hands of God who is the Holy Spirit! “Come Holy Spirit, come, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary!”

1. Prayer. Form the habit if praying to the Holy Spirit on a frequent basis. You could pray the traditional prayer to the Holy Spirit: “Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle within us the fire of your divine love.” If you like the hymn in Latin: “Veni Creator”; or the Sequence prayed on Pentecost “Veni, Sancte Spiritus.” Or you might sing the classical hymn to the Holy Spirit, “Come Holy Ghost.” Or it might appeal to you to pray the Litany of the Holy Spirit. Never forget, you can pray and talk to the Holy Spirit using your own words, simply speak to Him from your heart.

2. Acts of the Apostles. Read the book from the Bible, “The Acts of the Apostles”. Written by the Evangelist Saint Luke, this book clearly shows the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles—especially Saint Peter and St. Paul—as well as the formation of the primitive church. As you read be keenly attentive to the presence and workings of the Holy Spirit and beg Him to work powerfully in your own personal life! “Come Holy Spirit come….”

3. Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Get to know the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. You received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit the day of your Baptism. These Gifts were fortified the day of your Confirmation. However, these Gifts must be used and exercised. If these Gifts are not used then they become rusty, dormant, and inactive. Memorize them and study them. Here they are: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord. These gifts, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, perfect our intellect and our will—so that we can know God more clearly and love Him more ardently.

4. Silence. We must cultivate zones of silence in our daily lives, even though many of us have to combine the Martha and Mary (The Active and the Contemplative) in a harmonious balance. Still the danger is to launch ourselves into a frenetic activism whereby there is little time for prayer and much less for silence. The Holy Spirit speaks to a heart that is ready to listen in silence. With Samuel in the temple we should pray: “Speak O Lord for your servant is listening.”

5. Docility. Silence is a prerequisite to move on to the next step—docility to the Holy Spirit. A person who is living in the state of grace, honestly pursuing a life of holiness and seeking perfection will be exposed to heavenly inspirations that come from the Holy Spirit. The key is an ability to listen to these gentle but insistent inspirations, discern them coming from God and then the most difficult is to follow and obey these inspirations. The Holy Spirit is so to speak a “Gentleman” and will never force Himself upon anybody. Rather, He waits patiently for us to respond and then He can work very powerfully only if we are silent, humble and obedient.

6. Spiritual Readings. Highly to be recommended, with respect to learning to be docile to the Holy Spirit, is the reading of a spiritual masterpiece “The School of the Holy Spirit”, written by the French spiritual master Jacques Philippe. The essence of this book is very clear and simple. If we want to arrive at sanctity of life we must get to know the Holy Spirit, love the Holy Spirit and manifest this knowledge and love by being docile to His heavenly inspirations.

7. Be Careful and Alert. The work of the devil is to discourage us, make us sad and to push us into desolation and then despair. Be aware of the workings of the Holy Spirit. The workings of “The sweet Guest of the soul” are the direct opposite of the devil. How does the Holy Spirit work? St. Ignatius of Loyola in his rules for discernment specifies how the Good Spirit works. He strengthens our resolve to follow Jesus and fortifies our faith, hope, charity. He infuses peace and joy and energy to follow the Lord. He encourages us to lift our mind to heaven. He consoles us with the thoughts of the eternal salvation of our soul. Therefore, do not allow the devil to discourage you, but let the Holy Spirit encourage and strengthen you.

8. Prayer, Penance, Power, Perseverance, & Perfection. Try to connect these “5 P’s” to union with the Holy Spirit; all are necessary for a constant and growing union with the Holy Spirit. We must pray to the Sanctifier. Also, as Mary and the Apostles acted in the Cenacle for this powerful novena, we must practice penance or self-denial. This will give our will power— or if you like “Will-power” to do good. However, the journey can be long and cumbersome, we must persevere and if we fall bounce back. Then if we are faithful to the first 4’P’s the Holy Spirit will bring us to perfection in the following of Jesus.

9. Loneliness? Problems? If you experience loneliness and are weighed down by many problems then never forget to enter into the depths of your soul and speak to the Holy Spirit whose name is “Sweet Guest of the soul”. You will recognize that you are really not alone and that your problems and crosses are not as heavy as you think. Rather, the Holy Spirit can help you to resolve your problems or at least help you to cope with them.

10. Mary and the Holy Spirit. Mary is the Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and she is the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. St. Maximilian Kolbe has written brilliantly on the intimate relationship between Mary and the Holy Spirit. Also Saint Louis de Montfort has gone so far in saying: “Those who love Mary, the Holy Spirit flings Himself into that soul,” if you like, as a powerful Frisbee cutting through the air going from one hand to the next. If you want to have a powerful invasion in your heart of the Holy Spirit, a personal Pentecost experience in your life, then why not turn to Mary. As the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles the day of Pentecost through Mary’s prayers and presence, He can descend into your soul through the prayers and presence of Mary. “Come Holy Spirit, come, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

Source: http://catholicexchange.com/ten-ways-to-op...the-holy-spirit