Tumbling Toward Ruin

I haven't heard or read one news pundit ask the question that's been on my mind since a disturbed individual went on a murderous rampage because he felt he'd been rejected by the young ladies.

I'm sure devout Catholics and maybe even some folks of different faiths have asked themselves: Why is virginity something to be ashamed of instead of a desired state of purity?

How many of the Church's feasts and commemorations celebrate virgins?  And yet our society is so warped that, based on the most common reactions to this horror, it is apparent that a 20-year-old virgin is an oddity who should be advised on how to get *#%+ rather than taught to treasure his status.

Sickening doesn't even begin to describe this tragedy and the MSM reaction to a very disturbed and depraved person whose actions may have put him beyond the reach of salvation.

How much lower can we sink before we plunge this country into the depths of Hell?

Extraordinary Things Happening in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Around this time last year, there was legitimate concern for the Traditional Latin Mass in Philadelphia.  The pastor at St Paul's church was being transferred and replaced by a priest who does not offer the TLM.  The Archdiocese, if it did have a plan, was not immediately forthcoming about what was going to happen to our little congregation. Then the Archbishop sent an envoy to let us know we would be given the use of a beautiful but seldom-used worship site about a mile away from St Paul's.  The chaplain assigned to our church is a young, orthodox and pious priest who is well-versed in the Extraordinary Form. 

Our first Mass in our new parish fell on the hottest Sunday in July, which drove home the reality that the church lacked air conditioning.  Attendance was good but not great.  But we kept our heads down and kept the faith and plowed onward.  For the first time since Vatican II changes were implemented, the sacred liturgies of the Easter Triduum were celebrated in the Extraordinary Form in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Attendance was wonderful and the liturgies beautiful. 

Not only does the Archdiocese of Philadelphia have its first Extraordinary Form parish but other churches are offering TLM's for First Friday and First Saturday and other feasts. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart a Solemn High Mass will be offered at a parish that hasn't seen a TLM since the 60's.  And there's even more promising news. 

On Holy Trinity Sunday, June 15 a newly-ordained priest of the FSSP will celebrate his first public Mass in the Extraordinary Form.   This will take place at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Center City Philadelphia.  

God bless Archbishop Chaput for facilitating the TLM and thank God for those priests who, while they may not have an interest in offering the TLM, have been friendly toward this growing movement, particularly the pastors who have made some of these feast day Masses possible. And through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, may those priests who exhibit animus towards the TLM cease from their obstructionist ways and come to the realization that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is never to be held hostage to politics and personal bias. 

Within Your Wounds, Hide Me

Soul of Christ, sanctify me

Body of Christ, save me

Blood of Christ, inebriate me

Water from the side of Christ, wash me

Passion of Christ, strengthen me

O Good Jesus, hear me

With Your Wounds, hide me

Separated from You, let me never be

From the malignant enemy, defend me and at the hour of my death 

Bid me come unto Thee that 

With Your saints and angels I may be

Praising You forever and ever

Amen. 

 

Why do we want to be hidden in His wounds? Because they are the marks of the victory over sin and death and they are repugnant to the devil.  If we allow ourselves to be hidden by these wounds we can be assured we are on the path of Christian perfection and that we are protected from the vile assaults of satan. There is no other way. 

I was very much reminded of this during the past week when Pennsylvania fell and those held captive to sins of the flesh proclaimed victory and attacked the Archbishop and the Catholic Church for witnessing to Christ.  

Up is down, down is up, and abomination is the new normal in America. 

They know not what they do. Worse still, they don't care. 

Overheard in the Italian Market Today

Elsewhere on this blog I think I have a post on the Procession of Saints that occurs at my Novus Ordo parish.  Today this annual rite-of-Spring took place and as has been our custom, Rebecca and I were there, escorting St Therese.  The venue for the procession is the 9th Street Italian Market Bacchanal, er uh Festival, where The Godfather meets the Sopranos with a sprinkling of goth, God-less and gaudy in between. ( If you don't believe me, YouTube "godfather Italian percession" in those exact words and spelling and see what I mean). 

Anyway, we PROcess with statues of the saints which are adorned with strands of ribbon. People make donations to their favorite saint in exchange for a holy card and the money is pinned to the statue. As we pass by a group of cigar-chomping wise guys, one of them comes forward with a donation, and apparently asks St Therese to intercede on his behalf for God only knows what intention. As he walks away he calls over to the statue, "Thanks Chi-ree" which, in case you don't know, is the South Philly nickname for any girl or woman named Theresa. I thought I would die!

To further amuse us, a gang of new-comers in their 50's had the honor of escorting Saint Lucy, who is much beloved in these parts. Disappointed in their take so far, the group began to good-naturedly chide their buddies in the crowd to cough up some greenbacks for their saint's sparsely-decorated ribbons. One of them asked "Why, whaddya got?"

"What  I got?" an escort indignantly asked in a mocking goodfellas tone. " I got a saint with 2 eyeballs, whaddya think I got?"  

Only in South Philly. 

As amusing as all of this may be, what wasn't funny was how few people were willing to make a donation, and how little interest much of the crowd had in the saints. There were a group of guys in black with tattoos who apparently sprung for a holy card of St Joseph but had no idea who he was. At first I thought they were joking but they were not. They were clearly symbolic of those who are raised without any knowledge of Jesus and the saints. 

Talk about a lost generation.  Very sad. 

Easier For a Camel To Pass Through The Eye of a Needle

My dear Terry has a somewhat tongue-in- cheek exposé on strollers as status symbols. His timing is perfect because I spent 90 minutes traversing "The Hill", a tony section of Philadelphia where old money meets nouveau riche and a lot of pretentiousness in between. The reason for the visit was to pick up the prom gown that had undergone alterations in the hands of a very capable seamstress. She was entrusted with many wedding gowns in the family and is well worth the trip. She was running a bit behind and asked us very kindly if we could return later.  It was a beautiful day so we really didn't mind.

Watching The Beautiful People is a sometimes fascinating, sometimes nauseating exercise.  I do not begrudge people who are wealthy one bit.  I think what probably leaves me unsettled is that I don't see how one can flaunt their wealth and serve The Lord all at the sane time.  I am fairly certain that most Catholics I see eye- to-eye with are inclined to a more penitential life-style.  Life centers on the Eucharist.  Vacations, if taken, occur at religious destinations.  Clothing is modest and never ostentatious.  Children are never deprived but not over-indulged either.  Heaven is our homeland, earth is our exile and all of our pursuits are fueled by the innate desire to go home one day. We have no desire to keep up with Joneses, unless the Joneses are modeled on the Martin Family, which gave five faithful daughters to The Lord.

When I see people who are incredibly fit, perfectly coifed and transported in vehicles that cost more than my house, I struggle to see Christ. I am tempted to think such a person's world revolves around them.  My theory is confirmed in how they walk, drive and relate to others. If you hold a door open for them,  their arm never reaches out to take it from you.   They saunter through the door as if they are entitled to having it held open for them and the word thank you never crosses their mind.  I assume lowly a position as I can and pretend I'm a nun in the convent of Sister Luke, taught to walk close to walls like a servant to all.  I pity people who behave this way.

If people want to amass possessions they don't need, who am I to judge?  But I certainly don't think it's a Christ-like way to live. The three evils are the devil, the flesh and the world.  I'm going to continue to steer clear of all three and look forward to the day when there is an hour's wait in the confessional line and nobody waiting to be seated at the "hottest" restaurant in town.  Because people finally managed to get their priorities straight.

What Thorn Have You Been Given?

I was waiting for Mass to begin and thought of St Rita, in whose honor the Mass and novena were being held.  I wondered what her reaction was to the wound inflicted on her forehead on Good Friday. Did knowing that this wound came directly from Our Lord make it any easier to bear?  I delude myself at times with the notion that if I knew my sufferings came directly from God I might more happily bear them. Yeah, right. Of course they come from God! 

In this life, the gifts we are sent emerge solely from the Passion of Christ.  He will gladly spare a thorn from the brutal crown forced upon His sacred head. We may not bear it physically or if we do, it's not obvious to anyone else.  The crown of His glory cannot be shared in this lifetime and cannot be earned if the instrument of suffering is rejected.  

I have at times offered to trade in my thorns for ones I think I would rather endure.  This is, of course, playing the coward.  God knows best and does not engage in conditional plea bargaining. ( If You give me this, I will gladly do that).  

At some point after realizing that Jesus answered her prayer to allow her a share in His suffering, St Rita further understood what this remarkable gift entailed.  The pain, infection, and unpleasant odor that accompanied her stigmata often left the saint spurned by others in her community. When the congregation planned to go on a pilgrimage, Rita was told she could not come along because of the wound. Tradition holds that the sore miraculously healed so that she could make the journey and that upon returning to Cascia it appeared again.  This lead to uncharitable speculation on the point of some that her wound was self-inflicted. But Rita was consumed with love for Christ Crucified and concerned solely with comforting Him however she could. If gossip, lack of charity and perhaps even jealousy wounded her, she did not let on. 

Very few are chosen to bear the physical signs of His Passion but whether we realize it or not, He constantly offers us the intangible ones. Humiliation, mortification, rejection, loneliness and betrayal were no strangers to Our Lord. Will we accept them as precious gifts or throw them away?   The former cannot happen without His help. 

My prayer to St Rita for myself is that God continues to supply the help needed to accept His graces.  Be assured I am praying to her for all of our children, that He will grant them the graces necessary for salvation. 

Love Prevails

The last- minute cancellation of the black mass was a triumph of Divine Love over diabolical hate.  I got to the perpetual adoration chapel by the skin of my teeth last night and was joined about 30 minutes later by two gentlemen. While I was there alone I did my utmost to make it an hour of adoration for One Who is so often neglected.  I did my best to blot out any thought of the heinous acts scheduled to take place.  It wasn't until I arrived home that I learned the mockery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass did not take place. As happy as I was to learn this, I also knew that this was a sacrilege we knew about.  How many more take place that are not public knowledge?

One way to make this kind of thing more difficult is to BAN once and for all the reception of Holy Communion in the hand.  The methods used to desecrate a Sacred Host are the works of sub-humans. Not even an un-housebroken dog would resort to such depravity.  It occurred to me today that satanists are not going to attend Mass wearing pentagrams and other symbols of evil. They are not going to reveal their true nature lest someone stop them from their intended mission. They are going to attempt to fit in by acting the picture of piety, save for one thing: how they receive Our Lord.  No more EM's and Holy Communion on the tongue only or not at all.  Enough is enough.

Last night when I was tempted to think of all the evil swirling about the world, I remembered that where the Body and Blood of Christ are, so are His holy angels.  Go to adoration and you never know which members of the celestial court are going to show up and keep you company.

I have seen well- meaning people on Catholic sites address the devil directly while denouncing him. NEVER do this. Invoke Jesus, Mary and Joseph and of course St Michael but do not ever address the liar of all liars directly.  And please give serious thought to praying the Chaplet of St Michael daily.

One more thing - I have had my differences with Carol McKinley and will likely disagree with her again, but her commentary on this was spot-on, particularly her observation about children who grow up without the protection of the sacraments.  Like the dope driving the pentagram-mobile looking for attention a few weeks back, these starved souls need our prayers.

Remember that the second secret of Fatima was the vision of hell Our Lady showed the children. It's a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy and I will do everything in my power through the grace of God to keep it from happening to anyone.

All Hell Breaking Loose

The minions of satan seem to be more brazen than ever. I told you about the despicable sight I saw while driving to work a few weeks back. I see more and more "New Age" spirituality displayed than ever before. Now the foremost Ivy League university in America will permit a Black mass to take place in the name of academic freedom.

At 8pm on Monday you are urged to pray and make reparation for the sacrilege that is scheduled to take place.  If you have a perpetual Adoration chapel you can get to at that time, do so and make a Holy Hour.  

My last Catholic bumper magnet got lost in the car wash. It has been replaced by one featuring St Michael.  If the devil worshipers want to get in our faces, let's return the favor. Remember that one of the many titles of St Joseph is terror of demons.  Perhaps invoking his assistance in quelling this hellacious uprising will be most efficacious.

Remember that only this week a young woman released a video of herself about to undergo an abortion as if such an atrocity was a cause for celebration. Abomination is the new normal in America and it is now advancing with alarming speed.  The Harvard mess is just one that we know about.  There are others but worse than this is the defilement of the human body as the Temple of The Lord with every sin imaginable.

Last week I was leaving church and encountered a man I have seen at Mass and Adoration on a few occasions.  He said he had seen me before and was hoping to meet me so he could share some things with me.  Our Lady of Akita was mentioned as well as some other apparitions.  He believes some chastisement is coming soon and he promised to pray for me and my family. I had been suffering with a headache so bad that day I came close to passing out.  After speaking to this man, the headache left me, although it returned the following day.  A few months before hurricane Sandy I met a man outside the Adoration chapel down the street from me.  He handed me a note. It said punishment was coming to the East Coast because of the abortion rate in New York.  Now I know even a stopped clock is right twice a day so while I take such warnings with precaution I never dismiss them outright.

I am grateful for my own conversion. But like Our Lady, I am saddened at the prospect of so many souls lost.  Do whatever you can.  Our friend Kelly recommends a day a week of fasting, prayer and sacrifice to uphold our children, an idea well worth imitating. Pray for those children who have no one else to pray for them including those who will be permitted to mock the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  

Worse Than A Sewer Religion

So the intelligence' of Harvard University want to hold a Black mass on campus. Permission has been granted based on fostering "academic freedom".  Satanists don't deserve any freedoms.  If it were up to me, I would declare satanic worship a hate crime and its perpetrators terrorists.   Think about it. 

Their leader attained his position out of sheer hatred for God. He desires nothing but the destruction of our bodies and souls. He has created nothing that is good. He promotes perversion, hatred, corruption, violence.  He is the master of every evil madman who has ever walked the face of the earth.  He is the father of terrorism, pornography, drug addiction, murder, prostitution and every vice.  He has not one redeeming quality.  He is lower than those we ban from entering our country or boarding our airplanes.  He is more vile than anyone locked up at Guantanamo. Yet we are expected to tolerate worship of him in the name of freedom? 

Worship of the father of lies is nothing but an attempt to make a mockery of Jesus Christ and His Mystical Body, the Church.  It must not be permitted. 

If people don't want to believe in God or the devil, it's one thing. But they should not be permitted to defile or denigrate our faith.  A "religion" that is based on filth is not a religion at all.  And we shouldn't tolerate its existence in any public forum or display. 

Pray and make reparation for the offense to God and for the peril of souls.  Hell is no joking matter.  

Overwhelming

While waiting for one of my children who has a standing appointment one evening a week, I take a leisurely stroll around one of the more beautiful sections of the city. In the course of 45 minutes I see a monastery, an oratory and a cathedral. I walk past museums full of priceless art and a sprawling library that pays notable homage to The Bard. I also see the hidden people who come out at night - the homeless in various stages of destitute. It occurred to me I might come across the young man who broke my heart a few weeks back. This was a miscalculation on my part.

There are so many people who fit his description that it is simply overwhelming. And if you give to one you are quickly surrounded by a mob that at times borders on threatening. So all I do is smile and acknowledge there is a human being underneath the grime and possibly the lice.

A few weeks ago I saw on ABC News an experiment where people volunteered to appear homeless and sit on a sidewalk where a member of their family were going to pass by where they could see them. None of them did.  One man even walked past his own wife, failing to recognize her in the distressing disguise of the poor.

There are people who have made their life's work tending to the needs of the lowliest members of our society. Every week I see a large white van pull up on the parkway and become quickly surrounded by homeless. Meals and clothing are handed out. The Good Samaritans remain as anonymous as those they serve. One gentleman uses his own money, of which he does not have much, to prepare home-cooked meals that he delivers each week. He doesn't go on vacation or eat in expensive restaurants. In fact he doesnt eat out at all. Every cent he has is spent on his little mission.   He didn't wait to win the lottery to take care of perfect strangers.  He gives out of his own, here and now.

Lord, when did we see You hungry or poor or naked or ill?

Just open your eyes and see Him everywhere, in every stage of human misery where just one kind word might be all it takes to save someone from the brink.

Something Sweet for Sunday

Final Judgment of a Saint

The following is an excerpt taken from the book, "My Sister, Saint Therese" written by Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face, OCD (Celine Martin).

"Then, gazing on her Crucifix:
'Oh!...Je L'Aime! ... Mon Dieu, je...vous...aime!!!'

These were her last words.  Hardly had she uttered them when, to our great surprise, she sank down on the pillow with her head a little to the right.  Then suddenly, she raised herself up as though called by some mysterious voice, opened her eyes and fixed a radiant gaze on a spot a little above the miraculous statue of Our Lady of the Smile. Therese remained in this position for some moments, about the time required to recite a Credo slowly.

Often during life I have tried to analyze this ecstatic gaze which was certainly something more than a simple reflection of eternal beatitude.  I have reached the following conclusions which I humbly submit to the reader.

At first, her expression had an air of confident assurance combined with a joyful attitude of expectancy:  as the story of her soul unfolded, she might have been asking God what He thought of it.

And then when she had His answer her expression changed to one of profound astonishment and then to overflowing gratitude.  

I have always liked to believe that we were privileged to assist at Therese's Judgment.  She had on the one hand been found worthy to appear (standing) before the Son of Man; on the other hand, she was, as it were, overcome by the realization of her bewildering reward, a glory which 'infinitely surpasses my boundless desires.'  This caused her whole being, I thought, to vibrate under the weight of so much love and in spite of her effort to withstand the continuous assault, she finally succumbed, closed her eyes and died.  It was September 30, 1997 at seven twenty in the evening".

When I read this again just a few days ago, I realize that at times I'm not even aware of my soul because I am bogged down by too many other things.    In a talk that a priest gave some years ago on St. Therese, he told us that what ultimately caused her death was not her illness but her soul being ripped from her body.  He said he believed the same was true of the way the Blessed Virgin Mary passed from this life to the next.

What work we have to do to die a similar death!

Please Don't Re-Post Filth on a Catholic Blog

It sickens me when faithful Catholics post obscene and lurid photos or quotations on their blogs in the name of calling out a blasphemer or worse.  In my humble opinion, this is wrong and could have the effect of leading others into sin. Besides, why would you want this kind of poison rolling around in your own head let alone anyone else's?  You might have no other intention than to clearly demonstrate how deranged and craven a person might be but why is that necessary?  Porn and filth is just that.  Be careful what images or descriptions you post. And if others blaspheme or attempt to defile the image of Our Lord and His Holy Mother, do not do their dirty work for them by posting their poison on your Catholic blog in the name of expressing outrage. I would not even post a link to such filth.  And I would seriously consider going to confession if I did.