Lament, Psalms 16:8-11, Genesis 1:1-2:2, No Gospel Today of Lamentation, Pope Frances Daily Activity, The Mystical City of God The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God - Book 6:9 MARY THE HEIRESS OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST and Book 6:10 CHRISTS VICTORY OVER HELL, Catholic Catechism Part Two Section Chapter 2:1:2 THE SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION OF THE PASCHAL MYSTERY - CELEBRATING THE CHURCH'S LITURGY
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Saturday in Lent
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS TO BE PRESIDED BY POPE DURING HOLY WEEK
Vatican City, 25 March 2013 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has made public the calendar of celebrations that are due to be presided by Pope Francis during Holy Week: (Posted at Rome Time which six hours ahead of USA Central Time). View via Video on Vatican TV Live Stream or Audio Vatican Radio.
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
POPE FRANCIS March 30th Holy Saturday Lamentation Address:
ON THIS NIGHT ONE WORD SHOULD SUFFICE, THE CROSS ITSELF
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
POPE FRANCIS March 30th Holy Saturday Lamentation Address:
ON THIS NIGHT ONE WORD SHOULD SUFFICE, THE CROSS ITSELF
Vatican City, 30 March 2013 (VIS) – At 5:00pm in St. Peter's Basilica yesterday, Good Friday, the Holy Father presided over the celebration of the Lord's Passion. After the Liturgy of the Word—in which we heard the account of the Passion according to St. John—and the homily, the universal prayers were recited. The rite continued with the adoration of the Cross and ended with communion.
Hours later, at 9:15pm, Pope Francis presided for the first time over the Way of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum. This year, the meditations and prayers accompanying the stations were written by young Lebanese Catholics, guided by Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon. The images in the booklet reproduced 19th century illustrations of the Way of the Cross made by an unknown Franciscan in Bethlehem. Over a hundred thousand people, many of them youth as well as a large group of Lebanese pilgrims, attended the event.
The Holy Father followed the ceremony, which was broadcast by Vatican Television, from a small platform on the side of the Palatine hill. Two young persons from the diocese of Rome and two Lebanese youth carried the torches alongside the cross, which was carried—for the first and last station—by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of Rome, then an Italian and an Indian family, then a woman in a wheelchair, then by two Chinese seminarians, then two Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, then two Nigerian sisters, then two Lebanese sisters, and then two Brazilian youth. At the end of the Way of the Cross the Pope spoke the following words:
“Dear Brother and Sisters,
Thank you for having taken part in these moments of deep prayer. I also thank those who have accompanied us through the media, especially the sick and elderly. I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. Jesus' Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world.”
“Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if He is silent. And yet, God has spoken. He has replied and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, and forgiveness. It is also a judgement, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Let us remember this: in judging us, God loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned. Not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns; He only loves and saves.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did. This evening we have heard the witness given by our Lebanese brothers and sisters. They are the ones who composed these beautiful prayers and meditations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for this work and above all for the witness they offer. We were able to see this when Pope Benedict visited Lebanon. We saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others. That occasion was a sign to the Middle East and to the whole world: a sign of hope.”
Now let us continue this “Via Crucis” in our daily lives. Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this Word of love and forgiveness. Let us walk forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus who loves us so much. He is all love!”
Hours later, at 9:15pm, Pope Francis presided for the first time over the Way of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum. This year, the meditations and prayers accompanying the stations were written by young Lebanese Catholics, guided by Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon. The images in the booklet reproduced 19th century illustrations of the Way of the Cross made by an unknown Franciscan in Bethlehem. Over a hundred thousand people, many of them youth as well as a large group of Lebanese pilgrims, attended the event.
The Holy Father followed the ceremony, which was broadcast by Vatican Television, from a small platform on the side of the Palatine hill. Two young persons from the diocese of Rome and two Lebanese youth carried the torches alongside the cross, which was carried—for the first and last station—by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of Rome, then an Italian and an Indian family, then a woman in a wheelchair, then by two Chinese seminarians, then two Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, then two Nigerian sisters, then two Lebanese sisters, and then two Brazilian youth. At the end of the Way of the Cross the Pope spoke the following words:
“Dear Brother and Sisters,
Thank you for having taken part in these moments of deep prayer. I also thank those who have accompanied us through the media, especially the sick and elderly. I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. Jesus' Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world.”
“Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if He is silent. And yet, God has spoken. He has replied and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, and forgiveness. It is also a judgement, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Let us remember this: in judging us, God loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned. Not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns; He only loves and saves.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did. This evening we have heard the witness given by our Lebanese brothers and sisters. They are the ones who composed these beautiful prayers and meditations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for this work and above all for the witness they offer. We were able to see this when Pope Benedict visited Lebanon. We saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others. That occasion was a sign to the Middle East and to the whole world: a sign of hope.”
Now let us continue this “Via Crucis” in our daily lives. Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this Word of love and forgiveness. Let us walk forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus who loves us so much. He is all love!”
Pope Francis at the Via Crucis: Full Text
On Friday night, Pope Francis led a celebration of the Via Crucis at Rome’s Colosseum. The meditations were been written by a group of young Catholics from Lebanon. At the end of the celebration, Pope Francis briefly addressed the thousands of people who attended the event.
Below is the full text of his address:
Dear Brother and Sisters, Thank you for having taken part in these moments of deep prayer. I also thank those who have accompanied us through the media, especially the sick and elderly.
I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It is also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Remember this: God, in judging us, loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves. Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did. This evening we have heard the witness given by our Lebanese brothers and sisters: they composed these beautiful prayers and meditations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for this work and for the witness they offer. We were able to see this when Pope Benedict visited Lebanon: we saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others. That occasion was a sign to the Middle East and to the whole world: a sign of hope.
We now continue this Via Crucis in our daily lives. Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this word of love and forgiveness. Let us go forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus, who loves us so much. He is all love.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 3/30/2013.
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Message, 25. March 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:
“Dear children! In this time of grace I call you to take the cross of my beloved Son Jesus in your hands and to meditate on His passion and death. May your suffering be united in His suffering and love will win, because He who is love gave Himself out of love to save each of you. Pray, pray, pray until love and peace begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
March 18 2013 Message to the World via Annual Apparition to Mirjana:
"Dear children! I call you to, with complete trust and joy, bless the name of the Lord and, day by day, to give Him thanks from the heart for His great love. My Son, through that love which He showed by the Cross, gave you the possibility to be forgiven for everything; so that you do not have to be ashamed or to hide, and out of fear not to open the door of your heart to my Son. To the contrary, my children, reconcile with the Heavenly Father so that you may be able to come to love yourselves as my Son loves you. When you come to love yourselves, you will also love others; in them you will see my Son and recognize the greatness of His love. Live in faith! Through me, my Son is preparing you for the works which He desires to do through you – works through which He desires to be glorified. Give Him thanks. Especially thank Him for the shepherds - for your intercessors in the reconciliation with the Heavenly Father. I am thanking you, my children. Thank you."
March 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. Do not shut your eyes to the warnings which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. Do you love Him above all else? Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? Do you repent for not having accepted the message? My children, do not resist the love of my Son. Do not resist hope and peace. Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. He will give you the strength for a new life. Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”
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Today's Word: lament la·ment [luh-ment]
Origin: 1520–30; (noun) < Latin lāmentum plaint; (v.) < Latin lāmentārī, derivative of lāmentum
verb (used with object)
1. to feel or express sorrow or regret for: to lament his absence.
2. to mourn for or over.
verb (used without object)
3. to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.
4. to mourn deeply.
noun
5. an expression of grief or sorrow.
6. a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11
5 My birthright, my cup is Yahweh; you, you alone, hold my lot secure.
8 I keep Yahweh before me always, for with him at my right hand, nothing can shake me.
9 So my heart rejoices, my soul delights, my body too will rest secure,
10 for you will not abandon me to Sheol, you cannot allow your faithful servant to see the abyss.
11 You will teach me the path of life, unbounded joy in your presence, at your right hand delight for ever.
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Today's Epistle - Genesis 1:1--2:2
1 In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
2 Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, with a divine wind sweeping over the waters.
3 God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.
4 God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness.
5 God called light 'day', and darkness he called 'night'. Evening came and morning came: the first day.
6 God said, 'Let there be a vault through the middle of the waters to divide the waters in two.' And so it was.
7 God made the vault, and it divided the waters under the vault from the waters above the vault.
8 God called the vault 'heaven'. Evening came and morning came: the second day.
9 God said, 'Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land appear.' And so it was.
10 God called the dry land 'earth' and the mass of waters 'seas', and God saw that it was good.
11 God said, 'Let the earth produce
vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees on earth, bearing fruit
with their seed inside, each corresponding to its own species.' And so
it was.
12 The earth produced vegetation: the
various kinds of seed-bearing plants and the fruit trees with seed
inside, each corresponding to its own species. God saw that it was good.
13 Evening came and morning came: the third day.
14 God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals, days and years.
15 Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth.' And so it was.
16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night, and the stars.
17 God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth,
18 to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that it was good.
19 Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.
20 God said, 'Let the waters be alive
with a swarm of living creatures, and let birds wing their way above the
earth across the vault of heaven.' And so it was.
21 God created great sea-monsters and
all the creatures that glide and teem in the waters in their own
species, and winged birds in their own species. God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply on land.'
23 Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.
24 God said, 'Let the earth produce
every kind of living creature in its own species: cattle, creeping
things and wild animals of all kinds.' And so it was.
25 God made wild animals in their own
species, and cattle in theirs, and every creature that crawls along the
earth in its own species. God saw that it was good.
26 God said, 'Let us make man
in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters
of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild
animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.'
27 God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them, saying to them, 'Be
fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters of the
fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all the living creatures that move on earth.'
29 God also said, 'Look, to you I give
all the seed-bearing plants everywhere on the surface of the earth, and
all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this will be your food.
30 And to all the wild animals, all the birds of heaven and all the living creatures that creep along the ground, I give all the foliage of the plants as their food.' And so it was.
31 God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day.
1 Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array.
2 On the seventh day God had completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing.
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Today's Gospel Reading -
No Gospel today, A Day of Lamentation
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| Pieta, Michelangelo |
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Feria
Feast Day: March 30
Patron Saint:
Attributes:
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Today's Snippet I: Book 6, Chapter 9
The Mystical City of God, The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
MARY THE HEIRESS OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST.
Of many of the sacraments and mysteries connected with
the doings of Christ our Savior on the Cross the Evangelists make no mention;
and we as Catholics can only form prudent conjectures founded upon the
infallible certainty of our faith. But among those which have been manifested to
me in this history, and concerning this part of the Passion, is a prayer, which
Christ addressed to his eternal Father before speaking the seven words on the
Cross recorded by the Evangelists. I call it a prayer because it was addressed
to the Father; but in reality it was a last bequest or testament, which He made
as a true and most wise Father in order to consign his possessions to his
family, that is, to the whole human race. Even natural reason teaches us, that
he who is the head of a family or the lord over many or few possessions, would
not be a prudent dispenser of his goods, and inattentive to his office or
dignity, if at the hour of his death he would not make known his will in regard
to the disposition of his goods and his estate, in order that each one of his
family may know what belongs to him and may possess it justly and peacefully
without recourse to lawsuits. Although earthly things could not disturb our
Savior, since He neither possessed them, nor, if He had possessed any, could He
be embarrassed by them in his infinite power; yet it was fitting, that He should
in that hour dispose of the spiritual riches and treasures which He had amassed
for mankind in the course of his pilgrimage.
Of these eternal goods the Saviour made his last disposition
on the Cross, distributing them and pointing out those who should be legitimate
heirs and those who should be disinherited, and mentioning the reasons for the
one as well as the other. All this He did in conference with his eternal Father,
as the supreme Lord and most just Judge of all creatures; for in this testament
are rehearsed the mysteries of the predestination of the saints and of the
reprobation of the wicked. It was a testament hidden and sealed for mankind; the
blessed Mary understood it, because, in addition to her being informed of the
operations of the divine Soul of Christ, She was also to be the universal
Heiress of all creation. As She was the Coadjutrix of salvation She was also to
be the testamentary Executrix. For the Son placed all things in her hands, just
as the Father had assigned the whole creation to Him. She was to execute his
will and she was to distribute all the treasures acquired and due to her Son as
God on account of his infinite merits. This understanding has been given me as
part of this history for the exaltation of our Queen and in order that sinners
might approach Her as Custodian of all the treasures gained by her Son our
Redeemer in the sight of his eternal Father. All help and assistance is in the
hands of most holy Mary and She is to distribute it according to her most
sweet kindness and liberality.
When the holy wood of the Cross had been raised on mount
Calvary, bearing aloft with it the incarnate Word crucified before speaking any
of the seven words, Christ prayed interiorly to his heavenly Father and said:
"My Father and eternal God, I confess and magnify Thee from this tree of
the Cross, and I offer Thee a sacrifice of praise in my Passion and Death; for,
by the hypostatic union with the divine nature, Thou hast raised my humanity to
the highest dignity, that of Christ, the Godman, anointed with thy own Divinity.
I confess thee on account of the plenitude of the highest possible graces and
glory, which from the first instant of my Incarnation Thou hast communicated to
my humanity, and because from all eternity up to this present hour Thou hast
consigned to me full dominion of the universe both in the order of grace and of
nature. Thou hast made Me the Lord of the heavens and of elements (Matth. 28,
18), of the sun, the moon and the stars; of fire and air, of the earth and the
sea, of all the animate and inanimate creatures therein; Thou hast made
Me the Disposer of the seasons, of the days and nights, with full lordship and
possession according to my free will, and Thou hast set Me as the Head, the King
and Lord of all angels and men (Ephes. 1, 21), to govern and command them, to
punish the wicked and reward the good (John 5, 22); Thou hast given Me the
dominion and power of disposing all things from highest heavens to deepest
abysses of hell (Apoc. 20, 1). Thou hast placed in my hands the eternal
justification of men, the empires, kingdoms and principalities, the great and
the little, the rich and the poor; and of all that are capable of thy grace and
glory, Thou hast Me made the Justifier, the Redeemer and Glorifier, the
universal Lord of all the human race, of life and death, of the holy Church, its
treasures, laws and blessings of grace: all hast Thou, my Father, consigned to
my hands, subjected to my will and my decrees, and for this I confess, exalt and
magnify thy holy name."
"Now, at this moment, my Lord and eternal Father, when I
am returning from this world to thy right hand through this death on the Cross,
by which I completed the task of the Redemption of men assigned to Me, I desire
that this same Cross shall be the tribunal of our justice and mercy. Nailed to
it, I desire to judge those for whom I give my life. Having justified my cause,
I wish to dispense the treasures of my coming into the world and of my Passion
and Death to the just and the reprobate according as each one merits by his
works of love or hatred. I have sought to gain all mortals and invited them to
partake of my friendship and grace; from the first moment of my Incarnation I
have ceaselessly labored for them; I have borne inconveniences, fatigues,
insults, ignominies, reproaches, scourges, crown of thorns, and now suffer the
bitter death of the Cross; I have implored thy vast kindness upon all of them; I
have watched in prayer, fasted and wandered about teaching them the way of
eternal life. As far as in Me lay I have sought to secure eternal happiness for
all men, just as I merited it for all, without excluding any one. I have
established and built up the law grace and have firmly and forever established
the Church in which all human beings can be saved."
"But in our knowledge and foresight We are aware, my God
and Father, that on account of their malice and rebellious obstinacy not all men
desire to accept our eternal salvation, nor avail themselves of our mercy and of
the way I have opened to them by my labors, life and death; but that many will
prefer to follow their sinful ways unto perdition. Thou art just my Lord and
Father, and most equitable are thy judgments (Ps. 68, 137); and therefore it is
right, since Thou hast made Me the Judge of the living and the dead, of the good
and the bad (Act 10, 3), that I give to the good the reward of having served and
followed Me, and to sinners the chastisement of their perverse obstinacy; that
the just should share in my goods, and the wicked be deprived of the
inheritance, which they refuse to accept. Now then, my eternal Father, in my and
thy name and for thy glorification, I make my last bequest according to my human
will, which is conformable to thy eternal and divine will. First shall be
mentioned my most pure Mother, who gave Me human existence; Her I constitute my
sole and universal Heiress of all the gifts of nature, of grace and of
glory that are mine. She shall be Mistress and Possessor of them all. The gifts
of grace, of which as a mere creature She is capable, She shall actually receive
now, while those of glory I promise to confer upon Her in their time. I desire
that She shall be Mistress of angels and men, claim over them full
possession and dominion and command the service and obedience of all. The demons
shall fear Her and be subject to Her. All the irrational creatures, the heavens,
the stars, the planets, the elements with all the living beings, the birds, the
fishes and the animals contained in them, shall likewise be subject to Her and
acknowledge Her as Mistress, exalting and glorifying Her with Me. I wish also
that She be the Treasurer and Dispenser of all the goods in heaven and on earth.
Whatever She ordains and disposes in my Church for my children, the sons of men,
shall be confirmed by the three divine Persons; and whatever She shall ask for
mortals now, afterwards and forever, We shall concede according to her will and
wishes."
"To the holy angels, who have obeyed thy holy and just
will, I assign as habitation the highest heavens as their proper and eternal
abode, and with it the joys of eternal vision and fruition of our Divinity. I
desire that they enjoy its everlasting possession together with our company and
friendship. I decree, that they recognize my Mother as their legitimate Queen
and Lady, that they serve Her, accompany and attend upon Her, bear Her up in
their hands in all places and times, obeying Her in all that She wishes to
ordain and command. The demons, rebellious to our perfect and holy will, I cast
out and deprive of our vision and company; again do I condemn them to our
abhorrence, to eternal loss our friendship and glory, to privation of the vision
of my Mother, of the saints and of my friends, the just. I appoint and assign to
them as their eternal dwelling place most remote from our royal throne, namely
the infernal caverns, the centre of the earth, deprived of light and full of the
horrors of sensible darkness (Jude 6). I decree this to be their portion and
inheritance as chosen by them in their pride and obstinacy against the divine
Being and decrees. In those eternal dungeons of darkness they shall be tormented
by everlasting and inextinguishable fire."
"From the multitudes of men, in the fulness of my good
will, I call, select and separate all the just and the predestined, who through
my grace save themselves by imitating Me, doing my will and obeying my holy law.
These, next to my most pure Mother, I appoint as the inheritors of all my
mysteries, my blessings, my sacramental treasures, of the mysteries concealed in
the holy Scriptures; of my humility, meekness of heart; of the virtues of faith,
hope, and charity of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance; of my divine
gifts and favors; of my Cross, labors, contempt, poverty and nakedness. This
shall be their portion and inheritance in this present and mortal life. Since
they must choose these in order to labor profitably, I assign to them the trials
I have chosen for Myself in this life, as a pledge of my friendship, in order
that they may undergo them with joy. I offer them my protection and, defense, my
holy inspirations, my favors and powerful assistance, my blessings and my
justification, according to each one's disposition and degree of love. I promise
to be to them a Father, a Brother and a Friend, and they shall be my chosen and
beloved children, and as such I appoint them as the inheritors of all my merits
and treasures without limitation. I desire that all who dispose themselves,
shall partake of the goods of my holy Church and of the Sacraments; that, if
they should lose my friendship, they shall be able to restore themselves and
recover my graces and blessings through my cleansing blood. For all of them
shall be open the intercession of my Mother and of the saints, and She shall
recognize them as her children, shielding them and holding them as her own. My
angels shall defend them, guide them, protect them and bear them up in their
hands lest they stumble, and if they fall, they shall help them to rise"
(Ps. 90, 11, l2).
"Likewise it is my will that my just and chosen ones
shall stand high above the reprobate and the demons, that they shall be feared
and obeyed by my enemies; that all the rational and irrational creatures shall
serve them; that all the influences of the heavens, the planets and the stars
shall favor them and give them life; that the earth, its elements and animals,
shall sustain them; all the creatures, that are mine and serve Me shall be
theirs, and shall serve also them as my children and friends (I Cor. 3, 22; Wis.
16, 24), and their blessing shall be in the dew of heaven and in the fruits of
the earth (Genes. 27, 28). I wish to hold with them my delights (Pros. 8, 31),
communicate to them my secrets, converse with them intimately and live
with them in the militant Church in the species of bread and wine, as an earnest
and an infallible pledge of the eternal happiness and glory promised to them; of
it, I make them partakers and heirs, in order that they enjoy it with Me in
heaven by perpetual right and in unfailing beatitude."
"I consent that the foreknown and reprobate (though they
were created for another and much higher end), shall be permitted to possess as
their portion and inheritance the concupiscence of the flesh and the eyes (John
1, 2-16), pride in all its effects; that they eat and be satisfied with the dust
of the earth, namely, riches; with the fumes and the corruption of the flesh and
its delights, and with the vanity and presumption of the world. For such
possessions have they labored and applied all the diligence of their mind and
body; in such occupations have they consumed their powers, their gifts and
blessings bestowed upon them by Us, and they have of their own free will chosen
deceit, despising the truth I have taught them in the holy law ( Rom. 2, 8).
They have rejected the law which I have written in their hearts and the one
inspired by my grace; they have despised my teachings and my blessings, and
listened to my and their own enemies; they have accepted their deceits, have
loved vanity (Ps. 4, 3), wrought injustice, followed their ambitions, sought
their delight in vengeance, persecuted the poor, humiliated the just, mocked the
simple and the innocent, strove to exalt themselves and desired to be raised
above all the cedars of Lebanon in following the laws of injustice" (Ps.
36, 35).
"Since they have done all this in opposition to our
divine goodness and remained obstinate in their malice and since they have
renounced the rights of sonship merited for them by Me, I disinherit them of my
friendship and glory. Just as Abraham separated the children of the slave,
setting aside some possessions for them and reserving the principal heritage for
Isaac, the son of the freedwoman Sarah (Gen. 25, 5), thus I set aside their
claims on my inheritance by giving them the transitory goods, which they
themselves have chosen. Separating them from our company and from that of my
Mother, of the angels and saints, I condemn them to the eternal dungeons and the
fire of hell in the company of Lucifer and his demons, whom they have freely
served. I deprive them forever of all hope of relief. This is, O my Father, the
sentence which I pronounce as the Head and the Judge of men and angels (Eph. 4,
15; Col. 2, 10), and this is the testament made at my Death, this is the effect
of my Redemption, whereby each one is rewarded with that which he has justly
merited according to his works and according to thy incomprehensible wisdom in
the equity of thy strictest justice" (II Tim. 4, 8). Such was the prayer of
Christ our Savior on the Cross to his eternal Father. It was sealed and
deposited in the heart of the most holy Mary as the mysterious and sacramental
testament, in that through her intercession and solicitous care it might at its
time, and even from that moment, be executed in the Church, just as it had
before this time been prepared and perfected by the wise providence of God, in
whom all the past and the future is always one with the present.
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Today's Snippet II: Book 6, Chapter 10
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE VICTORY OF CHRIST OVER HELL.
The hidden and venerable mysteries of this chapter correspond
to many others scattered through the whole extent of this history. One of them
is, that Lucifer and his demons in the course of the life and miracles
our Savior, never could ascertain fully whether the Lord was true God and
Redeemer of the world, and consequently what was the dignity of the most holy
Mary. This was so disposed by divine Providence, in order that the whole mystery
of the Incarnation and the Redemption of the human race might be more fittingly
accomplished. Lucifer, although knowing that God was to assume human flesh,
nevertheless knew nothing of the manner and the circumstances of the
Incarnation. As he was permitted to form an opinion of this mystery in
accordance with his pride, he was full of hallucinations, sometimes believing
Christ to be God on account of his miracles, sometimes rejecting such an opinion
on account of seeing Him poor, humiliated, afflicted and fatigued. Harassed by
these contradicting evidences, he remained in doubt and continued his inquiries
until the predestined hour of Christ's Death on the Cross, where, in virtue of
the Passion and Death of the sacred humanity, which he had himself brought
about, he was to be undeceived and vanquished by the full solution of these
mysteries.
Lucifer and his demons, as soon as they saw the Lord taking
the Cross upon his sacred shoulders, wished to fly and cast themselves into
hell; for at that moment they began to feel with greater force the operations of
his divine power. By divine intervention this new torment made them aware that
the Death of this innocent Man, whose destruction they had plotted and who could
not be a mere man, threatened great ruin to themselves. They therefore desired
to withdraw and they ceased to incite the Jews and the executioners, as they had
done hitherto. But the command of the most blessed Mary, enforced by the divine
power, detained them and, enchained like fiercest dragons, compelled them to
accompany Christ to Calvary. The ends of the mysterious chain that bound them
were placed into the hands of Mary, the great Queen who, by the power of her
divine Son, held them all in subjection and bondage. Although they many times
sought to break away and raged in helpless fury, they could not overcome the
power of the heavenly Lady. She forced them to come to Calvary and stand around
the Cross, where She commanded them to remain motionless and witness the
end of the great mysteries there enacted for the salvation of men and the ruin
of themselves.
Lucifer and his infernal hosts were so overwhelmed with pains
and torments by the presence of the Lord and his blessed Mother, and with the
fear of their impending ruin, that they would have felt greatly relieved to be
allowed to cast themselves into the darkness of hell. As this was not
permitted them, they fell upon one another and furiously fought with each other
like hornets disturbed in their nest, or like a brood of vermin confusedly
seeking some dark shelter. But their rabid fury was not that of animals, but
that of demons more cruel than dragons.
The time had now come for this ancient dragon to be
vanquished by the Master of life. As this was to be the hour of his
disillusionment, and as this poisonous asp was not to escape it by stopping his
ears to the voice of the Enchanter (Ps. 57, 5), the Lord began to speak the
seven words from his Cross, at the same time providing that Lucifer and his
demons should understand the mysteries therein contained. For it was by this
disclosure that the Lord wished to triumph over them, over sin and death, and
despoil them of their tyrannous power over the human race. The Savior then
pronounced the first word: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do!" (Luke 23, 34). By these words the princes of darkness came to the
full conviction, that Christ our Lord was speaking to the eternal Father, that
He was his natural Son and the true God with Him and the Holy Ghost, that He had
permitted death in his most sacred and perfect humanity, united to the Divinity
for the salvation of the whole human race; that now He offered his infinitely
precious merits for the pardon of the sins of all those children of Adam, who
should avail themselves thereof for their rescue, not excepting even the
wretches that crucified Him. At this discovery Lucifer and his demons were
thrown into such fury and despair that they instantly wished to hurl themselves
impetuously to the depths of hell and strained all their powers to accomplish it
in spite of the powerful Queen.
In the second word spoken by the Lord to the fortunate thief:
"Amen I say to thee, today thou shalt be with Me in paradise," the
demons understood that the fruits of the Redemption in the justification of
sinners ended in the glorification of the just. They were made aware that from
this hour the merits of Christ would commence to act with a new force and
strength, that through them should be opened the gates of Paradise, which had
been closed by the first sin, and that from now on men would enter upon
eternal happiness and occupy their destined heavenly seats, which until now had
been impossible for them. They perceived the power Christ to call sinners,
justify and beautify them, and they felt the triumphs gained over themselves by
the exalted virtues, the humility, patience, meekness and all the virtues of his
life. The confusion and torment of Lucifer at seeing this cannot be explained by
human tongue; but it was so great, that he humiliated himself so far as to beg
the most blessed Virgin to permit them descend into hell and be cast out from
her presence; but the great Queen would not consent, as the time had not yet
arrived.
At the third word spoken by the Lord to his Mother:
"Woman, behold thy son!" the demons discovered that this
heavenly Lady was the true Mother of the Godman, the same Woman whose likeness
and prophetic sign had been shown to them in the heavens at their creation, and
who was to crush their head as announced by the Lord in the terrestrial
paradise. They were informed of the dignity and excellence of this great Lady
over all creatures, and of her power which they were even now experiencing. As
they had from the beginning of the world and from the creation of the first
woman, used all their astuteness to find out who this great woman that was
announced in the heavens could be, and as they now discovered Her in Mary, whom
they had until now overlooked, these dragons were seized with inexpressible
fury; their having been thus mistaken crushed their arrogance beyond all their
other torments, and in their fury they raged against their own selves like
bloodthirsty lions, while their helpless wrath against the heavenly Lady was
increased a thousandfold. Moreover, they discerned that saint John was appointed
by Christ our Lord as the angel guardian of his Mother, endowed with the powers
of the priesthood. This they understood to be in the nature of a threat against
their own wrath, which was well known to saint John. Lucifer saw not only the
power of the Evangelist, but that given to all the priests in virtue of their
participation in the dignity and power of our Redeemer; and that the rest of the
just, even though no priests, were placed under the special protection of the
Lord and made powerful against hell. All this paralyzed the strength of Lucifer
and his demons.
The fourth word of Christ was addressed to the eternal
Father: "God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" The evil spirits
discovered in these words that the charity of God toward men was boundless and
everlasting; that, in order to satisfy it, He had mysteriously suspended the
influence of the Divinity over his most sacred humanity, thus permitting his
sufferings to reach the highest degree and to draw from them the most abundant
fruits; that He was aware and lovingly complained of his being deprived of the
salvation of a part of the human race; how ready He was to suffer more,
if such would be ordained by the eternal Father. Man's good fortune in being so
beloved by God increased the envy of Lucifer and his demons, and they foresaw
the divine Omnipotence following out this immense love without limitation. This
knowledge crushed the haughty malice of the enemies and they were made well
aware of their own weakness and helplessness in opposing this love, if men
themselves should not choose to neglect its influence.
The fifth word of Christ, "I thirst," confirmed
Christ's triumph over the devil and his followers; they were filled with wrath
and fury because the Lord clearly let them see their total overthrow. By these
words they understood Him to say to them: If what I suffer for men my love for
them seem great to you, be assured that my love for them is still
unsatiated, that it continues to long for their eternal salvation, and that the
mighty waters of torments and sufferings have not extinguished it (Cant. 8, 7).
Much more would I suffer for them, if it were necessary, in order to
deliver them from your tyranny and make them powerful and strong against malice
and pride.
In the sixth word of the Lord: "It is consummated!"
Lucifer and his hordes were informed that the mystery of the Incarnation and
Redemption was now accomplished and entirely perfected according to the decree
of divine wisdom. For they were made to feel that Christ our Redeemer had
obediently fulfilled the will of the eternal Father; that He had accomplished
all the promises and prophecies made to the world by the ancient Fathers; that
his humility and obedience had compensated for their own pride and disobedience
in heaven in having not subjected themselves and acknowledged Him as their
Superior in human flesh; and that they were now through the wisdom of God justly
humbled and vanquished by the very Lord whom they despised. The great dignity
and the infinite merits of Christ demanded that in this very hour He should
exercise his office and power of Judge over angels and men, such as had been
conceded to him by the eternal Father. He now applied this power by hurling this
sentence at Lucifer and all his followers, that, being condemned to eternal
fire, they instantly depart into the deepest dungeons of hell. This very
sentence was included in the pronouncing of the seventh word: "Father, into
thy hands I commend my spirit!" (Luke 23, 46.) The mighty Queen and
Mother concurred with the will of her Son Jesus and united with his her
command that Lucifer and all demons depart to the infernal depths. In virtue of
these decree of the supreme King and of the Queen, the evil spirits were routed
from Calvary and precipitated to deepest hell more violently and suddenly than a
flash of light through the riven clouds.
The rout of Lucifer and his angels from Calvary to the abyss
of hell was more violent and disastrous than their first expulsion from heaven.
Though, as holy Job says (Job 10, 21), that place is a land of darkness, covered
with the shades of death, full of gloomy disorder, misery, torments and
confusion; yet on this occasion the chaos and disorder was a thousandfold
increased; because the damned were made to feel new horror and additional
punishments at the sudden meeting of the ferocious demons in their rabid fury.
It is certain that the devils have not the power of assigning the damned to a
place of greater or lesser torment; for all their torments are decreed by divine
justice according to the measure of the demerits of each of the condemned.
As soon as Lucifer was permitted to proceed in these matters
and arise from the consternation in which he remained for some time, he set
about proposing to his fellow-demons new plans of his pride. For this purpose he
called them all together and placing himself in an elevated position, he spoke
to them: "To you, who have for so many ages followed and still follow my
standards for the vengeance of my wrongs, is known the injury which I have now
sustained at the hands of this Mangod, and how for thirty-three years He has led
me about in deceit, hiding his Divinity and concealing the operations of his
soul, and how He has now triumphed over us by the very Death which we have
brought upon Him. Before He assumed flesh I hated Him and refused to acknowledge
Him as being more worthy than I to be adored by the rest of creation. Although
on account of this resistance I was cast out from heaven with you and was
degraded to this abominable condition so unworthy of my greatness and former
beauty, I am even more tormented to see myself thus vanquished and
oppressed by this Man and by his Mother. From the day on which the first man was
created I have sleeplessly sought to find Them and destroy Them; or if I should
not be able to destroy Them, I at least wished to bring destruction upon all his
creatures and induce them not to acknowledge Him as their God, and that none of
them should ever draw any benefit from his works. This has been my intent, to
this all my solicitude and efforts were directed. But in vain, since He has
overcome me by his humility and poverty, crushed me by his patience, and at last
has despoiled me of the sovereignty of the world by his Passion and frightful
Death. This causes me such an excruciating pain, that, even if I succeeded in
hurling Him from the right hand of his Father, where He sits triumphant, and if
I should draw all the souls redeemed down into this hell, my wrath would not be
satiated or my fury placated."
"Is it possible that the human nature, so inferior to my
own, shall be exalted above all the creatures! That it should be so loved and
favored, as to be united to the Creator in the person of the eternal Word! That
He should first make war upon me before executing this work, and afterwards
overwhelm me with such confusion! From the beginning I have held this humanity
as my greatest enemy; it has always filled me with intolerable abhorrence. O
men, so favored and gifted by your God whom I abhor, and so ardently loved by
Him! How shall I hinder your good fortune? How shall I bring upon you my
unhappiness, since I cannot destroy the existence you have received? What shall
we now begin, O my followers? How shall we restore our reign? How shall we
recover our power over men? How shall we overcome them? For if men from now on
shall not be most senseless and ungrateful, if they are not worse disposed than
we ourselves toward this Godman, who has redeemed them with so much love, it is
clear that all of them will eagerly follow Him; none will take notice of our
deceits; they will abhor the honors which we insidiously offer them, and will
love contempt; they will seek the mortification of the flesh and will discover
the danger of carnal pleasure and ease; they will despise riches and treasures,
and love the poverty so much honored by their Master; and all that we can offer
to their appetites they will abhor in imitation of their true Redeemer. Thus
will our reign be destroyed, since no one will be added to our number in this
place of confusion and torments; all will reach the happiness which we have
lost, all will humiliate themselves to the dust and suffer with patience; and my
wrath and haughtiness will avail me nothing."
"Ah, woe is me, what torment does this mistake cause me!
When I tempted Him in the desert, the only result was to afford him a chance to
leave the example of this victory, by following which men can overcome so much
the more easily. My persecutions only brought out more clearly his doctrine of
humility and patience. In persuading Judas to betray Him, and the Jews subject
Him to the deadly torture of the Cross, I merely hastened my ruin and the
salvation of men, while the doctrine I sought to blot out was only the more
firmly implanted. How could One who is God humiliate Himself to such an extent?
How could He bear so much from men who are evil? How could I myself have been
led to assist so much in making this salvation so copious and wonderful? O how
godlike is the power of that Man which could torment and weaken me so? And can
this Woman, his Mother and my Enemy, be so mighty and invincible in her
opposition to me? New is such power in a mere creature, and no doubt She derived
it from the divine Word, whom She clothed in human flesh. Through this Woman the
Almighty has ceaselessly waged war against me, though I have hated Her in my
pride from the moment I recognized Her in her image or heavenly sign. But if my
proud indignation is not to be assuaged, I benefit nothing by my perpetual war
against this Redeemer, against his Mother and against men. Now then, ye demons
who follow me, now is the time to give way to our wrath against God. Come all of
ye to take counsel what we are to do; for I desire to hear your opinions."
Some of the principal demons gave their answers to this
dreadful proposal, encouraging Lucifer by suggesting diverse schemes for
hindering the fruit of the Redemption among men. They all agreed that it was not
possible to injure the person of Christ, to diminish the immense value of his
merits, to destroy the efficacy of the Sacraments, to falsify or abolish the
doctrine which Christ had preached; yet they resolved that, in accordance with
the new order of assistance and favor established by God for the salvation of
men, they should now seek new ways of hindering and preventing the work of God
by much the greater deceits and temptations. In reference to these plans some of
the astute and malicious demons said "It is true, that men now have at
their disposal a new and very powerful doctrine and law, new and efficacious
Sacraments, a new Model and Instructor of virtues, a powerful Intercessor and
Advocate in this Woman; yet the natural inclinations and passions of the flesh
remain just the same, and the sensible and delectable creatures have not changed
their nature. Let us then, making use of this situation with increased
astuteness, foil as far as in us lies the effects of what this Godman has
wrought for men. Let us begin strenuous warfare against mankind by suggesting
new attractions, exciting them to follow their passions in forgetfulness of all
else. Thus men, being taken up with these dangerous things, cannot attend to the
contrary."
Acting upon this counsel they redistributed the spheres of
work among themselves, in order that each squadron of demons might, with a
specialized astuteness tempt men to different vices. They resolved to continue
to propagate idolatry in the world, so that men might not come to the
knowledge of the true God and the Redemption. Wherever idolatry would fail, they
concluded to establish sects and heresies, for which they would select the most
perverse and depraved of the human race as leaders and teachers of error. Then
and there was concocted among these malignant spirits the sect of Mahomet, the
heresies of Arius, Pelagius, Nestorius, and whatever other heresies have been
started in the world from the first ages of the Church until now, together with
those which they have in readiness, but which it is neither necessary nor proper
to mention here. Lucifer showed himself content with these infernal counsels as
being opposed to divine truth and destructive of the very foundation of man's
rescue, namely divine faith. He lavished flattering praise and high offices upon
those demons, who showed themselves willing and who undertook to find the
impious originators of these errors.
Some of the devils charged themselves with perverting the
inclinations of children at their conception and birth; others to induce parents
to be negligent in the education and instruction of their children, either
through an inordinate love or aversion, and to cause a hatred of parents among
the children. Some offered to create hatred between husbands and wives, to place
them in the way of adultery, or to think little of the fidelity promised to
their conjugal partners. All agreed to sow among men the seeds of discord,
hatred and vengeance, proud and sensual thoughts, desire of riches or honors,
and by suggesting sophistical reasons against all the virtues Christ has taught;
above all they intended to weaken the remembrance of his Passion and Death, of
the means of salvation, and of the eternal pains of hell. By these means
the demons hoped to burden all the powers and the faculties of men with
solicitude for earthly affairs and sensual pleasures, leaving them little time
for spiritual thoughts and their own salvation.
Lucifer heard these different suggestions of the demons, and
answering them, he said: "I am much beholden to you for your opinions: I
approve of them and adopt them all; it will be easy to put them into practice
with those, who do not profess the law given by this Redeemer to men, though
with those who accept and embrace these laws, it will be a difficult enterprise.
But against this law and against those that follow it, I intend to direct all my
wrath and fury and I shall most bitterly persecute those who hear the doctrine
of this Redeemer and become his disciples; against these must our most
relentless battle be waged to the end of the world. In this new Church I must
strive to sow my cockle (Matth. 14, 25), the ambitions, the avarice, the
sensuality, and the deadly hatreds, with all the other vices, of which I am the
head. For if once these sins multiply and increase among the faithful, they
will, with their concomitant malice and ingratitude, irritate God and justly
deprive men of the helps of grace left to them by the merits of the Redeemer. If
once they have thus despoiled themselves of these means of salvation, we shall
have assured victory over them. We must also exert ourselves to weaken piety and
all that is spiritual and divine; so that they do not realize the power the
Sacraments and receive them in mortal sin, or at least without fervor and
devotion. For since these Sacraments are spiritual, it is necessary to receive
them with well-disposed will, in order to reap their fruits. If once they
despise the medicine, they shall languish in their sickness and be less able to
withstand our temptations; they will not see through our deceits, they will let
the memory of their Redeemer and of the intercession of his Mother slip from
their minds. Thus will their foul ingratitude make them unworthy of grace and so
irritate their God and Savior, as to deprive them of his helps. In all this I
wish, that all of you assist me strenuously, losing neither time nor occasion
for executing my commands.''
It is not possible to rehearse all the schemes of this dragon
and his allies concocted at that time against the holy Church and her children,
in order that these waters of Jordan might be swallowed up in his throat (Job
40, 18). It is enough to state that they spent nearly a full year after the
Death of Christ conferring and considering among themselves the state of the
world up to that time and the changes wrought by Christ our God and Master
through his Death and after having manifested the light of his faith by so many
miracles, blessings and examples of holy men. If all these labors have not
sufficed to draw all men to the way of salvation, it can be easily understood,
that Lucifer should have prevailed and that his wrath should be so great, as to
cause us justly to say with saint John: "Woe to the earth, for satan is
come down to you full of wrath and fury!'' But alas! that truths so infallible
and so much to be dreaded and avoided by men, should in our days be blotted from
the minds of mortals to the irreparable danger of the whole world! Our enemy is
astute, cruel and watchful: we sleepy, lukewarm and careless! What wonder that
Lucifer has intrenched himself so firmly in the world, when so many listen to
him, accept and follow his deceits, so few resist him, and entirely forget the
eternal death, which he so furiously and maliciously seeks to draw upon them? I
beseech those, who read this, not to forget this dreadful danger. If they are
not convinced of this danger through the evil condition of the world and through
the evils each one experiences himself, let them at least learn this danger by
the vast and powerful remedies and helps, which the Savior thought it necessary
to leave behind in his Church. For He would not have provided such
antidotes if our ailment and danger of eternal death were not so great and
formidable.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
This close imitation and living reproduction of Christ,
confronting the demons in the first children of the Church, they feared so much,
that they dared not approach and they precipitously fled from the Apostles and
the just ones imbued with the doctrines of my divine Son. In them were offered
up to the Almighty the first fruits of grace, and of Redemption. What is seen
in the saints and in perfect Christians in those times, would happen in the
present times with all the Catholics if they would accept grace and work with it
instead of permitting it to go to waste, and if they would seek the way of the
Cross; for Lucifer fears it as much now as in the times thou hast been writing
of. But soon the charity, zeal and devotion in many of faithful began to grow
cold and they forgot the blessings of the Redemption; they yielded to their
carnal inclinations and desires, they loved vanity and avarice and permitted
themselves to be fascinated and deceived by the false pretenses of Lucifer,
obscuring the glory of their Savior and inveigling them into the meshes of their
mortal enemies. This foul ingratitude has thrown the world into the present
state and has encouraged the demons to rise up in their pride against God,
audaciously presuming to possess themselves of all the children of Adam on
account of this forgetfulness and carelessness of Catholics. They presume to
plot the destruction the whole Church by the perversion of so many who have
fallen away from it; and by inducing those who are in it, to think little of it,
or by hindering them from producing the fruits of the blood and death of their
Redeemer. The greatest misfortune is, that many Catholics fail to recognize this
great damage and do not seriously think of a remedy, although they can presume
that the times, of which Jesus forewarned the women of Jerusalem, have arrived;
namely, those in which the sterile should be happy, and in which many would call
upon the mountains and the hills to cover and fall upon them, in order not to
see the devastation of wickedness cutting down the sons of perdition, the dried
trees, barren of all the fruits of virtue.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Ch 2:1:2
CHAPTER TWO
THE SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION OF THE PASCHAL
MYSTERY
1135
The catechesis of the liturgy entails first of all an understanding of the
sacramental economy (Chapter One). In this light, the innovation of its
celebration is revealed. This chapter will therefore treat of the celebration
of the sacraments of the Church. It will consider that which, through the
diversity of liturgical traditions, is common to the celebration of the seven
sacraments. What is proper to each will be treated later. This fundamental
catechesis on the sacramental celebrations responds to the first questions
posed by the faithful regarding this subject:
- Who celebrates the liturgy?
- How is the liturgy celebrated?
- When is the liturgy celebrated?
- Where is the liturgy celebrated?
- Who celebrates the liturgy?
- How is the liturgy celebrated?
- When is the liturgy celebrated?
- Where is the liturgy celebrated?
Article 1
CELEBRATING THE CHURCH'S LITURGY
II. How is the Liturgy Celebrated?
Signs and
symbols
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A sacramental celebration is woven from signs and symbols. In keeping with the
divine pedagogy of salvation, their meaning is rooted in the work of creation
and in human culture, specified by the events of the Old Covenant and fully
revealed in the person and work of Christ.
1146
Signs of the human world. In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important
place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives
spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a social being, man
needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures,
and actions. the same holds true for his relationship with God.
1147
God speaks to man through the visible creation. the material cosmos is so
presented to man's intelligence that he can read there traces of its
Creator.Wis 13:1 Light and darkness, wind and fire, water and earth, the tree
and its fruit speak of God and symbolize both his greatness and his nearness.
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Inasmuch as they are creatures, these perceptible realities can become means of
expressing the action of God who sanctifies men, and the action of men who
offer worship to God. the same is true of signs and symbols taken from the
social life of man: washing and anointing, breaking bread and sharing the cup
can express the sanctifying presence of God and man's gratitude toward his
Creator.
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The great religions of mankind witness, often impressively, to this cosmic and
symbolic meaning of religious rites. the liturgy of the Church presupposes,
integrates and sanctifies elements from creation and human culture, conferring
on them the dignity of signs of grace, of the new creation in Jesus Christ.
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Signs of the covenant. the Chosen People received from God distinctive signs
and symbols that marked its liturgical life. These are no longer solely
celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of the covenant,
symbols of God's mighty deeds for his people. Among these liturgical signs from
the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and
priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. the Church
sees in these signs a prefiguring of the sacraments of the New Covenant.
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Signs taken up by Christ. In his preaching the Lord Jesus often makes use of
the signs of creation to make known the mysteries of the Kingdom of
God.Lk 8:10 He performs healings and illustrates his preaching with physical
signs or symbolic gestures. Jn 9:6 He gives new meaning to the deeds and
signs of the Old Covenant, above all to the Exodus and the Passover,Lk 9:31
for he himself is the meaning of all these signs.
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Sacramental signs. Since Pentecost, it is through the sacramental signs of his
Church that the Holy Spirit carries on the work of sanctification. the
sacraments of the Church do not abolish but purify and integrate all the
richness of the signs and symbols of the cosmos and of social life. Further,
they fulfill the types and figures of the Old Covenant, signify and make
actively present the salvation wrought by Christ, and prefigure and anticipate
the glory of heaven. Words and actions
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A sacramental celebration is a meeting of God's children with their Father, in
Christ and the Holy Spirit; this meeting takes the form of a dialogue, through
actions and words. Admittedly, the symbolic actions are already a language, but
the Word of God and the response of faith have to accompany and give life to
them, so that the seed of the Kingdom can bear its fruit in good soil. the
liturgical actions signify what the Word of God expresses: both his free
initiative and his people's response of faith.
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The liturgy of the Word is an integral part of sacramental celebrations. To
nourish the faith of believers, the signs which accompany the Word of God
should be emphasized: the book of the Word (a lectionary or a book of the
Gospels), its veneration (procession, incense, candles), the place of its
proclamation (lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading, the
minister's homily which extends its proclamation, and the responses of the
assembly (acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, and profession of faith).
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The liturgical word and action are inseparable both insofar as they are signs
and instruction and insofar as they accomplish what they signify. When the Holy
Spirit awakens faith, he not only gives an understanding of the Word of God,
but through the sacraments also makes present the "wonders" of God
which it proclaims. the Spirit makes present and communicates the Father's
work, fulfilled by the beloved Son.
Singing and
music
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"The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of
inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. the main reason for
this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms
a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy."SC 112 The composition
and singing of inspired psalms, often accompanied by musical instruments, were already
closely linked to the liturgical celebrations of the Old Covenant. the Church
continues and develops this tradition: "Address . . . one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord
with all your heart." "He who sings prays twice."Eph 5:19
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Song and music fulfill their function as signs in a manner all the more
significant when they are "more closely connected . . . with the
liturgical action,"SC 112 # 3 according to three principal criteria:
beauty expressive of prayer, the unanimous participation of the assembly at the
designated moments, and the solemn character of the celebration. In this way
they participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions: the glory
of God and the sanctification of the faithful:Cf. SC 112
How I wept, deeply moved by
your hymns, songs, and the voices that echoed through your Church! What emotion
I experienced in them! Those sounds flowed into my ears distilling the truth in
my heart. A feeling of devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down my
face - tears that did me good.St. Augustine, Conf. 9, 6, 14: PL 32, 769-770
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The harmony of signs (song, music, words, and actions) is all the more expressive
and fruitful when expressed in the cultural richness of the People of God who
celebrate.Cf. SC 119 Hence "religious singing by the faithful is to be
intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises as well as in
liturgical services," in conformity with the Church's norms, "the
voices of the faithful may be heard." But "the texts intended to be
sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine. Indeed they should be
drawn chiefly from the Sacred Scripture and from liturgical
sources."SC 118; 121
Holy images
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The sacred image, the liturgical icon, principally represents Christ. It cannot
represent the invisible and incomprehensible God, but the incarnation of the
Son of God has ushered in a new "economy" of images:
Previously God, who has
neither a body nor a face, absolutely could not be represented by an image. But
now that he has made himself visible in the flesh and has lived with men, I can
make an image of what I have seen of God . . . and contemplate the glory of the
Lord, his face unveiled.St. John Damascene, De imag. 1, 16: PG 96: 1245-1248
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Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel message that
Scripture communicates by words. Image and word illuminate each other:
We declare that we preserve
intact all the written and unwritten traditions of the Church which have been
entrusted to us. One of these traditions consists in the production of
representational artwork, which accords with the history of the preaching of
the Gospel. For it confirms that the incarnation of the Word of God was real
and not imaginary, and to our benefit as well, for realities that illustrate
each other undoubtedly reflect each other's meaning.Council of Nicaea II (787): COD 111
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All the signs in the liturgical celebrations are related to Christ: as are
sacred images of the holy Mother of God and of the saints as well. They truly
signify Christ, who is glorified in them. They make manifest the "cloud of
witnesses"Heb 12:1 who continue to participate in the salvation of the
world and to whom we are united, above all in sacramental celebrations. Through
their icons, it is man "in the image of God," finally transfigured
"into his likeness,"Rom 8:29; ⇒ 1
Jn 3:2 who is revealed to our faith. So too
are the angels, who also are recapitulated in Christ:
Following the divinely
inspired teaching of our holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church
(for we know that this tradition comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells in her)
we rightly define with full certainty and correctness that, like the figure of
the precious and life-giving cross, venerable and holy images of our Lord and
God and Savior, Jesus Christ, our inviolate Lady, the holy Mother of God, and
the venerated angels, all the saints and the just, whether painted or made of
mosaic or another suitable material, are to be exhibited in the holy churches
of God, on sacred vessels and vestments, walls and panels, in houses and on
streets.Council of
Nicaea II: DS 600
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"The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights
the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God."St. John
Damascene, De imag. 1, 27: PG 94, 1268A, B
Similarly, the contemplation of sacred icons, united with meditation on the
Word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, enters into the harmony of the
signs of celebration so that the mystery celebrated is imprinted in the heart's
memory and is then expressed in the new life of the faithful.
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