Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

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"ADMIRABLE IS THE NAME OF GOD"

THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

"THE GREATEST ACTION THAT CAN BE ON EARTH"

The Wonders of the Sacred Host and the Precious Blood


INTRODUCTION
One of the greatest crises in our Church today is the significant reduction in attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays: “Over the past four decades, weekly Mass attendance by Catholics in the U.S. has dropped from 70 per cent to 25 per cent.” (1) How many Catholics are aware that, subject to a few exceptions, they are under an obligation to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass not only every Sunday, but also on every Holy Day of Obligation, in any country in which they reside or are present? What is the cause of such reduction?  Is it because many post World War II children did not receive accurate and sufficient instruction in the essential doctrines of the Catholic Church? Or, is it because a majority of them have lost the Faith? Or, is it because of their preoccupation with the pursuit and accumulation of material goods, and with trying to wring out as much pleasure as possible in the form of food, drink, recreation, sports and sexual activities? "The great majority of mankind desire to be rich, to be prosperous, to live in luxury, and to be praised by their fellowmen.  Nobody considers this to be a sin. And yet, Our Lord declares that everlasting death will be the doom of such persons, and he denounces them in forcible language." (2)

“Father J.E. Moffat, S.J., stated that "someone has very truthfully said that today we need 'more musing and less amusing' in our lives. Our age is one of ceaseless rushing from amusement to amusement.” (3)

At the International Eucharistic Congress held in Quebec City, Canada, June 2008, Cardinal Josef Tomko observed, “If Catholics really understood the meaning of Sunday Mass, they wouldn’t miss it.” What follows is a humble attempt to enlighten those who may have never heard, or read, the truth about the greatest event that could ever possibly take place on earth each day, and the ultimate Graces and benefits that one can receive by attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; the sublime and stupendous Gift from the Blessed Trinity, through  our Blessed Mother Mary, Ever Virgin, and Mediatrix of all Graces.

Because the ordinary reasonable person has a mind, he should be able, by the use of his reason, to determine that he should give worship to Almighty God, his Creator, and that the most efficacious manner of doing so has been prescribed by Divine Law and a Precept of the Catholic Church, founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, one of the Three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity. That manner is the attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. His reason should also indicate that through such attendance he would gain some happiness in this life, and the ultimate happiness of gaining Heaven.

At the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, “This Great and Wonderful Memorial,” you will witness the Alter Christus (The Priest Celebrant) perform four miracles, when he exercises “the Greatest Power that there is in the world, to take bread and say ‘Body,’ and to take wine and say ‘Blood;’” Transubstantiation, (two miracles), despite the fact that the accidents of the bread and wine remain visible; the colour, taste, weight, shape and texture (two more miracles). The substances of bread and wine are replaced by the Substances of Christ’s Body and Blood. Everything that makes Christ, Christ replaces what have been the substances of bread and wine. As Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, The Cure of Ars, and the Patron Saint of Priests has said: "Holy Mass [is] the greatest of all the gifts that God, all Powerful as He is, could give us.” (4)

The journey to our Eternal Goal is not like “an idyllic walk in the park.” Jesus said to His disciples: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23); "Through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts of the Apostles 14:21). Therefore, we require Graces; a gratuitous gift of God, all the Graces which we possibly can obtain to reach that Ultimate and Heavenly goal.  Receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most efficacious way of obtaining such Graces. Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman has said it is "The Greatest Action That Can Be On Earth." (see p. 111)

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FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES
Some fundamental and very important doctrines of Faith must first be considered.

The Church established by Jesus Christ  (James Cardinal Gibbons)  Only one Church was established by Christ

"Unity of government is not less essential to the Church of Christ than unity of doctrine. Our Divine Saviour never speaks of His Churches, but of His Church. He does not say: 'Upon this rock I will build My Churches,' but 'Upon this rock I will build My Church,' from which words we must conclude that it never was His intention to establish, or to sanction various conflicting denominations, but one corporate body, with all the members united under one visible Head; for as the Church is a visible body, it must have a visible head." (5)

The Perfections of God  (Bishop L.L. Morrow)  "God can do anything, by a mere act of His Will"

"When we say that God is all-Good, we mean that He is Infinitely Lovable in Himself, and that from His Fatherly Love every good comes to us. God is Himself Love. Love is part of His Nature. Out of His Goodness, God created Angels and men, although He had no need of them. God loves His creatures far more than a mother loves the children she has borne. He takes care of our body and soul.  When we say that God is all-Knowing, we mean that He knows all things, past, present, and future. When we say that God is all-Present, we mean that He is everywhere. God is all-Present, because there is nothing that can have existence apart from Him. All creation exists in Him as thought exists in the mind. There is no place where God is not. He has no limits, and exists outside as well as in all creation. God is all-Present, present everywhere, at the same time. God is wholly everywhere at the same time. When we say  that God is Almighty, we  mean that He can do all things. God can do anything, by a mere act of His Will. Nothing is impossible to God. The only thing that God cannot do is to make a contradiction. He cannot will wrong, because wrong is a contradiction of His Goodness. God's Omnipotence or Power is known to us especially by the magnificence of His Creation, and by His Miracles. God is all-Wise; His Knowledge is Infinite. He knows how to direct all things to the highest ends, and by the most fitting means. God is Infinitely Holy in Himself. He loves good and hates evil.  God, is all-wise, all-holy, all-merciful and all-Just." (6)

Hypostatic Union  (Ibid.)  "These two Natures were united in a Divine Person Jesus Christ, the God-Man"

"A 'nature' is a substance that is com­plete in itself as a source of activity. It dif­fers from 'person' in that while 'person' determines what an individual is, 'nature' determines what an individual can do. In Jesus Christ Our Lord there are two Natures: His Divine and His Human Nature. Therefore, He could and did act as God; He could and did act as man, while all the time He was God the Son. Because of His Divine Nature, Christ is truly God; because of His Human Nature, He is truly man. In His Divine Nature, He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, God the Son, the Eternal Word. He took His Human Nature from His Mother. It was to the Blessed Virgin that the Archangel Gabriel announced: 'And behold, thou shalt con­ceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High' (Luke 1:32). Therefore, Jesus Christ is both God and Man; He has both Divine and Human Powers; He has Knowl­edge, can will and act as God and as man. For ex­ample, with His Human Nature Jesus worked, ate, spoke, felt pain. But it was His Divine Nature that enabled Him to become transfigured, walk on the waters, raise the dead."

"These two Natures were united in a Divine Person Jesus Christ, the God-Man.  They were intimately united, but they remained distinct. Neither was absorbed by the other. When iron and gold are welded into one solid mass, they continue to retain all their individual properties distinct from each other. The union of the Divine and Human Natures in Christ is called the Hypo­static Union."

"Christ is true God and true man; this is why we call Him God-Man. Beings obtain their nature from their origin; for this reason a child has a human nature, from its human parents. Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, has His Origin from God the Father, and hence, He has a Divine Nature.  Moreover, as man He was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and thus has His Human Nature. This is why Christ often referred to Himself indis­criminately as 'Son of God' or 'Son of Man.'" (Ibid., p.59)

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Most Important Places  Where God is always Present in the Sacred Hosts in the Tabernacles.

The most important places on earth are those where God is always Present in the Sacred Hosts in the Tabernacles of all Catholic Churches, Chapels and Religious Institutions, wherein they were reposed following their Consecration on the Altars in such buildings by the Priest-Celebrant during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 

Who am I, and why am I here?  (New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism)  "To show forth His Goodness: to share with us His Everlasting Happiness."

“God made us. God is the Supreme Being Who made all things. God made us to show forth His Goodness, and to share with us His Everlasting Happiness in Heaven. To gain the Happiness of Heaven we must know, love, and serve God in this world. We learn to know, love, and serve God from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who teaches us through the Catholic Church.” (7)

I am Nothing  (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)  "We are created from nothing...Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God, Our Lord, and by this means to save his soul."

Father John A. Hardon, S.J., S.T.D., an internationally renowned theologian, and an adviser to His Holiness Pope John Paul II goes deeper into that subject, based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola: “The first truth. It reads, ‘Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God, Our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.’ Implied in this first truth is the most fundamental article of our Faith. We are created from nothing. Except for the Loving Omnipotence of God, we would be what we were before God made us and that is exactly nothing! God then created us out of Selfless Love. We dare not say there is any profit or benefit to God. That would be blasphemy. God keeps us in existence by the same Almighty Love that brought us out of nothing into being in the first place. And this is something we cannot too often reflect on; our nothingness. And the great Doctor of the Church, ‘the great Theologian of nothingness,’ as he has been called, is Saint John of the Cross. Oh, how deeply he realized that except for the Loving Omnipotence of God, we would be what we were before we became what we are, and that is nothing." (8)

Humble Ourselves in all of our Actions:  (Dom Lorenzo Scupoli)  "Be ceaselessly vigilant, cognizant of our own nothingness."

If you are not convinced of the soundness of the principle enunciated by Father Hardon that we are “nothing,” you are exhorted to consider the contribution by Dom Scupoli on the subject.

“The Evil One even uses virtue to tempt us to sin, inflating our egos with exaggerated self-esteem and complacency to the point where we succumb to vainglory. Thus, we must be ceaselessly vigilant, cognizant of our own nothingness, our sinfulness, our appalling inadequacy, and ever mindful that we deserve nothing but eternal perdition. Let this remembrance be to us as a sword with which we defend ourselves from the insidious attacks of presumption and vanity; and let us fight with the vigour of a man struggling for his very life. Unquestionably, therefore, those things which we truly merit of our own power are scarcely worthy of self-esteem, let alone the esteem of others. For our glories can be traced to Heaven, but our sinfulness can be traced to ourselves.”

“If anyone should show affection for you or commend your God–given qualifications, you must immediately be mindful of truth and justice, saying in your heart with all sincerity: ‘May I never, O Lord, attempt to rob Thee of Thy glory by attributing to myself that which is entirely owing to Thy Holy Grace! May Honour and Praise be Thine; may shame and confusion be mine!”

“We must constantly endeavour, moreover, to humble ourselves in all of our actions which are but representations to the world of our nothingness. For in this humility is found the basis of innumerable other virtues. Just as God created our first parents out of nothing, so He continues to build our Spiritual Lives on our realization of the truth that we are nothing. Therefore, the lower we humble ourselves, the higher the edifice rises; and in proportion to our progression into the depths of humility does the Sovereign Architect erect the structure to the Heights of Holiness. We can never too strongly emphasize this quest for self-abasement. O Heavenly Knowledge which gladdens us now and glorifies

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us hereafter! O Admirable Light piercing the darkness to enlighten our souls and raise our hearts to God! O Precious but unknown Jewel which gleams through the shadow of our sins!”

"This is an inexhaustible subject which could be developed to endless length. Whoever desires to honour the Divine Majesty must rid himself of self-esteem and the desire of the esteem of others. Humble yourself before everyone, casting yourself at the feet of mankind if you sincerely wish God to be glorified in you and you in Him. To unite yourself with Him, you must flee all grandeur, as He flees from those who constantly extol themselves. Choose the lowest place if you would have Him step down from the Highest to embrace you with greater Love. Choose the neglect of men that you may have the Love of God.”

“Always render due thanks to Him, Who came to be despised on earth that you may be Loved in Heaven. Your thanks must go also to them who persecute you and are hostile to you, and you must be careful not to complain against them.” (9)

Saint Paul: "Man is Nothing"

“For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” (Galatians 6:3).

Our Free Will Must Coincide With God’s Will For Us  (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)  "People are only as happy as they are doing not their will, but God’s Will"

“But, and behind that adversative ‘but’ is everything else. But, this all-loving God gave us, you don’t explain this, you believe it; God gave us a free will. He gave us a free will and there is only one reason He gave us a free will; to give it back to Him; that we might use His will according to His Will. There is only one war that has been fought in human history, only one battle. There is only one conflict in human nature, and that is the war, and the battle and the conflict between the Divine Will and the human will. And consequently, unlike the irrational creation which has neither a mind nor a free will; we have a mind because we have a free will. That’s why we’ve got a reason to think with. So we might know what God wants us to do.”

“There must be, and there can be, only one purpose that God could have for giving us this mind and free will. He gave us a mind to enlighten the will. The will is a blind faculty. The will cannot see; the mind must enlighten the will. Enlighten the will on what?  Enlighten the will on what God wants the will to choose. And what does God want the will to choose? Watch it! It cannot be what is beneficial to God. I repeat that would be blasphemy! It cannot be what would be profitable to God. It cannot be what would help God, make Him, well, more Godlike. It can only be what would make us happy. All that God wants, that’s all He wants, is our happiness.”

“But, and this is where our will comes in, stupidly. Oh, how stupid we can be. We are liable and how liable we can be in misunderstanding God’s Will; call them God’s Laws, as though somehow they are constrictive, or compulsive or coercive. Oh, No! Oh, No! God’s Laws are a manifestation of His Love. He needs nothing that we could possibly give Him. But we need, and how we need, what He can give us. And the condition for His giving us what He has in store for us, is that we do His Will.”

“Then, in Ignatian language, it is to praise, reverence, and serve God, Our Lord, and by this means to save our souls. Now the praise, reverence and service, technically, or theologically speaking, is to praise God with our minds, to know all we can about God, to reverence God with our wills, and to serve Him with our whole being, mind, will and body. That’s what God wants. And let’s never, in our wildest nightmare, suspect that God is somehow imposing His Will on us. I repeat, No! In His Merciful Love, He is offering us the means for saving our souls. And let’s be clear.  The saving of our souls is not only, though, of course, ultimately, saving our souls by reaching our Heavenly destiny. It’s saving our souls also here on earth. Forty-seven years in the Priesthood have taught me many things. One thing I have learned. I’ve yet to meet a happy sinner. People are only as happy as they are doing not their will, but God’s Will. And just for the record, with a graduate degree in psychology, I can sit then in judgment on Sigmund Freud and tell you he’s wrong. Happiness comes from conforming our wills to the Divine Will. If it is a struggle for us, sorry, my dear, that’s  your problem, but please, don’t blame God.” (10)

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Understand What Is The Will of God:  (Saint Paul)
"Wherefore, become not unwise, but understanding what is the Will of God." (Ephesians  5:17)

Less Than The Will of God  (Brother Mary Patrick)  Find fulfillment in God's Will for us.

"I have heard it said that, ‘to do anything less than the Will of God for your life will bore you.’ I believe this is true. If God is the Source of all Goodness, and if Happiness lies in God alone, then how can we find fulfillment in anything other than God and in seeking His Will for our lives?" (11)

Four Things Which Bring Much Peace: Practical Reflections  (Thomas A. Kempis)

"As no one can escape the sight or the Justice of God, so we should, in the first place, keep a continual watch over ourselves; secondly, we should never allow ourselves anything that may displease God; thirdly, we should walk always in His Presence, and do all things with an intention of pleasing Him, follow on all occasions the motions of His Grace, never resist His Holy Will, nor defer its accomplishments for one moment, so that there may be no interval between our knowing, willing, and performing what He requires of us. Nothing is so agreeable to God as to confide in Him, to trust in all things to Him, to abandon ourselves entirely to Him, and to depend completely upon Him. Happy the soul which, receiving all from His hands, resigns itself in all things to His Holy Will, wills only what He Wills, and wills all that happens to it, because He so ordains it.”  (12)

Prayer of Thomas A. Kempis  "That Thy Will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven"

Let us incorporate into our daily prayer life his beautiful Prayer, and the following one to the Holy Spirit: "Each day do I ask Thee, O Lord, that Thy Will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Hearken to my prayer, I beseech Thee, and grant that I may perform all my actions in compliance with Thy Holy Will, and ever make it the sole rule of my conduct. Deliver my soul from the slavery of its passions. Grant that they may all yield to Thine Empire, and that to please and love Thee may ever be the predominant desire of my soul. Amen.” (Ibid.)

Comments:
The purpose of our life on earth is not to amass fortunes, nor to seek and enjoy constant pleasures, but to do the Will of God each day. That has to be determined by prayer. Here follows an excellent one by Francis Joseph Cardinal Mercier.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit  (Holy Ghost Fathers)  "Tell me what I should do. Give me Thy orders"

“I am going to reveal to you the secret of Sanctity and Happiness. Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to the things of sense, and your ears to all the noises of the world, in order to enter into yourself. Then, in the sanctity of your baptized soul (which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit) speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him: 'Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your Will.' If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you the strength to carry it and you will arrive at the Gate of Paradise, laden with merit. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of Sanctity.” (13)

Reasons Why We Should Love God  (Catechism of  His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X)

Why should we love God?  “Jesus said to him: ‘Thou shalt Love the Lord Thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind'. (Matt. 22:37). (43) We should love God because He is the Supreme Good, infinitely Good and Perfect; and also, because He commands us to do so, and because of the many benefits we receive from Him. (44) We are to Love God above all things, with our whole heart, with our whole mind, with our whole soul, and with all our strength. (45) To Love God above all other things means to prefer Him to all creatures, even the dearest and most perfect, and to be willing to lose everything rather than offend Him or cease to love Him.” (14)

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Furthermore, we are indebted to Jesus Christ because He is our Redeemer. He “offered His Sufferings and Death to God as a fitting Sacrifice in satisfaction for the sins of men, and regained for them the right to be Children of God and Heirs of Heaven. Sin offends an Infinite God, and, therefore, would need Infinite Satisfaction. Therefore, Someone Infinite, Jesus Christ, had to offer that Satisfaction” (Bishop L.L. Morrow, pp. 68-69) (6).  “Neither is there any thing that more loudly calls for our gratitude than His Sufferings and Death.” (Douay Rheims Bible) (15)

Manifestation of Love of God 

We show that we love God by keeping His Commandments; for Jesus Christ said, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments” (John 14:15). “If you keep My Commandments, you will remain in My Love, as I also have kept My Father’s Commandments, and do remain in His Love. These things I have spoken to you: that My Joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled.” (John 15:10-11)

Prayer To Love God  (Imitation of Christ)

"Grant, O Jesus, that I may love Thee more than my parents, relations, or friends, more than I love myself. Grant that I may earnestly endeavour to know Thee, to love Thee, and to follow Thee, that so, having been accustomed and conformed to Thee, I may not be exposed as many Christians are to the danger of appearing, after my departure hence, before a God whom I know not, whom I have never loved; for not to love Thee in time, is not to  love Thee for Eternity; whereas, if I endeavour to love Thee now, I shall have reason to hope that I shall love Thee forever. O most amiable God! O most loving God! Grant that I may love Thee with my whole heart, with my whole soul, with all my strength and with all my mind, Amen." (16)

Sacred Scriptures  (His Holiness Pope Leo XIII)  "Are written...at the Dictation of the Holy Ghost"

"20. ...For all the books which the Church receives as Sacred and Canonical, are written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the Dictation of the Holy Ghost; and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily, as it is impossible that God Himself, the Supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true." (Providentissimus Deus) (17)

The meaning of every Word of Holy Scripture is significant; “See how particularly the Scripture weighs the meaning of every word.” (Luke 2:15, Footnote: Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1348)  So, we can be confident that what Jesus Christ said about being filled with His Joy by keeping His Commandments is true. “Every Word of God is fire-tried.” (Prov. 30:5, Footnote: “That is, most pure, like gold purified by fire”: Douay Rheims Bible, p. 827) “The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen; but the Word of Our Lord endureth for ever.” (Is. 40:8) "The Sacred  Writings are the records of our inheritance. They show us our true destination, and deserve to be most seriously considered from the beginning to the end." (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 679)

"And as the rain and the snow come down from Heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall My Word be, which shall go forth from My mouth: it shall not return to Me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I have sent it." (Is. 55:10-11)

"For the Word of God is living and effectual, and more penetrating than any two-edged sword: and reaching into the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also, and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)

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THE SUFFERINGS OF JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS

Since "The Mass is not a remembrance of Calvary; it actually renews Christ's death," it is  truly right, just and proper to consider how that death occurred. Excerpts from the following two sources will provide that information.

The Dolorous Passion Of Our Lord Jesus Christ  (Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich)

"They tied ropes to His left arm, and having steadied their feet against the Cross, pulled the left hand violently until it reached the place prepared for it. This dreadful process caused Our Lord indescribable agony"

What follows are excerpts from The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ: From the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. On the back cover is this notation, "Preceding The Dolorous Passion in this edition is a short life of the remarkable Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774 - 1824), a mystic, stigmatist and visionary. Toward the end of her life, she bore the wounds of Christ, ate no food save Communion, and was in ecstasy a great deal of the time. It was during these ecstasies that she witnessed in vision the details of Our Lord's life which are recorded in this book."

"The preparations for the Crucifixion being finished, four archers went to the cave where they had confined Our Lord and dragged Him out with their usual brutality, while the mob looked on and made use of insulting language, and the Roman soldiers regarded all with indifference, and thought of nothing but maintaining order."

"There were eighteen archers on the platform; the six who had scourged Jesus, the four who had conducted Him to Calvary, the two who held the ropes which supported the Cross, and six others who came for the purpose of Crucifying Him. They were strangers in the pay of either the Jews or the Romans and were short thick-set men, with most ferocious countenances, rather resembling wild beasts than human beings, and employing themselves alternately in drinking and in making preparations for the Crucifixion."

"The executioners soon pulled off Our Lord's cloak, the belt to which the ropes were fastened, and His own belt, when they found it was impossible to drag the woolen garment, which His Mother had woven for Him, over His Head, on account of the Crown of Thorns. They tore off this most painful Crown, thus reopening every wound, and seizing the garment, tore it merci­lessly over His bleeding and wounded head. Our dear Lord and Saviour then stood before His cruel enemies, stripped of all save the short Scapular which was on His shoulders, and the linen which girded His loins. His scapular was of wool.  The wool had stuck to the wounds, and indescribable was the agony of pain He suffered when they pulled it roughly off.  He shook like the aspen as He stood before them, for He was so weakened from suffering and loss of blood that He could not support Himself for more than a few moments. He was covered with open wounds, and His shoulders and back were torn to the bone by the dreadful scourging He had endured."

"He was about to fall when the execu­tioners, fearing that He might die, and thus deprive them of the barbarous pleasure of crucifying Him, led Him to a large stone and placed Him roughly down upon it. But no sooner was He seated, than they aggravated His sufferings by putting the Crown of Thorns again upon His head. They then offered Him some vinegar and gall, from which, however, he turned away in silence. The executioners did not allow Him to rest long, but bade Him rise and place Himself on the Cross that they might nail Him to it. Then seizing His right arm they dragged it to the hole prepared for the nail, and having tied it tightly down with a cord, one of them knelt upon His Sacred Chest. A second held His hand flat.  A third taking a long thick nail, pressed it on the open palm of that Adorable Hand, which had ever been open to bestow bless­ings and favours on the ungrateful Jews. With a great iron hammer, he drove it through the Flesh and far into the wood of the Cross."

"Our Lord uttered one deep but suppressed groan, and His Blood gushed forth and sprinkled the arms of the archers. I counted the blows of the hammer, but my extreme grief made me forget their number. The nails were very large, the heads about the size of a crown piece, and the thickness that of a man's thumb, while the points came through at the back of the Cross. The Blessed Virgin stood motionless; from time to time, you might distinguish her plaintive moans; She appeared as if almost fainting from grief, and Magdalen was quite beside herself.  When the

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executioners had nailed the right hand of Our Lord, they perceived that His left hand did not reach the hole they had bored to receive the nail. Therefore, they tied ropes to His left arm, and having steadied their feet against the Cross, pulled the left hand violently until it reached the place prepared for it. This dreadful process caused Our Lord indescribable agony, His Breast heaved, and His legs were quite contracted. They again knelt upon him, tied down His arms, and drove the second nail into His left hand. His Blood flowed afresh, and His feeble groans were once more heard between the blows of the hammer, but nothing could move the hard-hearted executioners to the slightest pity."

"The arms of Jesus, thus unnaturally stretched out, no longer covered the arms of the cross, which were sloped; there was a wide space between them and His armpits. Each additional torture and insult inflicted on Our Lord caused a fresh pang in the Heart of His Blessed Mother; she became white as a corpse, but as the Pharisees endeavoured to increase Her pain by insulting words and gestures, the disciples led her to a group of pious women who were standing a little farther off."

"The executioners had fastened a piece of wood at the lower part of the Cross under where the feet of Jesus would be nailed, so that the weight of His body might not rest upon the wounds of His hands, and also to prevent the bones of His feet from being broken when nailed to the Cross. A hole had been pierced in this wood to receive the nail when driven through his feet, and there was, likewise, a little hollow place for his heels. These precautions were taken lest his wounds should be torn open by the weight of his body, and death ensue before He had suffered all the tor­tures which they hoped to see Him endure. The whole Body of Our Lord had been dragged upward, and contracted by the vio­lent manner with which the executioners had stretched out His arm. His knees were bent up. They, therefore, flattened and tied them down tightly with cords. But soon perceiving that His feet did not reach the bit of wood which was placed for them to rest upon, they became infuriated. Some of their number proposed making fresh holes for the nails which pierced His hands, as there would be considerable difficulty in removing the bit of wood. The others would do nothing of the sort, and continued to vociferate, 'He will not stretch himself out, but we will help him.' They accompanied these words with the most fearful oaths and imprecations. Having fastened a rope to His right leg, they dragged it violently until it reached the wood, and then tied it down as tightly as possible."

"The agony which Jesus suffered from this violent tension was indescribable; the words `My God, my God,' escaped His lips, and the executioners in­creased His pain by tying His chest and arms to the cross, lest the hands should be torn from the nails. They then fastened His left foot on to His right foot, having first bored a hole through them with a species of piercer, because they could not be placed in such a position as to be nailed together at once. Next they took a very long nail and drove it completely through both feet into the cross below, which operation was more than usually painful, on account of His body being so unnaturally stretched out; I counted at least six and thirty blows of the hammer.  Dur­ing the whole time of the Crucifixion our Lord never ceased praying, and repeating those passages in the Psalms which he was then accompanying, although, from time to time, a feeble moan caused by excess of suffering might be heard. In this manner, He had prayed when carrying His Cross, and thus He continued to pray until His death. I heard him repeat all these prophecies; I repeated them after Him, and I have often since noted the different passages when reading the Psalms, but I now feel so exhausted with grief that I cannot at all connect them."

"When the Crucifixion of Jesus was finished, the commander of the Roman soldiers ordered Pilate's inscription to be nailed on the top of the Cross. It was a quarter past twelve when Jesus was Crucified; and at the moment the Cross was lifted up, the Temple resounded with a blast of trumpets, which were always blown to announce the Sacrifice of the  Pascal Lamb." (18)

The Passion Of Jesus Christ  (Father James Groenings, S.J.)

"What caused the greatest dishonour and shame to Christ, were the blasphemies and jeers with which He was overwhelmed while hanging on the Cross... These blasphemies were no longer human; they were diabolical."

The following are excerpts from the book by that name:  "'O all ye that pass by the way attend, and see if there be any sorrow like My sorrow.' (Lam.1:12) In meditating upon the seven words, we have already considered various

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great sufferings which the Redeemer had to undergo during the three hours that He hung upon the Cross. But there remain several others which merit our attention in order to obtain as faithful a picture as possible of the Crucified Redeemer.  The contemplation of the Crucified Redeemer ought to be the daily bread, the consolation and the comfort of our souls."

"Let us consider the sufferings of the Crucified Saviour (1) In His Sacred Body, (2) In His Honour and (3) In His Soul. Of all the deaths, that by crucifixion was held by the entire ancient world to be the most painful and the most cruel. The suspension alone, from the arms stretched upwards for such a long time, was intolerable torture. Christ was attached to the Cross by nails. These nails were driven through the hands and feet, just where many sensitive nerves and tendons meet. Some of these were lacerated, others were violently bruised."

"The main weight of the Body, bore partly on the pierced feet and partly on the pierced hands. If Christ would relieve the one, the other suffered so much the more. Every move, every slight tremor brought about renewed pain penetrating to the very marrow. Owing to the wounded and terribly swollen hands and feet, and, yet more, to the unnatural lesion and tension of all the muscles caused by the strained posi­tion of the Body, the circulation of the blood through the heart and lungs was rendered diffi­cult and partly impeded. Thence, resulted a diffi­culty of breathing which increased to a sense of suffocation accompanied by a sensation of fear and spasmodic contraction of the heart."

"Another result was that the blood rushed to the head with increased pressure, abnormally extending the ar­teries and immensely increasing the pains in the thorn-crowned head. And as the Body, which the scourging had entirely covered with wounds, was exposed for three hours to the fresh and, because of the eclipse, even cold air, inflammation and wound-fever set in, so that the Sacred Body assumed a livid colour. These pains reached their climax in the burning and steadily increasing thirst. If to this we add the condition of exhaustion and faintness induced by the preceding sufferings of Christ, the loss of blood from the scourging and the crowning with thorns, and the sensitive­ness of His Sacred Body, then we have a faint idea of the bodily sufferings of the Crucified One."

"Besides, the Redeemer died the most disgraceful and the most shameful of all deaths, the Death of the Cross. Christ was Crucified between two incendiaries and homicidal robbers. Furthermore, he was deprived of all His garments except the loin-cloth. And all this was done publicly, in open daylight, on a hill, before the whole people who had assembled to celebrate the Pasch."

"But, what caused the greatest dishonour and shame to Christ, were the blasphemies and jeers with which He was overwhelmed while hanging on the Cross. True, He had been forced to drink of this chalice of ignominy on former occasions. But, it was here on Golgotha's heights, that, according to the Lamentations, He was to be satiated with ignominy. ...In vain had the prophet, centuries before, appealed to the passers-by for sympathy: 'O all ye that  pass by the way attend, and see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow.' ... These blasphemies were no longer human; they were diabolical. Satan had put them upon the tongues of the passers-by."

"Then the executioners also joined in the taunts of the passers-by. ...The grossest insults, finally, were heaped upon Christ by the chief-priests, ancients, scribes and Pharisees. The language which they used on this occasion was the most vulgar, both as to form and as to meaning. They did not, like the passers-by, address themselves to the Redeemer personally. To show Him their contempt, they spoke to each other of Him as of a third person, of the man hanging there on the Cross."

"The first suffering of Christ's Soul arose [in relation to the disposition of His garments.] According to Roman usage, the clothes and other belongings of the executed became the property of the soldiers; it was their fee. They ripped the seams of those garments, the parts of which were sewn to­gether, as, for instance, the mantle, and each sol­dier received a fourth part. With the garment proper, however, of the Saviour, they could not well do this, for it was seamless and woven throughout from the top. Saint Bonaventure relates that the Mother of Jesus had woven it with Her own hands for Her Divine Child, and it had grown with Him, just as the garments of the Israel­ites had grown with them in their passage through the desert. Had, then, the woven raiment been cut, it would have become entirely unwoven and the pieces would have been useless. They, there­fore, said, 'Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be.' They did so."

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"The second sorrow of Christ's Soul arose from His complete abandonment by Heaven and earth (p. 374). And first, the lack of sympathy on the part of the people saddened Him. ...Among these people, there were so many whom the Saviour had loaded with benefits.  Christ, moreover, saw Himself forsaken by almost all His friends. It is true that Mary, His Blessed Mother, stood beneath the Cross, but the sight merely increased the pangs of His soul. But of the apostles, with the exception of Saint John, all had left Him, all had made themselves invisible."

"In His dereliction by men, the dying Redeemer raised His head to Heaven and turned towards God. But Heaven remained closed. No voice of approval was heard. This urged Christ to complain, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'"

"So much the more intense, therefore, was the third sorrow of Christ's soul at the thought of the partial fruitlessness of His Passion. He had now been hanging three hours upon the Cross whence He hoped to draw all things to Himself. The awful darkness should indeed have been sufficient to en­lighten souls and to kindle hearts. But with the exception of the thief's conversion, the Redeemer saw no special effects. And when He looked into the future, He recognized that His Blood was being shed in vain for millions of people and that, notwithstanding all His sufferings, millions of men would be eternally damned."

"Now the measure of sufferings was full. Now the Redeemer could say, 'It is consummated. Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.' Thereupon He bowed His head and died." (19)

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Catechism of the Catholic Church  (CCC)
The Third Commandment is, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Ex. 20:8-10; cf Deut. 5:12-15)

Sabbath  (Isaias)
"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy own will in My Holy Day, and call the Sabbath delightful, and the Holy of the Lord glorious, and glorify Him, while thou does not thy own ways, and thy own will is not found, to speak a word: (Isaiah 58:13) Footnote: Sabbath, doing no work, or refraining from the violation of festivals: Delightful. We must not think the Sabbath of the Lord a loss; (Amos 8:5) but rejoice in praising Him...Pius reading on holidays is the duty of all who have an opportunity. Then shall thou be delighted in the Lord, and I will lift thee up above the high places of the earth, and will feed thee with the inheritance of Jacob, thy father. For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." (Isaiah 58:14) The same duty also applies to Holy Days of  Obligation.

Sundays  (CCC)
"The Precept of the Church specifies the Law of the Lord more preciously; 'On Sundays and other Holy Days of Obligation, the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.'" (20)

Comments:
We have a free will, but we are not free to perform any action, or to refrain from performing any required action, on any given day. Our will must conform to the Will of God. We have been given the Word of God (His Will), and have been instructed by the leaders of His Church, regarding the one Holy Action that must be performed on the Sabbath and that is to be in attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Origin and Purpose of the Third Commandment  (Bishop L.L. Morrow)
What is the purpose of the Third Commandment? “God commanded the observance of a definite day, in order that man may devote one day a week to the Special Worship of his Creator. Natural law obliges man to adore and thank God for His continuous blessings.” (p. 202) (6)

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On Sanctifying Sundays and Holidays of Obligation  (Canon G. F. Tangue)  "By this third Commandment, we are commanded to keep holy the Sabbath day"

The Catholic Family News, has provided the following excerpts on the subject from the out-of-print source, Sermons From the Flemish.  “By this third Commandment, we are commanded to keep holy the Sabbath day. It is well known to you, my brethren, that the Apostles fixed the Sabbath on the Sunday, or the first day of the week, to consecrate this day in a special manner. They did this because of the great Mysteries which took place on this day, particularly the glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Head and Founder of our Holy Church, and the Saviour of all mankind. It follows, then, that for us Christians it is a grave and Holy Duty to keep the Sunday, and the same Duty holds good for the appointed Holy Days of Obligation.”

“In order to discover the origin of the seventh day’s rest, first we must look back to the Creation of the world. Holy Scripture tells us that, when God drew the universe out of nothingness and created Heaven and earth, He employed six days for this purpose, although it was possible for Him to have perfected all in one single instant, and when all was complete He rested on the seventh day. (Gen. 2) He not only rested but He Blessed and Sanctified that day. By this He desired to make known to man, His creature, and for whom He had created all things, that he also must sanctify the seventh day, and thus in a special manner acknowledge the Greatness, the Supreme Power, and the Goodness of his Creator, and of the Creator of the universe.”

“Through the sin of our first parent, this Law became still more necessary. For then, he was sentenced by God to labour, and by the sweat of his brow to eat his bread. Sin, moreover, has inflicted serious wounds upon his soul, so that he cannot attain his Eternal Salvation without great Graces from God, and without an unceasing struggle. He must, then, after a labour of six days, give a day of rest to his exhausted Body, and on that day pray to God in a particular manner for the necessary help and strength to enable him to conquer his spiritual enemies, and to obtain his Inheritance, which is Everlasting Life.”

“Therefore, from the beginning of the world, one out of the seven days was set apart to praise God, to offer Him gifts and sacrifices, to meditate on His Divine Perfections and on His Holy Laws, and on which to turn the mind to the Eternal and Perfect Rest, which ought to be the principal object of all our aspirations.” (21)

Exceptions to the Obligation to Attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation

The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on Days of Obligation unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or if dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.” (CCC, 2181) “The precept is not binding on one who must care for the sick, or lives rather far from a church, or who has urgent work, or is ill.” (Bishop L.L. Morrow, p. 238)(6)

Servile Works  (Complete Catholic Handbook)

“Among Christians, the first day of the week is kept holy, in memory of the Resurrection of Our Lord, and the Descent of the Holy Ghost. We are to keep the Sunday Holy by hearing Mass and resting from servile works. Such works as employ the body rather than the mind, and are usually done by servants and trades people, as opposed to  “liberal, or that work in which the mind is more engaged than the body, as drawing, music, writing, etc.; and common work or such as is followed by all classes, as fishing, hunting, shooting, etc.” (22)

THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
(Bishop L.L. Morrow)
"A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give Grace." (p. 250)(6)

Nature of Man  (Father James B. Buckley, F.S.S.P.)

"It is in man’s nature to offer sacrifice": “The Fathers of the Council of Trent wrote that the nature of man demands a visible sacrifice. It is in man’s nature to offer sacrifice because by means of sensible signs he expresses his subjection to God’s Dominion. It is by means of Sacrifice that man adores God, thanks Him for His favours, asks Him for gifts and makes expiations for his 0ffenses.” (23) "Giving thanks always for all things, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father." (Ephesians 5:20)

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The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass  (Father William Lawrence, F.S.S.P.)  "The Supreme Act of Religion is Sacrifice”

In preparing the following Paper on The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Father Lawrence used, in the main, as a reference source the outstanding work of Rev. Dr. Nicholas Gihr. The following are excerpts from Father’s Paper.

“In order to understand the Mass, we should first consider something more basic. Among the virtues one is called the Virtue of Religion. The Virtue of Religion regulates the conduct of man toward God. Therefore, the exercise of the Virtue of Religion is a most serious duty upon us; a duty in strict justice. There are different ways we exercise this Virtue in giving honour and service to Almighty God. Some examples include vocal and mental prayer, fasting and penance, and respecting God’s Holy Name. But the Supreme Act of Religion is Sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice is the Supreme Act of this Virtue because it is something both interior and exterior. It is both within the mind and expressed by the body. The acts of Religion for human beings must be both interior and exterior because we are creatures consisting of body and soul. If we were Angels, we could simply praise God within our minds, but God has given us both body and soul and we must express our homage with both. If we do not, we will not fulfill this natural need and, therefore, risk psychological difficulties. Sacrifice expresses the highest and most complete external homage of God. Sacrifice also expresses in the highest and most solemn manner the four interior acts of Religion. That is adoration, thanksgiving, petition, and propitiation [atonement]. The Perfect Sacrifice was accomplished by the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity becoming man, and offering Himself on the Altar of the Cross as a Divine Victim to the Eternal Father.” (24)

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Dogmatically, Liturgically, and Ascetically Explained  (Rev. Dr. Nicholas Gihr)
 "Every creature is dependent upon God... It behooves man in a word, to adore God."

An example of the excellence of the teaching of Rev. Dr. Nicholas Gihr is this statement:  “The worship due to the Divine Majesty consists principally in acts of adoration, thanksgiving, petition and propitiation. As we have seen, God immeasurably excels all creatures, even the highest and the sublimest of the Heavenly Spirits; He excels them not merely by His Infinite Dignity and Perfection, but also by reason of His boundless Power and Dominion. Hence, at all times and in all places, every creature is dependent upon God. It behooves man as a rational creature consciously and freely and actively to acknowledge his Absolute Dependence Upon God — in a word, to adore God. By oration, we understand that supreme and most perfect homage due, not to any mere creature, but only and solely to God on account of His Infinite Perfection, Majesty and Sovereign Authority.” (25)

A Clean Oblation  (James Cardinal Gibbons)  Only in the Catholic Church is it offered.

"The Prophet Isaiah declared that the Jewish sacrifices had become displeasing to God and would be abolished. 'To what purpose,' says the Lord by His prophet, 'do you offer Me the multitude of your victims?...I desire not holocausts of rams...and the blood of calves and lambs and buck-goats...Offer sacrifice no more in vain'" (Is. 1:11-13)

"But did God, in rejecting the Jewish oblations, intend to abolish sacrifices altogether?  By no means. On the contrary, He clearly predicts by the mouth of the Prophet Malachias that the immolations of the Jews would be succeeded by a clean victim, which would be offered up not on a single altar, as was the case in Jerusalem, but in every part of the known world. Listen to the significant words addressed to the Jews by this prophet: 'I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will not receive a gift of your hand. For, from the rising of the sun, even to the going down, My Name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is Sacrifice, and there is offered to My Name a Clean Oblation; for My Name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.' (Mal. 1:10-11) The prophet here clearly foretells that an Acceptable Oblation would be offered to God not by the Jews, but by the Gentiles; not merely in Jerusalem, but in Every Place from the rising to the setting of the sun. These prophetic words must have been fulfilled.  Where shall we find the fulfillment of the prophecy?"

"We may divide the inhabitants of the world into five different classes of people, professing different forms of religion: Pagans, Jews, Mohammedans, Protestants and Catholics. Among which of these shall we find the clean oblation of which the prophet speaks? Not among the Pagan nations; for they worship false gods, and consequently cannot have any sacrifice pleasing to the Almighty. Not among the Jews; for they have ceased to sacrifice altogether,

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and the words of the prophet apply not to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. Not among the Mohammedans; for they also reject sacrifices. Not among any of the Protestant sects; for they all distinctly repudiate sacrifices.

Therefore, it is only in the Catholic Church that is Fulfilled, this Glorious Prophecy; for whithersoever you go, you will find the Clean Oblation Offered on Catholic Altars. If you travel from America to Europe, to Oceanica, to Africa, or Asia, you will see our altars erected, and our Priests daily fulfilling the words of the prophets by offering the 'clean oblation' of the Body and Blood of Christ." (26)

The Prophecy of Malachias

"10. Who is there among you, that will shut the doors, and will kindle the fire on My Altar, gratis?  I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will not receive a gift of your hand. 11. For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, My Name is Great among the Gentiles and in every place there is a Sacrifice, and there is offered to My Name A Clean Oblation: for My Name is Great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts."  (Mal. 1:10-11)

Comment:
Isn't there a conflict between these doctrinal statements and the current ecumenical movement?

The Nature of the Mass  (Bishop L.L. Morrow)  "It actually renews Christ's Death, continues His Sacrifice and is in itself  His very Sacrifice"

"The Mass is the Sacrifice of the New Law in which Christ, through the Ministry of the Priest, offers Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine.  At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ offered Himself up as a Sacrifice to the Eternal Father, under the appearances of bread and wine.  And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessing it, He broke and gave It to them, and said, 'Take; This is My Body.' And taking a cup and giving thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank of it; and He said to them, ‘This is My Blood of the New Covenant, which is being shed for many'. (Mark 14:22-25) The following day, Jesus Christ consummated that Sacrifice by freely submitting Himself to His Passion and Death by Crucifixion at the hands of the Jews. The two acts, that of the Last Supper, and that of the Cross, were only two parts of the one Supreme Sacrifice that Our Lord offered to God the Father.”

"After the first Act, having offered Himself under the appearances of bread and wine, Christ turned to the Apostles and said, ‘Do this in remembrance of Me’. (Luke 22:19) "He commanded them in those words to say Mass, as the Perfect Sacrifice to God. The Mass is no mere remembrance or memorial of Calvary; it actually renews, in the separate Consecration of the bread and wine, the death of the Lord, the separation of His Body and Blood." It "continues His Sacrifice, and is in itself His very Sacrifice.” (pp. 268-271) (6)

Effect Of The Separate Consecrations Of The Bread And Wine  (Venerable Archbishop F.J. Sheen)
“Christ renews the Sacrifice by the separate Consecration of the bread and wine"

In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that the Archbishop lived a life of "virtues": a major step towards beatification; so he is now referred to as "Venerable."

At a conference for Priests, the holy and brilliant Archbishop contributed the following instruction: “Christ renews the Sacrifice by the separate Consecration of the bread and wine. Our Lord did not say, ‘This is My Body and My  Blood.’ That would have been life. But first, ‘This is My Body,’ and then over the wine, ‘This is my Blood.’ That separate Consecration of the bread and wine is like a mystical sword cleaving and dividing Blood from Body, which is the way that He died on the Cross. Thus, we Sacramentally re-present to the Heavenly Father the Death of Christ in this Church.” (27)

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SAPIENTIAE SPLENDOR
OBLATION OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE SACRED HOST
"Most Real and Powerful Atonement for the Guilt of Man"

Act of Faith and Adoration of the Sacred Host

"The Oblation of the Body and Blood of Christ is the most Real and Powerful Atonement for the Guilt of Man. In other words, there is No More Efficacious Means of Appeasing the Anger of God than Offering to Him the Body and Blood of His Son there present On The Altar. It is a Very Salutary Practice, therefore, for All who are Present at Mass to Make This Offering with All Their Heart for the Remission of Their Sins. The following Prayer may be used: 'O Eternal Father, I offer Thee Thy beloved Son Jesus in the Sacred Host, with all His Love, all His Sufferings, all His Merits and all His Perfections, to Thine Everlasting Praise and Glory, in expiation for my sins and for the sins of the whole world.'" (28)

Elevation of the Sacred Host  "Faithful should look at It... saying at the same time: 'My Lord and my God,' then bow their heads"

"When the Sacred Host is elevated, the Faithful should Look at It, if possible, and then Bow their heads  in Adoration. Keeping the head bowed low during the Elevation at Mass is customary among many Catholics. Many are scrupulously conscientious not to look at the Sacred Host or the Chalice, lest thereby they might fail in reverence  towards God. This practice originates in a good will, no doubt, but it is, nevertheless, not praiseworthy. People are under the impression that it is wrong to gaze at Our Eucharistic God!  O unhappy remnant of the age of Jansenism!"

"Holy Church holds an entirely different view; She desires that We Devoutly Look at the Blessed Sacrament. Otherwise, what significance would there be in the Precept of the Church which obliges Priests to elevate the Sacred Host, after the Consecration, high enough to be seen by the faithful? In fact, it was in protest against a false teaching about the Blessed Eucharist that the Church, in 1197 A.D., ordered as a renewed Act of Faith, and at the same time as an Act of Reparation, that the Sacred Host be elevated immediately after the Consecration. On May 18, 1907, the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences granted an Indulgence to all the faithful who gaze at the Sacred Host with Faith, Devotion and Love, either at the Elevation of the Mass, or when It is Solemnly Exposed in the Monstrance, saying at the same time: 'My Lord and my God,' showing plainly by this action what the desires of Holy Church are with regard to the conduct of the faithful." (Ibid.)

"What a Glorious Promise!"  "For every look of Love and Devotion which we turn to the Sacred Host, we Merit an Increase of Glory in Heaven"  "How pleasing to God is the desire to gaze upon Him, even though He is veiled by the Eucharistic Species, can be judged from a Revelation to Saint Gertrude. This Saint received from Our Lord the Assurance that for every look of Love and Devotion which we turn to the Sacred Host, we Merit an Increase of Glory in Heaven; and when once we behold God Face to Face, we Shall Participate in as many Special Joys as we shall have Directed Loving Glances Toward the Blessed Sacrament, or even desired to when prevented. What a Glorious Promise!" (Ibid.)

"Is not this Gazing Upon The Eucharistic Saviour a Magnificent Profession of our Faith in the Real Presence of Christ, as it was professed by the incredulous Apostle Thomas? When Thomas said 'My Lord and my God,' we (p. 1) may be sure he did not keep his eyes cast down, but looked with open and sincere gaze into the eyes of his Master. We do not, indeed, see Him with our bodily eyes as Thomas saw Him, but the Light of Faith clearly reveals to us that the Sacred Host, at which we gaze, is no longer earthly bread, but Jesus, the God-Man, the Immortal King of Heaven and earth, Who at the Word of the Priest has become Present upon the Altar. We believe, that just as once He Assumed Human Nature in the Bosom of the Virgin Mary, by the Power of the Holy Ghost, so now, by the Sacred Words of Consecration, as the God-Man, He becomes Sacramentally Present by the Power of the same Holy Ghost." (Ibid.)

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CONSECRATION OF THE WINE AND THE ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE
"Has a Special Meaning and Supernatural Power"

"After this Oblation follows the Consecration of the wine and the Elevation of the Chalice, which has a Special Meaning and Supernatural Power, for by it the Precious Blood of Christ is Shed in a Mystical Manner, and, so to say, Sprinkled upon all those who are present. This is signified in the Words of Consecration: 'Simili modo postquam coenatum est ...'The Consecration is the Heart of the Canon and of the Entire Mass; yes, it is the Fountain of the Life of the Church. For, as the blood flows from the heart to all parts of the body, so the Blood of the Redeemer, which was shed on the Cross, by The Consecration Flows To All parts Of The Catholic Church. The Fivefold Cross with which the gifts are blessed at the beginning of the Consecration Signifies the Five Wounds by which Our Lord Consummated His Sacrifice on the Cross." (Ibid.)

Worship, Adoration, Love and Thanksgiving  "Jesus is Present on the Altar"

"Our first sentiments after the Consecration should be those of Worship, Adoration, Love and Thanksgiving. Jesus is Present on the Altar; Jesus, our Loving Saviour, Who makes Himself our Sacrifice of Adoration, Thanksgiving, Atonement, and Petition. As we exclaimed, with Adoring Love: 'My Lord and my God!' at the moment of the Elevation of the Sacred Host, so now we should Adore the Precious Blood elevated in the Chalice. The following Aspiration is appropriate: 'Hail, Precious Blood, flowing from the Wounds of Jesus and Washing Away the sins of the World! Oh, Cleanse, Sanctify and Keep my Soul that Nothing may ever Separate Me from Thee; in Life and in Death let me be Thine.'" (Ibid.)

Efficacy of The Oblation of the Precious Blood  "Offered not only in Word but in very Deed, for the Sacred Blood is Truly and Actually there in the Chalice"

"The Oblation of the Precious Blood is Most Efficacious in Turning Away the Divine Anger provoked by the transgressions of mankind, as was revealed to Saint Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi. At no time can this Oblation be made so Opportunely, so Effectively, as after the Consecration in Holy Mass. It is then Offered not only in Word but in very Deed, for the Sacred Blood is Truly and Actually there in the Chalice, and the Offering is of far greater Merit than at any other time. One Single Drop of this Precious Blood is Worth More than Oceans of the Blood of Martyrs. According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, One Single Drop would have sufficed to Redeem the Whole World. There is no sin so heinous that it cannot be forgiven, no stain so dark that it cannot be purged away, no debt so enormous that it cannot be remitted through the Power of the Precious Blood. Let us, therefore, Unite with the Priest and Offer It to God After the Consecration With All Our Fervour." (Ibid.)

HOW PRECIOUS IS THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST
"The Catholic Church Owns No Greater, no more Costly Treasure than the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ"

"Oh, how Precious is the Victim on our Altars! We can appropriate to ourselves His Infinite Merits by our Good Intention, by our Contrition and Love, by Holy Communion, but above all and beyond all, by Fervently Hearing Mass. These are the declarations of learned theologians, who tell us that by no means can we participate in the Merits of Christ so surely as by Devoutly Assisting at Mass. Just as Moses sprinkled the Jews with the blood of the sacrificial victims, and the Priest sprinkles Christian people with Holy Water, so Christ Spiritually Sprinkles the Souls of the Faithful with His Blood at Holy Mass. Saint Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi says of this Spiritual Sprinkling: 'This Blood, when applied to the soul, imparts to it as much dignity as if it were decked in a costly robe. It imparts such brilliance and splendour that, couldst thou behold the effulgence of thy soul when sprinkled with that Blood, thou wouldst fall down to adore it.' Happy the soul adorned with such beauty! Let us go to Holy Mass often, that we may be Sprinkled with this Adorable Blood and our soul arrayed in rich apparel which will render us glorious forever in the sight of the Angels and Saints. The Catholic Church Owns No Greater, no more Costly Treasure than the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ; for a Single Drop of this Blood, which is United to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Outweighs in Value All The Riches of Heaven and of Earth." (Ibid.)

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Beseechment Of Our Blessed Mother
"Beseech the Blessed Virgin to offer to the Eternal Father the Blood of Her Son in the Chalice"

"During Holy Mass, let us also Beseech the Blessed Virgin to offer to the Eternal Father the Blood of Her Son in the Chalice, for the Whole Church, for the Conversion of Sinners, for the Souls in Purgatory, and for our various Needs. We may be Assured that the Blessed Virgin will Offer to the Eternal Father the Blood of Her Son in the Chalice, for the Whole Church, for the Conversion of sinners, for the Souls in Purgatory, and for our various Needs. We may be assured that we shall Receive very Special Graces by this Practice." (Ibid.)

 The Great Wonder  "Christ has Consummated the One True Sacrifice of the New Law" 

"The 'Great Wonder' has taken place. Christ, the true High Priest, has Consummated the One True Sacrifice of the New Law which He offered for us on the Cross, and which He causes to continue to be effective among us till the end of time. He indeed died but once and now dies no more, and yet He Mysteriously represents to us His Death in a true and wonderful, although unbloody, and Mystical Manner. The two separate forms visibly signify this Mystery. Under each Form Christ is indeed Wholly and Entirely Present; for at the Last Supper He changed not only bread, but (p. 3) also wine, and Commanded His Priests to do so also, because wine in a Special Manner signifies His Blood as It was shed and separated from His Body at His Death on the Cross. The forms in their separation are the symbol and sign of death. Under their cover, however, Christ is with us as He reigns now in Heaven as the Glorified One, as the Conqueror, as the One risen from the dead, as our Glorious Easter Lamb, which is, as it  were, slain and yet lives forever." (Ibid.)

JESUS' ONGOING ETERNAL OBLATIONS TO HIS FATHER
(Douay Rheims Bible)
"Christ continues to offer Himself in an unbloody manner in Heaven and upon earth"

"Whereby He is able also to save forever them that approach to God by Himself: always living to make intercession for us." (Heb. 7:25) "Footnote: Christ, as man, continually maketh intercession for us, by representing His Passion to His Father."

"For it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, Holy, Innocent, Undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the Heavens. Who needeth not daily as the priests, to offer sacrifices first for His own sins, and then for the People's: for this He did once, by offering up Himself." (Heb. 7:26-27)

Footnote:  “Jesus Christ offered Himself but once in a bloody manner on the Cross; but, besides this bloody offering, He still continues to offer Himself in an unbloody manner. This He does both in Heaven and upon earth; in Heaven, by presenting the Sacred Humanity continually to His Father; and on earth, by daily offering Himself, under the appearances of bread and wine, on our altars. Hence, this Eucharistic Sacrifice is both a Commemoration and  Continuation of the Sacrifice of the Cross.”

“To understand this, it must be observed, that the essence of a Sacrifice includes several actions, the principal of which are the Immolation [Sacrifice] of the Victim, and the Oblation [The action of solemnly offering a Sacrifice to God] of the Victim when immolated. Now, the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross ended only as the bloody  Immolation; the same Victim is still Immolated mystically, by the separate Consecration of the bread and wine, and continues as to the Oblation. Jesus Christ, in quality of the Eternal High Priest, has carried His Victim, i.e. His Body, into Heaven and there offers It continually to His Father."

“He continues also His Sacrifice here on earth by the Ministry of His Priests: who to the end of time will offer to God the same Immolated Victim, present on our Altars under the appearances of bread and wine; a Sacrifice Infinitely Perfect, since a God is the Priest, and a God the Victim. The chief-priest who offers It is a God-man; the victim offered is a Man-God: a God the victim, offered by a God the priest! Behold a Sacrifice Truly Worthy of God; a Sacrifice capable of atoning not only for our sins, but for the sins of ten thousand worlds. What confidence then ought Christians to have in such a Sacrifice! How solicitous ought they to be to Assist Daily at these awful, or, to use Saint Chrysostom’s expression, 'These Tremendous Mysteries!'” (Douay Rheims Bible p. 1589)

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DEVOTION TO THE PRECIOUS BLOOD AND HEAVENLY SACRIFICE
(John Salza, Catholic Family News, August 2010) (29)
Christ "continues to offer His Blood Sacrifice to the Father in Heaven"

Mr. Salza was described by the editor of the paper as a U.S.A. "Attorney and well-known Catholic Apologist."

"Scripture teaches that Christ, as Mediator of the New Covenant, continues to offer His Blood Sacrifice to the Father in Heaven to propitiate the Father's wrath against our sins. First, Saint Paul in his Letter to the Hebrews repeatedly describes Jesus as our 'high priest' in Heaven. (30)  Second, Scripture teaches us that the Principal Duty of a priest is to offer Sacri­fice. Saint Paul specifically says, 'for every High Priest...is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to Offer Gifts and Sacri­fices for sins.' (Heb. 5:1) Saint Paul further says, 'For every High Priest is appointed to offer gifts and Sacrifices.' (Heb. 8:3) Saint Paul, then ties these truths together, in the very same verse, when he says about Jesus: 'hence it is neces­sary for this Priest also to have something to offer.'"

"Even though Jesus offered His Body once-for-all on the Cross of Calvary, Saint Paul says it is necessary for Jesus to also have 'something to offer' in Heaven. Because Jesus is our High Priest in Heaven, this necessary offering must be a 'Sacrifice for sins,' for according to Saint Paul that is what Priests offer. We cannot separate Christ's Sacrifice from His Priesthood since Christ is a Priest only by virtue of His Sacrifice."

"Because Jesus shed His Blood once on Calvary and suffers no more, the man­ner in which He presents this same Blood Sacrifice to the Father in Heaven is a Mystery indeed. However, the book of Hebrews sheds light on the reality of this mystery. Saint Paul says that Jesus 'entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves, but His own Blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.' (Heb. 9:12) Why does Saint Paul empha­size that Jesus takes His blood into Heaven? To emphasize that Jesus' Blood is being presented in Heaven as a Sacrifice."

"Saint Paul does this by set­ting up a comparison between the Old Testament priests who sacrificed ani­mals, and Jesus Christ who Sacrificed Himself. Just as the Old Testament priests would take the blood of these animals into the earthly sanctuary, Jesus takes His Blood into the 'Heavenly Sanctuary.' (31)  Fur­ther, just as God would see the shed blood of the ani­mals and be temporarily appeased, He now sees the shed Blood of His Son and is perfectly appeased. To maintain parity between Saint Paul's explanation of the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant Sacrifi­cial system, we must con­clude that both the animal blood on earth and Jesus' Blood in Heaven is being described in the context of Sacrifice."

"Saint Paul supports this conclusion in the next two verses when he says, 'For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the Blood of Christ, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God.' (Heb. 9:13-14) Again, we look at these verses in equilibrium."

"Saint Paul describes how the blood of animals was sprinkled in sacrifice on the people in the Old Covenant and how the Blood of Christ is likewise applied to the people of the New Covenant. Specifically, Saint Paul is describing the ongoing application of Christ's ongoing Blood Sacrifice in Heaven which purifies the consciences of believers. This purification is described in the present tense because Christ's Blood presently offered is bringing about the purification. (32) Through the perpetual offering of Christ's Blood in Heaven, the Father is propitiated, our sins are expiated, and we can 'serve the Living God' with a pure conscience. This is something that the Old Covenant sacrifices could not do." (Heb. 9:9)

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The New Covenant Sacrifices  (Ibid)  "Only one New Covenant Blood sacrifice...purifies us and for­gives our sin."

"Saint Paul makes an even more dramatic comparison between the Old Covenant sacrifices and Jesus' Heav­enly Sacrifice in the next few verses. He describes how Moses ratified the first Covenant by sprinkling the people and the liturgical elements with the blood of the animals (Heb. 9:18-19, 21) while saying, 'This is the blood of the Covenant which God com­manded you.' (Heb. 9:20) (It is no surprise that Jesus used the same words when He  offered  His  Blood in Sac­rifice at the Last Supper.) Then, Saint Paul compares the Old Covenant sacrifices with the Sacrifice of Christ  by referring to the New Covenant Sacrifice as 'Sacrifices,' in the plural form."

"Saint Paul says, 'Indeed, under the law almost everything is puri­fied with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus, it was necessary for the copies of the Heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better Sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the Presence of God on our behalf." (Heb. 9:22-24) Let's examine these verses. Because God willed to be appeased through bloodshed to for­give sin, Saint Paul explains that both the Old and New Covenants have a 'shed­ding of blood' requirement. Saint Paul first describes the rite of purification with blood under the Old Covenant (v. 22) and  then the same Blood Purification Rite in the New Covenant. (v. 23) In connection with this shedding of blood, Saint Paul says that those in the New Covenant are purified with better Sacrifices than those in the Old Covenant."

"There is only one New Covenant Blood sacrifice which purifies us and for­gives our sins. That is the Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. Therefore, Saint Paul reveals that Christ's Calvary Sacrifice has a plu­ral dimension to it This plural dimension of Christ's Sacrifice is fulfilled only in the context of its Sacramen­tal Representation in Heaven and on earth in the Holy Mass. This is the pure, single Sacrifice that is Con­tinually Offered from sun­rise to sunset around the world in the Eucharist as was prophesied by Jere­miah and Malachi."

"Saint Paul makes this connection between Christ's Sacrifice in Heaven and the Eucharistic Sacrifice on earth in a number of verses in his Letter to the Hebrews. Before Saint Paul reveals Christ's 'Sacrifices' in Heaven, he says  that Jesus 'is the Mediator of a New Covenant.' (Heb. 9:15) In the context of Jesus' Mediation of the Covenant, Saint Paul describes how Jesus takes His Blood into Heaven to forgive sin. The only time Jesus uses the phrase 'New Covenant' is when He instituted the Eucharist. Jesus said  'This Cup is the New Covenant in My Blood,' (33) and 'this is the Blood of the Covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.' (34) The use of the terms 'New Covenant,' 'Blood,' and 'forgiveness of sins' in Hebrews 9 appear together in the Scriptures in only one other place: in the accounts of Jesus instituting the Holy Eucharist."

"This connects the 'sacrifices' of Hebrews with the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Gospels. When we couple the fact that Christ's Heavenly Priesthood is modeled after that of Melchizedek who offered bread and wine, we conclude that the 'Sacrifices' occurring in the Heavenly Sanctuary are the same 'Sacrifices' occurring in the Holy Mass. Jesus mandated that these 'Sacrifices' occur on earth in the Mass when He Commanded His apostles at the Last Supper to 'do this in memory of Me.' (35) The 'Sacrifices' of Hebrews 9:23 refer to the one Sacrifice of the Mass, which is offered in a plurality of locations through the world from sunrise to sunset as revealed in Malachi 1:11." (29)

DEVOTION TO THE PRECIOUS BLOOD AND HEAVENLY SACRIFICE OF CHRIST: PART II
(John Salza, Catholic Family News, October 2010) (29)

"He appears before the Throne of God to Present His slain condition to the Father. Because Jesus Appeases the Father's Wrath through His Heav­enly Sacrifice, the Father responds by granting Grace and Mercy to those who are being tempted"

The Lamb Slain Before the Throne in Heaven

"In the Apocalypse, Saint John emphasizes that Jesus is presenting His Sacrifice to the Father by referring to Jesus as the 'Lamb.'  Saint John repeatedly calls Jesus the Lamb throughout this Letter and it is always in the context of

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Jesus' Sacerdotal Functions in Heaven. (36) As Scripture teaches, Jesus' description as a Lamb emphasizes His Propitiatory Sacrifice which takes away our sins. Saint John the Baptist said of Jesus, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!' (John 1:29, John 1:36)  Saint Peter says that we were ran­somed 'with the Precious Blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.' (1 Peter 1:19) Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be led to the slaugh­ter 'like a lamb before its shearer.' (Isa. 53:7, Acts 8:32 ) Now, in the Apocalypse, Saint John uses the same terminology to describe what he actually sees in Eternity: Jesus appears in Heaven as a Sac­rificed Lamb."

"We see Saint John's first use of this description in the Apocalypse in 5: 6: 'And between the Throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.' The Greek is translated as 'hav­ing been standing' (his­temi) and 'having been slain' (sphazo). Saint John's use of perfect participles to describe both Christ's standing and slain condi­tions indicate that Christ began to exhibit these con­ditions at a specific moment in the past, and that both conditions are ongoing. This underscores that Jesus is actively presenting His slain condition in the Heavenly Sanctuary."

"We also note that Jesus stands as a slain Lamb in Heaven before the Throne of God. This is similar to Saint Paul's descriptions of Jesus in the Heavenly Sanctuary in the Book of Hebrews. In fact, both Saint Paul and Saint John depict the Throne as the place where God the Father is seated. (37)  Saint John elsewhere distinguishes between the Lamb and the Throne to emphasize what Jesus is doing in Heaven: He appears before the Throne of God to Present His slain condition to the Father." (38)

"In the context of Jesus' appearance as a slain Lamb, Saint John also refers to the Altar in Heaven. (39) This alludes to Saint Paul's use of 'altar' in the Book of Hebrews to describe the Heavenly Liturgy, and also puts Jesus' Appearance before the Father in the context of Sacrifice. (Heb.13:10)  There would be no altar in Heaven unless a sacrifice was being offered. Saint John also sees the Prayers of the Saints rising to the Father as incense before the Heavenly Altar, and the souls of the Martyrs underneath the Altar. (40) These prayers are united to the Sacrifice of Christ, and both are presented to the Father."

"Saint John also sees Jesus clothed with a long robe and golden girdle. (Apoc.1:13).These vestments are similar to those worn by the Levitical priests who offered animal sacrifice (Ex. 28:4). John fur­ther describes Jesus as 'clad in a robe dipped in blood.' (Apoc. 19:13) This is another striking description of Jesus' Slain Condi­tion, and underscores the Presence of Jesus' Blood Sacrifice in Heaven. Saint John also connects Jesus' Slain Condition to its Propi­tiatory Effects on the Father as He then says, 'He will tread the wine press of the fury of the Wrath of God the Almighty.'" (Apoc. 19:15)

"Saint John also writes about those who 'have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.' (Apoc. 7:14) These are the ones who are 'before the Throne of God, and serve Him day and night within  His Temple. (Apoc. 7:15) Again, Saint John connects Christ's Shed Blood with the 'Throne of God' and the 'Temple,' terminology that Saint Paul uses in the Book of Hebrews, as he describes Jesus' Heavenly Priesthood. In this vision, Jesus is including these Saints in the Presen­tation of His Blood Sacrifice 'before the throne' and in the Heavenly 'Temple.' Through Christ's Ongoing Offering, these people were able to defeat the devil 'by the Blood of the Lamb.' (41)  These graphic descriptions underscore the Ongoing Presence and Effects of Christ's Shed Blood in Heaven."

"Jesus connects His Heav­enly Priesthood to the Eucharist in the Apoc­alypse when He says, 'To him who conquers, I will give some of the hidden Manna' (Apoc. 2:17) The manna of the Old Covenant was the bread from Heaven with which God fed Israel during its journey to the Promised Land. It fore­shadowed the True Bread from Heaven which God gives to His Church during its journey to the Promised  Land of Heaven. The Manna is 'hidden' by our senses, but revealed by Faith which God desires from His New Covenant people."

"Thus, as our Eternal High Priest, Jesus invites us through the Eucharist into Covenant Communion with God. He says, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me' (Apoc. 3:20) Because those in Heaven are already in Eternal Communion with God, Jesus is talking about giv­ing His Heavenly Manna to those on earth. This hap­pens during the Celebration of the Eucharist in the Holy Mass: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the Mar­riage Supper of the Lamb.'" (Apoc. 19:9)

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Jesus Is The Ongoing Propitiation for our Sins

"There are additional pas­sages in Scripture which describe the reality and effects of Jesus' Ongoing Propitiation. For example, in the book of Hebrews, Saint Paul says: 'Wherefore, it behooved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren, that He might become a Merciful and Faithful Priest before God, that He might be a Propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that, wherein He Himself hath suffered and been tempted, He is able to Succour them also that are tempted." (Heb. 2:17-18)

"As with his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul connects Jesus' Heavenly Priesthood with His being a Propitia­tion for sin. Saint Paul says that Jesus appears in Heaven as a 'Priest before God' to be a 'Propitiation for the sins of the people.' (v. 17)  Saint Paul does not limit Jesus' Propitiatory Sacrifice to the hill on Calvary, but sees it extending into Heaven through His Perpetual Priesthood. This passage also reminds us of both  Saint Paul and Saint John's imagery of Jesus  appearing 'before' the Throne of God as a Slain Lamb. Jesus is both Priest and Victim in the Heavenly Sanctuary; the One Offering and being Offered."

"Because Jesus is an Ongoing Propitiation, Saint  Paul says that 'He is able to help those who are tempted.' (v.18) This is the purpose and effect of Jesus' Propitiation. Because Jesus Appeases the Father's Wrath through His Heav­enly Sacrifice, the Father responds by granting Grace and Mercy to those who are being tempted. This coin­cides with Hebrews 7:25 and Romans 8:34, where Jesus' Intercession is Cur­rently Taking Place In Heaven  to save those who have fallen into sin. Jesus' Propitiation is Offered Con­tinually because we sin con­tinually, and the Father Wills to be Appeased in order To Forgive us our sins."

Comments:
"But Jesus answered them, 'My Father worketh until now, and I work.'" (John 5:17)  Since Jesus and His Father worked while Jesus was on earth, and since after His Ascension 'Jesus Appeases the Father's Wrath through His Heav­enly Sacrifice' and 'the Father responds by granting Grace and Mercy to those who are being tempted,' how can we mortals expect to have a life of ease,  without suffering, while on this earth?

"Saint Paul further says to the Hebrews: 'Let us then with Confidence draw near to the Throne of Grace, that we  may receive Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need' (Heb. 4:16) The 'Throne of Grace' refers to the place where Jesus appears before the Father as a Slain Lamb. In our time of need, (that is, when we sin), Jesus' Perpetual appearance before the Father Appeases His Wrath against the sin, and we  receive His Grace and Mercy."

"Saint John also describes Jesus as an Ongoing Propitiation in Heaven. He says: 'My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. But if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Just: And He is the Propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole World.'" (1 John 2:1-2); (Notice that Jesus' Propitiation is described in the present tense: 'He is the propitiation.')

"Like Saint Paul in Hebrews 2: 17, Saint John connects Jesus' Advocacy with Propitiation. Because Saint Paul describes our having an Advocate in the present tense ('we have an Advocate'), the Advocacy and its Effects ('He is the Propitiation') are also occur­ring in the present. Jesus' Ongoing Advocacy (or 'Inter­cession' as used in Heb­rews 7:25 and Romans 8:34) brings about the For­giveness of sin by Appeas­ing the Father's Anger against that sin. Like Saint Paul, Saint John underscores the Temporal Relationship between us committing sin (on earth) and Jesus' Propi­tiating the Father to Forgive our sin in Heaven."

"What is the Purpose of Jesus' Ongoing Propitiation in Heaven? To Save us from Sin and Eternal Damnation. Because we constantly struggle with sin, we need Christ's Constant, Propitia­tory Mediation. In re­sponse, the Father forgives our sins and Grants us the Graces we need to Persevere in Faith and Works to the End of our Lives. Saint Paul says, 'Consequently He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make Inter­cession for them' (Heb. 7:25) The phrase 'to make Inter­cession' is from the Greek entugehano which is a pres­ent tense verb that literally means 'to be pleading.'"

"Saint Paul reveals that our Salva­tion depends upon Christ's ongoing Pleading before the Father in Heaven. Because 'God is Love' (1 John 4:8,16) and  the Essence of Love is Sacrifice; Christ's Sacrifice is an Eternal Action. This Action is not limited to Calvary, but is made Present by Christ in Heaven and through His Priests in the Holy Mass. We might even say that 'God is a Sacrifice,' because He Loves us from Eternity to Eternity. May we continue to meditate upon these great Mysteries of our Faith and grow in a Deeper Love with Jesus Christ, Our Paschal Sacrifice." (1 Cor. 5:7) (Ibid.)

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Comments:
Next time you attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass think about the Simultaneous Oblations: those of the Celebrant at the Altar, and those of Our Lord Jesus Christ before His Heavenly Father on the Celestial Throne. That fact proves just how Wonderful is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on earth. That thought should instill in us a deeper appreciation of our Faith, a greater Love for that Stupendous Event, and a resolution to attend, as frequently as possible in the future.

APPARITIONS DURING THE ELEVATION OF THE SACRED HOST

Saint Gertrude  "Our Lord with His Own Hands Lifting On High His Heart in the form of a Golden Chalice, Presenting Himself to the Heavenly Father"

"How Glorious a Gift, how Excellent an Oblation, does the Priest present to the Most Holy Trinity when he elevates the Sacred Host! But, it is not the Priest alone who performs this Act. Jesus, Our Divine Saviour, places Himself before the Eyes of God the Father and Offers Himself to Him in so Sublime a Manner that no created intelligence is capable of comprehending it. We read in the Revelations of Saint Gertrude that she was privileged to see, during the Elevation of the Sacred Host, Our Lord with His Own Hands Lifting On High His Heart in the form of a Golden Chalice, Presenting Himself to the Heavenly Father and making the Oblation of Himself for the faithful in a manner past human comprehension. And Our Lord revealed to Saint Mechtilde: 'I alone know, and perfectly understand, what this Offering is that I daily make of Myself for the Salvation of the Faithful; it Surpasses the Comprehension of Cherubim and Seraphim, and all the Hosts of Heaven."  (42)

Saint Colette  At the Consecration, she was heard to exclaim, "O my God, my Jesus! O Angels and Saints, O men and sinners, what Marvels are these that we see and hear!"

"In the Life of Saint Colette, it is related that once when she was assisting at the Mass said by her confessor, she was heard, at the Consecration, to exclaim: 'O my God, my Jesus! O Angels and Saints, O men and sinners, what Marvels are these that we see and hear!' After Mass, her confessor asked what had made her cry out in this manner. She replied: 'When your Reverence elevated the Sacred Host, I beheld Christ upon the Cross, the Blood flowing from His Precious Wounds; at the same time, I heard Him thus Address the Eternal Father: 'Look upon My Wounds, look upon the Blood that I Shed, consider My Sufferings, consider My Death. All this I endured to save sinners.  Now, if Thou dost consign them to Perdition on account of their Iniquities, and deliver them over to the Devil, what compensation shall I have for My Bitter Passion, for My Cruel Death? The reprobate sinners will render Me no thanks; on the contrary, they will curse Me for all eternity. But if they were saved, they would praise and magnify Me forever in gratitude for My sufferings. For My sake, therefore, spare these sinners, O My Father, and preserve them from eternal damnation.'" (Ibid.)

Saint Mechtilde Celestial Spirits at Mass:  "Three Thousand Angels from the Seventh Choir...around every Tabernacle"

"Besides the Guardian Angels of the faithful who are present, Thousands of Celestial Spirits Assist at Mass, reverently worshipping their Lord and God.  It was revealed to Saint Mechtilde that Three Thousand Angels from the Seventh Choir, the Thrones, are ever in devout attendance Around Every Tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is Reserved. Doubtless, a much greater number are present at Holy Mass, which is not merely a Sacrament, but also a Sacrifice. Hence, it is not lowly mortals alone who call upon God: the Angels Prostrate Before Him, the Archangels Plead in Behalf of men. The Angels are Inflamed with the Love of God; they Behold Him Face to Face. Consequently, they Obtain what they Ask of God more readily than we do by our cold, careless petitions, so full of distractions. It is fitting, therefore, that we Place our Offerings and our Petitions in the Keeping of the Holy Angels, to be presented to the Most High, that He may receive them graciously and pardon our indevotion for the sake of the devotion of the Celestial Spirits with whom we associate ourselves." (Ibid.)

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The Mass: The Perpetual Memorial of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross  (James Cardinal Gibbons)

"The Sacrifice of the Mass is the Consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Oblation of this Body and Blood to God, by the Ministry of the Priest, for a Perpetual Memorial of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. The Sacrifice of the Mass is identical with that of the Cross, both having the same victim and High Priest; Jesus Christ."

"The only difference consists in the manner of the Oblation. Christ was offered up on the Cross in a bloody manner, and in the Mass He is offered up in an unbloody manner. On the Cross He purchased our ransom, and in the Eucharistic Sacrifice the price of that ransom is applied to our souls. Hence, all the efficacy of the Mass is derived from the Sacrifice of Calvary." (43)

MEDIATOR DEI
(His Holiness Pope Pius XII)

Purposes of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass  (His Holiness Pope Pius XII) "Give Glory, Thanks, Propitiation, Impetration"

Hereinafter are several excerpts from the 210 paragraph Encyclical, of His Holiness Pope Pius XII, 20 November 1947. His Holiness listed the purposes as follows:   

“71.  Moreover, the appointed ends are the same. The first of these is to give Glory to the Heavenly Father.  From His Birth to His Death, Jesus Christ burned with zeal for the Divine Glory; and the Offering of His Blood upon the Cross rose to Heaven in an odour of Sweetness. To perpetuate this praise, the members of the  Mystical Body are united with their Divine Head in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and with Him, together with the Angels and Archangels, they sing Immortal Praise to God and give all Honour and Glory to the Father Almighty.”  

“72.  The second end is duly to give Thanks to God. Only the Divine Redeemer, as the Eternal Father’s most Beloved Son, Whose Immense Love He knew, could offer Him a worthy return of Gratitude. This was His intention and desire at the Last Supper when He ‘gave thanks.’ He did not cease to do so when hanging upon the Cross, nor does He fail to do so in the August Sacrifice of the Altar, which is an Act of Thanksgiving or a ‘Eucharistic’ Act; since this ‘is truly meet and just, right and availing unto Salvation.’”  

“73.  The third end proposed is that of Expiation [the action of making atonement for], Propitiation [appeasement] and Reconciliation. Certainly, no one was better fitted to make Satisfaction to Almighty God for all the sins of men than was Christ. Therefore, He desired to be Immolated upon the Cross ‘as a Propitiation for our sins, not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world,’ and likewise He daily offers Himself upon our Altars for our Redemption, that we may be rescued from Eternal Damnation and admitted into the company of the Elect.”  

“74.  The fourth end, finally, is that of Impetration [petition]. Man, being the prodigal son, has made bad use of, and dissipated, the goods, which he received from His Heavenly Father. Accordingly, he has been reduced to the utmost poverty and to extreme degradation. However, Christ on the Cross ‘Offering Prayers and Supplications with a loud cry and tears, has been heard for His Reverence.’ Likewise, upon the Altar, He is our Mediator with God in the same efficacious manner, so that we may be filled with every blessing and Grace.”

Participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice: the Chief Duty of the Faithful  

“80. ...All the faithful should be aware that to participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice is their chief duty and supreme dignity, and that not in an inert and negligent fashion, giving way to distractions and day-dreaming, but with such earnestness and concentration that they may be united, as closely as possible, with the High Priest, according to the Apostle, ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.’ And together with Him and through Him let them make their oblation, and in union with Him let them offer up themselves.”

Mystical Death on the Cross:  "We must all undergo with Christ"

“81. ...Now the exhortation of the Apostle, ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,’ which requires that all Christians should possess, as far as is humanly possible, the same dispositions as those which the Divine

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Redeemer had when He offered Himself in Sacrifice: that is to say, they should, in a humble attitude of mind, pay Adoration, Honour, Praise and Thanksgiving to the Supreme Majesty of God.  Moreover, it means that they must assume to some extent the character of a victim, that they deny themselves as the Gospel commands, that freely, and of their own accord, they do penance and that each detests and satisfies for his sins. It means, in a word, that we must all undergo with Christ a Mystical Death on the Cross so that we can apply to ourselves the words of Saint Paul, ‘With Christ I am nailed to the Cross.’”

"Strive to make the Liturgy, even in an external way, a Sacred Act in which all who are present may share"

“105.  They also are to be commended who strive to make the Liturgy, even in an external way, a Sacred Act in which all who are present may share. This can be done in more than one-way, when, for instance, the whole congregation, in accordance with the Rules of the Liturgy, either answer the Priest in an orderly and fitting manner, or sing Hymns suitable to the different parts of the Mass, or do both, or finally in High Masses when they answer the prayers of the Minister of Jesus Christ and also sing the Liturgical Chant.”

Methods of Participation must be "in complete agreement with the Precepts and the Rubrics"

“106.  These methods of participation in the Mass are to be approved and recommended when they are in complete agreement with the Precepts of the Church and the Rubrics of the Liturgy. Their chief aim is to foster and promote the people’s piety and intimate union with Christ and His visible Minister and to arouse those internal sentiments and dispositions which should make our hearts become like to that of the High Priest of the New Testament.”

Other methods than the use of the Roman Missal is permitted

“108.  Many of the faithful are unable to use the Roman Missal even though it is written in the vernacular; nor are all capable of understanding correctly the Liturgical Rites and Formulas. They can adopt some other method which proves easier for certain people; for instance, they can lovingly meditate on the Mysteries of Jesus Christ, or perform other exercises of piety or recite prayers which, though they differ from the Sacred Rites, are still essentially in harmony with them.” On another occasion, His Holiness sanctioned the recitation of the Rosary for those who are so inclined.

Distinctive Roles of the Priest and the Laity

“82.  The fact, however, that the faithful participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice does not mean that they are also endowed with Priestly power. 

"84.  The Priest acts for the people only because he represents Jesus Christ, Who is Head of all His members and offers Himself in their stead. Hence, he goes to the Altar as the Minister of Christ, inferior to Christ but superior to the people. The people, on the other hand, since they in no sense represent the Divine Redeemer, and are not mediator between themselves and God, can in no way possess the Sacerdotal [of Priests] Power.”

“85.  All this has the certitude of faith. However, it must also be said that the faithful do offer the Divine Victim, though in a different sense.

"The Oblation of the Victim is made by the Priests in company with the people."  

87.  Moreover, the Rites and Prayers of the Eucharistic Sacrifice signify and show no less clearly that the Oblation of the Victim is made by the Priests in company with the people.

"Christians are appointed to give worship to God"

88.  Nor is it to be wondered at, that the faithful should be raised to this dignity. By the waters of Baptism, as by common right, Christians are made members of the Mystical Body of Christ the Priest, and by the ‘character’ which is imprinted on their souls, they are appointed to give worship to God. Thus, they participate, according to their condition, in the Priesthood of Christ.”

“91. But there is also a more profound reason why all Christians, especially those who are present at Mass, are said to offer the Sacrifice.

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Faithful "offer the Sacrifice by the hands of the Priest, but also, to a certain extent, in union with him"  

92.  The unbloody Immolation at the Words of Consecration, when Christ is made Present upon the Altar in the State of a Victim, is performed by the Priest and by him alone, as the representative  of Christ and  not as the representative of the faithful. Now the faithful participate in the Oblation, understood in this limited sense, because they not only offer the Sacrifice by the hands of the Priest, but also, to a certain extent, in union with him. It is by reason of this participation that the offering made by the people is also included in Liturgica1 Worship.”

“93. ...But the conclusion that the people offer the Sacrifice with the Priest himself...is based on the fact that the people unite their hearts in Praise, Impetration, Expiation and Thanksgiving with prayers or intention of the Priest, even of the High Priest Himself, so that in the one and the same Offering of the Victim, and according to a visible Sacerdotal Rite, they may be presented to God the Father. It is obviously necessary that the external Sacrificial Rite should, of its very nature, signify the internal worship of the heart. Now the Sacrifice of the New Law signifies that Supreme Worship by which the Principal Offerer Himself, who is Christ, and, in union with Him and through Him, all the members of the Mystical Body pay God the Honour and Reverence that are due to Him.”

Offering of the Faithful "the offering of themselves as a victim"

Regarding this important function, His Holiness taught:

“98.  In order that the Oblation by which the faithful offer the Divine Victim in this Sacrifice to the Heavenly Father may have its full effect, it is necessary that the people add something else, namely, the offering of themselves as a victim.

"99.  This offering, in fact, is not confined merely to the Liturgical Sacrifice." His Holiness then cites the wish of Saint Peter that we be able as ‘a holy Priesthood, to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.’” (1 Peter 2:5), followed by the exhortation of Saint Paul: 'I beseech you, therefore,…that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice, Holy, Pleasing unto God, your Reasonable Service.' (Rom. 12:1) [A Footnote to the latter verse in the Douay Rheims Bible, states, “That you present your bodies, a Living Sacrifice…Let the eye abstain from sinful looks and glances, and it is a Sacrifice; the tongue from speaking ill and it is a Sacrifice...Your Reasonable Service:...nothing being more reasonable, than for men to serve God with their souls and bodies.” p.1495] “But, at that time, especially when the faithful take part in the Liturgical Service with such piety and recollection...it is then, with the High Priest, and through Him, they offer themselves as a Spiritual Sacrifice, that each one’s faith ought to become more ready to work through charity, his piety more real and fervent, and each one should consecrate himself to the furthering of the Divine Glory, desiring to become as like as possible to Christ in His most grievous Sufferings.”

“102.  All the elements of the Liturgy, then, would have us reproduce in our hearts the likeness of the Divine Redeemer through the Mystery of the Cross, according to the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles, ‘With Christ, I am nailed to the Cross. [I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me.’ (Gal. 2:19-20)] Thus we become a victim, as it were, along with Christ to increase the Glory of the Eternal Father.”  

“103.  Let this, then, be the intention and aspiration of the faithful, when they offer up the Divine Victim in the Mass. Nothing can be conceived more just or fitting than that all of us in union with our Head, Who suffered for our sake, should also sacrifice ourselves to the Eternal Father.”

"Faithful Offer Themselves; their Cares, Sorrows, Distress and Necessities in union with Jesus Christ

“104.  Let the faithful, therefore, consider to what a high dignity they are raised by the Sacrament of Baptism. Let them further be most closely united with the High Priest and His earthly Minister, at the time the Consecration of the Divine Victim is enacted. Nor should Christians forget to offer themselves; their cares, their sorrows, their distress and their necessities in union with their Divine Saviour upon the Cross.” (44)

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The Highest Prayer  (His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X) "The Holy Mass"

“The Holy Mass is a Prayer itself, even the highest Prayer that exists. It is the Sacrifice, dedicated by our Redeemer at the Cross, and repeated every day on the Altar. If you wish to hear Mass as it should be heard, you must follow with eye, heart and mouth all that happens at the Altar. Further, you must pray with the Priest the Holy Words said by him in the Name of Christ and which Christ says by him. You have to associate your heart with the holy feelings which are contained in these words, and in this manner you ought to follow all that happens at the Altar. When acting in this way you have prayed Holy Mass.” (45)

Prayers Offered in Union with the Holy Sacrifice (Sapientiae Splendor) "so Powerful that No Other Prayer can compare with it"

"It is of greatest benefit to us to unite our prayer with that which Our Divine Mediator offers for us upon the Altar, imploring Him to make it one with His; for this Union will render it so Powerful that No Other Prayer can compare with it. In virtue of the Merits of Christ's Passion, the Prayers Offered In Union With The Holy Sacrifice have Infinitely More Value than any other prayers, however long or however fervent. Therefore, if we Unite our poor Petitions which we offer during Mass to the Perfect Prayer of Our Lord, they will, like a copper coin immersed in molten gold, be Beautified and Ennobled, and rendered meet to be borne to Heaven as a Precious Oblation." (46)

Secondary Meaning of Words of Consecration (Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen)

At the same aforementioned conference for Priests, the saintly Archbishop asserted, “And the secondary meaning of the words of Consecration is, and this is what we have to think of: always at that solemn moment we are with Christ, we are going to die. So, we are saying secondarily, ‘This is my body, this is my blood. I care not if the species of my life remain. The accidents and circumstances of duties and responsibilities, let them stay as they are. What I am substantially, intellect, will, body transmute, transubstantiate so that I am no longer mine, but Thine.”  (47)

Wonderful Fruits of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Bishop L.L. Morrow) "Grace, Forgiveness of Venial Sins, Remission of Temporal Penalty, Whole Church participates in General Fruits"

“By means of the Mass, the fruits of the Sacrifice of the Cross are applied to our souls. ...we particularly obtain: 1. (a) Grace to repent of mortal sin. (b) Forgiveness of venial sins for those who are in the State of Grace. (c) Remission of the temporal penalty due to sin. 2. We are sure that our prayers are heard in the Mass, because in it Our Lord Himself prays for us. The fruits of the Mass are granted to the person hearing it devoutly, not only in answer to his prayers, but directly, in virtue of the Sacrifice itself, through which the Merits of Christ are applied to his soul. 3. The whole Church on earth and in Purgatory participates in the general fruits, for the Mass is offered for all.” (p. 272-273)(6)

Holy Souls in Purgatory (Rev. J. McDonnell, S.J.) "Mass: the great means of helping the souls in Purgatory"

“The Council of Trent speaks of the Mass as the great means of helping the souls in Purgatory. ‘This Ecumenical Synod,’ it says, ‘teaches that the souls detained in Purgatory are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar.’ We ought all be zealous to help these poor suffering souls. ‘Although this fire,’ says Saint Augustine, 'is not eternal, it is marvelously intense, and inflicts worse pain than any ever suffered in this world. No physical suffering can equal it, nor even the fearful tortures the martyrs endured.’ And Saint Thomas says that the smallest suffering of Purgatory is more than all the sufferings of a lifetime.” (48)

Other Comments Regarding the Value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

"The Sacrifice on the Cross; the Passion and Death of Christ is the gold mine of Graces; Holy Mass is the machinery that takes the gold out for us. At Mass, a torrent of Graces flows from the Altar of God to enrich men.  God makes use of other means of Grace, such as prayer; but in no other means are Graces applied to us so generously" (Bishop Morrow, pp. 272-273)(6). "Martyrdom is nothing, in comparison with the Mass, because martyrdom is a sacrifice of man to God, whereas the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man." (The Cure of Ars) (49) "If men were to understand the value of the Holy Mass, for every Mass, such crowds would come to Church that police would b e needed to keep

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order.” (Saint Pio of Pietrelcina) (Ibid.) “A Saint has told us that if we had the happiness of assisting often and devoutly at Mass, we should have far more blessing Spiritually and even for our temporal affairs” (The Cure’ of Ars). (50) "Saint Peter Julian Eymard once said, 'Know, O Christian, that the Mass is the Holiest Act of Religion. You cannot do anything to glorify God more, nor profit your soul more, than by devoutly assisting at it, and assisting as often as possible.'" (51)

The late Dr. William Marra, author, lecturer, and former Fordham University professor of philosophy proclaimed the following beautiful statement: “In this Sanctuary, a Sacrifice takes place daily. Christ comes in Person and you are invited to the wonderful world of the Sacred. Here, His Angels are and the souls of His Saints. When we assist at Mass, we are brought into the Palace of God. We breathe the Supernatural, and the Light of Jesus enlightens us. Faithful coming into the Sanctuary will gain us asylum from all earthly distractions and evils.” (52)

On August 24, 1997, Father W. L. Ryan in his Sermon, instructed the faithful at the Carmel of Saint Joseph, Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario regarding the proper conduct at Mass: “The Church expects us, not to look on ourselves as spectators, but to take an active part in this The Greatest Action in the World.  That is why it is so important to have a Prayer Book, or an old Missalette, and to read the Prayers of the Mass along with the Priest. Without this, it is much more difficult to put away distractions and to follow the Mass devoutly.  It is of great spiritual benefit to us to try to understand ever more clearly the meaning of the Mass, and to stir up our Faith, and our Love and Gratitude to Our Lord: Who comes down on our Altar at every Mass in order to renew His Sacrifice, and to apply the Merits of His Sacrifice to the soul of each one of us.  At Mass, we should try to unite with Our Lord in His Sacrifice in the very best way we can, with Faith, Love and Gratitude for such a wonderful Gift. How blessed we are to have the Mass! The old saying is certainly true: ‘It is the Mass that matters.’” (53)

Tremendous Value of the Mass (Prayer Card) "At the hour of death your greatest consolation"

"At the hour of death, the Holy Masses you have heard devoutly will be your greatest consolation. God forgives you all the venial sins which you are determined to avoid.  He forgives you all your unknown sins which you have never confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished. Every Mass will go with you to Judgment and will plead pardon for you. By every Mass, you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins, more or less, according to your fervour. By devoutly assisting at Holy Mass, you render the greatest homage possible to the Sacred Humanity of  Our Lord. Through the Holy Sacrifice, Our Lord Jesus Christ supplies for many of your negligences and omissions."

"By piously hearing Holy Mass, you afford the souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. One Holy Mass heard during your life will be of more benefit to you than many heard for you after your death. Through Holy Mass, you are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which would otherwise have befallen you.  You shorten your Purgatory by every Mass. During the Holy Mass, you kneel amid a multitude of Holy Angels, who are present at the Adorable Sacrifice with Reverential Awe.  Through Holy Mass, you are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs."

"When you hear Mass devoutly, offering it to Almighty God in honour of any particular Saint or Angel, thanking God for the favours bestowed on him, etc., you afford the Saint or Angel a new degree of honour, joy and happiness, and draw his special love and protection on yourself.  Every time you assist at Holy Mass, besides other intentions, you should offer it in honour of the Saint of the Day." (St. Leonard of Port Maurice)  (54)

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THE MASS THE PERFECT SACRIFICE
(Canon G. F. Tanghe)
"It is to God Himself, and to no one but God, that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered."

"Our Divine Saviour instituted the August Sacrament of the Altar that we Christians, who are a holy people, a chosen nation, might in a perfect manner acknowledge God's Supreme Majesty, and might present to Him this homage, which is due to His Infinite Majesty. To this, all the sacrifices of the Old Law were not perfectly adequate; of themselves, they were of little worth, of little merit."

"God's Infinite Majesty could not be honoured by the immolation of beasts, or the offspring of other material objects. It is implied in the Book of Psalms that the Son of God said to His Father, 'Father, I will become man, and having assumed human nature, I will immolate Myself to Thee; I will offer Thee My Body and Blood, not only in expiation of sins, but as a Holy Sacrifice, and that to the end of the world. 'Sacrifice and oblations Thou didst not require, then, said I, behold I come.'" (Ps 39:7)

"What happiness for us, what unspeakable happiness, to have a Sacrifice by which we can in a perfect way honour and serve the Lord Our God, and praise and thank Him, and by which, day by day, we can prove our honour and submission to Him!  O man, did you but  know the Dignity,  the Exaltation of  this Divine Sacrifice, how careful you would be, what fervour you would show in assisting at it! What reverence, what respect, what devotion would you not reveal when you find yourself in Church before the Holy Altars!"

"To exhort you to this, or rather to make you comprehend the worthiness, the greatness of the unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass, you cannot sufficiently reflect, first, to Whom this Sacrifice is offered, and, on the other hand, what it is that is offered up in it. To Whom is it, that the Sacrifice of the Mass,  instituted by Jesus Christ, is really offered? Not to men, not to kings and princes of this earth; not to Saints in Heaven; not to the Queen of Heaven, no matter how perfectly She lived, or how Exalted She now is. No, this Sacrifice is offered, and can be offered to no one but God alone."

"When we erect altars says Saint Augustine, we do not offer on them sacrifices to martyrs or other Saints in Heaven, but to God alone. When we celebrate Mass in honour of Our Blessed Lady, or of other Saints, this merely means that by this Sacrifice we wish to obtain the intercession, the advocacy of Our Blessed Lady and of the Saints; but the Sacrifice is offered to God alone."

"This also the priest distinctly expresses, when in the 'Secret' of the Mass he says: 'We offer up to Thy Glorious Majesty,  of Your own Gifts and Graces, the Pure Offering, the Holy Offering, the spotless Offering.'  And again, when the priest says: We humbly beseech Thee, Almighty God, that this Victim may be carried by the hands of Thy Holy Angel [and placed] on an Exalted Altar, before the Face of Thy Divine Majesty.'"

"It is thus to God Himself, and to no one but God, that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. No one but God may enjoy this honour, for this Honour is Divine.  It is Infinite; and the Victim which is offered is Divine and Infinite also." (55)

THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNIION

Council of Trent  (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.): Father John A. Hardon, S.J. in his book, With Us Today: On the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist presents a discussion on that doctrine, as defined by the Council. What follows are his introductory remarks: "It seems only reasonable to devote one whole chapter to the Church's Eucharistic teaching during the sixteenth century. Why is this teaching so important? Because, during the 1500's, a form of Christianity developed that was consciously not Roman Catholic. This form of Christianity withdrew six whole nations from the Catholic Church and has determined the culture of most of North America, including the United States. Moreover, this form of Christianity, on principle, denies that Christ, at the Last Supper, instituted the Priesthood and empowered ordained Priests to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass at which bread and wine are changed into the living Flesh and Blood of Christ. Consequently, it is imperative to know what the Catholic Church taught as infallible doctrine during this most divisive era of Christian history."

"The main source of information is found in the Council of Trent, which met for eighteen years from 1545 to 1563. During these sessions, the Council issued three extensive documents on the Holy Eucharist in this order: on the Real Presence (October 11, 1551), on Holy Communion (July 16, 1562), and on the Sacrifice of the Mass (September 17, 1562). Since our focus here is on the Real Presence, we will concentrate on what the Council was called

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to defend and declare as defined doctrine on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. There are five Canons specifically defining the Catholic Church's Faith in the Real Presence, and each Canon is worded in the form of an "anathema." Anathema means accursed. Each canon states: 'If anyone says...let him be anathema.' This means anyone who denies one of these five Dogmas is thereby denying a Divinely Revealed Mystery of Faith and ceases to be a Catholic. Looking at each definition in sequence, we will identify each teaching with a title, quote what the Council of Trent defined, and briefly explain each definition." (56)

Meaning of the Real Presence (Ibid.) The whole Christ, is truly, really and substantially contained in the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist.

"The first definition of the Council of Trent is on the Catholic meaning of the Real Presence. The definition reads: 'If anyone says that the Body and Blood together with His whole Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ, is truly, really and substantially contained in the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, but says that Christ is present in the Sacrament only as in a sign or figure or by His power, let him be anathema.'"

"There are four key terms in this solemn definition: 'the whole Christ,' 'truly,' 'really,' and 'substantially' contained. What are we being taught by these definitions? We are being told that the Holy Eucharist means: 'the whole Christ.' Everything which belongs to Christ, everything which makes Christ, Christ is present in the Blessed Sacrament. This consequently means that Christ is present in His Divinity as God and in His Humanity as Man. Christ is present in the Eucharist with His Human Body and Human Soul, with His bodily organs and limbs and with His Human Mind, Will and Feelings, 'the whole Christ.' Latin reads Totus Christus."

"Then we are told Christ is present 'truly' and not only symbolically. He is present objectively and not only subjectively in the minds of believers. He is contained in the Blessed Sacrament. Consequently, if our minds realize this objective fact, we possess the Truth. There is no more precious truth revealed by Christ than the truth that He is on earth, in the Eucharist."

"We are taught that Christ is 'really' present and not only figuratively. The Eucharistic Presence is not a metaphor or figure of speech. It is reality. Christ exists in the Holy Eucharist. During the century when this Real Presence was defined by the Council of Trent, Saint Robert Bellarmine counted the number of meanings given to Christ's words at the Last Supper: 'This is My Body....This is My Blood.' He found among the Protestant scholars more than two hundred interpretations, except the one which says Christ is 'really' present in the Eucharist."

"Finally, this definition tells us that Christ is present 'substantially' and not merely by the exercise of His Power. True, Christ is everywhere exercising His Power. Thus, we can legitimately say that Christ is present in every person in the State of Grace. Christ confers His Grace on those who are in His friendship. But being in the State of Grace is not the same as having the Real Presence of Christ in our bodies and souls."

"The Real Presence in the Eucharist is absolutely unique. Christ is not present everywhere with the wholeness of His Divinity and Humanity – only in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, Christ is present in the fullness of His being. A simple comparison may help to explain what this means. When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Our Lady at Nazareth and announced to Her that She was chosen to become the Mother of the Most High, God as God was present at Nazareth: He was present in the Archangel, He was present in Our Lady. Otherwise there would have been no Nazareth or Gabriel or Mary. A good definition of nothing is where God is absent. But the moment Mary told the Angel 'Be it done unto Me according to your word,' (Luke 1:38) at that instant God began to be present as God-man in the Womb of His Immaculate Mother. We may, therefore, literally say that the Holy Eucharist began at the moment of the Incarnation. It is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, which assumed a Human Nature, which began to be present at the Annunciation, which was born at Bethlehem, died on the Cross and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. It is this Incarnate God Who is present in the Holy Eucharist."

"There is an analogy which may help explain the distinction. When an American author writes a book that is published worldwide, is he present to those people in Japan who read what he has written? Is his influence present in their hearts and minds? Of course. But unless he flies to Tokyo, he is not 'substantially' present to those people.

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The Eucharistic Christ is present on earth not only in the sense that He exercises His Divine Influence on the hearts and minds of human beings. Christ Himself is 'substantially' present on earth in the Blessed Sacrament. Only in the Eucharist is Christ present with the Wholeness of His Divinity and Humanity."

"That is the first defined dogma on the Real Presence: 'the whole Christ' is 'truly,' 'really,' and 'substantially' contained in the Eucharist.  If the verb 'contained' seems strange, it should not be. Why not? Because the physical properties of what had been bread and wine are, as it were, the container which holds the Whole Christ within the limits of their physical extension. You might say that Christ is circumscribed within the limits of the accidents or properties of what, before Consecration, had been bread and wine." (56)

Substance and Accidents (Father James B. Buckley, F.S.S.P.) "Substance is that which makes a thing to be what it is." Only the "Accidents are perceptible to the senses."

“Long before our Saviour’s birth, the pagan Aristotle made the world aware of the distinction between substance and accidents. Substance, which is not in any way perceptible to the senses, is that which makes a thing to be what it is.  Accidents, which are perceptible to the senses (e.g. colour, taste, weight and shape), exist in a substance and not independently of a substance.  Accidents can change without causing a change in the substance. A cow that is branded, for example, has changed only accidentally; it still remains a cow.”

“Whatever makes bread to be bread or wine to be wine is not something perceptible to the senses. When, therefore, Christ, Who is the Truth as well as the Way and the Life, says: ‘This is My Body...This is the Chalice of My Blood,’ His faithful, believing in the Word of God, Who cannot deceive them, understand that the whole substance of bread has been changed into the Substance of Our Lord’s Body and the whole substance of wine has been changed into the Substance of Our Lord’s Blood. This change, says the Council of Trent, has been properly called by the Holy, Catholic Church, ‘transubstantiation.’ Since there is no longer the substances of bread and wine, the accidents which remain exist miraculously without adhering to any substance.” (57) [Another two more miracles]

Transubstantiation (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)

"Having defined the existence of Jesus Christ, true God and true Man in the Eucharist, the Council of Trent then concentrated on how bread and wine are changed into the whole Christ. It had better be changed, otherwise, there is no Real Presence." (56)

"As often as we have heard the word 'transubstantiation,' few Catholics fully know what it means. Transubstantiation means that the substance[s] of bread and wine – what makes them bread and wine – [are] replaced by the whole Jesus Christ. The 'breadness' and 'wineness,' so to speak, are changed into the Living Jesus, true God and true Man, Whole God and Whole Man. It does not merely mean that the substance[s] of bread and wine become the Substance of Christ. The Real Presence is not only the Substance of Christ, but the Whole of Christ – His Substance plus all the human properties of His Humanity."

"Finally, Transubstantiation describes how the physical qualities of bread and wine – their colour, texture, taste and whatever else is perceived by the senses – remain, but they lose their substance[s]. The qualities of bread and wine remain, but their substance[s] are replaced by the Whole Christ. Since Transubstantiation means the Real Presence of Christ, it also means the real absence of bread and wine. To believe this is to be a Roman Catholic."

"In addition, Father John A. Hardon added later in his book, With Us Today  "It is impossible to identify the Holy Eucharist too closely with Jesus Christ. We should remember that He is in the Holy Eucharist not merely with His Substance[s]. I have corrected many of my students over the years who tell me, 'Transubstantiation means the substance of bread and wine become the substance of Jesus Christ.' I reply, 'No, Transubstantiation means that the substance[s] of bread and wine are no longer there. The substance[s] of bread and wine [are] replaced not only by the Substance[s] of Christ's Body and Blood. What replaces the substance[s] of bread and wine is Jesus Christ!' Everything that makes Christ, Christ replaces what had been the substance[s] of bread and wine." (58)

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Comment:
Briefly stated, Transubstantiation means essentially that the substance of the bread and the substance of the wine are replaced, or superseded, or substituted  by the Whole of Jesus Christ, including His Substance.

Jesus Christ Whole and Entire in the Host and Chalice (Catechism of His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X)

"Both in the Host and in the Chalice, Jesus Christ is Whole and Entire, because He is Living and Immortal in the Eucharist as He is in Heaven; hence, where His Body is there also are His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity; and where His Blood is there also are His Body, His Soul, and His Divinity, all these being inseparable in Jesus Christ." (59)

Holy Eucharist:  (Bishop L.L. Morrow)
"In the Holy Eucharist, Christ is present wholly; Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity."

"Where Christ’s living Body and Blood are, there also must be His Soul, for the body and blood cannot live without the soul. And where Christ’s Soul is there also is His Divinity, which cannot be separated from His Humanity." (p. 263)

"By the Blessed Trinity we mean one and the same God in three Divine Persons. (1) The Father is God and the First Person of the Blessed Trinity. (2) The Son is God and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. (3) The Holy Ghost is God and the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity (p. 23). All three Persons are equal in every way, equal in Power and Glory. The attributes and external works of God are common to all Three Persons. However, in human speech we attribute certain works to each Person (p. 24). We cannot fully understand how the Three Divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God, because this is a Supernatural Mystery." (p. 25) (6)

"It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God: Who, together with Thine only begotten Son and the Holy Ghost, art One God, One Lord: not in the Oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of One Substance." (60)

Blessed Trinity Inseparable (Douay Rheims Bible)

"I can do nothing of Myself." (John 5:30) "Footnote: see verse 19. Saint Chrysostom also takes notice, that it may be no less with truth said of the Father, that He can do nothing of Himself, nor without His Son, nor both of them without the Holy Ghost; because both They, and Their actions, are inseparable. Wi."  (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1403); " Amen, amen, I say unto you: the Son cannot do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father doing: for what things soever He doth, these the Son also doth in like manner." (John 5:19)  Footnote:  "The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do. In like manner, (v. 30.) Christ says, I can do nothing of myself. As I hear, so I judge. Again (C. viii. 28.) I can do nothing of myself;  but as the Father has taught me, I speak these things. All these, and the like expressions may be expounded, with Maldonat and the Petavius (1. ii. de Trin. c 4.) of  Christ, as man.  But the ancient Fathers commonly allowed them to be understood of Christ as God, and as the true Son of God proceeding from Him from all eternity; as when it is said the Son cannot do anything of Himself it is true, because the eternal Son is not of Himself, always proceeds from the Father.  2. Because the works of all the Three Persons, by which all things are produced and preserved are inseparable.  3. When it is said, that the Son doth nothing, but what He seeth the Father doing: that He heareth, as the Father hath taught Him, or showed to Him: these expressions bear not the same sense as when they are applied to men, or to an inferior or to a scholar, who learns of his master, and follows him; but here says Saint Augustine to see, to hear, to be taught by the Father, is no more than to proceed from Him, to do and produce by the same action, all that the Father doth and produceth.  This is the general interpretation of the ancient Fathers; Saint Athan, Saint Basil, Saint Greg. Naz. Saint Chrys, Saint Cyril, Saint Amb, Saint Augustine. The words immediately following confirm this exposition when it is said: for what things soever He (the Father) doth, these also in like manner the Son doth, i. e. the very same things by a unity of nature, of will, and by action: nor could these words be true, unless the Son was the same true God with the Father."

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"This must be understood, that He cannot do anything contrary to the Will of the Father.  He does not say, 'The Son does nothing of Himself, but the Son can do nothing of Himself in order to show their likeness and perfect equality.' For by saying this, He does not betray any want of power in the Son; but, on the contrary, shows His great power.  For when we say that God cannot sin, we do not esteem it a want of power; so when the Son  says He cannot do any thing of Himself, His meaning is, that He cannot do any thing contrary to the Will of the Father; which certainly is a great perfection. Saint Chrysostom homily 37 in Joan."

Extent Of Christ's Presence (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.) "Christ is entirely present in every particle of the Conse­crated Host and in every drop of what looks and tastes like wine"

"Having defined what takes place in Transubstantiation, the Council of Trent identified the extent of this Presence. Christ is literally Present wherever the physical properties remain of what had been bread and wine. Says Trent, 'If anyone denies that in the Venerable Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Whole Christ is contained under each of the species and under every portion of either species when it is divided up, let him be anathema.' The key word here is 'species.' The Eucharistic Species are the physical properties of what used to be bread and wine before Transub­stantiation – the species are what is sensibly perceptible in the Holy Eucharist. The species are the size, texture, taste and weight of what was formerly bread and wine."

"What does the Church tell us about the Species? She infallibly teaches that the entire Christ is entirely present in every particle of the Conse­crated Host and in every drop of what looks and tastes like wine. In the Whole Host, Christ is there. Broken in half, Christ is in Both Parts. Even a single particle contains the Whole Living Christ. How this needs to be known and believed in our 'post-modern' Christian world!"

"We are also told that the Whole Christ is Fully and Equally Present in either Species, so we do not have to receive under both forms. A single drop in the chalice after Consecration contains the Whole Christ." (61)

Real Presence Independent of Communion (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.) Christ is Present in the "Consecrated Host or Particles left over after Communion"

"It must seem strange that anyone would come up with the idea that Christ is present only if, and when, and as long as a person goes to Communion, but once Communion is over, there is no more Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. As strange as it may seem, this is exactly what many of the so-called reformers have held. So many peo­ple in the sixteenth century said Christ is present only when, and if, and as long as you are receiving the Holy Eucharist. But the Council of Trent declared: 'If anyone says that after the Consecration, the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ are not present in the marvelous Sacrament of the Eucharist, but are present only in the use of the Sacrament while it is being received, and not before or after, and that the true Body of the Lord does not remain in the Consecrated Host or Particles that are kept or left over after Communion, anyone who denies that, let him be anathema.'"

"If you know what ideas are being circulated today in nominally Catholic quarters, you have no doubt how relevant this cardinal defini­tion is. To deny the doctrine of Transubstantiation is only logical for those who have separated from the Catholic Church to either reject the Eucharist entirely, which some do, or keep the word 'Eucharist' in name and talk about Christ's Presence only in Communion. But we see what happened, and is happening now again, to the meaning of Christ's ' Presence' in the Eucharist once the real meaning of Transubstantiation was lost. You may call it the 'Lord's Supper.' You may call it the 'Liturgy.' You may call it the 'Eucharist.' But people no longer speak of a 'Real Presence' which does not depend on its being received by the faithful."

"I have reasoned with too many priests who are caught up in the mias­ma that is penetrating the Catholic Church today. I tell them: 'Look Father, Christ is present in the Eucharist not only when you or the peo­ple receive Communion. He is present in the Eucharist. Period."

"We had better know – we had better understand – that the Church defined that the whole Christ is present even under a microscopic par­ticle of the Consecrated Host. Once we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, it is only logical then to respect and adore Our Lord, no matter how small the particle or drop from the Chal­ice may be." (62)

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Necessity of Belief in the Eucharist (Saint Francis of Assisi) Doomed are those who see the Sacrament of the Body of Christ on the Altar but do not believe it is really Christ's most Holy Body and Blood

"All, who have seen Jesus in the flesh, but have not seen Him after the Spirit, and in His Divinity and have not believed He was really the Son of God, are doomed.  Also, all those are doomed who see the Sacrament of the Body of Christ, which is Consecrated with the Words of the Lord  on the Altar, and  by  the hand of the Priest,  in the form of bread and wine, but do not see it in the Spirit and  Divinity and  do  not  believe  that it really is Our Lord Jesus Christ's most Holy Body and Blood." (63)

In The Presence of the Lord (Bishop Peter J. Sartain) "Everything about us is individually changed when in the Presence of the Lord."

"The Lord's Presence is always a Loving Presence. Whenever we are in the Presence of Love, our love deepens. You can't be in the presence of Perfect Love without being affected yourself – and also because the Eucharist Itself is the fruit of the Gift of the Lord's Love on the Cross.  The Cross of Jesus is the fruit of our Salvation. And so, when we are  in the Presence of the Lord and Eucharistic Adoration, we are right at the Heart of Salvation. We are right at the Heart of the Lord's Death and Resurrection through which we were saved. And so, everything about the world was changed because of Jesus' Death and Resurrection. Therefore, everything about us is individually changed when in the Presence of the Lord." (64)

A LIVE SACRED HEART WITHIN THE SACRED HOST

Father John A. Hardon, S.J.  "A Living Human Sacred Heart in the Holy Eucharist"

"Therefore, Christ in the Holy Eucharist is here with His Human Heart. Is it a living heart? Yes! That is why the revelations Our Lord made to Saint Margaret Mary about promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart were all made from the Holy Eucharist.”

"Why do we equate the Sacred Heart with the Holy Eucharist? Because the Holy Eucharist is the Whole Christ with His Human Heart. According to Saint Margaret Mary, the Sacred Heart is the Holy Eucharist. So it follows that devotion to the Sacred Heart is devotion to the Holy Eucharist. It is Infinite Love Incarnate Living in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament.” (65)

The Heart "keeps the blood circulating through the body"

“The heart is the muscular pump that keeps the blood circulating through the body. It is essentially a bag or sac the wall of which is composed of muscle. When the muscle contracts, the content (i.e., the blood) is expelled through the outlets into the aorta and the lungs; when the muscle relaxes, the 'sac' fills up with blood through the inlets (from the lungs and venae cavae).” (66)

Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of  Jesus " To Commemorate the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Mystery of the Eucharist"

"On 9 November 1921, Pope Benedict XV instituted the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus to be celebrated on the Thursday within the Octave of the [Feast of the]Sacred Heart with a Proper Mass and Office. The Feast continues to be celebrated in some places and by some communities, notably by the Redemptorists. In instituting the Feast, Pope Benedict XV wrote: 'The Chief Reason of this Feast is to Commemorate the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Mystery of the Eucharist. By this means, the Church wishes, more and more, to excite the Faithful to approach this Sacred Mystery with Confidence, and to Inflame their Hearts with that Divine Charity which Consumed the Sacred Heart of Jesus when in His Infinite Love, He instituted the Most Holy Eucharist, wherein the Divine Heart Guards and Loves them by Living with them, as they live and abide in Him. For in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, He Offers and Gives Himself to us as a Victim, Companion, Nourishment, Viaticum, and Pledge of our future glory." (67)

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Father Mark, a Benedictine Monk "The pierced Heart of Christ...you will find it in the Eucharist"

"If you seek the pierced Heart of Christ, beating with Love for the Father and with Mercy for sinners, you will find it in the Eucharist. The Communion Antiphon of the Mass of the Feast is meant to be repeated and treasured. It is, at once, a promise and an invitation: – 'Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.'" (Mt. 28:20) Father Mark is the Web master of the website, Vultus Christi, on which was posted the statements respecting  the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus in the previous paragraph.  Bishop Edward J. Slattery of the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma gave Father Mark 'a special mandate to live under the Rule of Saint Benedict in adoration before the Eucharistic Face of Jesus.'" (Ibid.)

Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman: A Beating Heart of Jesus in the Sacred Host "most Loving Heart of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist Thou beatest for us still"

"O most Sacred, most Loving Heart of Jesus, Thou art concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and Thou beatest for us still. ...Thou art the Heart of the Most High made Man. ... Thy Sacred Heart is the instrument and organ of Thy Love. It did beat for us. It yearned for us. It ached for our Salvation. It was on fire through Zeal, that the Glory of God might be manifested in and by us. ...In worshipping Thee, I worship my Incarnate God, my Emmanuel." (68) The Beatification of  the Cardinal by His Holiness Pope Benedict XV1 took place on September 19, 2010.

Prayer to the Sacred Heart   "Make my heart beat with Your Heart"  (Newman Prayer Book)

"Oh, my God, My Saviour, I adore Your Sacred Heart, for that Heart is the Seat and Source of all Your Tenderest, Human Affections for us sinners, all Your Divine Charity towards us. When You condescend to suffer me to receive You, make my heart beat with Your Heart. Purify it of all that is earthly, all  that is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel. So, filled with You that in Your Love and Your fear, it may have peace."(69)

Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. "The Sacred Heart in Holy Communion beats within us."

"The Sacred Heart which we honour is not a dead person's heart which no longer palpitates, so that we have only the memory of Him, but it is the Heart of a Living Person, of One who Lives Eternally. He Lives not only in Heaven where His Sacred Humanity dwells in Glory, but He Lives also on earth wherever the Eucharist is reserved. In speaking of the Eucharist, Our Lord says to us, 'Behold, I am with you all days, even to the Consummation of the world.' (Mt. 28, 20) In Holy Communion, then, this Heart beats within us, it touches our heart; through the Love of this Heart, we are fed with His Flesh and with His Blood, so that we may abide in Him and He in us." (70)

Father Edwin Kline "Come to the beating Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist!"

"My dear friends: Come to the beating Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist! Come to His Heart, and make reparation for the sins of irreverence, ingratitude, and sacrilege! Come and offer Him praise, adoration, thanksgiving and love! Come to the beating Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist! Come to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, and He will give you rest! Come, spend an hour, to receive His Love, from His Beating Heart! "

"O Mother of the Heart of Jesus, Who gave us His Flesh and Blood, and His Beating Heart in the Eucharist, draw us to your Son, that we may make reparation, crying out in Eucharistic adoration – 'May the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved with grateful affection at every moment in all the Tabernacles and every Adoration Chapel, of the world, unto the end of time! O Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine, truly Beating and Throbbing in the Eucharist!'" (71)

Comments:
"The Sacred Heart in the Sacred Host must be Beating in the same Rhythm as the Sacred Heart of  Jesus Christ Beating in His Body in Heaven. If according to the Doctrine of the Catholic Church, the Sacred Host contains, inter alia, (1) the Body, Blood and Soul of Jesus Christ in His Sacred Humanity, (2) as well as His Divinity, and if in the Sacred Host there is 'the Whole Christ' with His 'Human' and 'Living Heart,' and if Jesus Christ 'is Living and Immortal in the Eucharist as He is in Heaven,' therefore, the Sacred Heart in the Sacred Host must be Beating in the same Rhythm as His Sacred Heart Beating in His Body  in Heaven. Wow!! And Jesus beholding, said to them: 'With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.'” (Matt.19:26)

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Saint Thomas Aquinas:
"It is clear that what Ecclesiastical Tradition holds about the Sacrament of the Altar contains nothing impossible for God, Who can do all things." (72)

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Why Bread and Wine? (Catechism of the Council of Trent for Parish Priests)  "Bread and wine, which are the ordinary and agreeable food of man"

"Nothing more becomes the piety of the faithful than, omitting all curious questionings, to Revere and Adore the Majesty of this August Sacrament, and to recognize the Wisdom of God in com­manding that these Holy Mysteries should be administered under the species of bread and wine. For, since it is most revolting to human nature to eat human flesh or drink human blood, there­fore, God in His Infinite Wisdom has established the administra­tion of the Body and Blood of Christ under the forms of bread and wine, which are the ordinary and agreeable food of man." (73)

Preparation for Holy Communion (Sacred Congregation of Sacramental Discipline) "'Behold, the Spouse cometh; go forth now to meet Him'"

A Decree "...confirmed by His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X on the 20th of December 1905 enacts as follows: "Instructions  On the eve of your Communion, be more recollected than usual, think often upon the happiness you are to enjoy the ensuing day in receiving your God. As this should be your last thought on re­tiring to rest, so it should also be your first at awakening. — Represent to your imagination that your Guardian Angel addresses you in these words: 'Behold, the Spouse cometh; go forth now to meet Him.' Arise as early as possible to receive the great Guest, who deigns to honour you with His visit. Say your Morning Prayers with more than ordinary fervour, and repair early to the Church, to pre­pare leisurely for the happy moment. If there before Mass begins, ...occupy your mind with thoughts of the great blessings which Our Lord bestows on those who Love Him, and recite prayers...." (74)

Comments:
Those instructions were issued for the benefit of children making their First Holy Communion, but they are also beneficial for other Communicants. The practice of contemplating as the last thought before retiring to rest, and the first thought on awaking, of the most wonderful event that we are going to experience, by the Reception of the Body, Blood, and Soul of Jesus Christ in the  Sacred Host, and, also therein, of the Sacred Divinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, is one practice which we should profitably adopt.

We could extend the period of contemplation on that subject the night before receiving Holy Communion, longer than just the last thought. Then, when we awaken, the happiness which we will enjoy in receiving the Sacred Host that morning could be mostly on our mind from then until the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass commences.  If the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass takes place later in the day, we could meditate on that Magnificent Event, from time to time, when our duties permit.  "And Jesus calling unto Him a little child, set him in the midst of them, and said: 'Amen, I say unto you, unless you be converted, and become like little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.'" (Matt. 18:3) The Footnote reads, "You shall have no place in My Kingdom of Glory, in Heaven, where none shall find admittance but they that are truly humble."

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Preparation for Holy Communion   (Catechism of His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X):

"Preparation before Holy Communion consists in meditating for some time on Whom we are about to receive, and on who we are; and in making Acts of Faith, Hope, Charity, Contrition, Adoration, Humility and Desire to receive Jesus Christ." (75)

The Spiritual Life: A Treatise On Ascetical and Mystical Theology   (by The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D.)

FOREWORD  by His Excellency The Most Reverend Michael J. Curley, D. D., Archbishop of Baltimore.

Profile of The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey S.S., D.D.

"The many American priests who studied under Father Tanquerey at Saint Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, will welcome this English translation of his treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology. After the lapse of more than a quarter of a century, they take pride in recalling that Father Tanquerey published the first volumes of his Dogmatic Theology while he was their teacher. Always perfectly clear, and eminently practical, he had in a marked degree the gift of arousing interest and obtaining the co-operation of his students. These qualities have made his text-books of Dogma and Moral  popular in seminaries and among the clergy all over the world. In this field, Father Tanquerey had many models; the general outline, the questions treated and the method of procedure had been determined long before. Among our many excellent text-books there can be now but accidental differences." 

"It is quite otherwise with Asceticism, the science of the spiritual life. There are indeed innumerable books, ancient and modern, on spirituality, but most of them were written less for instruction than for edification. Very few of them can be looked upon as text-books covering the whole field and in a methodical way. As a theological science, Asceticism is far behind either Dogma or Moral.  Father Tanquerey then appears as one of the pioneers. In his treatise of 800 pages, he has a complete and orderly summary of all the questions of the spiritual 1ife. Nearly one fourth of the, work is devoted to the fundamental doctrines of the elevation and the fall of man and his redemption through the Grace merited by Christ. These first pages constitute a brief review of Dogma from a practical, devotional point of view, and lay a solid foundation for the study of Christian perfection."

"Father Tanquerey's book can be used and is indeed being used as a text-book; but it can be made to serve as well as a devotional treatise for spiritual reading, since it avoids in great measure the stiffness and dryness of the text-book style.  In this work, as in his other writings, Father Tanquerey is what he was in his classroom at Saint Mary's Seminary: clear, lively, and practical, careful to avoid extreme views and to reduce controversies to their proper place."

"A mere glance at the table of contents and 'the alphabetical index will convince priests that they can find in this book an outline for sermons on many important subjects as well as material for their own meditations, or for conferences, or even a complete retreat to Religious."

"Although the treatise was composed chiefly for priests and seminarians, it has also  obtained wide circulation in religious communities and among the faithful who are striving to live a devout life in the world and are looking for a guide to point the way to an enlightened and well balanced piety. Archbishop of Baltimore."
 + MICHAEL J. CURLEY Archbishop of Baltimore (76)

Dispositions to Profit Well by the Reception of the Eucharist (The Very Rev. A. Tanquerey)

"283. B) Since the object of the Eucharist is to effect an intimate, transforming, and permanent union with Christ and God, whatever in our preparation and thanksgiving fosters that union will increase the effects of Holy Commun­ion." a) The preparation will have the form of an anticipated union with Our Lord. We take for granted the union of the soul with God by Sanctifying Grace as already existing; without it, Communion would constitute a sacrilege."

"1) There is first the more perfect accomplishment of all our duties of state in union with Jesus and in order to please Him. This is the best means of drawing unto us Him Whose whole life was a continual act of filial obedience to the Father. 'For I do always the things that please Him.' (John 8:29)"

"2) The second disposition should be a sincere humility, based, on the one hand, on the exalted Sanctity of Jesus Christ and, on the other, upon our lowliness and our unwor­thiness: 'Lord, I am not worthy...' This humility creates,

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so to speak, a void within the soul, emptying it of its egotism, its pride, its presumption. Now, the more we empty ourselves of self, the more ready we make the soul to let itself be inhabited and possessed by God."

"3) To this humility must be added an ardent desire to be united to God in the Eucharist. Realizing our helplessness and our poverty, we should long for Him Who alone can give strength to our weakness, enrich us with His treasures and fill the void within our hearts. Such a desire will, by dilating the soul, throw it wide open to Him Who, in turn, desires to give Himself to us: 'With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you.'" (Luke 22:15) (Ibid.)

Before Holy Communion (Saint Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort) Four Steps

"266. (1) You must humble yourself most pro­foundly before God. (2) You must renounce your cor­rupt interior and your dispositions, however good your self-love may make them look. (3) You must renew your Consecration by saying: 'I am all Thine, my dear Mistress, with all that I have.'  (4) You must implore that good
Mother to lend you Her Heart, that you may receive Her Son there with the same disposi­tions as Her own. You will explain to Her that it touches Her Son's Glory to be put into a heart so sullied and so inconstant as yours, which would not fail either to lessen His Glory or to destroy it. But if She will come and dwell with you, in order to receive Her Son, She can do so by the Dominion which She has over all hearts; and Her Son will be well received by Her, without stain, without danger of being outraged or unnoticed: 'God is in the midst thereof, it shall not be moved.' (Ps. 45:6) You will tell Her confidently that all you have given Her of your goods is little enough to Honour Her; but that by Holy Communion you wish to make Her the same present as the Eternal Father gave Her, and that you will Honour Her more by that, than if you gave Her all the goods in the world; and finally, that Jesus, who Loves Her in a Most Special Manner, still desires to take His Pleasure and repose in Her, even in your soul, though it be far filthier and poorer than the stable where He did not hesitate to come, simply because She was there. You will ask Her for Her Heart, by these tender words: 'I take Thee for my all. Give me Thy Heart, O Mary.' " (77)

Reception of Holy Communion (Catechism of  His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X)

"To receive Holy Communion with devotion means: to approach Holy Communion with humility and modesty in person and dress; and to make a Preparation before, and an Act of Thanksgiving after Holy Communion." (78)

At Holy Communion (Saint Louis Marie Grignion De Montfort)  "Say three times: 'Lord, I am not worthy.'"    

"267. After the Our Father, just before receiving Jesus Christ, you say three times: 'Lord, I am not worthy.' Say the first one to the Eternal Father, tell­ing Him you are not worthy, because of your evil thoughts and ingratitude toward so good a Father, to receive His only Son; but that He is to behold Mary, His handmaid –  'Behold the handmaid of the Lord' (Lk. 1: 38) – Who acts for you and Who gives you a singular confidence and hope with His Majesty: 'For Thou singularly hast settled me in hope.'" (Ps. 4:10)

"268. You will say to the Son: 'Lord, I am not wor­thy'; telling Him that you are not worthy to receive Him because of your idle and evil words and your in­fidelity to His service; but that, nevertheless, you pray Him to have pity on you, because you are about to bring Him into the house of His own Mother and yours, and that you will not let Him go without His coming to lodge with Her: 'I held Him; and I will not let Him go, till I bring Him into My Mother's house and into the chamber of Her that bore Me.' (Cant. 3:4) You will pray to Him to rise, and come to the place of His repose and into the ark of His Sanctifica­tion: 'Arise, Lord, into Thy resting place: Thou and the Ark which Thou hast sanctified.' (Ps. 131:8) Tell Him you put no confidence at all in your own merits, your own strength and your own preparations, as Esau did; but that you trust only in Mary, your dear Mother, as the little Jacob did in Rebecca. Tell Him that, sinner and Esau that you are, you dare to ap­proach His Sanctity, supported and adorned as you are with the Virtues of His Holy Mother."

"269.  You will say to the Holy Ghost: 'Lord, I am not worthy'; telling Him that you are not worthy to receive this Masterpiece of His Charity, because of the lukewarmness and iniquity of your actions, and because of your

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resistance to His Inspirations; but that all your Confidence is in Mary, His Faithful Spouse. You will say, with Saint Bernard: 'She is my greatest security; She is the Source of all my hope.'  You can even pray Him to come Himself in Mary, His In­separable Spouse, telling Him that Her Bosom is as Pure and Her Heart as burning as ever; and that, with­out His Descent into your soul, neither Jesus nor Mary will be formed nor worthily lodged."

After Holy Communion (Saint Louis Marie Grignion De Montfort) "Introduce Jesus into the Heart of Mary"

"270. After Holy Communion, inwardly recollected and holding your eyes shut, you will introduce Jesus into the Heart of Mary. You will give Him to His Mother, Who will receive Him Lovingly, will place Him Honourably, will adore Him profoundly, will Love Him Perfectly, will Embrace Him Closely, and will render to Him, in Spirit and in Truth, many homages which are unknown to us in our thick darkness."

"271.  Or else you will keep yourself profoundly humbled in your heart, in the Presence of Jesus resid­ing in Mary. Or else you will sit like a slave at the gate of the King's palace, where He is speaking with the Queen; and while  they talk to each other without need of you, you will go in spirit to Heaven and over all the earth, praying all creatures to Thank, Adore and Love Jesus and Mary in your place: 'Come, let us Adore.'" (Ps. 94:6)

"272. Or else you will yourself ask of Jesus, in union with Mary, the coming of His Kingdom on earth, through His Holy Mother; or you will sue for Divine Wisdom, or for Divine Love, or for the pardon of your sins, or for some other Grace; but always by Mary and in Mary; saying, while you look aside at yourself: 'Lord, look not at my sins; but let Your eyes look at nothing in me but the Virtues and Merits of Mary.' And then, remembering your sins, you will add: 'It is I who have committed these sins' (Matt. 13:28); or you will say: 'Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man' (Ps. 42:1); or else: 'My Jesus, You must increase in my soul, and I must decrease' (Jn. 3:30); Mary, you must increase within me, and I must be still less than I have been. 'O Jesus and Mary, increase in me, and multiply yourselves outside in others also.'" (Gen. 1: 22 ff.)

"273.  There are an infinity of other thoughts which the Holy Ghost furnishes, and will furnish you, if you are thoroughly interior, mortified and faithful to this Grand and Sublime Devotion which I have been teach­ing you. But always remember that the more you allow Mary to act in your Communion, the more Jesus will be glorified; and you will allow Mary to act for Jesus and Jesus to act in Mary in the measure that you humble yourself and listen to them in peace and in silence, without troubling yourself about seeing, tasting or feeling; for the just man lives throughout on faith, and particularly in Holy Communion, which is an Action of Faith: 'My just man liveth by Faith.'" (Heb. 10:38) (79)

Holy Communion: Supreme Happiness: Joy (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)
"This Saviour is...waiting to flood our hearts...with  as much Joy and Happiness as we are able to bear."

"I say that the intelligence finds its Supreme Happiness in Communion and that, the more often one receives, the happier one is spiritually. God is the Only Source of  Happiness; Happiness is in  Him  Alone, and  He has re­served the right to bestow it through Himself. And well it is for us that we must go to God Himself to find happiness! In this way, we do not devote ourselves to creatures or find in them our highest good. Happiness is not even in the bestowal of the priest. He gives you a share in the fruits of the Redemp­tion, cleanses you  from your sins, and gives you  the peace of a clear conscience; but happiness and joy he cannot give you."

"Mary herself, who is the Mother of Mercy, will lead you back to the right way and will appease the anger of her Son, whom you have offended; but God Alone will give you  Joy and Happiness. The angel said to the shepherds, 'I bring you good tidings of great joy: He Who is its Cause and its Source, your Saviour and God, is born to you.' (Luke 2:11) 'Oh, come, let us rejoice! This Saviour is still on the Altar waiting to flood our hearts, upon His  Entrance therein, with  as much Joy and Happiness as we are able to bear, in anticipation of the Unspeakable and Everlasting Delights of the Homeland of Heaven.'" (80)

Reception of Holy Communion (The Code of Canon Law)

Can. 920 1. “Once admitted to the Blessed Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive Holy Communion at least once a year.”

2. “This precept must be fulfilled during Paschal Time, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year”. Paschal Time “The fifty-six days from Holy Saturday to Vespers on the Saturday following Pentecost.”

“Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming His death, until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). (198)

The Catholic Catechism (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)

He refers to the aforesaid statement by Saint Paul in Corinthians in the previous paragraph, and then states: “The relationship is causal, as Christ had said. Those who receive His Body and Blood will enjoy the parousia; those who reject the Eucharist condemn themselves.” (199)

Parousia

“The second coming of Christ to the earth (1 Corinthians 15:23); references to it are frequent in the New Testament, as the writers describe the ultimate triumph of Jesus and the establishment of His Kingdom (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Matthew 24:3-14; 2 Peter 1:16). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary, © eternal life. used with permission.” (Ibid)

Catechism of the Catholic Church

“The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion each time they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year.” (CCC 1417) (200)

Catechism of the Council of Trent

“The Council of Lateran, therefore, decreed that all the faithful should receive the Sacred Body of the Lord, at least once a year, at Easter, and that neglect of this duty should be chastised by exclusion from the society of the faithful.” (201)

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EFFECTS OF HOLY COMMUNION

Catechism of His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X: "The principal effects which the Most Holy Eucharist produces in those who worthily receive It are these:

(a) It preserves and increases the life of the soul, which is Grace, just as natural food sustains and increases the life of the body.

(b) It remits venial sins and preserves us from mortal sin;

(c) It produces Spiritual Consolation;

(d) It weakens our passions, and, in particular, it allays in us the fires of concupiscence;

(e) It increases in us the fervour of Charity towards God and our neighbour, and aids us to act in conformity with the Will of Jesus Christ;

(f) It gives us a pledge of future glory and of the Resurrection of our body." (81)

HOLY COMMUNION: MEANS OF  SANCTIFICATION

Its Effects  (The Very Rev. A. Tanquerey) "It has been instituted to be the food of our souls"

"277. A). The Holy Eucharist, as a Sacra­ment, produces in us an increase of habitual Grace  [Sanctifying Grace], ex opere operato, by its own virtue. In fact, it has been instituted to be the food of our souls: 'My Flesh is meat indeed, and my Blood is drink indeed' (John 6:55). Its effects are, therefore, analogous to those of material food; it maintains, increases, and repairs our Spiritual forces, causing at the same time a Joy that, if not always sensible, is nevertheless Real. Jesus Himself, Whole and Entire, is our food; His Body, His Blood, His Soul, His Divinity. He is United to us to transform us into Himself; this Union is at once real and moral, a transform­ing Union, and by nature permanent."

Union of Christ and the Christian "We are made not only one Spirit but, in a sense, one Flesh with Christ"

"'The Union of Christ and the Christian as well as the life-giving transfor­mation resulting therefrom are consummated in the Euchar­ist. Here there is no longer a question of adhering to Christ merely by Faith, nor of being incorporated into Him through Baptism. This is a new Union that is at once most Real and most Spiritual by which, it may be said, we are made not only one Spirit but, in a sense, one Flesh with Christ. 'He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me and I in him.'" (John 6:57)

Union is so Intimate

"This Union is so intimate that Our Lord does not hesitate to say:  – As I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me the same also shall live by Me.' (John 6:58) No doubt, this is only an analogy; yet if the analogy is to hold, we must see here not merely a moral union based on a community of sentiments, but a real physical union which implies the mingling of two lives or rather the sharing by the Christian in the very life of Christ.'"

This Union Is Real  "Real and Physical Body and Blood of Christ, ...with His Soul and His Divinity"

"278. a)This union is Real. It is a matter of faith, according to the Council of Trent, that the Holy Eucharist contains truly, really, and substantially the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, with His Soul and His Divinity – hence Christ Whole and Entire. Therefore, when we receive Holy Communion we receive veiled under the Sacred Species the Real and Physical Body and Blood of Christ, together with His Soul and His Divinity. We are, then, not only the Tabernacles but the Ciboriums wherein Christ lives, where the Angels come and adore Him, and where we should join the Heavenly Spirits in Adoration. More, there exists between Jesus and ourselves a Union similar to that existing between food and him who eats it – with this difference, however, that it is Jesus that Transforms us into Himself, and not we who transform Him into our substance. The Superior Being is the One to assimilate the inferior."

The Very Rev V. A. Tanquerey then refers to the following footnote 2., ["This is the remark made by Saint Augustine (Confessions, lib. VII, c. 10, n. 16, P.L. XXXII, 742). He puts these words on the lips of the Lord: 'I am the food of great souls, grow and you shall be able to eat of Me; but you shall not change Me into yourself like you do material food, it will be you that shall be changed into Me.'"]  ­
"It is a Union that tends to subject our flesh more and more to the Spirit and to make it more chaste – a Union that sows in the flesh the seed of immortality: 'He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood hath Everlasting Life, and I will raise him up in the last day.'" (John 6:35) (82)

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Another Union is Added "spiritual in its nature, most Intimate in its character, most transforming in its effects"
"279. b) To this Real Union is added another Union, spiritual in its nature, most Intimate in its character, most transforming in its effects. 1) It is most Intimate, most Sanctifying. The Soul of Christ, in fact, Unites with ours to make us but one heart and one mind with Him –'cor unum et anima una.' His Imagination and His Memory, so Righteous and so Holy, Unite themselves to our own imagination  and our own memory to discipline them and turn them toward God and the things of God, by bringing their activities to bear on the remembrance of His Benefactions, on His Rapturous Beauty, on His Inexhaustible Goodness. His Intelligence, True Light of the Soul, enlightens our minds with the Radiance of Faith; it causes us to see and value all things as God sees and values them. It is then that we realize the vanity of worldly goods and the folly of worldly standards; it is then that we relish the Gospel Truths, so obscure before because opposed to our natural instincts. His Will so Strong, so Constant, so Generous, comes to correct our weakness, our inconstancy, our egotism, by communicating to our wills Its own Divine Energy, so that we can say with Saint Paul: 'I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me.' " (Philip. 4:13)

"We feel now that effort will come easy, that temptation will find us immovable, that steadfastness will no longer be above our strength, since we are not alone, but cling to Christ like the ivy to the oak, and thus share in His Power. His Heart, aglow with Love for God and for souls, comes to enkindle our own, so cold toward God, so tender toward creatures. Like the disciples of Emmaus, we say to ourselves: 'Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He spoke to us in the way?' (Luke 24:32)  It is, then, that under the action of this Divine Fire, we become conscious at times of a well-nigh irresistible impulse toward good, at others, of a sober yet firm determination to do all things, to undergo all suffer­ings for God and to refuse Him nothing."

The Union is Transforming  "Our thoughts, ideas, convictions, and judgments undergo a change."

"280. (1) It is evident that a Union such as this is truly transforming. Little by little our thoughts, our ideas, our convictions, and our judgments undergo a change. Instead of weighing the worth of things with the world's standards, we make the thoughts and the views of Jesus Christ our own; we lovingly accept the Maxims of the Gospel; we continually ask ourselves the question: What would Jesus do if He were in my place?"

"(2) The same is true of our desires, of our choices. Realiz­ing that both self and the world are in the wrong, that the Truth Abides Only In Jesus, The Eternal Wisdom, we no longer desire anything but what He desires, that is, God's Glory, our own Salvation and that of our brethren; we will only what He Wills, 'not my will, but Thine be done;' and even when this Holy Will nails us to the Cross, we accept It with all our heart, certain that It bids fair for our Spiritual Welfare and that of our fellows." 

"(3) Our heart in like manner gradually frees itself from its, more or less, conscious egotism, from its lower natural affections and attachments, that it may love God and souls in God, more ardently, more generously, more passionately. Now, we love no longer Divine consolations, be they ever so sweet, but God Himself; no longer the comfort of finding ourselves midst those we love, but rather the good we can do them. We live now, but we live a more intense life, a life more supernatural, more divine than we did in the past. It is no longer self, the old Adam, that lives, thinks and acts, but Jesus Himself, His Spirit, that lives within us and vivifies our own: 'I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me.'" (Galat. 2:20)

Duration of Union  "Can be as lasting as we wish"

"281. c) This Spiritual union can be as lasting as we wish, as Our Lord Himself testifies: 'He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me and I in him.' (John 6:56) He desires to tarry with us eternally. It rests with us, His Grace helping, ever to remain united to Him." (Ibid.)

Maintenance of Union

"How is this union maintained? Some authors have thought with Schram that Christ's Soul folds itself, as it were, in the centre of our own soul there to remain constantly. This would be a miracle most extraordinary, for Christ's Soul is ever united to His Body and this latter disappears with the Sacramental Species. We cannot, therefore, accept this opinion, since God does not multiply miracles without necessity."

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The Holy Ghost Remains "The Holy Ghost grants us more abundant and more effica­cious Actual Graces"

"281. c)...If, however, His Soul does depart from us together with His Body, His Divinity remains with us as long as we are in the State of Grace. More, His Sacred Humanity united to His Divinity maintains with the soul a special union. This can be explained theologically as follows: The Spirit of Jesus, in other words, the Holy Ghost, dwelling within the Human Soul of Christ, remains in us in virtue of the special relationship we have entered into with Jesus Christ by Sacramental Communion, and produces therein interior dispositions similar to those of the Holy Soul of Christ. At the request of Jesus, Whose prayers for us are unceasing, the Holy Ghost grants us more abundant and more effica­cious Actual Graces. With a special care, He preserves us from temptations; He causes in us movements of Grace, directs our soul and its faculties, speaks to our heart, strengthens our will, rekindles our love, and thus perpetuates within our soul the effects of Sacramental Communion. To enjoy these privileges, however, one must evidently practice interior recollection, hearken attentively to the voice of God, and be ready to comply with His least desire. Thus Sacramental Communion is complemented by a Spiri­tual Communion which renders its effects more lasting."

Special Union with the Blessed Trinity "As we are then Physically United to the Incarnate Word, the Three Divine Persons also are through Him and By Him, united to us"

"282. d) This Communion brings about a Special Union with the Three Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity. In virtue of the indwelling of each Divine Person within the other — Circumincession [The Reciprocal Existence of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity in one another] – the Eternal Word does Not Come Alone into the Soul; He comes with the Father Forever Generating His Son; He comes with the Holy Ghost Forever Proceeding from the Mutual Embrace of the Father and the Son: 'If any one Love Me, My Father will Love him and We will Come to him and We will Make Our Abode with him.' (John 14:23) No doubt, the Three Divine Persons are Already In Us by Grace, but at the Moment of Communion they are Present Within Us because of another, a special title: as we are then Physically United to the Incarnate Word, the Three Divine Persons also are, through Him and By Him, united to us, and They Love us now as They Love the Word-made-Flesh, Whose members we are. Bearing Jesus in our hearts, with Him we Bear the Father and the Holy Ghost. Holy Communion, then, is an Anticipation of Heaven, and, if we are Possessed of a Lively Faith, we shall Realize the Truth contained in the Words of the Imitation, that 'to be with Jesus is a sweet paradise.'" (The Imitation of Christ) (Ibid.)

Saint Augustine of Hippo "I seemed to hear your voice from on high: 'you will be changed into me.'”

"O eternal Truth, true Love, and beloved Eternity, you are my God, and for you I sigh day and night. As I first began to know you, you lifted me up and showed me that, while that which I might see exists indeed, I was not yet capable of seeing it. Your rays beamed intensely on me, beating back my feeble gaze, and I trembled with love and dread. I knew myself to be far away from you in a region of unlikeness, and I seemed to hear your voice from on high: 'I am the food of the nature: grow, then, and you shall eat me. You will not change me into yourself like bodily food; but you will be changed into me.'” (83)

Saint Peter Julian Eymard "Jesus will not be changed into us; He will transform us into His own image"

"The Lord said, 'He that eateth My flesh hath life.' (John 6:55) What life? The Life of Jesus Himself. 'As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me.' (John 6:58) In fact, food imparts its own substance to him who eats of it. Jesus will not be changed into us; He will transform us into His own image." (84)

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Union with the Life of Christ  (Venerable Archbishop  Fulton J. Sheen) "It is not Christ Who is changed into us, as is the food we eat; it is we who are incorporated in Him"

The following are excerpts from the book These are the Sacraments, as described by His Excellency Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

“If Christianity were only the memory of someone who lived over nineteen hundred years ago, it would not be worth preserving. If He Who came to this earth is not God, as well as Man, then we are dealing merely with the fallible and the human. But even granting that He is God in the Flesh, how do we contact Him? Certainly, not by reading books about Him, although they are edifying and instructive; obviously not by singing Hymns, though these do help us emotionally. The human heart craves contact with the beloved. If we can have contact with nature through the food we eat; if lower creation winds up somehow inside of my body, why should not means be provided in order that there might be communion of the soul? This is one of the first effects of Holy Communion: we receive from Christ what we gave to Him. We gave to him our human nature – when, in the name of all humanity, Mary gave Him Manhood, like unto us in all things save sin. He Divinized that human nature because it was made Substantially one with His Divine Person. In Communion, He gives It back to us, Purified, Regenerated, Ennobled, a promise and a pledge of what our nature is to be on the Last Day in the Resurrection of the Just. Our Blessed Lord made it so clear, it is almost difficult to understand how one misses it:

"As I live because of the Father, the Living Father Who has sent Me, so he who eats Me will live, in his turn, because of Me." (John 6:58)

'That they may all be one; that they too may be one in Us, as Thou Father, art in Me, and I in Thee; so that the world may come to believe that it is Thou Who has sent Me. And I have given them the privilege  which Thou gavest to Me, that they should all be one as We are One.' (John 17:21-22)

"In the natural order, a living thing assimilates its food and incorporates it into its own substance. In the Eucharist, the roles are reversed. The Eucharist is Food for our soul, but the Power of assimilation here belongs to Christ, and it is He Who, feeding us, unites us and incorporates us with His life. It is not Christ Who is changed into us, as is the food we eat; it is we who are incorporated in Him. With John the Baptist we say: ‘He must become more and more; I must become less and less.'"

"The moment of Communion is that special intimacy reserved to real lovers. There are three intimacies in life: hearing, speaking, and touching. Our first contact with anyone who loves us is to hear his voice, our second is to see him, the third – and this is reserved only for intimates – is the privilege of touch. We hear of Christ in the Scriptures, we see Him by the eyes of faith, but we touch Him in the Eucharist. He only asks that we should purge our consciences of sin and come to Him, ready to receive what He wants to give us for He knows that we need Him.” (85)

Comments:
Since by Reception of the Sacred Host, "we become sharers in Divine Life," and as Bishop L.L. Morrow advised us – “In the Holy Eucharist, Christ is present wholly, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.  By the Blessed Trinity we mean one and the same God in three Divine Persons. (1) The Father is God and the First Person of the Blessed Trinity. (2) The Son is God and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. (3) The Holy Ghost is God and the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. ...the Three Divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God, ...because all have one and the same Divine Nature." Therefore, when we receive the Sacred Host we are not only united with Our Lord Jesus Christ but also with God the Father and God the Holy Ghost.  Wow!

MYSTERIOUS UNION

"There exists between Jesus and ourselves a Union similar to that existing between food and him who eats it – with this difference, however, that it is Jesus that Transforms us into Himself, and not we who transform Him into our substance. The Superior Being is the One to assimilate the inferior."  (The Very Rev. A. Tanquerey)

"In the natural order, a living thing assimilates its food and incorporates it into its own substance. In the Eucharist, the roles are reversed. ... It is not Christ Who is changed into us, as is the food we eat; it is we who are incorporated in Him. With John the Baptist we say: 'He must become more and more; I must become less and less.'" (Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen) "You will not change me into yourself like bodily food; but you will be changed into me." (Saint Augustine)

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EXHORTATION: HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI
"Eucharistic food is [not] changed into us, we are mysteriously transformed by it."

"Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis Of The Holy Father Benedict XVI
(22 February 2007) To The Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons And The Lay Faithful, On The Eucharist As The Source And Summit Of The Church's Life And Mission."

"70. The Lord Jesus, Who became for us the food of  truth and love, speaks of the gift of His life and assures us that  'if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever.' (Jn. 6:51) This 'eternal life' begins in us even now, thanks to the transformation effected in us by the gift of the Eucharist: 'He who eats Me will live because of Me.' (Jn. 6:57) These words of Jesus make us realize how the mystery 'believed' and 'celebrated' contains an innate power making it the principle of new life within us and the form of our Christian existence. By receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, we become sharers in Divine Life in an ever more adult and conscious way. Here too, we can apply Saint Augustine's words, in his Confessions, about the eternal Logus as the food of our souls. Stressing the mysterious nature of this food, Augustine imagines the Lord saying to him: 'I am the food of grown men; grow, and you shall feed upon Me; nor shall you change Me, like the food of your flesh, into yourself, but you shall be changed into Me.'  It is not the Eucharistic food that is changed into us, but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ nourishes us by Uniting us to Himself; 'he draws us into Himself.'" (86)

Mystery: "Secret, hidden, or inexplicable matter." (87)

Transform: "To make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, character, etc.,"  (88)

CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
"The existence of theological mysteries is a doctrine of Catholic faith"

"The existence of theological mysteries is a doctrine of Catholic faith defined by the Vatican Council, which declares: "If any one say that in Divine Revelation there are contained no mysteries properly so called, but that through reason rightly developed all the dogmas of faith can be understood and demonstrated from natural principles: let him be anathema" (Sess. III, Canons, 4. De fide et Ratione, 1). This teaching is clearly explained in Scripture. ...These texts speak of a mystery of God, which only infinite wisdom can understand, namely, the designs of Divine Providence and the inner life of the Godhead." (89) 

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR FOOD AFTER YOU EAT IT?

"So how does the food we eat become the energy we need to grow and move? The process is complex, but it usually works smoothly because each part of our gastrointestinal tract that includes the esophagus (swallowing tube), stomach, small and large intestine, pancreas, liver and gallbladder has a specific job it does very well. In this article, we will follow food as it moves through the body and learn what happens along the way."

"Our mouth starts things off by breaking up the food with our teeth and starting the digestion of sugars with chemicals called enzymes. Our tongue pushes the food to the back of the mouth where it is then swallowed and travels down the esophagus to the stomach. The esophagus does not digest the food, but it does the important job of pushing the food down into the stomach as well as keeping it from coming back up into the mouth."

"Once in the stomach, further digestion takes place. The stomach produces acid that helps to kill bacteria and other germs that may get into food. The stomach makes an enzyme that starts digestion of protein and releases a molecule that helps with the absorption of vitamin B12. Once filled with food, the stomach grinds and churns the food to break it down into small particles. It then pushes the small particles of food into the first part of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The small intestine is where most of the digestion and absorption of our food takes place. Newborn babies have about 8 feet of small intestine at birth (250cm) and this length grows throughout childhood to between 12 and 22 feet in adulthood (360 to 660cm), depending upon the size of the adult. The long length of small intestine is needed so that enough space is available for our food to be broken down into the most elemental molecules so that it can then be absorbed."

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"In the small intestine, food is processed by different chemicals that are designed for specific components of the meal. Proteins, fats and sugars (carbohydrates) are digested by enzymes released by the pancreas. A tube from the pancreas joins to the duodenum, and all the enzymes travel together into the duodenum when food is present. A separate tube connects the liver and gallbladder to the duodenum. This tube allows bile, which is made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, to mix with food in the intestine."

"Bile is essential for complete fat digestion and for the digestion of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Once the sugars that we eat have been partially broken down by the enzymes of the pancreas, cells lining the small intestine use their own enzymes to fully digest the sugars. Once proteins, fats and carbohydrates are digested, absorption takes place in the small intestine. Most of the digestion occurs in the first part of the small intestine while the absorption of broken down nutrients, water, vitamins, and minerals occurs in the rest of it. 80% of the water we ingest is absorbed in the small intestine."

"Once nutrients are absorbed by the intestine, they pass into the blood stream and are carried to the liver. The liver has the job of processing all the nutrients, vitamins, drugs, and other things we ingest and absorb each day. It will turn protein, sugar, and fat into energy which, with the help of pancreatic hormones like insulin, will feed the cells of our body. The liver also gets rid of the byproducts of drugs and the nutrients we don’t need in bile. In fact, bile is the primary way the body gets rid of excess cholesterol and heavy metals such as copper."

"The large intestine, also called the colon, is not responsible for digestion. Instead, its purpose is to complete water and electrolyte (minerals found naturally in the body, such as potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium) absorption begun by the small intestine. Those components of food that are not needed or cannot be absorbed are excreted from the colon in stool. The color of the stool comes from the tiny amount of bile released from the liver each day that is not reabsorbed."

"The process of turning the food we eat into the energy our cells need is a complex and beautiful process. It requires precise coordination between all the different organs of the GI tract and uses hormones and nerves to allow the organs to communicate. In fact, the GI tract has its own nervous system with as many nerve cells as the spinal cord, allowing us to relax and think about what we are eating without worrying about what happens to it after we swallow!" (90) 

Premises

     "You shall eat me. You will not change me into yourself like bodily food; but you will be changed into me."
      (Saint. Augustine)

      "Jesus will not be changed into us; He will transform us into His own  image." (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)

      "It is Jesus that Transforms us into Himself, and not we who transform Him into our substance. The Superior
       Being is the One to assimilate the inferior." (The Very Rev. A. Tanquerey)

      "It is not Christ Who is changed into us, as is the food we eat; it is we who are incorporated in Him."
       (Venerable Archbishop  Fulton J. Sheen)

      "It is not the Eucharistic food that is changed into us, but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it.
       Christ nourishes us by Uniting us to Himself,; 'he draws us into Himself'.' (Pope Benedict XVI)

Comment: In Conclusion, the Doctrines above enunciated as to what takes place in our bodies upon its reception of the Sacred Host, that "the Eucharistic food" is not "changed into us," must mean that our natural processes upon the consumption of food are suspended; A force above (super) nature is in operation, a supernatural force. "The supernatural is that which is beyond natural powers. It is of two kinds: (a) When the fact is beyond natural powers in the manner of occurrence: as when a blind man instantly can see." (Bishop L.L. Morrow, p.78) (6)

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A miracle is "A marvelous event exceeding the known powers of nature, and, therefore, supposed to be due to the Special Intervention of the Deity"  (91a) Also, "An event caused by a special divine action that does not follow the normal laws of nature and carries a religious message for people now and later." (91b)

Therefore, what happens after we receive the Sacred Host in the Sacrament of Holy Communion must be a Miracle. The suspension of the natural processes makes sense, an example of Divine Wisdom, when we consider what happens, as above described, when we ingest ordinary food. It is out of respect for the Body of Jesus Christ in the Sacred Host that a supernatural power is engaged.

The Doctrine of the Mysterious Union is extraordinary, inspiring, comforting and beautiful. I maintain that it is one of the most important doctrines of our Faith. As St. Pope John Paul II said, "This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. (Rom. 1:16) It is the time to preach it from the rooftops." (Mt. 10:27) (92) – "That what I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light; and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the rooftops." (Ibid.)

I accept the Doctrine as a matter of Faith. It is truly a subject for contemplation when we receive the Sacred Host, when we make our Thanksgiving after Mass, and even afterwards. Why should it not be our duty in life to spread this Good News?

The Most Efficacious Route To Heaven (His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X)

“Holy Communion is the shortest, and surest way to Heaven. There are others: innocence, for instance, but that is for little children; penance, but we are afraid of it; a generous endurance of the trials of life, but when they approach us, we weep and pray to be delivered. Once and for all, beloved children, the surest, easiest, shortest way is by the Holy Eucharist." (93)

Assurance of Eternal Life

"The Divine Sacrament of the Eucharist assures us of Eternal Life, and gives us confidence in fighting to victory against our enemy." (Eucharistic Congress, June 05, 1905).  If that is true, then why would a reasonable person ever miss one day attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, save and except inability to attend? 

The Eucharist Facilitates The Attainment Of Eternal Life  (Catechism of the Council of Trent) "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life":

"Finally, to comprise all the advantages and blessings of this Sacrament in one word, it must be taught that the Holy Eucharist is most efficacious towards the attainment of eternal glory. For it is written: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:55) That is to say, by the Grace of this Sacrament men enjoy the greatest peace and tranquility of conscience during the present life; and, when the hour of departing from this world shall have arrived, like Elias, who in the strength of the bread baked on the hearth, walked to Horeb, the mount of God, they, too, in­vigorated by the strengthening influence of this (heavenly food), will ascend to unfading glory and bliss." (94)

The Writings of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church  (John P. McClernon)
"It is now no longer I who live; but Christ lives in me."

"Although You have re-ascended to Light inaccessible, Your permanent abode, You deign to remain in this valley of tears, hidden under the appearance of a white Host."

"I don't think it is too much to suffer, for the sake of gaining one Communion."

"[After Communion] It is now no longer I who live; but Christ lives in me."

"The very day after my Communion...I was flooded with such extraordinary consolation that I look upon it as one of the greatest Graces in my life."

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"Our Lord does not come down from Heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another Heaven which is infinitely dearer to Him – the Heaven of our souls, created in His Image, the living Temples of the Adorable Trinity."

"Do you realize that Jesus is there in the Tabernacle ex­pressly for you, for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart."

"Kneeling before the Tabernacle, I can think of only one thing to say to our Lord: 'My God, You know that I love you.' And I feel that my prayer does not weary Jesus; knowing my weakness, He is satisfied with my good will."

"On that day [First Communion] it was more than a meeting – it was a complete fusion. We were no longer two, for Thérèse had disappeared like a drop of water lost in the mighty ocean. Jesus alone remained  – the Mas­ter and the King."

"All Heaven entered my soul when I received Jesus, ... it was joy alone, deep ineffable joy that filled my heart. 
I longed for nothing but to receive Him."

"I had the indescribable happiness of going to Holy Communion every day, how wonderful it was....what a Supreme Joy to be united to my Beloved every day!"

"If only I were a priest! How lovingly I would bear You in my hands, my Jesus, when my voice had  brought You down from Heaven. "

"The procession of the Blessed Sacrament was what I loved best, for I could scatter flowers beneath the feet of God!" 

"I wanted to give Him consolation, to draw near to the Tabernacle, to be watched over, tended, and gathered by Him."

"Here, in the silence, I found my one consolation: Jesus, my only friend." (95)

Daniel’s Vision

“I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and lo, One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of Heaven, and He came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented Him before Him. And He gave Him Power, and Glory, and a Kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him: His Power is an Everlasting Power that shall not be taken away: and His Kingdom, that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

Comments
Just imagine, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One Whom Daniel beheld, and Who possesses Power, Glory and a Kingdom, condescends to enter into our sinful bodies – “If we say that we have no sin: we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John: 1:8) "If we say we have not sinned: we make him a liar, and His Word is not in us." (1 John 1:10) 

Sacred Host Dropped: (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

"If a host or any particle should fall, it is to be picked up reverently.  If any of the Precious Blood is spilled, the area where the spill occurred should be washed with water, and this water should then be poured into the sacrarium in the sacristy. (96)

Fourfold Presence of Jesus Christ at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Austin Flannery O.P., General Editor)

"To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in Her Liturgical Celebrations. He is Present in the Sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of His Minister, 'the same now offering, through the Ministry of Priests, Who formerly offered Himself on the Cross', (Council of Trent, Session 22: Doctrine of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, ch. 2), but especially in the Eucharistic Species. By His Power, He is Present in the

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Sacraments so that when anybody baptizes, it is really Christ Himself Who baptizes. He is Present in His Word since it is He Himself Who speaks, when the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Lastly, He is Present when the Church prays and sings, for He has promised 'where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.'" (Mt. 18: 20) (97)

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS

Most Precious Minutes

“The minutes that follow Communion are the Most Precious We Have In Our Lives. They are the minutes best suited on our part for treating with God, and on His part for Communicating His Love to us.” (Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi) (98)

Comment:
You should contemplate that you are having The Most Outstanding Event In Your Lifetime – the Beating of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in your body.

Testimony of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI  ("Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi") "Her last three years of life were a true Calvary of suffering for her." 

“On the occasion of the Fourth Centenary of the death of Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi,” His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter, April 29, 2007, to the Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, Archbishop of Florence, Italy wherein he stated, 'I am pleased to unite myself to the beloved Florentine Church who wishes to remember her illustrious daughter, particularly dear as a symbolic figure of a living love that recalls the essential mystical dimension of every Christian life.  I give thanks to God for the gift of this Saint, which every generation rediscovers as uniquely close by knowing how to communicate an ardent love for Christ and the Church.'”

His Holiness continued: "'The Saint’s great ecstatic fame...the Colloquies'...The apex of the mystical knowledge that God granted of Himself to Sister Mary Magdalene is found in 'Revelations and Intelligences', eight days of splendid ecstasies from the Vigil of Pentecost to the Feast Day of the Trinity in 1585. This was an intense experience that made her able at only 19 years of age to span the whole mystery of Salvation, from the Incarnation of the Word in the Womb of Mary to the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.'"

"Following five years of interior purification, “'The purified love that pulsated in her heart opened her to desire full conformity with Christ, her Spouse, even to sharing with him the – 'naked suffering' – of the Cross. Her last three years of life were a true Calvary of suffering for her.  She was oppressed by atrocious physical and spiritual pain which lasted until her death. Her body has remained incorrupt. Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi continues to be an Inspiring Spiritual Figure for the Carmelite Nuns of the Ancient Observance. They see in her the ‘Sister’ who has traveled the entire way of transforming union with God and who finds in Mary the ‘star’ of the way to perfection.” His Holiness ended the letter about "this luminous figure, the great Mystic" by asserting, “This great Saint has for everyone the gift of being a Spiritual Teacher, particularly for Priests, to whom she always nourished a true passion." (99)

Apparition to Saint Mary Magdalene di’ Pazzi "While the Eucharistic Species remain within us, the Whole Holy Trinity is there"

Father Stefano Manelli, O.F.M. Conv., S.T.D, the author of Jesus Our Eucharistic Love recounts an outstanding episode regarding Holy Communion which deserves our reflections, and it is in reference to the Blessed Trinity. "One day, Saint Mary Magdalene di’ Pazzi was kneeling with arms crossed among the novices after Communion. She raised her eyes heavenward and said, ‘O Sisters, if only we would comprehend the fact that while the Eucharistic Species remain within us, Jesus is there and working in us inseparably with the Father and the Holy Spirit and, therefore, the Whole Holy Trinity is there.'  She could not finish speaking because she became wrapped in Ecstasy.” (100)

Most Heavenly Moments "These minutes in which Jesus is physically Present to our souls and within our bodies" Father Stefano Manelli recommended:  “Let us also then make the following resolutions: That we will so organize our time and our lives that we will remain in Thanksgiving after Holy Communion for at least fifteen minutes; and

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further resolve to allow nothing to stop us from taking this time for Thanksgiving. These minutes in  which Jesus is physically Present to our souls and within our bodies are Heavenly minutes that we should by no means waste.” (101)

Comments:
The descriptions of the period following Holy Communion, during which a Sacred Host is in each of our bodies, as being “Precious” and “Heavenly” are absolutely correct. Such a period represents Heaven on earth, since within the Sacred Host there  are the Body, Blood and Soul of Jesus Christ in His Sacred Humanity, plus the Blessed Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Ghost.

Apparition to Blessed Dina Belanger  "Jesus is there, Whole and Entire, in each Host" 

On February 16, 1925, Blessed Dina Belanger, a French Canadian nun, "was given a special insight into Jesus in the Eucharist. The veil of Mystery was torn apart and she beheld God in His true Presence: 'He is there, my God, Infinite Unity, Adorable Trinity, under the appearance of a small piece of bread. Jesus is there, in His Sacred Humanity, His Heart, His Precious Blood, His Soul, His Eternal Divinity; He is there, Whole and Entire, in each Host consecrated throughout the world and in each fragment of the Consecrated Host.'  Jesus told her: 'You will not possess Me more in Heaven, because I have absorbed you totally.'" (102)

Jesus Christ is Our Divine Guest (Bishop L.L. Morrow)
"Our Lord is actually and personally present in us as long as the appearance of bread remains, for at least ten minutes."  “We should not leave the Church immediately after receiving Holy Communion. We should pray at least ten or fifteen minutes, thanking our Divine Guest. We should thank Our Lord fervently for coming to us; make Acts of Faith, Adoration, Humility, and Love, and beg  Him favours for ourselves and those we love."

"Our Lord is actually and personally present in us as long as the appearance of bread remains, for at least ten minutes after receiving Holy Communion. Shall we treat God the Son coldly, by doing nothing when He comes? For earthly guests, we exert ourselves to the utmost, to entertain them and make their stay enjoyable. Shall we then say to Christ, ‘I am glad You came, Lord. Now goodbye, because I must go home.’ And forget Him?” (p. 299) (6)

Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X
"After Holy Communion, Jesus Christ Abides Within Us by His Grace as long as we commit no mortal sin; and He Abides Within Us by His Real Presence until the Sacramental Species are consumed." (103)

Holy Communion, The Source of Confidence in God (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)
"You have a Friend within, and simple courtesy demands that you listen to Him."

What follows is a beautiful and outstanding teaching on this subject:  “Perhaps you will say to me: ‘But I am dry and lacking in devotion when I receive Communion; nothing comes of it.’ That is because you do not hearken to the intimate Words of Our Lord, because you do not sit at His feet with the self-forgetfulness of Magdalen, who wept tears of Joy even when Jesus spoke not a word to her. Only enter into that secret Word of His which is simply the manifestation of His Sweetness. One can not eat and work at the same time; the Heavenly Bread you are going to receive is no other than the Word Eternal, the Word of Life. You must hear it in peace and repose.”

“Recollection is even more necessary for Thanksgiving than for Preparation. If you start making one act after another, that is childish. That you should take measures in the course of your thanksgiving to keep up your devotion, in case you are not recollected, is well and good. But wait a little while. You have a Friend within, and simple courtesy demands that you listen to Him. That, alas, is just what you do not want to do! This is not understanding Our Lord's thought aright. You imagine that He comes to reproach us for our faults. No, such is not the case. A friend does not come to reproach us and, above all, He does not begin that way. Bear in mind that Our Lord never reproaches us in the first moments of Communion. That is the devil troubling our thoughts in order to prevent us from enjoying the Sweet Communications of Jesus. He tries to make Our Lord out to be a strict Master, a stern Judge, and in that way he frightens us. We are almost persuaded to abandon our Thanksgiving in order to escape the eye of vengeance. Oh, that is not Our Lord's character!"

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“So, if you do not enjoy the consolations of Jesus when He comes to visit you, it is because you do not take time to do so; be free, open your heart. Jesus cannot do everything alone...Our Lord comes to us; but we must enter into intercourse with Him corresponding with the Grace of the moment, which is the Grace of Intimate Friendship. Yes, beyond doubt, all the Divine Attributes belong to Our Lord; but as the Eucharist is the Highest Degree, the Full Expression of the Love of God, so His Character in Communion is Sweetness and Goodness, Goodness not like the Goodness of Heaven, not even like the Goodness He showed during His life on earth, but Goodness which corresponds to His Sacramental State, that is, a Confidential and Heart to Heart Intimacy. ...The Goodness and Sweetness of the Eucharist are the two Divine Means by which God Reunites fallen man to Himself, by which He Attaches him to Himself with the Bonds of Friendship and Intimate Confidence.” The Saint was canonized on December 9, 1962 by His Holiness Pope John XXIII. (104)

Union With The Sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ (Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.) "Our Union with Jesus continues even after the Sacred Species are consumed"

'The Eucharistic Presence of Jesus in us is limited to the brief moments while the Sacred Species last, and ceases as soon as these disappear. However, Jesus expressly said, 'He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood Abideth in Me and I in him.' (John 6:57) Now the word 'Abide' does not signify a passing visit, but is expressive of a stable, permanent state. Hence, from Our Lord's own Words, we can see that our Union with Jesus continues even after the Sacred Species are consumed. And this is the literal truth. First, Union with the Divinity of  Jesus does not cease, since the three Divine Persons dwell continually in souls in the State of Grace; but there is also a certain enduring Union with His Humanity."

"Even when Christ in His Sacred Humanity is no longer substantially present in the one who has received Holy Communion, He is there by the influence of His Opera­tive Presence and by the Effusion of His Grace. The Heart of Christ is no longer with us Sacramentally when the appearances of bread and wine have disappeared, but He still Abides with us Spiritually by the Irradiation of His Love and His Vivifying Action, since we receive through the medium of the Sacred Humanity all that is given to us in the Supernatural Order.  This Spiritual Union with Jesus, with His Sacred Heart, does not necessarily require Holy Communion; the State of Grace suffices. Nevertheless, the Eucharistic Bread nourishes, consolidates, and strengthens this Union, making it more profound in the sense that Jesus always exerts greater influence over the soul of the communicant, and His Divine Heart radiates more completely His Love and all His Virtues in the hearts of those who receive Him in this Sacrament.  Hence, it is not extravagant to aspire to an effective, permanent Union with Jesus and His Sacred Heart; on the contrary, this is the Union which the Church bids us ask for every day in the beautiful Prayer before the communion of the Mass: 'a te numquam separari permittas,' never permit me to be separated from You." (105)   

THANKSGIVING:  MEDIATOR DEI, CONTINUED
"Discipline of the Liturgy demands that whoever has partaken of the Sacrifice of the Altar should return Fitting Thanks to God."

According to His Holiness Pope Pius XII:
“123. When the Mass is over, ... the person who has received Holy Communion is not thereby freed from his duty of Thanksgiving; rather, it is most becoming that, when the Mass is finished, the person who has received the Eucharist should recollect himself, and in Intimate Union with the Divine Master hold Loving and Fruitful Converse with Him.”

“124. The very nature of the Sacrament demands that its Reception should produce Rich Fruits of Christian Sanctity. Admittedly, the congregation has been officially dismissed, but each individual, since he is united with Christ, should not interrupt the Hymn of Praise in his own soul, ‘always returning Thanks for all in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.’... Wherefore, if there is no time when we must not offer God Thanks, and if we must never cease from Praising Him, who would dare to reprehend, or find fault with the Church, because She advises her Priests and faithful to Converse with the Divine Redeemer for, at least, a short while after Holy Communion, and inserts in her Liturgical Books, fitting Prayers, enriched with Indulgences, by which the Sacred Ministers may make suitable Preparation before Mass and Holy Communion or may return Thanks afterwards? So far is the Sacred Liturgy from restricting the interior Devotion of individual Christians, that it actually fosters and promotes it, so that

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they may be rendered like to Jesus Christ and through Him be brought to the Heavenly Father; wherefore this same Discipline of the Liturgy demands that whoever has partaken of the Sacrifice of the Altar should return Fitting Thanks to God. For it is the Good Pleasure of the Divine Redeemer to hearken to us when we pray, to Converse with us Intimately and to offer us a Refuge in His Loving Heart.”

“125. Moreover, such personal Colloquies [conversations] are very necessary that we may all enjoy more fully the Supernatural Treasures that are contained in the Eucharist, and, according to our means, share them with others, so that Christ Our Lord may exert the Greatest Possible Influence on the souls of all.”  (44)

Comments:
What takes place after the Celebrant leaves the Nave?  Usually, most of the congregation leaves it to stand in the lobby, or in the parking lot, to converse with other members of the congregation. Some will even converse in the Nave. Is that conduct any different than what takes place at a concert hall after a performance? The fewest number remain in the Church in prayer.

Idle Conversation (The Following of Christ, Thomas A. Kempis) "We seldom return to silence without some wound to conscience"

“Why are we so fond of speaking and talking idly together, when yet we seldom return to silence without some wound to conscience? The reason why we are so fond of talking is, that we seek consolation from one another by much discoursing together; and we wish to lighten our heart, wearied with various thoughts. And we are very fond of speaking and thinking of those things we very much love or wish for, or that we feel are a contradiction to us. But, alas, it is often vainly and to no purpose; for this outward consolation is no small hindrance to the interior and Divine Consolation. Therefore, we must watch and pray, lest the time pass away without fruit.” (106)

Comments:
Why would anyone deny himself of the opportunity of obtaining The Ultimate Consolation from the Source of Consolation during those Precious minutes when the Sacred Humanity and Divinity of Jesus Christ are within our bodies?  Furthermore, when there is a gathering of persons, there is always the danger of it being an occasion of sin, for example, detraction, or calumny.

An Act of Love (The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual)

"O most Loving Lord, Who art ever Lovely, and never sufficiently loved, I Love Thee with all my heart, and above all things. I consider every moment of my life as lost, which has not been consecrated to Thy Love. Yes, O Divine Jesus, whilst Thou art dwelling within my breast, whilst Thou 'livest in me,' I trust 'Thou knowest that I Love Thee.'" (107)

Prayer Of Saint Thomas Aquinas After Communion "May it be the emptying out of my vices"

“I give thanks to Thee, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed, not for any merits of my own, but solely out of the condescension of Thy Mercy, to appease the hunger of the soul of Thine unworthy servant, with the Precious Body and Blood of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I implore that this Holy Communion be not to me a condemnation unto punishment, but a saving plea unto forgiveness. May it be unto me the Armour of Faith and the Shield of good Purpose.  May it be the emptying out of my vices, the extinction of all concupiscence and lust, the increase of charity and patience, of humility and obedience, and of all Virtues; a strong defence against the snares of all enemies, visible and invisible; the perfect quieting of all my impulses, both fleshly and ghostly; a firm cleaving unto Thee, the One True God; and an earnest of a happy consummation. And I beseech Thee, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring me, a sinner, to that Ineffable Banquet, in which Thou, together with Thy Son and the Holy Ghost, art to Thy Saints True Light, Fullness of content, Eternal Joy, Gladness without alloy and Perfect Happiness. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.”  (108)

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Comments:
Let us pray that we will be inspired to attain that level of spirituality embodied in the following  prayer:  "Let blind and infatuated worldlings intoxicate themselves with the false, transient and fading happiness of this life; for my part, nothing besides Thyself can content me, either in Heaven or on earth.”

Prayer of Saint Bonaventure "That my Soul may ever long to be Dissolved and to be With Thee"

"Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost Soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy Love, with true, tranquil, and most Holy Apostolic Char­ity, that my Soul may ever Languish and Melt with Love and Longing for Thee, that it may Yearn for Thee and Faint for Thy courts, and long to be Dissolved and to be With Thee. Grant that my Soul may Hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the comforting Nourishment of holy souls, our Daily and Supersub­stantial Bread, having all Sweetness and Savour and every Delight of taste; let my Heart ever Hunger after and Feed upon Thee, upon whom the Angels desire to look, and may my inmost Soul be Filled with the Sweetness of Thy Savour; may it ever Thirst after Thee, the Source of Life, the Fount of Wisdom and Knowledge, the Fountain of Everlasting Light, the flood of Pleasure, the Richness of the House of God; may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, attain to Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee, and Do All Things to the Praise and Glory of Thy Name, with Humility and Discretion, with Love and Delight, with ease and Affection, and with Perseverance unto the End; and mayest Thou Alone be ever my Hope, my entire Assurance, my Riches, my Delight, my Pleasure, my Joy, my Rest and Tranquility, my Peace, my Sweet­ness, my Fragrance, my sweet Savour, my Food, my Refreshment, my Refuge, my Help, my Wisdom, my Portion, my Possession and my Treasure, in Whom may my Mind and my Heart remain Fixed and Firm and Rooted Immovably for Evermore. Amen." (109)

Prayer Before A Crucifix "I pray that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart true Repentance for my sins and a firm Desire of Amendment"

"Behold, O kind and most Sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart lively sentiments of Faith, Hope, and Charity, with true Repentance for my sins and a firm Desire of Amendment, whilst with deep Affection and Grief of soul I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Thy five Most Precious Wounds, having before my eyes that which the Prophet David spoke of Thee, O good Jesus: 'They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all my bones.' Amen." (If said before a Crucifix: Plenary indulgence, once a day, after Confession and Communion and prayer for the Pope's intention e.g. at least once each Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be.) (110)

Contemplation During The Day:  Benefits

"Often call to mind during the day that you have received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Repeat frequently this sentence: 'This morning, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, condescended to come and dwell within me, and gave Himself to me,' and make Acts of Love and Adoration. You will thus derive greater fruit from your Communion; you will gain more patience under difficulties, and be more careful in keeping the Grace of God; you will more easily acquire true devotion. You will set a good example, and have a continual inducement to lead a Christian life." (111)

Comments:
The meditative thought in the second sentence is mind boggling when you stop and think about it! Imagine, we – out of the many billion persons on the earth, other creatures of Almighty God – have been given the necessary Cooperating Graces from the Blessed Trinity, through Our Blessed Mother Mary, to receive the Sacred Host. In effect, we are a Tabernacle. In the Sacred Host are present the Live Human Body, Blood and Soul of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Divinity, including God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.

Almighty God comes to us notwithstanding the fact that we are sinners. "If we say we have no sin; we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us," (1 John 1:8) Footnote: "Not that we say or pretend we have no sin; thus truth would not be in us, and we should even make God a liar, Who has declared all mankind guilty of sin. We were all born guilty of original sin; we have fallen, and still frequently fall into lesser sins and failings." 

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"If we say we have not sinned: we make Him a liar. (1 John 1:10)  In A Commentary on the New Testament we find, 'We make Him a liar:' God has expressly stated in Scripture that all men are sinners, and that God sent His Son to save men from their sins." (Mark 2:17; Rom. 3:23-26) (112)

UNWORTHY RECEPTION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

Scripture Verses "The unworthy receiver imitates the Jews in Crucifying Jesus, and trampling under foot His Sacred Blood"

"And  behold they brought to Him a man sick of the palsy lying on a bed. And Jesus seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: 'Son, be of good heart, thy sins are forgiven thee.'" (Matt. 9:2)  Footnote: "Corporal infirmities, as we learn in many places of the Sacred Text, are only the consequences of the sins of the patient. In Saint John (ch. iii.), Christ bids the man whom He hath healed, to sin no more, lest something worse should befall him; and Saint Paul says, that many of the Corinthians were afflicted with various diseases, and with death, on account of their unworthily receiving the Body of the Lord."  "Then  saith He to the man sick of the palsy: 'Arise, take thy bed, and go into thy house.'" (Matt. 9:6)

"Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this Bread, or drink the Chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body and the Blood of the Lord." (1 Cor. 12:27)  Footnote: "The Real Presence in the Sacrament is also proved by the enormity of the Crime, in its Profanation. Saint Chrysostom in a homily "shows that the unworthy receiver imitates the Jews in Crucifying Jesus, and trampling under foot His Sacred Blood. Hence, the dreadful punishments we read of in verses 27 and 30."

Verse 30: "Therefore, are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep."  Footnote: "Therefore, in punishment of the sin of receiving unworthily, many are infirm, visited with infirmities, even that bring death, which is meant by those words, many sleep."

Comments:
I have never heard a Priest warn a congregation that if one receives the Sacred Body, Blood and Soul of Jesus Christ in the Sacred Host, or drinks the Sacred Body, Blood and  Soul of Jesus Christ from the Sacred Chalice, while in the state of MORTAL SIN, he risks Death and the Eternal Fires of hell.

Mortal Sin Disqualifies Reception of Holy Communion  (His Holiness St. Pope John Paul II)

 "36. ...Keeping these invisible bonds intact is a specific moral duty incumbent upon Christians who wish to participate fully in the Eucharist by receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. The Apostle Paul appeals to this duty when he warns: 'Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.' (1 Cor 11:28) Saint John Chrysostom, with his stirring eloquence, exhorted the faithful: 'I too raise my voice, I beseech, beg and implore that no one draw near to this Sacred Table with a sullied and corrupt conscience. Such an act, in fact, can never be called communion, not even were we to touch the Lord's Body a thousand times over, but condemnation, torment and increase of punishment.” 

"Along these same lines, the Catechism of the Catholic Church rightly stipulates that 'anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Communion.'  I, therefore, desire to reaffirm that in the Church there remains in force, now and in the future, the rule by which the Council of Trent gave concrete expression to the Apostle Paul's stern warning when it affirmed that, in order to receive the Eucharist in a worthy manner, 'one must first confess one's sins, when one is aware of Mortal Sin.'" 

"37. The two Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance are very closely connected. Because the Eucharist makes present the Redeeming Sacrifice of the Cross, perpetuating it Sacramentally, it naturally gives rise to a continuous need for Conversion, for a Personal Response to the appeal made by Saint Paul to the Christians of Corinth: 'We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.' (2 Cor 5:20) If a Christian's conscience is burdened by

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serious sin, then the path of Penance through the Sacrament of Confession becomes necessary for full participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice."

"The judgment of one's State of Grace obviously belongs only to the person involved, since it is a question of examining one's conscience. However, in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the Moral Norm, the Church, in her Pastoral Concern for the Good Order of the community and out of respect for the Sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who 'obstinately persist in manifest grave sin' are not to be admitted to Eucharistic Communion.'" (Ecclesia de Eucharistia) (113)

Sacrilegious Holy Communions (Msgr. Vincent Foy, P.H.) "Catholics of child-bearing age using contraceptives is in the neighbourhood of 80%"

"Statistics vary slightly on the percentage of Catholics of child-bearing age using contraceptives. The percentage is in the neighbourhood of 80%. Although many have lost their Faith, many contracept and receive Holy Communion sacrilegiously. This Spiritual Evil is a significant factor in the decline of the Church in Canada. A number of American Bishops have asked that those using contraceptives not receive Holy Communion. The Caution should be announced in Every Diocese and Every Parish. This Caution would be a factor leading some to Repentance, and to the Valid  Reception of the Sacrament of Confession. An end, or near end, to Sacrilegious Holy Communions is an Imperative to the Spiritual Life of Canada." (114)

PROPER ATTIRE – DRESSING FOR SUNDAY MASS
(Father James Doran)
"The Way in which we Dress and Appear in the Church, should be Unique and Special"

We are the beneficiaries of a hard-hitting sermon on the proper dress for attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays, and on other days of the week. “Biblically, when we speak of God’s Holiness, it means His Distinctness and distance from the mundane; 'to sanctify' thus means, 'to separate.' When Saint Paul tells us in today’s Epistle that we must become imitators of God, it means that we must separate ourselves from the manners and thoughts of worldlings, and seek to ‘walk as the Children of the Light.’ This is not an easy task in a world where we are constantly inundated by images of selfishness and self-indulgence; it is for this reason that Saint Paul first indicates the path: Love and Sacrifice in Oblation. Walk in Love, as Christ also hath Loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us, an Oblation and a Sacrifice to God for an Odour of Sweetness." (Eph. 5:2)

“It is through the Mass and the Sacraments, and through the Observance of the Lord’s Day, that this is to be accomplished in each of our lives. We now come to another detail in the Observance of Sunday, and one to be touched on with a certain amount of trepidation.”

“Sunday is a day separate from the rest of the week; it stands out in a Sacramental manner from the other days of the calendar. This Separation of Sunday from the other days of the week symbolizes the Holiness of God, and, in a certain sense, realizes this Holiness in our lives. As we have seen, the Lord’s Day already touches Eternity ... Sunday is the day commemorating  the Resurrection and Victory of Our Lord, directing us to live more Faithfully in the New Creation of Christ. For this reason, there once was, and perhaps still is in Europe, the custom of wearing something new for Easter. Sunday is a Weekly Reminder of this Triumph and the Renewal of all things in Christ.” “We have also seen that Sunday is identified in a Special Way with the Divine Sacrifice of the Mass – the Redemption of Christ on Calvary that has Renewed the World. And I take this occasion to thank the many of you who show your Reverence for Our Divine Lord, in the Correct Way in which you Dress for Sunday Mass.” “The Lord’s Day is Unique and Separate, and we should treat it this way. The Observance of Sunday should also be Unique and Different from the other days of the week. The manner in which we Present Ourselves before God on Sunday, says much about our Christian and Interior Life. Our Demeanour before the Altar of God, and the Way in which we Dress and Appear in the Church, should be Unique and Special, befitting the Holiness of the Day. Clothing is Not a Negligible part of the Observance of the Lord’s Day. Unfortunately, the lax and selfish laziness of the modern world has affected Catholics all too dramatically; even the sense of ‘s’endimancher' has taken on a pejorative sense.”

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“There once was a day when Catholics understood these simple truths. They may have been peasants, but Sunday was the day when their Best Clothing was taken out for Mass. Our forebears may have been poor, one set of special garments may have been all they could afford, but this was kept for Sunday. It is profoundly sad to note how far we have fallen from this nobility. Where once Catholics could pride themselves in their Reverence for God, we now have those who claim to treasure the Traditions of the Church dressed as for a sports match. It is a sad sight to note those who dress better during the week for the purpose of work and lucre, who then appear casually on Sunday before the Altar of God. Are we to think that they respect the office or the bank more than the House of God?”

“It is not my purpose to give you sartorial standards, but only remind you that when you assist at Sunday Mass it must be with Love: treated in an Unique and Distinct manner From Any Other Event In Your Lives. This is not a question of formal wear: tuxedos and gowns, of course; but we should all well know what is expected of each of us when we must dress for an occasion requiring Respect and Seriousness. Dresses, skirts, blouses for the women; ties for the men, and even jackets [or suits], are not exceptional when the occasion calls for Respect and Reverence. Or do we despise the Church of God?”

"Note well also, that I speak of Sunday Mass. It is not that one should appear as a slob at other weekday Masses, but that one has the obligation to dress especially well on Sunday for Mass. It is disheartening to see so many jeans, T-shirts, pants on women, sport shirts, and even athletic wear at Sunday Mass. Are we in the House of God or in a soccer stadium?”

“One might object at this point with one of the clichés of the modern world: ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover,’ or ‘The cowl doesn’t make the monk.’ These, of course, have some sense of truth in them, but not usually in the way in which they are bantered around. They do not mean that there is a total separation between the interior and exterior of a man. If this were the case, they would be false statements. They cannot mean that the outward appearance has nothing to do with a man’s interior. This would be absurd.”

“These sayings mean that an external change alone cannot affect an internal one: and this is completely true. Thus, ‘the cowl does not make the monk,’ is perfectly true that an outer appearance of religion will not mean the conversion of the man. One could dress well at Mass and be a perfect hypocrite; this is true. But to state that a good Catholic, appearing at Sunday Mass, could dress in a slovenly manner, is totally false. Our inner and outer lives are ultimately one. To deny this would be to reduce the average human life to a form of schizophrenia. The man who habitually dresses in a sloppy manner is also sloppy in heart and mind. And a man who appears dressed for sport in the House of God has little faith in the Holiness of the place. Utmost Reverence is necessary when we appear before the Lord, especially on Sunday.” (115)

Comment: Sunday Best No More "Women in modest dresses are the exception":

The expression "one’s Sunday best” fell into disuse decades ago, with the advent of the hippies. Up to then, Catholics attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass did wear their “Sunday best.” Dress today is the antithesis of that custom. I have witnessed every form of attire, save and except bathing suits. However, what is worn sometimes comes close to that style. How often do you observe a man in a suit and tie? Women in modest dresses are the exception. A man admitted that he was tempted to sin against the Virtue of Purity by the immodest dress of a female Extraordinary Communion Minister he was approaching.  Recently at an Easter Vigil, I noticed a man exiting a pew apparently to receive Holy Communion wearing jeans and a quarter-sleeve length, flimsy T-shirt which displayed a large tattoo on one upper arm. He was chewing gum. After a Saturday morning Mass one summer, I noticed a woman wearing mini-shorts; she was apparently related to a Priest who concelebrated the Mass.

If those who dress improperly in the Temple of God were to be invited to a gathering of the upper class, or were to be presented to heads of state, or to prominent business men and women, or to attend graduations, or weddings, or to have a private audience with the Pope, or an interview for employment, they would show more respect on those occasions by the type of their clothing, than they do when they are in the Real and Substantial Presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of lords.  Usually, the manner in which one is clothed for attendance at Mass manifests the extent of one’s belief.

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Just recently, at a First Saturday morning Mass, a male Extraordinary Communion Minister was attired in a white T-shirt on which was emblazoned, in large red coloured letters, the word "Texas." Usually, he wears a black T-shirt of different sleeve lengths, faded blue jeans and white running shoes. "In 1976 at a Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, blasted Catholics who 'go before the Saviour as if they were going for a pizza.'" (Spirit Daily)

Sunday Bulletin Note "Reverence and Modesty in dress are important"

“The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of the Cross. Our Lord Jesus Christ is both the Priest and the Victim. Besides the Presence of God, His Holy Angels and Saints are also present. Therefore, Reverence and Modesty in dress are important. Please take a moment to look at how you are dressed before coming to the Holy Sacrifice. Are you wearing shorts, sleeveless tops, low or plunging neckline, or other clothing inappropriate for the Presence of the King of King’s? Any extra Sacrifice you endure for His sake will be well repaid in time and  eternity.” – Father Howard Venette, FSSP. (116) Oh, if only more Priests would make a statement from the pulpit in the same or similar language!

DAILY RECEPTION OF THE EUCHARIST

His Holiness Pope Paul VI  "The desire of Jesus Christ and of the Church to see all the Faithful approach the Sacred Banquet, each and every day, ..."

What difference would it make to the stability of marriages, and family life, if all members of each family would attend even just one Mass during the week? Even better, why not daily Mass?

In his famous encyclical Mysterium Fidei, On The Holy Eucharist, (September 3, 1965), His Holiness  declared: “66. It is desirable to have the Faithful in large numbers take an active part in the Sacrifice of the Mass each and every day and receive the Nourishment of Holy Communion with a Pure and Holy mind and offer fitting Thanks to Christ the Lord for such a Great Gift. They should remember these words: ‘The desire of Jesus Christ and of the Church to see all the Faithful approach the Sacred Banquet, each and every day, is based on a wish to have them all United to God through the Sacrament, and to have them draw from It the Strength to master their passions, to wash away the lesser sins that are committed every day and to Prevent the Serious Sins to which human frailty is subject.’” (117)

His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X  (Sacra Tridentina: On Frequent and Daily Reception of Holy Communion) "The Holy Fathers of the Church teach that the words, ‘our Daily Bread’...must be understood...as the Eucharistic Bread which ought to be our Daily Food.”

His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X on the subject is as follows: "The Holy Council of Trent, having in view the Ineffable Riches of Grace which are offered to the Faithful who receive the Most Holy Eucharist, makes the following declaration: ‘The Holy Council wishes indeed that at each Mass the Faithful who are present should Communicate, not only in Spiritual desire, but Sacramentally, by the actual Reception of the Eucharist.' These words declare plainly enough the wish of the Church that all Christians should be Daily Nourished by this Heavenly Banquet and should derive therefrom more abundant Fruit for their Sanctification.”
"This wish of the Council fully conforms to that Desire wherewith Christ Our Lord was Inflamed when He instituted this Divine Sacrament. For He Himself, more than once, and in clarity of word, pointed out the Necessity of Frequently Eating His Flesh and Drinking His Blood, especially in these words: 'This is the Bread that has come down from Heaven; not as your fathers ate the manna, and died. He who Eats this Bread shall Live Forever.' From this comparison of the Food of Angels with bread and with manna, it was easily to be understood by His disciples that, as the body is daily nourished with bread, and as the Hebrews were daily fed with manna in the desert, so the Christian Soul might Daily Partake of this Heavenly Bread and be Refreshed thereby. Moreover, we are bidden in the Lord’s Prayer to ask for ‘our Daily Bread’ by which words, the Holy Fathers of the Church all but unanimously teach, must be understood not so much that material bread which is the support of the body, as the Eucharistic Bread which ought to be our Daily Food.”

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"Moreover, the desire of Jesus Christ and of the Church that all the Faithful should Daily Approach the Sacred Banquet is directed chiefly to this end, that the faithful, being United to God by means of the Sacrament, may thence derive Strength to resist their sensual Passions, to Cleanse Themselves from the Stains of daily faults, and to Avoid these Graver Sins to which human frailty is liable; so that its primary purpose is not that the honour and reverence due to Our Lord may be safe-guarded, or that it may serve as a reward or recompense of virtue bestowed on the recipients. Hence, the Holy Council calls the Eucharist 'the Antidote whereby we may be freed from Daily Faults and be Preserved from Mortal Sin.'”

"Accordingly, the Sacred Congregation of the Council, in a Plenary Session held on December 16, 1905, submitted this matter to a very careful study, and after sedulously examining the reasons adduced on either side, determined and declared as follows: ..."

"(6) But since it is plain that by the Frequent, or Daily, Reception of the Holy Eucharist, Union with Christ is Strengthened, the Spiritual Life more abundantly Sustained, the Soul more richly Endowed with Virtues, and the Pledge of Everlasting Happiness more securely bestowed on the recipient, therefore, parish Priests, confessors and preachers, according to the approved Teaching of the Roman Catechism, should Exhort the Faithful Frequently, and with Great Zeal, to this Devout and Salutary Practice.” (118)

Comment:
Apart from it being said by a Priest conducting a retreat or a mission, have you ever heard your parish pastor exhorting you to practice the reception of frequent, or daily Holy Communion?

Father John A. Hardon, S.J.  "The most powerful Source of Grace that married people have access to, to Love one another, Love their children, is Jesus Christ received in Holy Communion."

He again offered the following very excellent advice: “Human nature is naturally selfish. Human beings are naturally self-centred. Human beings are naturally, spontaneously envious. Human beings are congenitally jealous. Human beings, as human beings, cannot and the verb is ‘cannot’ be selfless by their own native power. That’s the verdict of two thousand years of Christianity."

"Over the years, I have counseled married people, ‘if it is humanly possible, receive Holy Communion every day.’ The most powerful Source of Grace that married people have access to, to Love one another, Love their children, is Jesus Christ received in Holy Communion.  And the same holds true for living with others. And the more difficult people are, the more demanding, the more we need – dear Lord how we need – but only Christ can give us by receiving Him in what we casually call ‘Holy Communion.’  But hear it. It is Holy Communion, because by Christ’s coming into our bodies, He Sanctifies us by enabling us to Love others – and in today’s world it is not an exaggeration – heroically! And if need be, to Love others even to Dying for them, it is Holy Communion.” (Emphases added) (119)

Comment:
A knee-jerk retort to the suggestion that daily Mass would be impossible; "our family is too busy; we are all so involved.” First, “With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26)

Daily Mass (Rev. J. McDonnell, S.J.)  "The help that God would give you, and the Grace and Blessing that would go with your work in return for going to daily Mass."

Second, busy with what?  Father McDonnell provides an appropriate reply to such an excuse, “Again, it is a common excuse to say: ‘Well, I should be only too happy to go to Mass every day, if I could; but really it is beyond my power. I have to earn my bread, to support my family, and, even as it is, it is as much as I can do, by constant attention to business, to make ends meet, without sacrificing an hour, or half an hour, of my day to hearing Mass.'
To this I reply: ‘What about the help that God would give you, my friend, and the Grace and Blessing that would go with your work in return for the little Sacrifice you make in going to daily Mass? Do you think God will allow Himself to be outdone in generosity, or that He is not able, by the Blessing and Success He will grant to your efforts, to make up to you, a hundredfold, for the hour or half hour you give to His service?’”

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“You are in business, or in a profession, or otherwise occupied; cannot, and will not, God, in return for the Homage you do Him, by hearing Daily Mass, make your business, or your profession, or occupation a thousand times more successful than your own unaided efforts, even if you were to slave from morning till night, could possibly make it?  Cannot He ward off a thousand sources of failure? Is He likely, in return for your Fidelity in His Service, to allow you and your family to starve or fall into penury? Listen to His own Words on the subject: – 'Be not solicitous, therefore, saying – What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? ... For your Father knoweth you have need of all these things'. 'Seek ye, therefore, first, the Kingdom of God, and His Justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.'" (Matt. 6:31–33) (120)

A Duty and a Privilege: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: (Amber Siscoe)
"The Mass... is the surest means by which we can obtain our Eternal Goal."

"Attending the Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is not just our duty, it is a privilege. How many of us think about how wonderful it is for us to be able to take part in this Sacrifice? The Mass is the most perfect of sacrifices and the most beautiful of prayers. It exceeds all others by far. In the words of Dom Prosper Gueranger " 'the prayer of the Church is, therefore, the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and consequently the most efficacious of all prayers.'"

"There are so many Graces and blessings available through frequent attendance of the Mass, and many of them often go unrealized. If we recognized the many Graces which are made available, and had a better understanding of the benefits we receive from the Mass, it might help us appreciate the Holy Mass more. We should not just attend Mass out of routine or because we are required to do so as Catholics, we should have a love for the Mass and it is something to look forward to and truly want to attend as often as possible. It should be thought of as a privilege and not as a chore."

"In the ages of faith, the Mass was greatly valued by our ancestors. Looking back through history, we find many stories of our ancestors and their relationship with the Holy Mass. They deeply loved and treasured the Mass; it was their most precious gift. The Holy Mass was truly the centre and heart of their lives. They went whenever it was possible, and suffered whatever inconvenience was necessary in order to attend. The faithful commended all their desires and worries to God at the Mass. There is an old Irish proverb that says, 'there is no reward like hearing God's Mass.'  Often they would have to travel a long way to hear Mass – long hard journeys on foot – but these difficulties never caused them to hesitate. They endured this because they understood what the Mass was, and realized what a privilege it was to attend."

"How different was the approach of our ancestors toward the Mass from our present one! As much as devout Catholics reverence the Mass today, it is still difficult to grasp the extent to which our Catholic ancestors, in the ages of faith, cherished the Mass. Many of us are so busy these days that we tend to forget that Mass is a privilege, and instead consider attending it more as a duty, at times even seeing it as an inconvenient obligation.  Due to our busy schedules, instead of making the Holy Mass the highlight of our day, many of us rush to Mass on Sundays and then sigh with great relief afterwards because we got that obligation out of the way and have six more days until we have to worry about it again. We at times sit impatiently through Mass, and, before the priest has barely left the Altar, are anxiously jumping out of our pews and making a beeline for the doors without a word of thanksgiving or even realizing what a privilege it was for us to have attended such a wonderful thing as the Mass. We often show little understanding and appreciation of the importance of what we have witnessed."

"In order to appreciate the Holy Mass, we need to have a clear understanding of what the Mass is and the benefits we can gain from attending. The Holy Mass is the Sacrifice of the New Testament and the source and summit of the Christian life.  The Mass is the re–presentation of  the Sacrifice of Our Lord on Calvary, differing only in the manner in which it is offered. On the Cross, Our Lord offered Himself to the Father in a bloody manner in order to satisfy the Justice of God and merit our redemption.  At the Sacrifice of the Mass, Our Lord offers Himself to the Father under the appearances of bread and wine and applies His Merits to us. The Holy Mass is the source of Infinite Grace, and, therefore, has the Power to transform us both spiritually and intellectually."

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"At every Mass we devoutly attend, we receive an increase of Sanctifying Grace, as well as an increase in Supernatural Faith which enlightens our mind and helps us to believe more firmly the teachings of the Church.  The light of Faith helps us to see the truth in the teachings of the Church, and the knowledge gained by accepting these truths helps to perfect our reason. Our mind is enlightened by the Epistle, Gospel and Collect read at each Mass, as well as meditating on the life of the Saint whose feast we celebrate.  We are further instructed in the Faith by the sermon, and our mind is elevated  by the 'smells and bells,' such as the Chant, incense, and heavenly music, which raise our heart and mind to God. The statues and paintings remind us of the Saints and the heroic lives they lived, which inspires us to imitate them by living heroic lives for Our Lord. The entire Mass is an occasion to further inform our mind by reflection, and grow more deeply in love with Our Lord by considering what He did for us."

"Our spiritual life is greatly affected by participation in the Holy Mass, since the Mass is the source of all Grace. In reverently attending Mass, our venial sins are forgiven, our love for God is increased, and our desire to learn more of Him  is strengthened. 'He who devoutly attends Mass,' wrote Saint Augustine, 'will receive a great vigour to enable Him to resist mortal sin, and there shall be pardoned all venial sins which he may have committed up to that hour.'"

"At Mass we are able to offer to God the sacrifices of our daily life in union with the Infinite Sacrifice of Christ, thereby giving glory to God and helping to save our souls. The more times we assist at daily Mass, the greater will be our reward in Heaven, and the higher our spot when we reach our eternal destination. According to Saint John Vianney if we 'put all the good works in the world against one Holy Mass; they will be as a grain of sand beside a mountain.'"

"The more devoutly  we  participate in the Mass, the more glory we will bring to our Heavenly Father. Our ultimate goal in life is to give glory to God, and there is no better way to do so than by living a life of prayer and sacrifice, and offering our prayers and sacrifices in union with the Sacrifice of Christ at the Holy Mass."

"The Holy Mass is not only a Sacrifice, it is also a Sacrament. When we receive Our Lord in Holy Communion we are receiving Truth itself – the light of the world – and our soul receives the very Source of all Grace and all Goodness. Just as natural food feeds our body, so the Holy Eucharist feeds our soul. Saint Thomas More said: 'My distractions are great, but it is in Communion that I recollect myself. Many times a day I have temptations; it is by daily Communion I get the strength to overcome them. I have weighty affairs to manage, and I have need of light and wisdom to manage them; it is for this very reason that I go every day to consult Jesus about them in Holy Communion.'"

"Holy Communion devoutly received has the power to transform our souls into the likeness of Christ. Saint Teresa of Avila once said that a single Holy Communion well received can make us a Saint. Our entire life should be an act of thanksgiving and preparation to receive Our Lord in Communion."

"The Graces and benefits of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are indeed Infinite; for God is an Infinite Being Who offered the Infinite Sacrifice for us, thereby permitting an Infinite Treasure of Grace to bestow on those who participate in this Sacrifice. The Mass is necessary for us to fully live our lives as Catholics. It is the core of the Christian life, and truly a  privilege for us to be able to attend, and is the surest means by which we can obtain our Eternal Goal.  Saint Leonard of Port Maurice said, 'I believe that were it not for the Holy Mass, as of this moment, the world would be in the abyss.'  Viva Christo Rey!" (121)

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EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

Presence Par Excellence (His Holiness Pope Paul VI) "A more Consoling Source of Devotion, Lovelier Object of Contemplation and Holier in what it contains"

His Holiness exhorts us to consider an outstanding devotion:
"38. ...These various ways in which Christ is present fill the mind with astonishment and offer the Church a Mystery for her contemplation. But, there is another way in which Christ is present in His Church, a way that surpasses all the others. It is His Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is, for this reason, 'a More Consoling Source of Devotion, a Lovelier Object of Contemplation and Holier in what it contains’ than all the other Sacraments; for It contains Christ Himself and it is ‘a kind of Consummation of the Spiritual Life, and, in a sense, the Goal of all the Sacraments.’”

“39. This Presence is called ‘Real’ not to exclude the idea that the others are ‘real’ too, but rather to indicate Presence Par Excellence, because it is Substantial and through it Christ becomes Present Whole and Entire, God and Man. – Mysterium Fidei, Encyclical On The Holy Eucharist." (122)

"The Blessed Sacrament, the Living Heart of each of our Churches"  (His Holiness Pope Paul VI)

"26. The Unique and Indivisible Existence of the Lord Glorious in Heaven is not multiplied, but is rendered Present by the Sacrament in the many places on earth where Mass is celebrated. And this Existence remains Present, after the Sacrifice, in the Blessed Sacrament which is, in the Tabernacle, the Living Heart of Each of Our Churches. And it is our very sweet Duty to Honour and Adore in the Blessed Host which our eyes see, the Incarnate Word Whom they cannot see, and Who, without leaving Heaven, is made Present before us." (123)

The Presence and the Love of Jesus Christ in The Most Blessed Sacrament  (Saint Peter Julian Eymard) "When you visit Him, He forgets your sins and Speaks only of His Joy, His Tenderness, and His Love"

"We believe in the Love of God for us. To believe in Love is everything. It is not enough to believe in the Truth. We must believe in Love and Love is Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. That is the Faith that makes Our Lord loved. Ask for this pure and simple Faith in the Eucharist. Men will teach you; but only Jesus will give you the Grace to believe in Him. You have the Eucharist. What more do you want?"

"If the Love of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament does not win our hearts, Jesus is vanquished! Our ingratitude is greater than His Goodness, our malice is more powerful than His Charity."

"Every time we come into the Presence of the Eucharist we may say: 'This Precious Testament cost Jesus Christ His life. For the Eucharist is a Testament, a Legacy which becomes valid only at the death of the testator.' Our Lord thereby shows us His Boundless Love, for He Himself said there is No Greater Proof of Love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.  The Holy Eucharist is the Perfect Expression of the Love of Jesus Christ for man, since It is the Quintessence of all the Mysteries of His Life."

"He Loves, He Hopes, He Waits. If He came down on our Altars on certain days only, some sinner, on being moved to repentance, might have to look for Him, and not finding Him, might have to wait. Our Lord prefers to Wait Himself for the sinner for Years, rather than keep him waiting one instant."

"How kind is Our Sacramental Jesus! He welcomes you at any hour of the day or night. His Love never knows rest. He is Always Most Gentle towards you. When you visit Him, He forgets your sins and Speaks only of His Joy, His Tenderness, and His Love. By the reception He gives to you, one would think He has need of you to make Him happy."  (124)

Worship of Latria:  "The worship only to God "  (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)

"Once we believe Christ is real­ly present in the Holy Eucharist, it is only logical to conclude that we should worship Him. The last thing we human beings want from anoth­er human being is to be ignored. The same is true with Christ present in the Eucharist. So, now we look at the definition of the Holy Eucharist as the Adorable Sacrament."

"The Council of Trent goes into some detail defining what so desper­ately needs to be known, publicized and practiced today: 'If anyone says that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is not to be adored in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist with the worship of latria, that means the worship only to God, including the external worship, and that, there­fore, the Sacrament is not to be honoured with Extraordinary Festive Celebrations, nor carried from place to place in processions, according to the praiseworthy universal Rite and Custom of the Holy Church, or that the Sacrament is not to be publicly exposed for peoples' Veneration, and those who adore the Holy Eucharist are idolaters, let him be anathe­ma.' (Session 13, can. 4) Human language could not be clearer. Nor could the message be more important."

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"As our reflections go on, we should have ample opportunity to fur­ther explain and expound on the solemn Teaching of the Church on the Adorableness of Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. I have been privileged in working for the Holy See for more than thirty years. I know there is one thing the present Holy Father wants: He pleads and begs the Bishops of the Catholic Church not only to tolerate, but to pro­mote Adoration of the Holy Eucharist. I may be bold to say that the future of the Catholic Church depends in large measure on believing Catholics acting on their belief and Adoring Our Eucharistic Lord."

"However, it is not only the future of the Church which depends on this Mystery of Faith being Believed, Understood and Lived out. It is indeed the Welfare of the Whole World. This I know, because that is my assign­ment from the Vicar of Christ – to do everything in my power to promote Eucharistic Adoration, first among members of the Hierarchy, then among Priests, and then among All the People of God. It is not only the hope of the Holy Father to restore Faith in the Real Presence where it has been removed, but also to Strengthen the Peoples' Faith in the Blessed Sacrament where it is still reserved."       

"Thus, believing in the Real Presence, Catholics will act on what they believe and thereby obtain from Jesus Christ what only He can give – the Light and the Strength to the spiritually blind and paralyzed human beings of today. This comes from the same Christ who walked the streets of Palestine doing good then. He wants to do good now, but it depends on our Faith." (125)

Prayer (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.) "We ask You, Dear Lord, to open our minds"

"Lord Jesus, we thank You for the clear, unambiguous Teaching of Your Church on the Real Presence, but we ask You, Dear Lord, to open our minds to penetrate into the meaning of  the reality we believe, so that believing in You, Whom we do not see with our bodily senses, we may behold You unveiled in that Eternal Eucharist which is the meaning of the Beatific Vision. Amen." (Ibid.)

"THE GREATEST TREASURE AVAILABLE TO MAN IN THIS VALLEY OF TEARS"
(Father John A. Hardon, S. J.)
"Make a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved at least once a month"

"On another occasion, Father Hardon explains why Eucharistic Adoration is the Essence of the Spiritual Life:  “It is impossible in human terms to exaggerate the importance of being in a Church or Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament as often, and for as long, as our duties and state of life allow. I very seldom repeat what I say. Let me  repeat this sentence. It is impossible in human language to exaggerate the importance of being in a Chapel or Church before the Blessed Sacrament as often, and for as long, as our duties and state of life allow. That sentence is the talisman of the highest sanctity.”

"What I am expressing is not a pious practice or a luxury of the Spiritual Life. I am talking about its Essence. Those who believe what I am saying and act on their belief are in possession of the Greatest Treasure available to man in this valley of tears. As by now, thousands of Saintly men and women have testified from experience, that this is somewhere near the Key to Holiness. For this reason, I strongly recommend that each of us make a resolution — no matter how much the decision may cost us — to make a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament exposed or
reserved at least once a month, or, if possible, once a week, and if we have the Grace, and our vocation in life permits it, even several times a week. Think of the empty hours that people spend weekly before the television screen – an average, I am told, of some twenty hours per man, woman and child in America. God help America!”

“Someone may object, ‘But you are talking about mystics or Saints, and I am neither. I am just an ordinary Catholic trying to save my soul.’ My reply: there can be no ordinary Catholics today, not with the revolution through which society is passing and the convulsion in the Church on every level. The Church today needs strong Catholics, wise

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Catholics, Catholics who are not swayed by public opinion, or afraid to stand up for the truth. She needs Catholics who are willing to Suffer for their Convictions and, if need be, Shed their blood for the Faith.”

“Where, we ask, can they obtain this strength and wisdom, this patience and conviction and this loyal love of God that is faithful unto death? They can obtain it from the One who said, ‘Have courage, I have overcome the world.’ He is not two thousand years away, or absent from the earth in a distant Heaven that cannot be spanned. No, He is right here in the Eucharist.  And He wants nothing more than that we also be with Him as much as we can. If we are, and the more we are — as the great Eucharistic Saints tell us — He will not only make us Holy, but He will use us as He used those in Palestine who, when He first made the promise of the Eucharist, did not walk away. He will use us as Channels of His Grace even to the Ends of the Earth and until the End of Time.”  (126)

On Our Altars  (Bishop Richard Challoner, D.D., 1691-1781) "The Son of God remains upon our Altars not only during Mass, but likewise at other times"

"The Son of God remains upon our Altars not only during Mass, but likewise at other times, first to hear and favourably to receive our prayers, and to continue the same mediation between God and man which He exercised upon the Cross; secondly, to receive our visits, our homage, and adorations; hence, those Christians who visit Him seldom, coldly through custom or with indifference, are highly blameable for thus appearing before their God, their Saviour, and their Judge, without either reverence, love or fear; thirdly, to console us under afflictions, to support us in difficulties, and to resolve and dissipate our doubts, according to what is written. Let us go to the Son of Joseph, and He will console us; and as a prophet said to a prince, who went to consult a false god; 'Is it because there is no God in Israel?' fourthly, to be our nourishment during life, and our viaticum at the hour of death."

"Will not, however, the Son of God have reason one day to reproach multitudes of Christians who either neglect to visit Him in the Most Holy Sacrament, or do so with very little devotion; will He not have reason to reproach them with their irreverence and want of faith; saying to them 'There hath stood One in the midst of you Whom ye knew not.' You have neglected to know and visit God Who was in the midst of you. In vain have I performed Prodigies of Power, Wisdom, and Bounty in the Blessed Eucharist, that I might gain your hearts; you would not interrupt your employments, nor even your pleasure to come and pay Me your homage."

"To answer the ends, therefore, for which Jesus Christ is always Present in the Most Holy Sacrament, we should visit Him, hear Mass, and attend at Benediction with all the Respect and Submission of courtiers before their king, with the Recollection and Fervour of Angels before their God, and with the humble fear of criminals before their judge, and with the Confidence and Love of children before their father." (127)

Tribute to Bishop Richard Challoner "Those courageous and faithful few, clerical and lay members of 18th century English society"

"As Catholics, we know that Christ promised that He would be with His Church all days, even to the consummation of the world, but that does not mean that in some countries the Faith might not die out, and certainly in England it was only saved by the Grace of God, the sacrifices of  generations of Catholics, and by those courageous and faithful few, clerical and lay members of 18th century English society, of which number Bishop Challoner was an outstanding and inspirational leader." (128)

The Most Ardent Desire of Jesus as Man in The Tabernacles is Our Visitation  (Father F. X. Lasance)

"True, the Blessed Spirits hover around Him continually in Holy Adoration, but since He offers Himself here as Man for man, it is His most ardent desire that men should testify their love by visiting Him frequently and thus making His heavy Cross more bearable." (129)

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CATECHISM ON THE REAL PRESENCE
(Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, The Cure of Ars)
Jesus is "waiting for us to come and visit Him, and make our request to Him "

"OUR LORD is hidden there, waiting for us to come and visit Him, and make our request to Him. See how good He is! He accommodates Himself to our weakness. In Heaven, where we shall be glorious and triumphant, we shall see Him in all His glory. If He had presented Himself before us in that glory now, we should not have dared to approach Him; but He hides Himself, like a person in a prison, who might say to us, 'You do not see me, but that is no matter; ask of me all you wish and I will grant it.' He is there in the Sacrament of His love, sighing and interceding incessantly with His Father for sinners. To what outrages does He not expose Himself, that He may remain in the midst of us! He is there to console us; and, therefore, we ought often to visit Him. How pleasing to Him is the short quarter of an hour that we steal from our occupations, from something of no use, to come and pray to Him, to visit Him, to console Him for all the outrages He receives! When He sees pure souls coming eagerly to Him, He smiles upon them. They come with that simplicity which pleases Him so much, to ask His pardon for all sinners, for the outrages of so many ungrateful men. What happiness do we not feel in the Presence of God, when we find ourselves alone at His feet before the holy tabernacles! 'Come, my soul, redouble thy fervour; thou art alone adoring thy God. His eyes rest upon thee alone.'  This good Saviour is so full of love for us that He seeks us out everywhere." (130)

De–Eucharization (Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen)  "He's been shoved off to a corner and some Priest stands before the Altar as a kind of tin God."

At the aforementioned Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia, "Before a huge crowd of 50,000," [which my wife, Marie, and I attended] famed T.V. evangelist, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen laid it on the line: "respect for the Eucharist was waning," he warned. There was the beginning of what he called a 'de-Eucharization.' "How often have I entered small churches, and I have had to search for Our Lord in the Eucharist. I say with Mary Magdalen, 'They've taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him.' He's been shoved off to a corner and some Priest stands before the Altar as a kind of tin God."

"Nuns should be in classrooms, said Sheen, and everyone should practice a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament.  He said priests making the Holy Hour 'will spew forth sparks in the pulpit and the people will love you.' He told nuns that a Holy Hour would enlighten them as to how much they are needed by school children. He blasted Catholics who were going to Mass 'in the state of mortal sin' and those who 'go before the Saviour as if they were going for a pizza.' As for women clergy: 'Mary was not a priest,' he said. 'If the Lord wanted women to be Priests, He would have made His own Mother a Priest.'" (Spirit Daily)

Holy Hour (Father Joseph Poisson, F.S.S.P.) Read what inspired Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to make a daily Holy Hour:
"In the recent writings of Father Martin Lucia, M.S.S., he reminds us that the Catholic Church teaches us that the most efficacious prayer is prayer in the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Prayer in the Divine Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament releases the power, blessings and Graces of God upon mankind."

"One of the best examples of this comes from Sacred Scripture. Jesus asked His Apostles who touched Him, because He felt the Power go out from Him. He was referring to a woman who made an act of faith by touching the hem of His garment, knowing that by doing so she would be healed. Each time we go to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we touch His Most Sacred Heart with our faith. Each Holy Hour we make in the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament releases His Power and Graces upon us, our family, our parish, our diocese and the world. This is why Pope John Paul II said that 'the Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic Adoration,' and consequently, during his Pontificate, he promoted the establishment of Perpetual Adoration Chapels throughout the world."

"Saint Faustina wrote in her diary that each Holy Hour of prayer so pleases the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, that every man, woman and child on earth receives a new effect from God's Goodness and Love, all because of the value of a single Holy Hour made in His Presence."

"Blessed Dina Belanger [a French Canadian nun] had a great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus revealed to Blessed Dina the Power of the Holy Hour as Reparation. Reparation is when we repair for, or make up for, what is lacking in the life of another person. One day, before her Holy Hour, Jesus showed Blessed Dina a multitude of souls on the precipice of hell. After her Holy Hour, Jesus showed the same souls going to Heaven, who otherwise would have gone to hell. So, one person can make up for what is lacking in the lives of others, by winning precious Graces for their Salvation. In other words, Eucharistic Adoration brings with it the outpouring of God's Divine Mercy on the Whole World!"

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"There are a growing number of lay people who are experiencing the call to make a Holy Hour; not just once a week, but every day. Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen  was the great apostle of the importance of the daily Holy Hour. Few men, in the 2,000 year history of Christianity, have had such a great and spiritually positive influence upon the Catholic Church as Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. He touched the lives of millions of people all over the world, both written and spoken. What made this man of God so special was a keen intellect combined with a profound humility. He often said that the secret to his great success in touching hearts and   winning souls for Christ was that every day of his life, he would set aside an Hour of Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This is known as a Holy Hour of Prayer, because it is spent in the Presence of Jesus, truly, personally, and really Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament."

"Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen  called this the Hour of Power, and the purpose of every talk he ever gave was to inspire everyone, priests and laity alike, to make a daily Holy Hour. He would quote Jesus in saying that whoever would remain in union with Our Lord in the 'Blessed Sacrament' for an Hour of Prayer would 'bear much fruit'. When Venerable Archbishop Fulton J, Sheen spoke, everyone listened, even those who were not of the Catholic Faith. His message was both compelling and transcending."

"A couple of months before his death, he was given a public interview. One of the questions was this: 'Bishop Sheen, you have inspired millions of people all over the world. Who inspired you? Was it a Pope?' Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen responded that it was not a Pope, a Cardinal, another Bishop, or even a priest or a nun. It was a little Chinese girl of eleven years of age. He explained that when the Communists took over China, they imprisoned a priest in his own rectory near the church. After they locked him up in his own house, the priest was horrified to look out of his window and see the Communists proceed into the church, where they went into the Sanctuary and broke into the Tabernacle. In an act of hateful desecration, they took the Ciborium and threw it on the floor with all of the Sacred Hosts spilling out. The priest knew exactly how many Hosts were in the Ciborium: thirty-two."

"When the Communists left, they either did not notice, or did not pay any attention to, a small girl praying in the back of the church who saw everything that had happened. That night the little girl came back. Slipping past the guard at the Priest's house, she went inside the church. There she made a Holy Hour of prayer, an Act of Love to make up for the act of hatred. After her Holy Hour, she went into the Sanctuary, knelt down, bent over and with her tongue received Jesus in Holy Communion, since she knew it was not allowed for the layperson to touch the Sacred Host with his hands. The little girl continued to come back each night to make her Holy Hour and receive Jesus in Holy Communion on her tongue. On the thirty-second night, after she had consumed the last and thirty-second host, she accidentally made a noise and woke the guard who was sleeping. He ran after her, caught her, and beat her to death with the butt of his rifle. This Act of Heroic Martyrdom was witnessed by the Priest as he watched grief-stricken from his bedroom window."

"When Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen  heard the story, he was so inspired that he promised God he would make a Holy Hour of Prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament everyday of his life. If this little Chinese girl could risk her life everyday to express her Love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with a Holy Hour and Holy Communion, then, at the very least, the Archbishop thought he should do the same. If this frail, little child could give testimony and witness to the world concerning the Real and Wonderful Presence of her Saviour in the Blessed Sacrament, then, the Bishop was absolutely bound by all that was right and true, to do the same. Venerable  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, henceforth, would not be afraid to speak out on the Love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. His sole desire, from then on, was to bring the world to the Burning Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The little girl showed the Bishop what True Courage and Zeal really are; how Faith could overcome all fear, how True Love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist must Transcend Life Itself. Everywhere, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen preached on the value and benefits of the Holy Hour of Prayer. Invited to give retreats to Bishops all over the world, this was his main theme and objective. This means that, the Act of Courage and Heroic Love Expressed By That Little Chinese Girl, so long ago, still continues to influence and impact the Catholic Church today. She Inspired Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who in return has Inspired Millions With Love Of The Blessed Sacrament."

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"Therefore, on this Corpus Christi Sunday, may Our Blessed Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, help all her children throughout the world, especially all of us here, today, to try our best to make a Daily Holy Hour in the Presence of Her Divine Son Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen." (131)

Comments:
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in one of his talks, mentioned about the time he was in Paris and only had a little more than an hour to make the Holy Hour. He slept during the hour and was very remorseful. Our Lord then said to the him, 'When you sit in your chair to read the New York Times, doesn't your dog lie beside you on the floor and fall asleep.' Also the Little Flower, Saint Thérèse, was in the habit of falling asleep during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to such an extent that she contemplated leaving the Monastery.  Whereupon, Jesus said to her, "When you were lying on your father's lap, didn't you fall asleep."  

THE REAL PRESENCE AS COMMUNICATION OF GRACE
(Father John Hardon, S.J.)
With Us Today: On the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist

Regarding Eucharistic Adoration, Father John Hardon, S.J., in his remarkable book, With Us Today: On the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, stated the following: “The most powerful source of Christ’s Grace comes from adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. We are indeed called to communicate to Our Lord in the Eucharist, but He is also communicating with us. In fact, unless He was first communicating His Grace to us, we could not even begin to communicate with Him.” (197)

Petitions as Part of Eucharistic Adoration

“First, we are not trifling with words when we say Adoration of the Eucharist includes Petition. Why is it important to know this? Because otherwise, we are liable to deprive ourselves and others of many blessings Christ intends to give us and others through our fervent petitions before Him in the Blessed Sacrament. In technical language, Adoration is the Act of Religion by which God is recognized as alone worthy of Supreme Honour because He is Infinitely Perfect and has a right to our total Obedience as our Creator and total Dedication as our destiny.”

“Thus we find Adoration includes every form of prayer, including the petitions by which we ask God for what we need and for what others need. What are we doing when we ask God for something? We are acknowledging our complete dependence on Him for everything that we have received in the past, that we have now and that we hope for in the future. You can see how we adore Our Lord when we humbly acknowledge our utter dependence on Him in our petitions.”

“In summary, we ask, when we adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, should we beg Him for His Grace? Emphatically, yes! When we ask Him for light and strength for ourselves and for others, are we adoring Christ in the Holy Eucharist? Again, emphatically, yes! This prayer of Adoring Petition presumes Faith in Christ’s Divinity, and with resounding emphasis, presumes Faith in the Real Presence. Thus, our Eucharistic Petitions are an important part of Eucharistic Adoration.” (Ibid)

Eucharistic Petitions as a Source of Grace

“Christ repeatedly told His followers (not just His contemporaries, but His followers for all times) to ask for what they needed, and He assured us that whatever we ask for in His Name He will always grant.”

“There is another striking feature about these Gospel petitioners. The people who asked for favours from Christ made sure they were near Christ. That is why prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is such a potent source of blessings which are communicated by Christ to the one who asks Him and is near to Him.” (Ibid)

The Apostolate of Eucharistic Prayer

“These petitions for others before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament are an essential part of our Faith in the Real presence as communication of Grace. I know of no one more insistent on this than Saint Peter Julian Eymard, the founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers. He asked, ‘what should the Eucharistic adorers pray for?’ He answered:

‘Eucharistic prayer has an additional merit: it goes straight to the Heart of God like a flaming dart; it makes Jesus work, act, and relive in His Sacrament; it releases His power. The adorer does still more; he prays through Jesus Christ and shares Our Lord’s role as Intercessor with the Father and Divine Advocate for His redeemed brethren.

‘But what should they pray for? The rallying cry, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’...expresses for adorers the end and the law of prayer. They should pray that the light of the truth of Jesus Christ may enlighten all men, especially the Infidels, Jews, Heretics and Schismatics, and that they may return to the true Faith and Charity.’

‘They should pray for Our Lord’s Kingdom of Holiness in His faithful, His Religious, His Priests, that He may live in them by Love. They should pray, above all, for the Sovereign Pontiff, for all the intentions dear to his heart; for their own Bishop, for all that his zeal desires to accomplish, for all the priests of the diocese that God may bless their apostolic labours and inflame them with zeal for His Glory and with love for Holy Church. (The Real Presence vol.1, p.14).’

“That is why over the centuries, the Church has been so insistent that contemplative communities be established in mission lands. Why? Because the most powerful source of grace from Christ comes through the silent prayers of pleading adoration offered to our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.” (Ibid)

POWER OF THE EUCHARIST: "A RESURRECTION!"

Miracle Experienced by Marie Savoye  "This is no miracle, it’s a Resurrection!"

"'There is no hope for this little girl. I give her at most fifteen days to live.’ The doctor’s verdict coldly echoed in the hospital room. Mrs. Savoye, standing, doubled over for a moment in shock at the news. Then she straightened up and looked the doctor in the eye. ‘There is hope yet,’ Mrs. Savoye affirmed,. ‘I have contacted the Nursing Sisters of the Lourdes hospital. Marie will take part in the next pilgrimage. She’s leaving in a few days.’”

“‘Madam,’ replied the doctor, ‘look at your daughter: She’s twenty-four and weighs fifty-five pounds. She’s all skin and bones! She’s been lying in this bed for six years now. She no longer has the strength to move, eat, or even speak. Not only is she suffering from infectious rheumatism, but also of cardiopathy: Her heart is affected. The fatigue of the trip will only hasten her demise. What are you hoping for, a miracle?’ ‘Yes!’ the mother told him. ‘I’ve looked into it. Ever since the Blessed Sacrament processions were established, cures have been multiplying in Lourdes.’”

“As they arrived in Lourdes, Marie’s state was critical. Pale and voiceless, she was spitting up blood. Bloodless, bones protruding, motionless – she already looked like a corpse. Even the doctors dared not touch her! Mrs. Savoye answered questions mechanically: ‘No, she has not gotten up from bed in six years. No, she takes no solid foods, she doesn't have the strength. No, she doesn’t have tuberculosis, but she spits up blood because of the lesion in her heart. Yes, she also suffers from a large sore on her back, a scab due to lack of exercise.’ One of the physicians, Dr. Perisson, told her that because she was in such a state, Marie absolutely could not be undressed and dipped into the pools. On the other hand, she would be able to participate in the Eucharistic Procession at the Grotto the following day.”

“On September 20, 1901, at nine o’clock in the morning, Marie was placed in front of the Grotto on her stretcher. Her mother was at her side. She had heard everything these last few days: The doctors had predicted her daughter’s imminent death at least ten times. She also knew that Marie, too, had heard them. Yet her drawn little face did not betray fear, but only a sort of intense concentration. Perhaps she continued to believe in all this. Who knows?  Mrs.
Savoye closed her eyes to pray and clutched the stretcher’s handles with all her strength. An acclamation made her open her eyes again. Some of the sick lifted themselves up on their stretchers, eyes wide open. Then came the Priests. One of them, in the middle under a canopy, showed the Blessed Sacrament to the crowd. He walked by each of the sick elevating the Body of Christ. The Priest was coming closer.”

“Suddenly, he was there, in front of Marie’s stretcher, and he elevated the Host. Mrs. Savoye shook, a fog covered her eyes, yet she saw...yes, she saw all that took place then, as if in slow motion...the shudder, minute at first, under the stretcher’s sheets...then, a terrible convulsion: Her daughter’s body was violently hurled forward, bounding like a spring, and she fell on her knees at the foot of the stretcher, three feet away. Her frail figure got up and walked –  yes, walked – toward the Priest without any support. And her voice, her lovely youthful voice, that she hadn’t heard for so many years, said: ‘I am healed!’”

“Mrs. Savoye dashed to her daughter. Marie turned around and took her hands: ‘I am healed!’ The crowd cheered; the Priest made the Sign of the Cross. Marie joined the procession.”

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"Some hours later, she entered the door of the Bureau of Medical Authentication on her own two feet. The doctors stared at her, dumbfounded. Her vital functions seemed wholly restored. To be sure, she was weak, pale, and thin, but a new fire shined in her eyes. ‘This is no miracle, it’s a resurrection!’ exclaimed Perisson.”

“In a few months, Marie would grow three inches and gain seventy-seven pounds. The doctors who examined her in her native Nord concluded, one after the other, that this was a complete and definitive healing attributable to no natural cause. Seven years later, Marie was an active young woman, dedicated to the sick in order to provide them with the same care, she had received during her own long illness. On August 15, 1908, Archbishop Delamaire of Cambrai rendered his Canonical Judgment after examination and investigation: Marie Savoye was declared miraculously healed.” (132)

Comments:
What dynamics!! A dying young-woman's body, "was violently hurled forward." A woman of the same age, 24, even in the best of health and shape, could not possibly execute that act. Have you ever seen or heard of any woman who could "bound like a spring."?  Can any woman involved in Olympic competition, "fall on her knees" without stumbling? Could any reasonable atheist deny that there is an Almighty God after witnessing the Miracles that occurred that day – the dynamics and the immediate restoration to health – by the Presence of the Power of that God Almighty in the Monstrance, Who knows the number of hairs on the heads of each of the approximately 6.5 billion people in the world. (July 2006) "The various hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matt. 10:30) "By this our Saviour shows the Infinite Knowledge the Almighty has of all things and the Goodness of His Providence, watching over every, even the most minute, part of the Creation. Saint Chrysostom. hom. 35." (Footnote: Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1268)

POWER ON RECEPTION OF THE SACRED HOST

"This Is My Body"  (Reverend Father Bernard C. Mischke, O.S.C.) "'This is My Body'... the world's one  moment of Real Reverence... the Living Bread of Heaven, and through Its power drew the invading barbarians to the love of Christ."

"...AND HE SAID: "TAKE AND EAT THIS, ALL OF YOU. FOR THIS IS MY BODY."

"'I am the Living Bread that has come down from Heaven. If anyone eat of this Bread, he shall live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world.' (John 6:51-52)  How simple, how tremendous these Words! The greatest actions come with the least external show; how plain the visible shape of events that have changed the course of history. The greatest Virtues seem the most effortless in execution, but what Power and Force within!"

"'This is My Body.' How any times have these stark, simple Words been heard in the midst of an overpowering silence, the world's one  moment of Real Reverence. Through twenty long centuries on our time-ravaged earth, these words have an Eternal Youth, an Unsullied Purity, renewing the primitive shock of creation."

"Like thousands of his countrymen, according to a tradition more than a thousand years old, Jesus ate the Paschal Supper with His twelve Apostles. But there, suddenly at the end of the meal, He kept a promise made a year before  – that He would be their Sacrifice and our Sacrifice, since He was the Living Bread that came down from Heaven. He took unleavened bread into His hands, thanked His Heavenly Father for it, and declared, 'This is My Body, given for you.'"
"Who can count the times that it has been given to us since? Who can measure the Joy it has given, the sorrow it has consoled, the Strength it has provided, the Love it has inspired? On the very day of His Resurrection, two of his disciples recognized Him in the re­newal of this Action, and in their joy they hastened from Emmaus back to Jerusalem to bring comfort to the saddened apostles."

"The first Christians at Jerusalem, after his Ascension, 'broke bread daily' in the gladness of their hearts, surrounded and persecuted as they were by enemies. Hunted, imprisoned, scourged, thrown to hungry lions, the heroic witnesses of Christ were comforted by this Living Bread. Driven underground by violence, they continued to celebrate the Eucharist at the

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very tombs of the Martyrs who had shed blood before them. As the Church emerged, strong and purified, from the bloody purges, her children built churches in which to renew daily the offering of the Living Bread of Heaven, and through Its power drew the invading barbarians to the love of Christ."

"Chapels of the poor were raised, medieval castles were sanctified by His Presence, gigantic cathedrals were built – and there the Holy Sacrifice was offered, for the coronation of kings, for the funerals of Popes and princes; for the victims of war, pestilence, and famine; to entreat the Heavenly Father for good harvest, for long-awaited peace treaties, for the end of epidemics or the blessings of a jubilee. The Living Bread of the Eucharist became Christian man's Greatest Gift, for every solemn, sad, or joyous event; for the Sancti­fication of marriages and coronations, religious vows and Ordina­tions, and anniversaries and burials. The power of all emotions and all prayers and all hopes was now rolled into one: the white round of the Sacred Host. For to that bread he had spoken: "This is My Body." (133)

ALWAYS KEEP IN THE DIVINE PRESENCE

Douay Rheims Bible "Then you should constantly advance in virtue and fear no dangers"

"'I set the Lord always in my sight: for He is at my right hand, that I be not moved' (Ps. 15: 8). Footnote: How earnestly ought we to strive always to keep in the Divine Presence! ...then we should constantly advance in virtue and fear no dangers. The patriarchs thus walked with God and arrived at such perfection. The Father was always at the right hand of His Son, to support and glory Him; and The Son, having continually performed what was pleasing to God, (John 8: 29) was placed at His right hand at His Ascension, though His Divinity had never been separated from Him.  He had always God in view, and has left us a pattern how to behave." (Douay Rheims Bible, p.690)

Comment:
There is no place where God is not.  Recall what was stated earlier on page 2 hereof by Bishop L.L. Morrow on the subject of Almighty God, 'When we say that God is all-Present, we mean that He is everywhere. God is wholly everywhere at the same time.'"

Psalm 138 "O Lord, whither shall I go from your Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy face? If I ascend into Heaven Thou art there. If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: Even there also shall Thy right hand lead me: and Thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 138: 7-10)

"THE EXERCISE  OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD"
(The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey S.S., D.D.)
"It is the Triune God that lives in us; Whose Presence and conversation we can enjoy all day long"

[Please see page 54 hereof for Doctor Tanquerey's qualifications as a Professor.]

"446. The affective knowledge of God leads us to the holy exercise of the presence of God. We shall now note briefly the foundation, the practice, and the advantages of this exercise." (134a)

"A) Its foundation is the doctrine of God's omnipresence. God is everywhere, not only by His all-contemplating vision and His all-pervading action, but likewise, by His substance.  As Saint Paul told the Athenians: 'In Him we live, and move, and are.' This is true from both the natural and the supernatural point of view. As Creator, after having given us our being and our life, He preserves us and quickens our faculties by His concurrence.  ["existing at the same time or together"]. As Father, He begets us unto the supernatural life, which is a participation in His own, He co-operates with us as principal cause in its preservation and its growth, and He is thus intimately present in us, within the very centre of our soul, yet without ceasing to be distinct from us. As we have said above, it is the Triune God that lives in us: the Father, Who loves us as His children, the Son Who deals with us as His brethren, and the Holy Ghost Who gives us both His gifts and Himself."

"B) The Practice of This Exercise. To find God, then, we need not seek Him in the heavens. a) We find Him close by in the creatures round about us. It is there that we look for Him at the outset. One and all suggest to us some Divine perfection, but it is especially so of those creatures which, endowed with intellect, are the dwelling-places of the Living God. These constitute for us the steps, as it were, of a ladder by which we ascend to Him. b) We know,

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moreover, that God is near those that confidently invoke Him: 'The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him:'  (Ps. 144:18) and our soul delights to call to Him now by ejaculatory prayers, now by long supplications.  c) Above all, we recall the fact that the Three Divine Persons dwell within us and that our heart is a living tabernacle, a Heaven, wherein They give Themselves to us even now. It is enough, then, simply to recollect ourselves, to enter within the inner Sanctuary of our soul, as Saint Catherine of Sienna calls it, and contemplate with the eyes of faith the Divine Guest Who deigns to abide there. Then shall we live under His gaze, under His influence; then shall we adore Him and co-operate with Him in the sanctification of our souls."

"447. C) It is easy to see the advantages of this exercise for our sanctification.
a) It makes us carefully avoid sin.  Who shall dare offend the Majesty of God while realizing that God actually dwells within him, with His infinite holiness that cannot endure the least blemish, with His Infinite Justice obliging Him to punish the slightest fault, with His power to punish the guilty, above all with His Goodness, forever seeking our love and our fidelity!"

"b) It stimulates our zeal for perfection. If a soldier fighting under the eyes of his commander is inspired to multiply his feats of valour, should we not be ready to undergo the most strenuous labours, to make the greatest efforts when conscious that not only does the eye of God watch us in our struggle, but that His victorious arm ever sustains us? Could we lag, when encouraged by the immortal Crown He holds out to us, and above all, by the greater love He bestows on us as a reward?"

"c) What great trust does not this thought inspire in us!  Whatever may be our trials, our temptations, our weariness and our weakness, are we not assured of final victory, when we recall that He, Who is All-powerful, Whom nothing can resist, dwells within us and invests us with His power? Doubtless, we may sustain partial reverses and experience excruciating anguish, yet we are certain that, supported by Him, we shall conquer, and that even our crosses will but make us grow in God's love and multiply our merits."

"d) Lastly, what a joy for us is the thought that He Who is the Joy of the Elect, and Whom we shall see one day face to face, is even now our portion, Whose presence and conversation we may enjoy all day long! (emphases added)  The knowledge and the habitual thought of God are, therefore, most sanctifying." (134a)

Comments:
It certainly is most sanctifying, and I submit most comforting, to dwell on the very Presence of Almighty God in our lives.  Just think, He is in our residence and is watching over us as we sleep, that He is beside us as we wash, dress and eat our breakfast; as we walk, or within our motor vehicle as we drive to our destination, whether it be to an institute of learning or to our place of work. He is beside us to sustain us and assist us in all the difficulties we encounter in doing whatever we have to do with our time and efforts, to accomplish the Will of God for us any particular day. We meet Him in many persons in whose presence we shall be. How wonderful it is that we can converse with each person of the Blessed Trinity whenever we wish to do so. We can never be alone.

In the Acts of Apostles Chapter 14 verse 21 Almighty God tells us: "Through many tribulations ["great affliction, trial, or distress; suffering"] we must enter into the Kingdom of God"; Footnote: "Our daily offences require the paternal chastisement of the Almighty. The concupiscence of the flesh too, which wills against the Spirit, must be subdued by punishment. Woe, then to you lovers of the world, who wish to pass your lives without tribulation, enemies of the cross. Senseless creatures is the disciple above his Master. Did it not become Christ first to suffer, and thus enter into His Glory?; and shall we pretend to enter by any other means?" (H. Denis Carthus)."  As Pope Leo XIII has stated, "It is reasonable, therefore, not to expect an end to troubles in this world, but rather to steel one’s soul to bear troubles." "Those that sow in tears, shall reap in joy" (Ps. 125:5). Footnote: "Tribulation commonly attends the virtuous in this life. Their reward is reserved for the next" (St. Aug.) (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 789). On page 1277 thereof, in the section dealing with the beheading of Saint John the Baptist ("and his head was brought in a dish" (Matt. 14:8-12) we find in the Footnote: "How can any one be heard to complain of the small trials to which he may be exposed for the faith of Christ, when he beholds so eminent a servant of God suffering so much in the same cause."  (Dion Carth)

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Furthermore, if we are in the State of Grace, we always have God the Father, God the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Ghost to sustain us every minute of every day. Wow! Also, The Three Persons are always with us in all our joys and happinesses.  We also have our Blessed  Mother to sustain us: “O sweet Jesus the greater part of Christians, even the most learned, do not know the necessary union there is between Thee and Thy Holy Mother. Thou, Lord art always with Mary, and Mary is always with Thee, and She cannot be without Thee.” (St. Louis de Montfort)  (190)

THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD

“WALK BEFORE ME AND BE PERFECT” (GEN 17:1), BY ROBERT J. SISCOE
(Published in the January 2014 issue of Catholic Family News - CFNews.org)

"While on an Ignatian Retreat several years ago, the priest made a comment that I’ve reflected upon often. He said we must always have doctrine with piety, and piety with doctrine – doctrina et pietas, pietate et doctrina. Both are necessary, and if one of the two is lacking, disorder and bad fruits will be the results. We see this, for example, with those who get entangled in the emotionalism of the Charismatic movement where rolling on the floor and barking like a dog or laughing uncontrollably is considered a fruit of the Holy Ghost, or with those who chase after false apparitions and end by rejecting dogmas of the faith, when they are at variance with the latest 'Message from heaven.'"

"Such people lack the solid foundation of true doctrine and end by being led into error. On the other hand, we sometimes see bad fruits in the Traditional movement from those who have doctrine without piety, and whose nasty and uncharitable behavior results in infighting and unnecessary division. The remedy for both of these problems is found in a combination of solid doctrine and true piety. Since this article is written primarily for Traditional Catholics who are strong in doctrine, it will focus on a practical means for growth in piety, which will serve to increase our love of God."

"Of the many devotions and spiritual exercises discussed by spiritual writers, the Practice of the Presence of God is, according to Fr. Doyle, 'the shortest and by far the easiest means of gaining perfection, for it contains within itself the efficacy and force of all other methods.' This practice consists in turning our mind and heart to God, while performing our actions for the love of God with the intent of pleasing God. By this practice, we infuse into the material aspect of our actions the formal motive of the love of God, which divinizes our works, unites us ever-closer to God, and increases supernatural charity in our soul."

"St. Thomas explained that sin consists in a two-fold element, namely, the turning away from God and the turning toward creatures: aversio a Deo, conversio ad creaturam. The Practice of the Presence of God remedies both aspects of sin by turning the soul toward God, which implies and necessitates the turning away from creatures. This devotion places the soul in union with God, which is the highest stage of the spiritual life. St. Bonaventure said 'to employ ourselves continuously in the exercise of the presence of God is to begin in this life to enjoy the felicity of the blessed in the next.'''

"Spiritual writers have traditionally distinguished three States, or Ages, of the spiritual life. In the Purgative State, which is the first stage, the soul directs its attention to overcoming sin and vice so that it can turn away from creatures and toward God. This stage of the spiritual life is sometimes referred to as negative, in the sense that the soul is struggling to free itself from sin. Once free from serious sin and vice, the soul enters the Illuminative State, in which the action becomes positive: rather than struggling to detach itself from sin and vice, it strives to imitate Christ and practicing the positive virtues, with the goal of increasing its love for God so it can eventually enter into perfect union with God, which is known as the Unitive State – the third and final stage of the spiritual life. But by the Practice of the Presence of God, the soul is turned to God at once, and thereby immediately placed in union with God, which is the condition of those living in the Unitive State. This explains why Fr. Doyle said the Practice of the Presence of God is 'the shortest and by far the easiest means of gaining perfection,' since it unites the soul directly to the Source of all perfection."

"Our Lord once said to St. Catherine of Sienna: 'Remember Me always, and I shall remember you: perform all your actions as if you saw Me present and I shall see to it that you make progress in perfection.'"

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"In the Scriptures, we read that God said to Abraham, 'walk before me and be perfect', (Gen 17:1). which shows that he who walks in the presence of God will attain perfection. We are told that 'Noah was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God.' (Gen 6:9) On the other hand, David said of the sinner: 'God is not before his eyes: his ways are filthy at all times,' (Ps 9:26) thereby showing the correlation between forgetfulness of God and a life of sin."

"Many saints have spoken of the excellence of the Practice of the Presence of God. St. Teresa of Avila said it is 'an excellent way whereby to advance, and that very quickly.' She went on to say this practice 'is profitable in all states of prayer, and is a most safe way of advancing in the first state, and of attaining quickly to the second; and as for the last state, it secures us against those risks which the devil may occasion.'"

"The saintly Brother Lawrence (d. 1691), who reached the heights of perfection by the practice of the presence of God, once remarked that some people develop an inordinate attachment to other devotions, which, while good in themselves, are only a means to the end, whereas 'by the exercise of the presence of God we are with Him Who is our end.' He said: 'If I were a preacher, I would preach nothing else but the practice of the presence of God. If I were a director, I would recommend it to everybody: so necessary and so easy do I believe it to be.'"

"One day when St. Catherine of Sienna found herself confused by the many methods of attaining perfection, Our Lord said to her: 'Know that the salvation, the perfection of my servants, stands in this one thing, that they do My will alone, ever striving to fulfill it in all things; that they attend to Me, and serve Me every moment of their lives. The more diligently they apply themselves to this, the nearer they approach perfection, since thus they are in union with Perfection itself.'"

"A sure way of fulfilling the Holy Will of God is to perform all our actions in God’s presence, with a view to pleasing Him. 'The thought of the presence of God makes easier the fulfillment of the Will of God' wrote St. Vincent: 'the remembrance of the divine presence creeps little by little into the soul and by His Grace it becomes a habit; and finally, one becomes animated by this Divine Presence.'”

"This practice is most efficacious when it is combined with the 'little way' taught by St. Theresa, according to which, in addition to the habitual awareness of God’s presence, we perform each action, not only for God, but intimately with God, from the pure motive of the love of God. Brother Lawrence said 'we ought not to get tired of doing little things for the love of God, because he looks at the love rather than the works.' By this means, our union with God is renewed with each respective act, and the repetition helps to transform the exercise into a habit. By this practice, the simplest act becomes a means of gaining merit, growing in the love of God, and attaining a higher degree of perfection."

"By this purity of intention, our works take on a supernatural character and become ever more perfect, even on the material level. In his magnificent book of daily meditations, which was recently brought back into print by Valora Media, Fr. Hamon said this practice 'enables us to perform all things well. When we say to ourselves, inspired by a lively sentiment of faith, it is for God I am doing this, we come to the conclusion we must do it most perfectly, otherwise it would be unworthy of God. … Purity of intention enables us to gain heaven cheaply. Through it the most common actions, even eating and drinking, are worthy of Heaven. … There is no action, however little it may be, which, when it is referred to God, is not attended with a certain degree of merit.'”

"As this practice becomes habitual, the soul is elevated to God, which results in a supernatural light filling the mind, an exquisite peace enveloping the soul, and a great joy enrapturing the heart. The saintly Brother Lawrence said:'There is no life in the world happier or more full of delight than one of continual communion with God – they only can realize it who have practiced and experienced it.' At another time he said: 'I am always happy… I, who ought to be visited with the severest discipline, am conscious of joy so prolonged and piercing that I have difficulty in restraining them.' St. Theresa, who also rose to the heights of perfection by this practice, once remarked that she was so happy in this life she couldn’t imagine how Heaven could be any better."

"Regarding the mental distractions that impede this holy exercise, Brother Lawrence explained that 'we need not be discouraged by our frequent failures at first [since] the time will come when we shall make our acts naturally and with gladness. Writing to a Nun who complained to him of the distractions she was experiencing, he said: 'You tell me nothing new: you are not the only person troubled by distractions. The mind is given to roving, but the will is the mistress of all our faculties, and we must recall it and redirect it to its last end in God.”

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"In order to advance in this practice, it is necessary to control our thoughts, and turn them back to God at once when our mind begins to drift. 'Our thoughts spoil everything' said Brother Lawrence, 'all the trouble begins with them. We must be careful to reject them immediately when we see that they are neither necessary to our occupation at the moment nor conducive to our salvation, and return to our communion with God, wherein is our only good.' He said 'perseverance is required at first in making a habit of converse with God and of referring all to Him; but after a little while His love moves us to it without any difficulty.' He explained that he thought 'neither of Heaven nor Hell,' but, like St Teresa, 'only of doing of small things for the love of God.' He eventually 'attained the state wherein he thought only of God. If some other thought or temptation intruded, he felt it coming, and, such was the experience of the prompt help of God, that sometimes he allowed it to approach until it was almost upon him, when he turned to God it disappeared at once.'”

"In our day of the internet, cell phones, twitter, and a multitude of other distractions that dissipate the soul and turn the mind away from God, we can begin this practice simply, by uniting ourselves to God in the most perfect manner for short periods of time. For example, when filling out an envelope or cleaning off our desk, we can do so as perfectly as possible, in the presence of God, with a view to pleasing God. If we are folding clothes, we can resolve to fold each one as perfectly as possible – the next one more perfectly than the one before – in the presence of God, in reparation for our sins or for the conversion of sinners, being careful to avoid all haste."

"If we achieve the habitual practice of the presence of God, we will have arrived at a high degree of perfection. Now, since habits are formed by repeated acts, we can begin with a resolution to perform one act per hour as perfectly as possible for the love of God. It can be as simple as picking up a piece of paper, or putting on a piece of clothing. Since we’re always doing something, there is never a need to search far for something to do perfectly for God. Any act, no matter how insignificant, can be done in the presence of God through the motive of the love of God, which will not only merit an  eternal reward, but unite us ever closer to God through an increase of supernatural charity in our soul. Try it and see how calmly and perfectly each particular action is performed, and by so doing you will indeed 'taste and see that the Lord is sweet' (Psalm 33:9)."

"By this method, which anyone can perform, the simplest act becomes a prayer and means of growth in charity, which itself perfects our faith. (1) We should also keep in mind that while faith is the necessary foundation of the supernatural life, 'the perfection of the Christian life consists radically in charity.' (2) By faith we know God, but by charity we love God. While we must know God in order to love God, the love of God is greater than the knowledge of God, since, as Father Garrigou-Lagrange said, 'our knowledge of God draws Him to us, whereas our love of God draws us to Him.' (3) If Traditional Catholics combine their knowledge of doctrine and zeal for the faith, which is more necessary than ever in our present Age of Apostasy, with the increase of supernatural charity brought about by holiness of life, we will become more pleasing to God, our faith will be perfected, and many of the problems in the Traditional movement will diminish." (134b)

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SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION

Code of Canon Law: Obligation To Confess "They turn back to God"

Relevant provisions are:  "Can. 987  In order that the faithful may receive the saving remedy of the Sacrament of Penance, they must be so disposed that, repudiating the sins they have committed and having the purpose of amending their lives, they turn back to God.
Can. 988 §1 The faithful are bound to confess, in kind and in number, all grave sins committed after Baptism, of which, after careful examination of conscience, they are aware, which have not yet been directly pardoned by the keys of the Church, and which have not been confessed in an individual confession.  §2 The faithful are recommended to confess also venial sins.'

Can. 989  All the faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess their grave sins at least once  a year." (135)

Comments of Monsignor Vincent Foy, P.H., J.C.D. "It is a grave [Mortal] Sin not to confess a Mortal Sin or sins, within a year of commission of such a sin or sins."

Msgr. Foy is an eminent Canon lawyer. "It is a grave [Mortal] Sin not to confess a Mortal Sin or sins, within a year of the commission of such a sin or sins. This is evident from Canon 989 of the Code of Canon Law. It follows that it is not a sin to go for a year, or more. without going to Confession, when there is no Mortal Sin. Venial sins can be forgiven in many ways, for example, attendance at Mass, and going to Holy Communion. As Canon 988 #2 says, 'The faithful are recommended to confess also venial sins.'" (136)

How To Be Truly Happy (Father John A. Hardon, S.J.) "Most important condition of true happiness, ...its rela­tionship with God"

True happiness is possible on this earth and Father Hardon advises the method to employ to gain it: "That is why we must go on to the third and most important condition of true happiness, namely, its rela­tionship with God. I have saved this characteristic of real happiness for last because without it we would not  be talking about happiness at all."

"What does it mean to say that for happiness to be genuine it must be related to God? By this we mean that only God can make us genuinely happy and, therefore, we must finally look to Him even for our earthly reward. This bears a lot of stress. All genuine happiness, not only in the life to come, but in this life, comes uniquely from God. Do not look to creatures to make you truly happy. If you do, you are going to be disappointed not once, or often, but always. On our part this means that we try, as far as possible, to remain in contact with God. Call it keeping in touch with God, or living in the Presence of God, or being mindful of God, or talking with God, or turning towards God.  How we describe what we must do is not important. "

"What matters absolutely is that we, and no one else, not even God Himself, must do this. We must decide and con­stantly act on our decision to remain united with God. Are we talking about some extraordinary mystical experience, or rapture, or ecstasy? Not at all. When I wrote these lines that I am sharing with you, I did not consult Catherine of Sienna, or Teresa of Avila, or John of the Cross. I consulted the Scriptures and, I must add, my own experience."

"This is within the reach of every believer who believes in the Words of the Saviour as He told us the night before He died: 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Words, and My Father will love him, and We shall come to him and make Our Home with him.' But, notice that sentence begins with an 'if.' If anyone really loves Christ, he will keep the Commandments of Christ and the rest will follow. The Secret of Happiness is to strive always to do the Master's Will, to keep His Words, no matter what the cost to self-will or self-conceit. We do His Will and He, this is really strange, He will satisfy our will. We try to please Him; He will in turn please us."

"In His own Words, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will Love us if we Love Them by keeping Their Word, and when God Loves you, you know it. Knowing that God Loves you is Happiness. You do not talk about this, you Live It. They, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, will come to us, and of all the expressions that Christ might have used, He said, 'and They will make Their home with us.' They will keep us company. This is Christ's own Definition of Happiness: the awareness of God, Being At Home In Our Souls. Yes, there are two Homes in which the Trinity dwells, one in Heaven with the Angels and Saints, and the other on earth in the Hearts of those who are doing God's Will. And in both Homes, although the effects differ in degree, they are essentially the same.
WHAT, THEN, DOES IT MEAN TO BE TRULY HAPPY? IT MEANS TO EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD WHETHER BY FAITH AND IMPERFECTLY IN THIS LIFE, OR BY VISION AND WITHOUT END IN THE LIFE TO COME."  (137)

Comments:
Have you ever heard a sermon, or a homily, as to what is the real and genuine source of happiness in this world, one of the same purport as stated so eloquently by Father Hardon, in the preceding five paragraphs.  Most persons, including myself, have searched for happiness in the accumulation of real and personal property, pleasures of every kind, entertainment etc., but cannot honestly say that they have found the key to the Real and Genuine Source of Happiness. Nothing further need be said.

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REASONS WHY WE SHOULD KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS

Scripture Verses (Douay Rheims Bible)

“And thou shalt know, that the Lord Thy God, He is a strong and faithful God, keeping His Covenant and Mercy to them that Love Him, and to them that keep His Commandments, unto a thousand generations.” (Deut. 7:9) “The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: the Commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes,” (Ps. 18:9), Footnote: “The law displays what is just, and renders those who observe it agreeable to God, (Saint Gregory Naz.) filling their hearts with joy, by the testimony of a good conscience, and the prospect of felicity.” (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 695)

“He that keepeth the Commandment, keepeth his own soul: but he that neglecteth [and did] his own way, shall die.” (Prov. 19:16)

“They that shall keep my Sabbaths, and shall choose the things that please Me, and shall hold fast My Covenant: I will give to them in My House, and within My walls, a place, and a name better than sons and daughters: I will give them an Everlasting Name, which shall never perish.” (Is. 56:4-5)

`“If you Love Me, keep My Commandments.” (John 14:15)

"He that hath My Commandments, and keepeth them: he it is that Loveth Me. And He that Loveth Me, shall be Loved  by  My Father: and I will Love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

“If any one Love Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will Love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our Abode with him," (John 14:23) Footnote: “That is, the Three Divine Persons will come to his soul in a Special Manner, so as to Bless him with an Infusion of Graces, and make [Their] Abode [with him].”

"If you keep My Commandments, you will remain in My Love, as I also have kept My Father's Commandments, and do remain in His Love. (John 15:10) These things I have spoken to you: that My Joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled.” (John 15:11)

"You are My Friends, if you do the things that I Command you.” (John 15:14) Footnote: "A wonderful condescension says Saint Augustine in our Blessed Redeemer, Who was God as well as man, to call such poor and sinful creatures, His friends;  who, when we have done all we can, and ought, are still but unprofitable servants."

Comments:
How foolish is the one who chooses to put his back to God the Father, God the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Ghost, by failing to observe the Third Commandment to keep Holy the Sabbath Day, by failing to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and instead  pursues a  passing and fruitless pleasure, thereby committing  a Mortal Sin, requiring him to confess such Sin and other Mortal Sins to a priest in the Sacrament of Confession, and to perform the penance, or penalty, stipulated by the Priest who hears his Confession.

Secondly, that person will not gain in this life the priceless benefits above mentioned.  “For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?” (Matt. 16:26) Also, recall what Father John Hardon, S.J. said, “Forty-seven years in the Priesthood have taught me many things. One thing I have learned. I’ve yet to meet a happy sinner. People are only as happy as they are doing not their will, but God’s Will."

Furthermore, that  person who deliberately refuses to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on a Sunday, or other Holy Days of Obligation will not be able to receive Holy Communion at any future Holy Sacrifice of the Mass he attends:  "Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic Communion must be in the State of Grace. Anyone who is aware of having sinned Mortally must not receive Communion without having received absolution in the Sacrament of Penance (Confession)."  (CCC, 1415)

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Recommendation and Duty to Receive Holy Communion

"The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion each time they participate in the Celebration of the Eucharist [The Mass]; she obliges them to do so once a year." (CCC, 1417) It is submitted that failure to perform that obligation  would constitute the commission of a Mortal Sin.

Inclination to Evil

“Baptism by imparting the life of Christ's Grace, erases Original Sin and turns a man back toward God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to Spiritual Battle.” (CCC, 405).  Therefore, to win that battle we must be in the State of Grace every minute of every day, and receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ and "Christ's Grace," as many times as it is possible, for each of us to reach our Heavenly Goal.

Authority of the Catholic Church

The Church possesses authority to impose penance, or penalties, when a Catholic person has committed a Mortal Sin and especially the Mortal Sin for deliberately not attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on a Sunday or other Holy Day of Obligation. and for failing to receive Holy Communion at least once a year.  The Church obtained such authority when Our Lord Jesus Christ declared, “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My Church....And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven.” (Matt. 16:18-19) “Therefore, Peter [and the Church are] here given wide legislative, administrative and judicial powers.” (138)

FAILURE TO ATTEND MASS: MORTAL SIN: NECESSITY OF REDEMPTION BY REPENTANCE

Law of God and of the Catholic Church:  "To assist at Mass on all Sundays and Holy days of Obligation"

It is the Law of God and definitive Catholic dogma that, objectively speaking, it is a Mortal Sin deliberately to miss attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sunday, or other Holy Days of Obligation.

“Which are the Chief Commandments, or Laws, of the Church? The Chief Commandments, or Laws, of the Church are these six: 1. To assist at Mass on all Sundays and Holy days of Obligation. What sin does a Catholic commit who through his own fault misses Mass on a Sunday or Holy day of Obligation?  A Catholic who through his own fault misses Mass on a Sunday or Holy day of Obligation commits a Mortal Sin. The Mass is our Great Act of Sharing in the Love of Our Lord. It Hurts Him Deeply if we sin on purpose.” (139)

Bishop L. L. Morrow Risk of Committing Mortal Sin: “Not to hear Sunday Mass, or to miss a notable part of Sunday Mass, is a Mortal Sin.” (p. 203) (6)

Catechism of the Catholic Church: "On Sundays and other Holy Days...The faithful are bound to participate in the Mass."

The CCC provides under the heading “The Sunday Obligation”: “The Precept of the Church specifies the Law of the Lord more precisely: 'On Sundays and other Holy Days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.' (2180)  'The Precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic Rite either on the Holy day, or on the evening of the preceding day' (Ibid.) "Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a Grave Sin." (2181)

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MORTAL SIN

N.B. We should read the following section slowly and out loud to the bottom of page 95

Catechism of the Catholic Church and Comment  "Mortal" and "Grave" are synonymous

Is a “Grave Sin” less of a sin than a “Mortal Sin”?  In the section of the CCC dealing with the subject of  “sin”, only two types of sin are mentioned; “Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between Mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture, became part of the tradition of the Church.” (1854) Other relevant sections are: “Mortal Sin destroys Charity in the Heart of Man by a Grave Violation of God’s Law.” (1855)

“Mortal Sin is Sin whose object is Grave Matter and which is also committed with Full Knowledge and Deliberate Consent.” (1857) "Grave Matter is specified by the Ten Commandments,” (1858) which includes the aforementioned Third Commandment.  Therefore, “Mortal” and “Grave” are synonymous.

Definition of Saint Thomas Aquinas  (The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D.)

"708. a) Mortal Sin.  When, with full Advertence [turning the mind or attention to] and with full Consent we transgress in Grave Matter a Law that is important – Necessary to the Attainment of our End –, the Sin is Mortal, because it deprives us of Habitual [Sanctifying] Grace, which is the Supernatural Life of the soul. This is why Saint Thomas [Aquinas] defines Mortal Sin as 'an Act whereby we Turn Away From God, Our Last End, willingly attaching ourselves in an inordinate manner to some created good.' By The Loss Of Habitual Grace, Which Unites Us To God, We Turn Away From Him." (140)

How God Punishes Mortal Sin  "Separated from God and all bliss"

"711. A) In the rebel angels. These committed but a single Sin, an interior Sin, a sin of pride; and God, their Creator and Father, Who loved them, not only as the work of His hands, but as His adopted children, punished their rebellion by casting them into hell, where through all eternity they will remain separated from God and all bliss. And withal [also], God is just and punishes no one beyond his deserts; He is merciful even in His punishments, and tempers the rigours of His Justice with His Goodness. Sin, then, must be something abominable to merit such a terrible sanction."

How God Condemns Sin

"714. Holy Scripture describes Sin as the most odious and the most criminal thing in existence."

The Essence of Mortal Sin

Doctor Tanquerey. provides an outstanding teaching on "the only real evil." Capitalization has been used frequently to emphasize the very seriousness of the subject matter.

Mortal Sin In Itself  "The only real evil"

"Mortal Sin is an evil, the Only Real Evil, since all other evils are but its consequences or its punishment."

In Relation to God

"715. Mortal Sin is a Crime against the Majesty of the Godhead; it is an Assault upon all of God's Attributes, but chiefly [it is] an Attempt against Him as our First Beginning, our Last End, Our Father, and Our Benefactor."

"A) God, the First Cause of our being is our Maker, from Whom we hold all we are and all we have; He is thereby our Supreme Lord and Master to Whom we owe an Absolute Obedience. By Mortal Sin, we Disobey Him; we Affront Him by Preferring our own will to His, by Preferring a Creature to the Creator! Nay more, we Revolt against Him, since by the fact of Creation, we are Subject to Him as we can be to no earthly power.
a) This Rebellion is all the More Grave, since this Master is Infinitely Wise and Infinitely Good, and COMMANDS NOTHING THAT IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO OUR OWN HAPPINESS AS WELL AS TO HIS GLORY; whilst our will is Weak, Frail, Liable to Error. In spite of this, we Prefer it to that of God!"

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"b) This Defiance is all the More Inexcusable, since we know well what we do; for from the days of childhood, we have been taught by Christian parents and have a clear and precise knowledge of God's Rights over us and of the Malice of Sin.
c) And why do we thus Betray Our Lord and Master? We do so for a Vile Pleasure that Debases us, from a Stupid Pride whereby we Arrogate unto Ourselves Glory that Belongs to God  alone, for Paltry Interests, for a Transient Gain, to which we Sacrifice a Good that is Eternal."

"716. B) God is also our Last End. He Created us, and created us for Himself alone. He could not have done otherwise, for He is the Supreme Good, and Outside Himself we could Neither Realize our Perfection, nor Find our Bliss. Besides, having come forth from God, we should and we Must Return to Him; being the Work of His Hand, we are His Own and we Must Revere, Praise, Serve, and Glorify Him; being the Object of His Love we should Love Him with our Whole Soul – and it is in the Love of Him and in the Worship of Him, that we find our Perfection and our Happiness. Hence, He has a Strict Right that our Whole Life with all its thoughts, all its longings, all its acts be Directed unto Him, unto His Glory."

"By Mortal Sin, however, we Turn Away from God in order to take our Delight in some Created Thing; we do Him an Injury when we Choose one of His creatures, or rather our own Selfish Satisfaction in Preference to Him, for at bottom, it is not so much the creature which we seek as the Pleasure we find therein. This is Flagrant Injustice, since it constitutes an attempt to Strip the Almighty of His Supreme Rights over us, of that Outward Glory we are Bound to Promote; it is a sort of Idolatry, the Setting up in the Heart's Sanctuary of an Idol over Against the One True God; it is Scorning the Fountain of Living Water, which Alone can Quench the Soul's Thirst, to go, as Jeremias vigorously puts it, after the slimy waters that reek within abandoned wells:  'For my people have done two evils: They have Forsaken Me the Fountain of Living Water, and have dug to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'"' (Jeremias 2:13) (emphases added) 

"717. C) God is to us also a Father, Who has Adopted us as His children and Who Bestows on us the thoughtful Care of a Parent; He heaps upon us His Choicest Favours, endowing us with a Supernatural Organism, in order that we may live a life like unto His; He showers upon us abundant Actual Graces that we may make good use of His gifts, and thus by good works increase our Spiritual Life. Now, by Mortal Sin we scornfully Fling Aside those Gifts, nay, we Fling them Back at the Giver, Our Benefactor, Our Father; we Spurn His Grace at the very Moment He Overwhelms us with His Bounty. Is not this Ingratitude? Ingratitude all the more Culpable because we have received so much .– Ingratitude that cries out for Vengeance!"

Mortal Sin is a sort of Deicide

"718. In relation to Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer, Mortal Sin is a sort of Deicide.

a) It is Sin that has caused the Sufferings and Death of the Saviour: 'Christ suffered for us (1 Peter 2:21)...And washed us from our sins in His own blood.' (Apoc.1:5) That this thought make an impression upon us, we must think of the Personal Share we have had in Christ's Bitter Passion. It is I who Betrayed my Master with a kiss, and at times, for even less than the thirty pieces of silver. It is I who Caused Violent Hands to be Laid upon Him, and a Sentence of Death to be passed on Him. I was with the rabble that Cried Out: 'Not this man, but Barabbas...Crucify Him.' (John 18:40) I was with the soldiers, Lashing Him through my Self-Indulgence, Crowning His head with Thorns through my interior Sins of Pride and Sensuality, Laying the heavy Beam upon His Shoulders and Nailing Him to the Cross. As Father Olier so well explains it, 'our Niggard­liness Crucified His all-embracing Charity, our ill Temper, His Meekness, our Intolerance His Patience, our Pride His Humility. Thus our Vices Rack, Strangle, and Quarter the Christ that Lives in us.'  What Hatred should we bear a Sin that has so Cruelly Fastened Our Saviour to the Cross!"

"b) Of course, we can no longer visit fresh tortures upon Him, since He can suffer no more, but our present Faults do offer Him Fresh Insults; for when we Willfully Commit them, we Scorn His Love and Favours; as far as we are concerned, we Render Void the Blood He Shed in such Profusion; we Hold Back from Him that Love, that Gratitude, that Obedience to which He is Entitled. What is this, if not repaying Love with Black Ingratitude, and thereby calling down upon our heads a Dreadful Punishment?"  (141)

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THE EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN

Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X  Five serious effects:
"Q.  What injury does mortal sin do the soul? (1) Mortal Sin deprives the soul of Grace and of the Friendship of God;  (2)  It makes it Lose Heaven; (3) It deprives it of Merits already acquired, and renders it incapable of acquiring new merits; (4) It makes it the Slave of the devil; (5) It makes it deserve hell as well as the Chastisements of this life." (142)

Catechism of the Catholic Church  "Separated from Him for ever...deprives us of communion with God"

"To die in Mortal Sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from Him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called 'hell.'" (1033)

"Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and, therefore, makes us incapable of Eternal Life, the privation of which is called the 'Eternal Punishment' of Sin.'" (1472)

"Mortal Sin...if it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's Kingdom and the Eternal Death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back." (1861)

The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey S.S., D.D.  "The effects of Sin in this Life and in the Next"

"God has given the law, a Sanction; He has made Happiness the Reward of Virtue and Suffering the Wages of Sin. Seeing then, the Effects of Sin in this Life and in the Next, we can, in a measure, judge of its guilt."

"719. 1. To realize the Dire Effects of Mortal Sin in this life, let us remember what a Soul in the State of Grace is. It is the Dwelling place and the Delight of the Most Blessed Trinity. The Three Divine Persons Adorn it with Divine Graces, Divine Virtues, Divine Gifts. Under the influence of Actual Grace, the good acts such a soul performs merit Eternal Life. Such a soul possesses the Holy Liberty of the Children of God, shares in His Power and Virtue, and enjoys, especially at certain times, a Happiness which is a foretaste of Celestial Bliss. And what does Mortal Sin do? "

"a) It Expels God from our soul, and because the Possession of God is already the beginning of Heavenly Joy, the Loss of Him is, as it were, a Prelude to Eternal Loss; for the Loss of God is likewise the Loss of All the goods of which He is the Source."

"b) Losing God we Lose Sanctifying Grace, whereby our soul lived a life similar to that of the Godhead; hence, Mortal Sin is a sort of Spiritual Suicide. Together with Sanctifying Grace, we Lose that glorious Galaxy of Virtues and Gifts that go with it. If in His Infinite Mercy, God leaves us in possession of Faith and Hope, these Virtues are No Longer Vivified by Love. and now abide with us merely to infuse a wholesome Fear, and Inspire us with an earnest Desire of Atoning and doing Penance. In the meantime, they show us the sad plight of our soul and excite the pangs of remorse."

"720. c) The Merits we have Earned in the past with so much effort are likewise Lost by Mortal Sin; we can only regain them by Penance. Moreover, whilst we Remain in the State of Mortal Sin, we can acquire No Merits for Heaven. What a waste of the Supernatural!" 

"d) To all this we must add the Tyrannical Yoke of Servitude the sinner must from now on bear. Instead of 'the Liberty of the Children of God,' (Rom 8: 21), behold him now in the Slavery ...  of Sin, of evil Passions, now unloosed by the Loss of Grace, of Habits soon Formed after repeated Falls – Falls so difficult to avoid! 'Whosoever committeth Sin is the Servant of Sin' (John 8:34). Little by little, the Moral Strength of the Soul is Sapped, Actual Graces become Rarer, Discouragement and, at times, Despair ensue. This Poor Soul is Lost unless God in His exceeding great Mercy comes with His Grace and Rescues it from the Abyss." (143)

The author then gives consideration to what follows if "the sinner remains obdurate to the end in his Resistance to Grace.

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Father Robert D. Smith  Disregard of keeping the Sabbath leads to damnation

"How many there are engaged habitually, and in an unrepentant way, in disregard of keeping Holy the Sabbath, who have lost their belief in the notion that this Sin of theirs leads to Damnation."

Bishop L. L. Morrow Mortal Sin "deprives the sinner of Sanctifying Grace, the Supernatural Life of the Soul"
“This sin is called Mortal, or Deadly, because it deprives the sinner of Sanctifying Grace, the Supernatural Life of the Soul. Without Sanctifying Grace, the soul is displeasing to God, unclean and can never behold Him or be with Him in Heaven.  Without Sanctifying Grace, the soul is without God; and without God, the devil makes the soul his habitation. ‘Know thou and see that it is an evil and bitter thing for thee to have left the Lord thy God.’ (Jer. 2:19)
(p. 44) (6)

REDEMPTION

Catechism of the Catholic Church  Perfect and Imperfect Contrition: "Delay not to be converted to the Lord"

How is a Mortal Sin “redeemed by repentance”? By making an act of “Perfect” Contrition, if a Priest is not available, or if a Priest is available, by confessing that Sin in the Sacrament of Penance. The Catechism defines “Perfect” Contrition –  “When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, Contrition is called ‘Perfect’ (Contrition of Charity). Such Contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of Mortal Sins if it includes the Firm Resolution to have recourse to Sacramental Confession, as soon as possible.” (CCC, 1452) Whereas “Imperfect” Contrition is "born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness, or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (Contrition of Fear). ... By itself, however, Imperfect Contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance (cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1678; 1705.)” (Ibid. 1453) (emphases added)  "Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day."  (Eccl. 5:8)

Comment:
Such redemption can only be effectuated by “the Grace of God.”

Return to Communion With God  We Must pray for Grace for self or others to confess Sins in Confession

“To return to Communion with God after having lost it through Sin is a process born of the Grace of God Who is rich in Mercy and solicitous for the Salvation of men. One must ask for this Precious Gift for oneself and for others.” (Ibid. 1489)  If one does not ask, (or if no person on his behalf asks), for the Grace to confess his Sins in the Sacrament of Confession, he runs the risk of spending eternity with the devil.

TRIBUTE TO OUR BLESSED MOTHER MARY
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES: THE TREASURY OF GOOD THINGS

Everything Through The Blessed Virgin:  (His Holiness Pope Pius IX) "Through Her are obtained every Hope, Grace, and all Salvation"

His Holiness Pope Pius IX proclaimed on 2 February 1849, in Ubi primum, On The Immaculate Conception what a significant and necessary role Our Blessed Mother Mary plays in our Salvation. “Our confidence, as you know well, Venerable Brethren, is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. For, God has committed to Mary the Treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through Her are obtained every Hope, every Grace, and all Salvation. For this is His Will, that we obtain everything through Mary.” (144)

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MARY IS NECESSARY TO GOD IN THE SANCTIFICATION OF SOULS

True Devotion to Mary  (Saint Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort) "She is His Mysterious Canal; She is His Aqueduct, through which He makes His Mercies flow gently and abundantly"

23. God the Father made an assemblage of all the waters and He named it the sea (mare). He made an assemblage of all His Graces and He called it Mary (Maria). This great God has a most rich Treasury in which He has laid up all that He has of Beauty and Splendor, of Rarity and Preciousness, including even His own Son: and this Immense Treasury is none other than Mary, Whom the Saints have named the Treasure of the Lord, out of Whose Plenitude all men are made rich.”

 “24. God the Son has communicated to His Mother all that He acquired by His Life and His Death, His Infinite Merits and His Admirable Virtues; and He has made Her the Treasurer of all that His Father gave Him for His Inheritance. It is by Her that He applies His Merits to His members, and that He communicates His Virtues, and distributes His Graces. She is His Mysterious Canal; She is His Aqueduct, through which He makes His Mercies flow gently and abundantly.”

“25. To Mary, His Faithful Spouse, God the Holy Ghost has communicated His Unspeakable Gifts; and He has chosen Her to be the Dispenser of all He possesses, in such wise that She distributes to whom She wills, as much as She wills, as She wills and when She wills, all His Gifts and Graces. The Holy Ghost gives no Heavenly Gift to men which He does not have pass through Her Virginal Hands. Such has been the Will of God, Who has willed that we should have everything through Mary; so that She Who impoverished, humbled, and Who hid Herself even unto the Abyss of Nothingness by Her Profound Humility Her whole life long, should now be Enriched and Exalted and Honoured by the Most High. Such are the Sentiments of the Church and the Holy Fathers.” (145)

THE GLORIES OF MARY: MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES: MOTHER OF PENITENT SINNERS
(Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, Bishop of Saint Agatha, Founder of  the Congregation of the,
Most Holy Redeemer and Doctor of the Church)

"For if a sinner endeavours 'to give up his sin', and for this purpose seeks the help of Mary, this good mother will not fail to assist him, and make him recover the Grace of God."

"Our Blessed Mother Mary is the Mediatrix of All Graces, and our Advocate before God Almighty to obtain the necessary Graces for even the worst sinners to seek out a Priest to confess his Mortal Sins in order to obtain Absolution for them, and Sanctifying Grace.  Saint Alphonsus enlightens us regarding Our Mother’s vital  role."

“Our Blessed Lady told Saint Bridget that She was Mother not only of the just and innocent, but also of sinners, provided that they were willing to repent. O how prompt does a sinner (desirous of amendment, and who flies to Her feet) find this good Mother to embrace and help him, far more so than any earthly mother!”

“For if a sinner, though he may not as yet have given up his sin, endeavours to do so, and for this purpose seeks the help of Mary, this good Mother will not fail to assist him, and make him recover the Grace of God."

“Saint Bernard says that although prayer in the mouth of the sinner is devoid of beauty, as it is unaccompanied with charity, nevertheless it is useful, and obtains Grace to abandon sin; for, as Saint Thomas teaches, the prayer of a sinner, though without merit, is an act which obtains the Grace of Forgiveness, since the power of Impetration (petition) is founded not on the merits of him who asks, but on the Divine Goodness, and the Merits and Promises of Jesus Christ, Who has said, ‘Every one that asketh, receiveth.’ (Luke 11:10) The same thing must be said of prayers offered to the Divine Mother. ‘If he who prays’ says Saint Anselm, ‘does not merit to be heard, the Merits of the Mother, to whom he recommends himself, will intercede effectually.’”

“Therefore, Saint Bernard exhorts all sinners to have recourse to Mary, invoking Her with great confidence; for though the sinner does not himself merit the Graces which he asks, yet he receives them, because this Blessed Virgin asks and obtains them from God, on account of Her own Merits.” (146)

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"MARY IS THE PEACE MAKER BETWEEN SINNERS AND GOD"
(Saint Alphonsus de Liguori)

"'But if by chance', adds [Saint Bernard], 'thou fearest to have recourse to Jesus Christ because the Majesty of God in Him overawes thee – for though He became man, He did not cease to be God – and thou desirest another advocate with this Divine Mediator, go to Mary, for She will intercede for thee with the Son, Who will most certainly hear Her; and then He will intercede with the Father, Who can deny nothing to such a Son.'  Thence, Saint Bernard concludes, this Divine Mother: O my children, is the Ladder of Sinners, by which they reascend to the height of Divine Grace: She is my Greatest Confidence, She is the Whole Ground of my hope." (Ibid.)

Mary was prefigured by the dove which returned to Noah in the Ark with an olive branch in its beak, as a pledge of the peace which God granted to men.  And on this idea Saint Bonaventure thus addresses Our Blessed Lady: 'Thou art that most Faithful Dove; that was a sure Mediatrix between God and the world, lost in a spiritual deluge; Thou, by presenting Thyself before God, hast obtained for a lost world peace and salvation. Mary, then, was the Heavenly Dove which brought to a lost world the olive branch, the sign of mercy, since She in the first place gave us Jesus Christ, Who is the source of Mercy; and then, by His Merits, obtained all Graces for us. 'And as by Mary', says Saint Epiphanius, 'heavenly peace was once all given to the world, so by Her are sinners still reconciled to God.' Wherefore, Blessed Albert the Great makes Her say: 'I am the Dove of Noah, which brought the olive branch of Universal Peace to the Church.'" (Ibid.) (146)

"INSTRUCTION GIVEN TO ME BY THE MOST HOLY MARY, THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN:"
(Venerable Mary of Agreda)
"Taken from the City of God and given by the Blessed Virgin Mary to Venerable Mary of Agreda"

Seek Jesus Christ your "Ultimate End" and "Highest Good""

Approbations:
"The first Pope officially to take notice of 'City of God' was Pope Innocent XI, who, on July 3, 1686, in response to a series of virulent attacks and machinations of some members of the Sorbonne, known to be Jansenists, issued a breve permitting the publication and reading of the 'City of God.' Similar decrees were afterward issued by Popes Alexander VIII, Clement IX and Benedict XIII. These decrees were followed by two decrees of the Congregation of Rites, ap­proved by Benedict XIV and Clement XIV, in which the authenticity of 'City of God' as extant and written by the Venerable Servant of God, Mary of Jesus, is officially estab­lished. The great Pope Benedict XIII, when he was Arch­bishop of Benevent, used these revelations as material for a series of sermons on the Blessed Virgin. On Sept. 26, 1713, the bishop of Ceneda, Italy, objecting to the publication of the 'City of God,' was peremptorily ordered by the Holy Office to withdraw his objections as interfering with the decree of Pope Innocent XI for the Universal Church."

"The process of canonization of Mary of Agreda was promoted by the Spanish Bishops and other eminent men of the Church soon after her death by 1666. It has resulted so far in securing her the title of Venerabilis, thus clearing the way to her beatification, for which, let us hope, God will soon raise a promoter among the many pious and eminent men who hold in esteem her writings and have learned of her holy life and of the miracles wrought at her tomb."
"The Redemptorist Fathers published a new German trans­lation in 1885, which was approved and highly recommend­ed by the Bishop of Ratisbon in the, following terms:  'We take pleasure in giving our Episcopal approbation to the annotated translation of the Spanish original 'City of God' of Mary of Jesus and recommend this book, which will surely edify all readers and be the occasion of great spiritual blessings." (Ratisbon, September 29, 1885.  Ignatius, Bishop of Ratisbon. For other approbations please see pp, 6-7, thereof.)

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WORDS OF THE QUEEN
"Seek My Most Holy Son with a continual longing until you canst lose Him no more"

"My daughter, all the works of My Most Holy Son and My own actions are full of mysterious instruction and doctrine for the mortals who contemplate them diligently and reverently. The Lord absented Himself from Me in order that, seeking Him in sorrow and tears, I might find Him again in Joy and with abundant fruits for My soul. I desire that thou imitate Me in this mystery and seek Him with such earnestness, as to be consumed with a continual longing without ever in thy whole life coming to any rest until thou holdst Him and canst lose Him no more (Can. 5, 4). In order that thou mayest understand better this Sacrament of the Lord, remember that the infinite Wisdom made men capable of His Eternal Felicity and placed them on the way to this happiness, but left them in doubt of its attainment, as long as they have not yet acquired it, and thus filled them with joyful hope and sorrowful fear of its final acquisition."

"This anxiety engenders in men a lifelong fear and abhorrence of sin, by which alone they can be deprived of beatitude, and thus prevent them from being ensnared and misled by the corporeal and visible things of this earth. This anxiety the Creator assists by adding to the natural reasoning powers, Faith and Hope, which are the spurs of their love toward seeking and finding their last end. Besides these virtues and others infused at Baptism, He sends His Inspirations and  helps to keep awake the soul in the absence of its Lord, and to prevent forgetfulness of Him, and of itself, while deprived of his Amiable Presence. Thus it pursues the right course until it finds the Great Goal, where all its inclinations and longing shall be satiated."

"Hence, thou canst estimate the listless ignorance of mortals and how few stop to consider the mysterious Order of the Creation and Justification and all the Works of the Almighty tending toward this exalted end. From this forgetfulness flow so many evils endured by men while they appropriate so many earthly goods and deceitful delights, as if they could ever find in them their ultimate end. The height of perversity opposed to the Order of the Creator, is that mortals in this transitory and short life rejoice in visible things as if they were their last end, while they ought, on the contrary, to make use of creatures to gain, not to lose, the Highest Good."

"Do thou, therefore, My Dearest, be mindful of this dan­gerous human folly. Consider all delights and joys of the world as insanity, its laughing as sorrow, sensible enjoy­ment as self deceit, as the source of foolishness, which intoxicates the heart and hinders and destroys all true wisdom. Live in Constant and Holy Fear of Losing Eternal Life and Rejoice In Nothing Except In The Lord until thou obtainest full possession of Him."  (147)

Comments:
Since we cannot obtain "full possession" of Our Lord Jesus Christ until we reach Heaven, let us accept the advice of our Blessed Mother Mary to Venerable Mary of Agreda to "rejoice in nothing except in the Lord," by eating of The Bread of Life every day, by daily attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and receiving such Bread of Life; the Body, Blood and Soul of Jesus in His Sacred Humanity, and God the Father, God the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost, all in their Holy Divinity, and also by making, even a short visit, to a Church or Chapel to be in the Real and Substantial Presence of Jesus Christ; and the Hypostatic Union, Almighty God.

HOLY MARY
(Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)
"Her Holiness was because She was in the friendship of God...She is so close to God....She is
More Powerful before the throne of God than any other angel or saint."

"Mary has many titles in the Litany of our Lady. She had more titles in the churches in Rome, and still more in the Byzantine Liturgy. I never counted them, but I am told there is a different feast with a different title for our Lady
for every day in the Byzantine calendar. Yet this one title, "Holy Mary," has been given to Her by the Church because She was the holiest of human beings; She was the holiest of Creatures,  always after Christ, Who is God."

"She practiced all the virtues to a sublime degree. She never sinned, but, and I think this bears some emphasis, She was mainly holy not so much by what She did, because, as far as we can tell, She did not do anything extraordinary;
She was mainly so holy because of what She was. She possessed the Grace of God. We should emphasize this further, that Her Holiness was not only because She was the Mother of Christ, indeed, the Mother of God, but because She was in the friendship of God and this kind of Holiness we all have access to, and please God, we all possess, trusting that we are in His friendship. This essential sanctity which we share in common with Mary we have because we are in the State of Grace."

"To be noted, however, is that when we address Mary as Holy, we are not only speaking of Her Holiness then. When is that? When She still lived on earth. We are also talking to Mary and addressing Her as Holy now. She is Holy because She now possesses in Heaven a Treasury of Glory comparable to the fullness of Grace She had on earth."

"Grace on earth is a condition for glory. The degree of Grace is 'a measure of glory.  Though the expression would sound odd, we could legitimately say, instead of speaking of Mary as full of Grace, that being now in Heaven,

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She is Full of Glory.  She is the Most Fully glorified of God's creatures, always after her own Divine Son. This Holiness of Our Lady is not only to be praised. It is also to be invoked. She is So Powerful in Heaven as our Intercessor because She is so close to God. The closer a person is to God, the more holy he is. This is another simple word for holiness: closeness to God. Mary is the closest to God. Because She is that close to God,  that is, so Holy, She is More Powerful before the Throne of God than any other angel or saint."

"Moreover, Mary's Holiness is not only to be admired and invoked. It is also to be imitated. She is our model of Holiness. She is, as the spiritual writers tell us, the imitatrix Christi, the Imitator of Christ. Perfect! She is the one
who faithfully mirrored His sanctity in the many virtues she practiced. But let us note with Mary, though undoubtedly She practiced the moral virtues of Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude, it was especially her practice of what we call the Theological Virtue of Charity that made Her so like Christ in spirit, because She loved Him, Who was like Her in body, because He was Her Son." (148)

MARY: MOTHER OF GOD
(Father John A. Hardon, S. J.)
"She was God's Mother because She conceived and gave birth to Jesus Christ Who is God,
that is why She was Immaculately Conceived."

"Already Elizabeth addressed Mary as 'the Mother of my Lord.' And so the Church has been doing so ever since. She was God's Mother because She conceived and gave birth to Jesus Christ Who is God, that is why She was Immaculately Conceived. When God gives a vocation, He always plans ahead of time. Knowing that She was to become the Ark of the Covenant and the first Tabernacle of the Most High, He prepared Her body and soul already at Her conception. That is also why She was eventually assumed into Heaven not only in soul, but also in body. It makes supernatural sense that She might be in the flesh in the company of the Word of God to whom She had given flesh."

"This title "Mother of God" is the index of a true faith. By this standard in the early centuries heresy was identified. Those who admitted that Mary was the Mother of God were those who believed that Her Son was God.  So it has been ever since. Only those, how well I know in dealing for so many years with our separated brethren on their theological faculties, only those who really believe in Christ's Divinity, [are they] who simply and unqualifiedly accept Mary's Divine Maternity. Anyone who has reservations about Mary being the Mother of God, has reservations about Her Son being the Infinite God." (Ibid.)

CALL ON MARY: "STAR OF THE SEA, LADY"
(Saint Bernard of Clairvaux)
"If you fall among the rocks of tribulation; look up to the star, call upon Mary"

"The word Miriam, or Mary, is expounded by Saint Jerome from different etymologies to signify in Hebrew, star of the sea, and in Chaldaic, Lady. Both interpretations admirably well agree with Her, Who is the Glorious Queen of Heaven, our Patroness and Star, to direct us in the stormy ocean of this world. – 'Oh you,' cries Saint Bernard, 'who find yourselves tossed to and fro in this tempestuous life, turn not your eyes away from the brightness of this star, if
you would not be overwhelmed in these storms.  If the winds of temptation arise; if you fall among the rocks of tribulation; look up to the star, call upon Mary. If you are agitated and hard driven with the surge of pride, ambition, detraction, jealousy, or envy; look up to the star, call upon Mary. If anger, covetousness, or lust, beat furiously on the vessel of your soul; look up to the star, call upon Mary. If you are beginning to founder, and are just sinking into the gulf of melancholy and despair; think on Mary. In danger, in distresses, in perplexities, think on Mary, call on Mary.  Let Her name never be absent from your mouth; from your mouth let it constantly descend into your heart; and that you may obtain the suffrage of Her prayers; both in death and life, never depart from the example of Her pious conversation." (Saint Bernard, hom. ii. super Missus est; Douay Rheims Bible p. 1345) 

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THE THREE HAIL MARYS AND ONE HAIL MARY
"'A devout servant of Mary shall never perish.'"

HEAVEN OPENED BY THE PRACTICE OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

The following quotes come from CatholicTradition.org:

"One of the greatest means of Salvation, and one of the surest signs of Predestination, is unquestionably, the Devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. All the Holy Doctors of the Church are unanimous in saying with Saint Alphonsus Liguori: 'A devout servant of Mary shall never perish.'"

"The Chief Thing is to Persevere Faithfully until death In This Devotion."

"His Holiness, Benedict XV raised the Confraternity of the Three Hail Marys to an Archconfraternity and accorded it indulgences."

"Our Lady requested the daily recitation of three Hail Marys, revealing the following to Saint Mechtilde:

'The first Hail Mary will be in honour of God the Father, Whose Omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that, after God, I have the greatest Power in Heaven and on earth.  In the hour of your death, I will use that Power of God the Father to keep any hostile power from you.'

'The second Hail Mary will be in honour of God the Son, Who communicated His inscrutable Wisdom to me... In the hour of your death, I will fill your soul with the light of that Wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled.'

'The third Hail Mary will be in honour of God the Holy Ghost, Who filled my soul with the Sweetness of His Love and Tenderness and Mercy...In your last hour, I will then change the bitterness of death into Divine Sweetness and Delight.'"

PROMISE

"During an apparition to Saint Gertrude, the Blessed Mother promised, 'To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a Splendour of Beauty so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with Heavenly Consolation.'"

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE BLESSED TRINITY

"With all my heart I praise Thee, Most Holy Virgin above all Angels and Saints in Paradise, Daughter of the Eternal Father, and I consecrate to Thee my soul with all its faculties.  Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee!  Blessed art Thou among women and Blessed is the fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.  Amen."

"With all my heart I praise, Thee, Most Holy Virgin above all Angels and Saints in Paradise, beloved Mother of the Son of  God, and I consecrate to Thee my body with all its senses.  Hail Mary, etc."

"With all my heart I praise, Thee Most Holy Virgin above  all Angels and Saints in Paradise, beloved Spouse of the Holy Ghost, and I consecrate to Thee my heart  with all its affections, and beseech Thee to obtain for me from the Most Holy Trinity all the Graces necessary for Salvation.  Hail Mary, etc."

PRACTICE:

"Recite morning and evening the Consecration and Three Hail Marys in honour of the Three Great Privileges of Mary, together with this Invocation at the end of each Hail Mary: By Thy Holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy; preserve me this day [this night] from mortal sin." NB. Imprimatur: Feb. 7, 1963, Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York. Pope Saint Pius X gave his Apostolic Blessing to this practice. (149)

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CONSECRATION TO OUR BLESSED MOTHER MARY
One Hail Mary

"O Mary! my Queen! my Mother! I give myself entirely to Thee; and, to show my devotion to Thee, I consecrate to Thee this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being, without reserve. Wherefore, Good Mother, as I am Thine own, keep me, guard me, as Thy property and possession."

"Pope Pius IX, by a Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, August 4, 1851, granted to all faithful who, with fervour, and at least contrite heart, shall say, morning and evening, one Hail Mary, and this prayer, to implore of the Blessed Virgin victory over temptations, especially over those against chastity, an indulgence of 100 days, once a day." (150)

LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The thought entered my mind that it was "just, right, and proper" that this Litany should be included in this book, and my Spiritual Advisor, an eminent priest and Canon Lawyer agreed. It is a summary of all the attributes of the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ and our Mother.  Commencing with the verse "Holy Mary" we respond "Pray for us" up to the Verse "Queen of Peace."  Thereafter, the Responses are listed.

"Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us. Christ graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us."

"Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of Divine Grace,  Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, Mother inviolate, Mother undefiIed, Mother most amiable, Mother most admirable, Mother of good counsel, Mother of our Creator, Mother of our Saviour, Virgin most prudent, Virgin most venerable, Virgin most renowned, Virgin most powerful, Virgin most merciful, Virgin most faithful, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom, Cause of our joy, Spiritual vessel, Vessel of honor, Singular vessel of devotion, Mystical Rose, 'Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven, Morning star, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of apostles, Queen of martyrs, Queen of confessors, Queen of virgins, Queen of all saints, Queen conceived without original sin, Queen of the most Holy Rosary, Queen of Peace."

"Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord, Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord, Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us, Christ, graciously hear us. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ."

"Let us pray: Grant unto us, Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, at all times to enjoy health of soul and health of body: and by the glorious Intercession of Blessed Mary, Ever Virgin, when freed from the sorrows of the present life, to enter into that Joy which hath no end. R. Amen. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen." (151)

GRACE: THE GREATEST POWER ON EARTH

Definition of Grace:  “The Divine influence which operates in men to regenerate and sanctify, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation.” (152)

GRACE OF GOD: THE GREATEST AND MOST DESIRABLE OF TREASURES

The Grace of God is the Greatest and Most Desirable of Treasures for every soul. It is called by the Holy Ghost an Infinite Treasure; for by the means of Divine Grace we are raised to the honour of being the Friends of God. These are the Words of the Book of Wisdom: For She is an Infinite Treasure to men, which they that use become the Friends of God." (Sap. 7:14) ['Wisdom 7:14, For she is an infinite treasure to men: which they that use, become the friends of God, being commended for the gifts of discipline'] And hence, Jesus, our Redeemer and God, did not hesitate to call those His Friends who were in Grace: 'You are My friends.'" (John 15:14) ['You are My friends, if you do the things that I command you.' Footnote: A wonderful condescension, says Saint Augustine in our Blessed Redeemer to call such poor and sinful creatures, His friends. (John 15:14)] (153)

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Saint Therese of Lisieux  "Everything is Grace"

"It is upon Heaven that everything hinges. How strange and incoherent this is!  No doubt, it is Grace to receive the Sacraments. When God does not permit it, it is good too!  Everything is Grace." (154)
Or, if you prefer: Grace is Everything.

Grace (Sacred Scripture)

"For it is God Who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish, according to the good-will." (Phil. 2:13) Footnote: "We can neither have a will, nor begin, nor fulfill anything of ourselves, in order to [receive] a reward in Heaven."(Ibid.) "For without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

God's Grace is Sufficient and is Free!  (Saint Paul)

“And He said to me: My Grace is sufficient for thee: for Power is made Perfect in infirmity. Gladly, therefore, will I glory in my infirmities, that the Power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am powerful.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

"But to everyone is given Grace, according to the measure of the Gift of Christ." (Eph. 4:7) Footnote: "That is, as it pleased Christ to bestow His Free Gifts upon us; to show says Saint Chrysostom that it is not according to any merit of ours." (Douay Rheims Bible, page. 1546)

Definitions of Grace  (Bishop L.L. Morrow)

“Grace is a Supernatural Gift of God bestowed on us through the merits of Jesus Christ for our Salvation. (p.78) “There are two kinds of Grace: Sanctifying Grace and Actual Grace.” (p.79)

(1) "Grace is a favour, a free Gift, granted to us though we have no claim to it. God grants us Graces because He is Good, not because we deserve them. God grants us Graces for the sake of  His Son, Who died on the Cross to earn  for us these Graces; we men can never merit these Graces.”

(2) “The Supernatural is that which is beyond natural powers.  It is of two kinds: (a) When the fact is beyond natural powers in the manner of occurrence: as when a blind man can instantly see; and (b) when the fact fundamentally and entirely surpasses all powers of the natural order: as when God imparts part of His life to man through the gift of Sanctifying Grace.” (p. 78) (6)

Sanctifying Grace 

"Sanctifying Grace is that Grace which confers on our souls a new life, that is, a sharing in the Life of God Himself."

(1) "By Sanctifying Grace, our souls are made holy and pleasing to God. It is an abiding or permanent Grace, which we gain by Baptism, and lose only by Mortal Sin.”

(2) "A soul to whom God grants Sanctifying Grace receives not merely a Gift from God, but God Himself. The Holy Ghost lives in him and becomes united with him, so that he receives a new Life, a new Nature.” (Ibid.)

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Chief Effects of Sanctifying Grace     

"First, it makes us holy and pleasing to God. When we are in Sanctifying Grace, we are free from Mortal Sin,  the two cannot dwell together. The fire of the Holy Ghost sears away all that God abhors, so that we acquire God’s Friendship.”

Second, it makes us adopted Children of God. With Sanctifying Grace, the Holy Ghost enters our soul; we are led by His Spirit, and are, therefore, His Children: ‘For whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God.’" (Rom. 8:15-16)

Third, it makes us Temples of the Holy Ghost. Sanctifying Grace brings the Holy Ghost to dwell in us as in a temple. Saint Paul says, ‘For you are the Temple of the Living God.’" (2 Cor. 6:16)

Fourth, it gives us the right to Heaven. When we are in Sanctifying Grace, we are inspired to do good works. The Holy Ghost does not sleep within us, but expands our heart with His Grace, and urges our will to do good. And as we are adopted Children of God, such actions become meritorious for Heaven.” (p. 79) (Ibid.)

Actual Grace 

“Actual Grace is a Supernatural Help of God which enlightens our mind and strengthens our will to do good and to avoid evil. By Actual Grace, the Holy Ghost shows us the emptiness in themselves of earthly things. He makes us see our own sins, and the True Goal of life. By it, we can perform a virtuous act or reject a temptation."

(1) "Actual Grace is transient; that is, it is given to us only when we need it, to perform a good act, or to overcome a temptation."

“An example of the wonderful action of the Holy Ghost in enlightening the mind and strengthening the will is the First Pentecost. Before the descent of the Holy Ghost, the Apostles were ignorant and afraid; after His descent, His Grace made them wise and fearless men, going forth to preach Christ everywhere, ready to die for their faith.”

(2) "God gives us always sufficient Grace to be saved. A true Christian should view his whole life in the light of Grace. All God’s Gifts granted for man’s Salvation are Graces.”

“A good family, a good education, these are Graces. But even sickness and hardships are God’s Graces, and may be the steps by which to ascend to Heaven. And God grants Graces to protect us against temptation, never suffering us to be tempted beyond our strength. If we do our part, avoid the occasions of sins, and cooperate with His Graces, we shall win.”

“Actual Grace is necessary for all who have attained the use of reason, because without it we cannot long resist the power of temptation, nor perform other actions which merit a Reward in Heaven.” (p. 80) (Ibid.)

Principal Ways Of Obtaining Grace:

“The principal ways of obtaining Grace are Prayer and the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. The Sacraments of Baptism and Penance give Grace to those not possessing it; the other Sacraments increase Grace in those already in the State of Grace.”

(1) "Actual Grace is obtained by good works. It is especially obtained by the use of means offered by the Church, such as hearing Mass, sermons, etc., and receiving the Sacraments, particularly the Holy Eucharist, which contains God, the Source of Grace.”

“Although we cannot merit Grace by our good works, still our good works can beg God for us, to give us Grace. Good works are necessary, for God will not save us without our cooperation.”

(2) "Actual Grace is made to act through various means: through sermons, reading of good books, illness and death, advice of superiors and friends, good example, etc. Often God sends us sufferings as a means by which the Holy Ghost may speak to us.” (p. 81) (Ibid.)

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Reference to the Holy Ghost

Regarding the many references to the Holy Ghost in the preceding sections regarding Grace, does that mean that the Holy Ghost alone was performing the many actions stated?   Recall what was stated previously on page 30 and 31 "All three Persons are equal in every way, equal in Power and Glory. The attributes and external works of God are common to all Three Persons. However, in human speech we attribute certain works to each Person."

Comments:
So, a person who only infrequently attends the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, or who has forsaken the practice of our Faith, denies himself golden opportunities to obtain the necessary Graces to save his soul and to gain the Everlasting Reward of the Beatific Vision and the Ultimate Happiness in Heaven. In real terms, what is the gain by not complying with the Third Commandment? Zero.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE (CONFESSION):  ITS EFFECTS
"All sins can be forgiven...The help to avoid sin in the future."

Effects of the Sacrament of Penance, Worthily Received  (Bishop L. L. Morrow)

(1)  "The Sacrament of Penance restores Sanctifying Grace to the soul that has lost it, and increases it in the soul that already possesses it."

(2)  "The forgiveness of sins. 'The Sacrament of Penance remits the guilt of sins. All sins can be forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance. However, many and wicked the sins may be, they are all forgiven if the sinner makes a good Confession, even on a deathbed.' ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all iniquity.’" (1 John 1:9)

(3)  "The remission of the eternal punishment, if necessary, and also of part, at least, of the temporal Punishment due to sins. 'Unless you repent, you will all perish in the same manner.'" (Luke 13:5)

(4) "The help to avoid sin in future. The Sacrament of Penance gives the penitent Actual Graces and a special strength by which he may overcome temptation and lead a good life. Works of penance are not only for the punishment of past sins; they act as a medicine, as a remedy to weaken the power of evil tendencies.”

(5)  "The restoration of the Merits of our good works, if they were lost by Mortal Sin.”  (p. 309) (6)

THE MERCY OF GOD

Sixth Promise to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and The Magnificat

"'Sinners shall find in My Heart the Source and Infinite Ocean of Mercy.” Recall the declaration of Our Blessed Mother Mary in The Magnificat, “'My soul doth magnify The Lord. …And His Mercy is from generation to generations to them that fear Him.'” (Luke 1:46,50) (155)

SCRIPTURE VERSES

Other evidence of God’s Mercy will be found in the following Verses: 

“Saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.” (Is. 1:18)

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and He will have Mercy on him, and to our God: for He is bountiful to forgive.” (Is. 55: 7)

“But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all My Commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live.” (Ezech. 18: 21-22)

“Is it My Will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord, and not that he should be converted from his ways and live?” (Ezech. 18:23)

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“Now, therefore, saith the Lord: Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and mourning. And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for He is Gracious and Merciful, Patient and rich in Mercy, and ready to repent of the evil.  Who knoweth but He will return, and forgive, and leave a blessing behind Him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God?” (Joel 2:12-14) Footnote: "Who knoweth. Confidence in God and repentance must accompany prayer." (Douay Rheims, Bible, p. 1124)

“If we confess our sins: He is Faithful and Just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.” (1 John 1:9)

“Give Praise to the Lord for He is Good: for His Mercy endureth forever.” (Ps. 117:1)

Comment:
God’s Forgiveness is only granted when we truly repent for our Mortal Sins while we are still alive. To obtain forgiveness, we cannot say that we are sorry for our sins after we die; it is then too late.

THE STRATEGY OF SATAN
(Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)
"Widespread preoccupation with worldly things, pleasures of every kind...the root of the trouble"

“In a conversation I had some time ago with the chief exorcist of Rome, I asked him about the influence of the evil spirit in the modern world. ‘It seems to me,’ I said, ‘that Satan is extraordinarily powerful in the world today. God is permitting the devil to tempt and seduce people more than ever nowadays.’ He replied, ‘That is not the way I see it. I do not think the devil is any more powerful than he used to be, but people are allowing him more influence in their lives. In my judgment,’ he concluded, ‘the widespread preoccupation with worldly things, pleasures of every kind that modern science makes so easily available to everyone; this immersion in creatures is at the root of the trouble. It gives the devil so much power over people because they are so forgetful of God.’”  

"I think the lesson is plain. If the devil is so effective in misleading souls, it is because people are too distracted with the pleasures of this life to even realize they are being misled. Hence, the value of looking at the devil for a few minutes, studying his technique, and thus preparing ourselves to cope with his deceit.”

“Why is it useful to look at the master plan of the antichrist? Because to be forewarned is to be forearmed. I frankly do not believe that most people who lose their faith, or give up the practice of religion, or abandon their lifetime commitments in marriage, or the Priesthood, or the religious life, or who even turn against Christ and His Church do so out of positive ill will. Most of them are victims of the wiles of the devil who, remember, first induced our first parents to lose God’s friendship by seducing them. Satan’s principal weapons then are still his principal weapons now. What are these weapons? They are mainly four: telling the untruth, masking falsehood under the guise of truth, making error appealing to our natural desires, and finally releasing the passions that always follow on the commission of sin.”

Father Hardon, later, expanded on the last stated weapon:

“The devil’s final purpose is not only to lead a person into sin. He wants to release the passions of the flesh and, what is less obvious, the passions of the soul. Why should he want to do this? What connection is there between passion and sin? The connection is that of cause and effect. Sin always leaves its mark on the sinner. It is like throwing a bottle of nitric acid into a person’s face and burning out his eyes. Every sin we commit weakens our powers of reason and intelligent perception. The more serious the sin and the more often committed, the greater is this induced darkening of man’s most precious possession which makes him most like God, his ability to think. Sinners do not think, they emote and then write learned volumes defending their irrationality.” (156)

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WARNING OF POPE PAUL VI
"'One of the greatest needs of  the Church today is to defend itself against this evil that we call the demon"

"'One of the greatest needs of  the Church today is to defend itself against this evil that we call the demon." (November 15, 1972)  We speak rarely and only a little about the last ends, (Death, Judgment, hell, Paradise)...these solemn truths that concern us, including the awesome truth of possible eternal punishment that we call hell, of which Christ spoke without reserve (Matt. 22:13; 25:41) It is enough to make one tremble. Let us listen to the prophetic voice of Saint Paul: 'With fear and trembling work out your salvation.' (Phil. 2:12) The seriousness and uncertainty surrounding our Final End has always been an important object of meditation, and a source of unparalleled energy for Morality and Sanctity in Christian life." (September 8 and April 28, 1971) (157)  

FEAR OF ALMIGHTY GOD
(Douay Rheims Bible)
"There is nothing better than the fear of God: nothing sweeter than regard to the Commandments"

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom," Footnote: "Fear is the beginning, Charity the end of Wisdom.  (Euseb.) Beginning with fear, we ascend to true Wisdom, which are the first and the last Gifts of the Holy Ghost." (Psalm 110:10) "The fear of the Lord is Holy, enduring forever and ever." (Ps. 18:10) "Footnote: This fear is filial and pure, such as a child must have of displeasing his father. Yet even servile fear, which restrains us from committing sin, lest we incur punishment, is a Gift of God and prepares the way for Charity." (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 695)  "There is nothing better than the fear of God: and there is nothing sweeter than to have regard to the Commandments of the Lord." (Ecclus. 23:37) "Riches and strength lift up the heart, but above these is the fear of the Lord." (Ecclus. 40:26)  "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in His Commandments." (Ps. 111:1) "They that fear the Lord, will not be incredulous to His Word." (Ecclus. 2:18) "They that fear the Lord, will seek after things that are well pleasing to Him." (Ecclus. 2:19)  "The fear of the Lord driveth out sin." (Ecclus. 1:27) "No evils shall happen to him that feareth the Lord; but in temptation God will keep him, and deliver him from evils." (Ecclus. 33:1) "As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear Him." (Ps. 102:13)

ABANDONMENT BY GOD
(Saint Alphonsus de Liguori)
"He numbers the Graces which He dispenses, as well as the sins which we commit ... Hence, when the time
which He has fixed arrives, God deprives us of His Graces, and begins to inflict chastisement."

How many souls would be saved if the average Catholic ever heard preached a sermon with the same content as the following: “But the Lord answered, that, in the Sacred Scriptures it is written: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. The sinner who abandons himself to sin without striving to resist temptations, or without, at least, asking God’s help to conquer them, and hopes that the Lord will one day draw him from the precipice, tempts God to work miracles, or rather to show to him an extraordinary mercy not extended to the generality of Christians. God, as the Apostle says, ‘will have all men to be saved’; (1 Tim. 2:4) but He also wishes us all to labour for our own Salvation, at least, by adopting the means of overcoming our enemies, and of obeying Him when he calls us to repentance. Sinners hear the calls of God, but they forget them, and continue to offend Him. But God does not forget them. He numbers the Graces which He dispenses,  as well as the sins which we commit. Hence, when the time which He has fixed arrives, God deprives us of His Graces, and begins to inflict chastisement. I intend to show, in this discourse, that, when sins reach a certain number, God pardons no more.  Be attentive."

“Saint Basil, Saint Jerome, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Augustine, and other Fathers, teach, that, as God (according to the Words of Scripture, ‘Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and number, and weight.’) (Wis. 11:21) has fixed for each person the number of the days of his life, and the degrees of health and talent which He will give him, so He has also determined for each the number of sins which He will pardon; and when this number is completed, He will pardon no more.”

“‘The Lord hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart’ (Isa. 61:1). God is ready to heal those who sincerely wish to amend their lives, but cannot take pity on the obstinate sinner. The Lord pardons sins, but He cannot pardon those who are determined to offend Him. Nor can we demand from God a reason why He pardons one a hundred sins, and takes others out of life, and sends them to hell, after three or four sins.” (158)

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“You must, then, tremble at the thought of committing a single Mortal Sin, particularly if you have already been guilty of mortal sins. ‘Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin to sin.’ (Eccl. v. 5) Say not then, O sinner, ‘As God has forgiven me other sins, so He will pardon me this one if I commit it.’ Say not this; for, if to the sin which has been forgiven, you add another, you have reason to fear that this new sin shall be united to your former guilt, and  that, thus, the number will be completed, and that you shall be abandoned. God waits with patience until a certain number of sins is committed; but, when the measure of guilt is filled up, He waits no longer, but chastises the sinner. ‘Thou hast sealed up my offences as it were in a bag.’ (Job 14:17) Sinners multiply their sins without keeping any account of them but; God numbers them, that, when the harvest is ripe, that is, when the number of sins is completed, He may take vengeance on them.”

“Of this there are many examples in the Scriptures. Speaking of the Hebrews, the Lord in one place says: ‘All the men that have tempted Me now ten times ... shall not see the land.’ (Numbers, 14:22-23) We have again the example of Saul, who, after having disobeyed God a second time, was abandoned. He entreated Samuel to interpose before the Lord in his behalf." (Ibid.)

Saint Alphonsus omits reference to 1 Kings 15:24. I now include it and the accompanying Footnote – "And Saul said to Samuel: 'I have sinned, because I have transgressed the Commandment of the Lord, and thy words, fearing the people and, and obeying their voice.' Footnote: Voice, miserable excuse for a king, who ought to prevent the sins of his people! Saul's transgression seems less than David's; but the one repents, and the other proudly defends what he has done."

Saint Alphonsus continues with the words of Saul: "‘Bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with me, that I may adore the Lord.’ (1 Kings 15:25) But, knowing that God had abandoned Saul, Samuel answered: ‘I will not return with thee, because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee.’" (1 Kings 15:26)

I will now further interject with 1 Kings verse 30 and Footnote to which Saint Alphonsus did not make reference: "Then he [Saul] said to Samuel: 'I have sinned: yet honour me now before the ancients of my people, and before Israel, and return with me, that I may adore the Lord thy God."  Footnote, "He begins by falsehood; continues making idle excuses, and throwing the blame on others, and concludes by showing that he is more concerned for what his subjects may think  and do against him, than for the displeasure of God."

Saint Alphonsus then continues after making reference to further examples, "Oh! How many sinners have met with a similar fate! Continuing to offend God till their sins amounted to a certain number, they have been struck dead and sent to hell! ‘They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell.’ (Job 21:13) Tremble, brethren, lest, if you commit another Mortal Sin, God should cast you into hell.”

“Says Saint Gregory, they to whom God has shown most Mercy, shall, if they do not cease to offend Him, be chastised with the greatest rigour. The Saint adds that God often punishes such sinners with a sudden death, and does not allow them time for repentance. And the greater the light which God gives to certain sinners for their correction, the greater is their blindness and obstinacy in sin. Miserable the sinners, who, after having been enlightened, return to the vomit. Saint Paul says, that it is morally impossible for them to be again converted. ‘For it is impossible for those who were once illuminated  –– have tasted also the Heavenly gifts,…and are fallen away, to be renewed again to penance.’" (Heb. 6: 4,6) (158)

"For a transitory enjoyment, for the gratification of revenge, for a beastly pleasure which lasts but a moment, you  risk your Eternal Salvation, saying: 'I will go to confession after I commit this sin.' And when, I ask, Are you to go to Confession? You say: 'On tomorrow.' But who promises you tomorrow? Who assures you that you shall have time for Confession, and that God will not deprive you of life, as He has deprived so many others, in the act of sin? You cannot be certain of living for another hour, and you say: 'I will go to Confession tomorrow.' Listen to the words of Saint Gregory: ‘He who has promised pardon to penitents, has not promised tomorrow to sinners’ – hom. xii., in Evan. God has promised pardon to all who repent; but He has not promised to wait until tomorrow for those who insult Him. Perhaps God will give you time for repentance, perhaps He will not. But, should He not give it,

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what shall become of your soul? In the mean time, for the sake of a miserable pleasure, you lose the Grace of God, and expose yourself to the danger of being Lost For Ever.” 

“Would you, for such transient enjoyments, risk your money, your honour, your possessions, your liberty, and your life? No, you would not. How then does it happen, that, for a miserable gratification, you lose your soul, Heaven, and God? Tell me; do you believe that Heaven, hell, Eternity are Truths of Faith?  Do you believe, that, if you die in sin, you are Lost Forever? Oh! What temerity, what folly is it, to condemn yourself voluntarily to an Eternity of Torments with the hope of afterwards reversing the sentence of your condemnation! No one can be found so foolish as to take poison with the hope of preventing its deadly effects by adopting the ordinary remedies. And you will condemn yourself to hell, saying that you expect to be afterwards preserved from it. O folly! which, in conformity with the Divine Threats, has brought, and brings every day, so many to hell. You have sinned,  trusting rashly in the Divine Mercy: the punishment of your guilt shall fall suddenly upon you, and you shall not know from whence it comes.” (158)

The Sudden Call of Almighty God

Sudden Death on a Highway

One Sunday, I was returning from the country and came upon several police vehicles parked on the sides of the highway. I presumed that there had been a fatal accident. Later, a friend informed me that she had heard a crash and  ran to the scene. She found a man lying on the side of the highway. At his side, she prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet. He died there. Subsequently, she learned that the deceased, a Catholic, had not attended the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that day, that he had been engaged in some business matters near a Catholic Church (where there are many Masses celebrated on Sunday), and at the time of the accident he was riding his motorcycle on his way to a lake to do sailing with his family.

He was a very wealthy man; “And He said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness: for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.  And he spoke a similitude to them saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits.  And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no place to lay up together my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater: and into them will I will gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer.  But God said to him: 'Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God. " (Luke 12:15-21)

Life is a Vapour

Consider the unpredictable situation in which that man in the motorcycle accident was placed. One minute he was contemplating the joy which he would soon experience on a lake, and, in a flash, he was about to leave this world!  There was no Priest available to hear his Confession and to administer the Last Rites, when an Imperfect Act of Contrition would suffice to allow his sins to be forgiven.  He, therefore, had to make a Perfect Act of Contrition. How could a person suffering fatal  injuries be able to do so? We cannot make a judgment that in all probability he was sent to hell. The Catechism teaches: “Although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offence, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.” (1861)

The sudden call of Almighty God to that man proves that we must always be in the State of Grace. The only security in this mortal life is to have one’s soul in the State of Grace every minute of every day.  “Whereas, you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away." (James 4:14-15)  "Watch ye, therefore, because you know not at what hour your Lord will come.” (Matt. 24:42)

Also relevant is the following Scriptural Verse: "In the morning man shall grow up like grass, in the morning he shall flourish and pass away: in the evening he shall fall, grow dry and wither. (Ps. 89:6)  Footnote: "Man's youth touches on old age. The present moment is all we can call our own. 'A young man may die soon: an old man cannot live long,' says an English proverb." (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 759)

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THE MOST CRITICAL MOMENT OF OUR LIVES
(Catholic Truth Scotland.org)
"We're not going to be judged on the balance of good and evil in our lives, but on the
state of our souls at the time of death"

Last Sacraments, Death, Judgment:  "This central fact of life: that death comes like 'a thief in the night' has been discounted. "For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord shall so come, as a thief in the night." (1 Thess. 5:2) Yet, Catholic teaching about death and judgment is crystal clear; we're not going to be judged on the balance of good and evil in our lives, but on the state of our souls at the time of death. Hence, the Church's exhortations to pray for a happy and provided death. It's why Our Lord included in His prom­ises to those who make the nine First Fridays, that they will not die without a priest and the Sacraments." (159)

Revelation to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque: Promise No. 12: "In the excess of the Mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful Love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecu­tive months, the Grace of Final Repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the Sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure ref­uge in that last hour." (traditioninaction.org)

"Professor Romano Amerio, Episcopal consultant to the Central Preparatory Commission of Vatican II, author of Iota Unam: A Study of Changes in the Catholic Church in the XXth Century writes about this truth in his chapter on Globality and Graduality:  'The idea that one's moral life is a global entity, and the consequent un­dervaluing of individual actions is, I believe, without precedent in the histo­ry of moral philosophy, and thus consti­tutes the most outstanding innovation that has occurred in this field. The idea developed during the years of grave uncertainty regarding the matter of contraceptives, after the Council's de­cision to leave a pronouncement on the subject to the Pope, and before the promulgation of Humanae vitae, which gave judgment in favour of the traditional teaching."

"The new view is that the moral charac­ter of one's life and thus, theologically, one's eternal destiny is determined by the whole, or the general colour or the Globality of one's acts. This view does not, apparently, deny that indi­vidual actions affect the global result...but it does maintain that a person's moral standing depends on general intentions..." [Not one instant of a man's life is free for him to devote to sin. Editor's interjection]

"In paragraph 202, Moral life as a point in time, Amerio continues: 'It seems unjust and unreasonable that a man's moral worth should be judged by reference to his state at the time he dies, and not to an overall balance of good and evil in his life. Nonetheless, the Christian religion teaches that one's eternal destiny de­pends on the moral state in which a man finds himself at the point of death: thus, it does not depend on past his­torical states of affairs, but on the ex­isting point that his moral life has reached when death overtakes him.'"

"The other view, that one's fate de­pends on a weighing up of good and bad deeds is....held by the Muslims, but the teaching of the Catholic Church asserts the decisiveness of one's present moral state; and that teaching has been set forth in cate­chisms, preached in every pulpit and defined by a dogmatic decree of the second Council of Lyons." (in 1274, See Denzinger, 464)

"Moral action is a relation of man to his last end, or to the law which mediates that end; it is not a relation with creat­ed things, or with worldly ends or with the future of the human race. Now, the respect man owes to the law is owed and payable at every moment in time, independently of every other. Past and future moments in life are absent here and now, but man's relation to his ultimate end, namely God, is always present... This is what gives moral life its seriousness. Not one instant of a man's life is free for him to devote to sin; this is the truth that has been preached in every age of Christian history.  Every moment of wasted time has to be redeemed..."

"Finally, on the business of gradualism in the moral life, Amerio notes: 'A process of graduality can only be ac­cepted on the part of someone who is trying sincerely to observe the Divine Law. Thus the so-called law of gradual­ity cannot be identified with a gradual­ity of the law, as if there were grades and different sorts of precepts in the Divine Law for men in different situations.'"  [End of Amerio's quotes]

"Hence, the Gospel imperative to 'repent!' is urgent precisely because of the fact that we will be judged at our death, according to the state of our soul at that time. Those living in the State of Grace may have time to grow in virtue but, if we are guilty of unrepentant grave sin, we can't risk an unprovided death by assuming we have time to 'make progress'  in the moral life." (159)

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Comments:
The moment before we draw our last breath is the most crucial moment in all our lives, because what follows immediately thereafter will be the Particular Judgment by Our Lord Jesus Christ, and no second chance will be  given.

PARTICULAR JUDGMENT
(Bishop L.L. Morrow)

“As soon as each soul leaves the body at death, it undergoes the Particular Judgment, at which its eternal destiny is decided."  What happened to the soul of the man killed as a result of the aforesaid accident, immediately after he drew his last breath?  Bishop Morrow again provides the answer: (1) “As soon as each soul leaves the body at death, it undergoes the Particular Judgment, at which its eternal destiny is decided. (2) Jesus Christ is the Judge at the Particular Judgment. Before Him each soul must stand to give an account of its whole life: of every thought, word, act, and omission." (p.154) (6)

"He who dies in his baptismal innocence, or after having fully satisfied for all the sins he committed, will be sent at once to Heaven.  He who dies in the State of Grace, but is in venial sin, or has not fully atoned for the temporal punishment due his forgiven sins, will be sent for a time to Purgatory.  He who dies in Mortal Sin, even if only with one single Mortal Sin, will be sent at once to hell. This sentence is final and will never be reversed.  By Mortal Sin, man cuts himself off from God. It is really he himself that sends himself to hell. God’s desire would be to see all His creatures with Him in Heaven.” (p. 155) (Ibid.)

OBDURATE SINNERS
(The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey S.S., D.D.)
"If unfortunately the Sinner remains Obdurate To The End in his Resistance to Grace,
then follows hell with all its horrors"

"721. If unfortunately the Sinner remains Obdurate To The End in his Resistance to Grace, then follows hell with all its Horrors. A) First, there is the well-deserved Pain of Loss. Grace had ever pursued the culprit, but he Willingly died in his Sin, that is, he Willingly Died Without God, and since his Soul's Dispositions can No Longer Change, he Remains Forever Separated from Him. As long as he lived on earth Absorbed in Business or Pleasure, he Gave No Time, No Thought to the Horror of his Plight. But, now, there is neither business nor pleasure, and he faces constantly the harrowing reality. By the very constitution of his nature, by the cravings of his mind and of his heart, by the urge of his entire being, he is now uncontrollably driven towards Him, Who is his First Beginning and Last End, his one Principle of Perfection and only Source of Bliss; drawn towards that Loving Father, so Worthy of Love, Who had Adopted him as His Offspring; toward the Redeemer of his Soul, Who had so Loved him as to Die upon the Cross for him. Yet, a Ruthless Force beyond his power, the Force of Sin, his Own Sin, hopelessly Thrusts Him Back Upon Himself. Death has Forever Stayed his spirit, Irretrievably fixed his dispositions. Having Rejected God the very Moment Death Overtook him, he Remains Estranged From Him Forever. Happiness and Perfection are Everlastingly Beyond his Quest; he remains Attached to his Sin and Through Sin to All that Defiles and All that Degrades: 'Depart From Me, Ye Cursed." (160)

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WHAT A HELL OF A PLACE!

Some will complain that the length of the material compiled on this subject is overkill. Well, what other subject is of equal or greater importance?

CONSIGNMENT TO HELL FOR ONE MORTAL SIN

We find in Holy Scripture the following warning:  "If the just man shall turn away from his justice, and shall commit iniquity: I will lay a stumbling-block before him, ... he shall die in his sin, and his justices, which he hath done, shall not be remembered...." (Ez. 3:20)

Reverend Canon Alfred Weber added, “To be condemned to the eternal fires of hell, it is enough to be found at the moment of death guilty of even but one mortal sin.” (161)

The Most Rev. M. Sheehan, D.D.  "Why would God send me to hell for having committed only one Mortal Sin? Is that fair?"

“How can a sin committed in a moment of time deserve an eternity of punishment? God reads the heart; He will send no man to hell who does not fully deserve it. But, if he who has all his life enjoyed the blessings of God’s Friendship, turns against Him in the end knowingly, freely, and deliberately, he is guilty of the blackest ingratitude and can expect no forgiveness after death.” (162)

The Essence of hell  "The statements of Jesus Christ, the most dependable and accurate Source on the subject"

And what is hell like? Bishop Sheehan summarizes the statements of Jesus Christ, the most dependable and accurate Source on the subject: “Ponder over the Words of our Saviour Himself: they are the most appalling ever uttered by human lips, and He that spoke them did not exaggerate. His description of the damned as separated from happiness by an impassable chasm, as gnawed by the undying worm, as afflicted with burning thirst, as tortured in flames, as flung into unquenchable fire, as buried in hell, gives us, when fully understood and expanded, more than all that we find in sermons and religious epics.” (Ibid.)

God Makes hell  (Saint Alphonsus de Liguori) "'Depart from me into everlasting fire.’ This eternal separation will constitute hell for the damned”

“It is also God Who will make hell, for, as Saint Bernard remarks, He Himself will be the chastisement of the damned. For just as the elect will be supremely happy because God is for him, and he is for God, so also will the reprobate be unhappy, because God is no longer for him, and he is no longer for God.  Let us listen to the threat which God made against those who refused to belong to Him during this life: ‘Call his name – Not my people – for you are not My people, and I will not be yours.’ (Osee 1:9)  It is in this, then, that the torment of the damned will consist; it consists in the first sentence, which Jesus Christ will pronounce over His enemies: ‘Depart from me into everlasting fire.’ This eternal separation will constitute hell for the damned.”  (163)

Eternal Choice Is Made During Life  "Sinners choose to live far from God... in the other life, unfortunately for them, they will awaken and realize the immense good which they have lost in voluntarily losing God"

"For the present, sinners, blinded by the apparent goods of this earth, choose to live far from God, and to turn their backs upon Him. And should God, Who cannot dwell with sin, wish to enter into their hearts by expelling sin from them, they are not ashamed to repel Him, exclaiming: ‘Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways.’ (Job 21:14) Depart from us, we do not wish to follow Your ways, but our own, our passions, our pleasures. The great multitude of those, says Sacred Scripture, ‘who sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake; some unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach, to see it always.’ (Dan. 12:2) Yes, these unfortunates now sleep in the dust of their blindness; but, in the other life, unfortunately for them, they will awaken and realize the immense good which they have lost in voluntarily losing God.” (Ibid.)

The Greatest Pain of Hell  "The greatest sorrow will be the thought of having lost God through their own fault"

“The sword which shall pierce them with the greatest sorrow will be the thought of having lost God, and of having lost Him through their own fault. Unfortunates that they are! They now seek to lose sight of God, but once fallen into hell, they will no longer be able to cease thinking of Him, and in this will their chastisement consist."

"Saint Augustine says that in hell, the damned will be forced to think of nothing but God, and that will cause them terrible torment. And Saint Bonaventure, expressing the same sentiments, says that no thought will torment the damned more than the thought of God. The Lord will grant to them such a vivid knowledge of their offended God,  His Goodness so unworthily spurned, and consequently, of the chastisement which their crimes have merited, that this knowledge will cause them a suffering greater than that of all the other punishments of hell.”

“We read in the book of Ezekiel: ‘Over the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of the firmament, as the appearance of crystal, terrible to behold, and stretched out over their heads above.’ (Ezekiel 1:22)  Explaining these Words, one author says that the damned will have continually before their eyes a terrible crystal or mirror: with the assistance of some fatal light, they will behold, on one hand, the immense good which they have lost in voluntarily losing Divine Grace, and, on the other, they will view the justly wrathful Face of God; and this torment will surpass by a million times all the other punishments of hell.”

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"On this same subject, the author Cajetan makes the following reflection upon the words of David: ‘The wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God.’ (Ps. 9:18) The Prophet, says this author, does not here speak of a change of heart, or conversion, but of the spirit of sinners. For, just as sinners do not wish to think of God during this life, that they might not be forced to renounce their passions, they will be forced — despite themselves and by a just chastisement — to think continuously of God in hell. They would wish to shut out all remembrance of God from their minds, but they will he forced to think always of Him, thus recalling all the benefits which they have received from Him, as well as the offenses which they have committed against Him and by which they have been separated from Him for all eternity.” (163)

Hell, an Abode of Eternal Suffering (The Most Rev. M. Sheehan,  Archbishop of Germia) "In hell, they will know what they rejected"

What follows is the in-depth exposition by The Most Rev. M. Sheehan, Archbishop of Germia of the NEVER ENDING LIFE IN HELL!  You would not wish your worst enemy to suffer such fate!

"The souls of those who die in Mortal Sin are cast into hell. Each will suffer according to his desserts."
"(1) In hell, the wicked will suffer the pain of loss. In this life, they rejected God for sin: in hell, they will know what they rejected. They will see that they have missed: the one thing for which they were created, the one thing that can make them happy, the one thing which they need and can never obtain. That the living man needs air and water, is a truth only too distressingly illustrated in authentic narrative. We have read in the later history of India, how, amid the stifling heat of a summer night, a number of Europeans were packed into a little cell with but a few small apertures to the outer air; how, when the pangs of suffocation gripped them, they struggled and fought for places at the narrow openings; how they raved and blasphemed, tore one another to pieces, beat and trampled one another to death.”

“We have read many a time, how a group of castaways after days in an open boat under a blazing sun were driven mad with thirst, and how they threw lots to see which of them should be put to death, so that the others might drink his blood.  These incidents, which one shudders to record, are our comment on the simple statement that man needs air and water; but how shall we illustrate the truth that man needs God?  Man’s desire for air and water is a desire of his animal nature, while his desire for God is a desire of his whole being."

"In the living man, the desire for air and water is always present, always more or less awake, and, if frustrated, leads to dreadful suffering. In man after death, the desire for God which he now can hardly feel, will suddenly spring into full activity, like the placid mountain-lake which, when the enclosing wall of stone is rent, flings its whole volume in raging flood down to the valley; his whole being will flame up with an intense craving, with a hunger and thirst for God, of a force and vehemence infinitely beyond anything within mortal experience.”

“After judgment, the sinner will feel himself fiercely, madly, borne and swept onwards by every faculty within him towards his Creator; but, held down pitilessly with his guilt, he will struggle in an agony of suffocation; he will rage with the frenzy of a parched and famished wild-beast in sight of the food and drink that cannot be reached; he will rave and curse, and, if he could, he would annihilate the very God whose attraction, whose infinite Loveliness, now
eternally unattainable, causes him such excruciating torture. Saint John Chrysostom says: ‘Insupportable is the fire of hell—who doth not know it? — and its torments are awful; but, if one were to heap a thousand hell-fires one on the other, it would be as nothing compared with the punishment of being excluded from the Blessed Glory of Heaven, of being hated by Christ, and of being compelled to hear Him say, 'I know you not.’”

“(2) They will suffer the pain of sense.  In this life, they rejected God for a created thing: In hell, God will employ a created thing to punish them. They will be tortured by a physical agency which the Sacred Scriptures call fire. Our Lord says that ‘at the end of the world, the Angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matt. 13:49-50) ‘ If thy hand scandalize thee,’ He says, ‘cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into unquenchable fire.'”

“He tells us too of the rich man and of the beggar Lazarus who lay at his gate: ‘And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by Angels into Abraham’s bosom.  And the rich man also died and was buried in hell; and lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom, and he cried and 

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said: ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.’ And Abraham said to him: ‘Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is fixed a great chaos (chasm), so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, nor from thence come hither.’” (Luke 16:19-26)

“Saint John writes in the Apocalypse that the wicked ‘Shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,’ that they ‘shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the sight of the holy Angels, and in the sight of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever; neither have they rest day nor night.’” (Apoc. 14:10-11)

"The pain of sense includes not only the pain of fire but every pain distinct from that of loss. It includes, therefore, all that the damned soul will suffer from remorse of conscience, from the memory of lost opportunities, from the thought of the wretched pleasures of this life, purchased at the price of eternal happiness; it includes all that it will endure from association with demons, hateful to the soul as the soul is hateful to them. There is no sufferer on earth we pity more than him who is cared for by no one and never hears a kind word; yet to such, God, unknown to man, may give many consolations. But what of the soul in hell? It will never again hear the voice of pity; it is left to brood on its misery, ALONE FOREVER.” (164)

Never Ending Suffering "Christ speaks of hell as the hell ‘of unquenchable fire where the gnawing worm dieth not’"

“(3). They will suffer for all eternity. Christ speaks of hell as the hell ‘of unquenchable fire where the gnawing worm dieth not.’ (Mark: 9:42-43) He tells us that God will pass sentence on the wicked, saying to them: ‘Depart from Me you cursed into everlasting fire which was (p. 286) prepared for the devil and his angels.' (Matt. 25:41) (Ibid.)
He contrasts the fate of the bad and the good in the words: ‘And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting.’ (Matt. 25:46) ‘Everlasting’ is sometimes used loosely in Sacred Scripture to denote a long, but not endless, period; this, however, as Saint Augustine points out, is not its meaning here; it must, he says, mean ‘eternal’ in the strict sense, and for the following reason: – the two expressions ‘everlasting punishment’ and ‘life everlasting’ occur in the same sentence; ‘everlasting’ must, therefore, bear the same meaning in both; but all admit that ‘life everlasting’ means ‘life never-ending;’ hence, all must admit that ‘everlasting punishment’ means ‘never-ending punishment.’" (165)

No End to Double Woe  (The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey S.S., D.D.) "Those Pangs so Racking, which Outlast Millions of Ages only to Begin Afresh!"

"723. C) There will be No End of this Double Woe, and this Everlastingness is what fills the measure of the Punish­ment of the Lost; for if a Slight Discomfort by its persistence becomes well nigh Unbearable, what shall we say of those Pangs, of themselves so Racking, which Outlast Millions of Ages only to Begin Afresh!"

"And withal [nevertheless], God is just, God is good even in the Sanction He is bound to Inflict upon the Damned. Mortal Sin, then, Must Be an Abomination to be thus Punished! It must be the one Real Evil, the Only Evil. Hence, Better to Die than be Defiled by a Single Mortal Sin." (166)

Why Is Hell Eternal?  (Saint Maximilian Kolbe) "He will not be capable, as a finite creature, of making Infinite Satisfaction in this life."

"It is impossible that God should punish anyone by sending him to hell. Why?  After all, is not God merciful, infinitely merciful; how could He so severely punish anyone? But He is also just, and that, too, infinitely; He cannot permit any guilt to go unrequited... Is there not enough suffering already in this world?  True, but those who suffer in this world are usually or overwhelmingly the good, mild people; on the other hand those who steal, exploit and extort others seem to go their merry way.  Hence, in this world, there is no balancing of accounts.  I can understand that, but does the punishment have to be eternity in Hell?"

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"Offences are judged and measured according to the dignity of the one offended. An offence against a street-cleaner is an offence; one against the President of the city is greater; against the President of the Republic, far greater; while an offence against God is infinitely greater than any other possible offence. Hence, the recompense must be infinitely greater. Through the Sacrament of Penance, the Infinite Merit of Christ's Passion equals and balances the offence. He who does not wish to benefit from the Most Precious Blood of the God-Man will not be capable, as a finite creature, of making Infinite Satisfaction in this life; hence, he will be compelled to do so after death, suffering Infinitely, Eternally. Reason demands this.'" (167)

THE FIRE OF HELL

Bishop M. Sheehan "The fire of hell causes darkness, and incessantly torments its victims without destroying them"

"According to the safe and common teaching, the fire of hell is something real and physical, something material; yet, as the Fathers tell us, it is not identical with the fire of this world. Thus, Lactantius says: ‘The nature of that everlasting fire is different from this fire of ours which we use for the necessary purposes of life, and which ceases to burn, unless it is sustained by the fuel of some material. But that Divine fire always lives by itself, and burns without nourishment.’ Saint Ephraem and Saint Basil declare that the fire of hell causes darkness, and incessantly torments its victims without destroying them. Saint Augustine says that, while not corporeal, it resembles a corporeal thing. Whatever be its nature, God has given it the power of acting on pure spirits and disembodied souls. Though we know it only from its effects, and though we know these effects themselves very imperfectly, we may be assured that ‘fire,’ the name given to it by Christ, conveys to us the best idea of its nature that we are capable of conceiving.” (168)

Pain of Sense  (Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey S.S., D.D.) "The Damned will be Tormented by a Real Fire"

"722,  B) To this pain of loss, by far the most terrible, is added the Pain of Sense. The Body, a partner in sin, will Share the Torment of the Soul; the Everlasting Despair which will Torture the Reprobate Soul, will Produce in the Body an Unquenchable Thirst that nothing can assuage. Besides, the Damned will be Tormented by a Real Fire different indeed from our material fire, but the Instrument of Divine Justice to Punish the Flesh and the Senses. In fact, it is but just that wherein a man sins, therein also he be punished: 'By what Things a man Sinneth, by the Same also he is Tormented' (Wisdom 11:17); and since the evildoer willed to take inordinate delight in Creatures, these will prove the Instruments of Torture. This Fire enkindled and applied by a knowing hand will Torture its Victims with that Same Measure of Intensity with which they Once Entered into their Wicked Delights." (169a)

SERMON X, FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY ON THE PAINS OF HELL
(Saint Alphonsus De Liguori)
"Gather up first the cockle, and bind into bundles to burn" (Matt. 13:30)

I shall first speak of the fire, which is the principal pain that torments the senses of the damned, and afterwards of the other pains of Hell.

"1. BEHOLD! the final doom of sinners who abuse the Divine Mercy is, to burn in the fire of Hell. God threatens Hell, not to send us there, but to deliver us from that place of torments. Remember, then, brethren, that God gives you today the opportunity of hearing this sermon, that you may be preserved from Hell, and that you may give up sin, which alone can lead you to Hell."

"2. My brethren, it is certain, and of faith that there is a Hell. After judgment, the just shall enjoy the eternal glory of Paradise, and sinners shall be condemned to suffer the everlasting chastisement reserved for them in Hell. 'And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting.' (Matt. 25:46) Let us examine in what Hell consists. It is what the rich glutton called it – 'a place of torments.' (Luke 16:28)   It is a place of suffering, where each of the senses and powers of the damned has its proper torment, and in which the torments of each person will be increased in proportion to the forbidden pleasures in which he indulged. 'As much as she hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her.'" (Apoc. 18:7)

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"3. In offending God, the sinner does two evils: he abandons God, the Sovereign Good, who is able to make him happy, and turns to creatures, who are incapable of giving any real happiness to the soul. Of this injury which men commit against Him, the Lord complains by His prophet Jeremy: 'For my people have done two evils. They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and have digged to themselves cisterns–broken cisterns–that can hold no water.' (Jer. 2:13) Since, then, the sinner turns his back on God, he shall be tormented in Hell by the pain arising from the loss of God, ...and since in offending God, he turns to creatures, he shall be justly tormented by the same creatures, and principally by fire."

"4. 'The vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms.' (Eccl. 7:19) Fire and the remorses of conscience are the principal means by which God takes vengeance on the flesh of the wicked. Hence, in condemning the reprobate to Hell, Jesus Christ commands them to go into eternal fire. 'Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire.' (Matt. 25:41) This fire, then, shall be one of the most cruel executioners of the damned."

"5. Even in this life, the pain of fire is the most terrible of all torments. But St. Augustine says, that, in comparison of the fire of Hell, the fire of this Earth is no more than a picture compared with the reality. St. Anselm teaches, that the fire of Hell as far surpasses the fire of this world, as the fire of the real, exceeds that of painted fire. The pain, then, produced by the fire of Hell is far greater than that which is produced by our fire; because God has made the fire of this Earth for the use of man, but he has created the fire of Hell purposely for the chastisement of sinners; and therefore, as Tertullian says  he has made it a minister of his justice. This avenging fire is always kept alive by the wrath of God. 'A fire is kindled in my rage.'" (Jer. 15:14)

"6. 'And the rich man also died, and he was buried in Hell.' (Luke 16:22)  The damned are buried in the fire of Hell;  hence they have an abyss of fire below, an abyss of fire above, and an abyss of fire on every side. As a fish in the sea is surrounded by water, so the unhappy reprobates are encompassed by fire on every side. The sharpness of the pain of fire may be inferred from the circumstance, that the rich glutton complained of no other torment. 'I am tormented in this flame.'" (Luke 16:24)

"7. The Prophet Isaias says that the Lord will punish the guilt of sinners with the spirit of fire. 'If the Lord shall wash away the filth of the daughters of Sion ...by the spirit of burning.' (Is. 4:4)  'The spirit of burning is the pure essence of fire. All spirits or essences, though taken from simple herbs or flowers, are so penetrating, that they reach the very bones. Such is the fire of Hell. Its activity is so great that a single spark of it would be sufficient to melt a mountain of bronze. The disciple relates that a damned person, who appeared to a religious, dipped his hand in a vessel of water; the religious placed in the vessel a candlestick of bronze, which was instantly dissolved." 

"8. This fire shall torment the damned not only externally, but also internally. It will burn the bowels, the heart, the brains, the blood within the veins, and the marrow within the bones. The skin of the damned shall be like a caldron, in which their bowels, their flesh, and their bones shall be burned. David says, that the bodies of the damned shall be like so many furnaces of fire. 'Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire in the time of thy anger.'" (Ps. 20:10)

"9. 0 God! certain sinners cannot bear to walk under a strong sun, or to remain before a large fire in a close room; they cannot endure a spark from a candle; and they fear not the fire of Hell, which, according to the Prophet Isaias, not only burns, but devours the unhappy damned. 'Which of you can dwell with devouring fire?' (Is. 32:14) As a lion devours a lamb, so the fire of Hell devours the reprobate; but it devours without destroying life, and thus tortures them with a continual death. Continue, says St. Peter Damian to the sinner who indulges in impurity, continue to satisfy your flesh; a day will come, or rather an eternal night, when your impurities, like pitch, shall nourish a fire within your very bowels. (Epist. 6) And according to St. Cyprian, the impurities of the wicked shall boil in the very fat which will issue from their accursed bodies."

"10. St. Jerome teaches, that, in this fire sinners shall suffer not only the pain of the fire, but also all the pains which men endure on this Earth. (Ep. ad Pam) How manifold are the pains to which men are subject in this life. Pains in the sides, pains in the head, pains in the loins, pains in the bowels. All these together torture the damned."

"11. The fire itself will bring with it the pain of darkness; for, by its smoke it will, according to St. John, produce a storm of darkness which shall blind the damned. 'To whom the storm of darkness is reserved for ever.' (Jude 13) Hence, Hell is called a land of darkness covered with the shadow of death.  'A land that is dark and covered with the mist of death: a land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and no order but everlasting horror dwelleth.' (Job 10:21-22) To hear that a criminal is shut up in a dungeon for ten or twenty years excites our compassion."

"Hell is a dungeon closed on every side, into which a ray of the sun or the light of a candle never enters. Thus the damned 'shall never see light.' (Ps. 48:20) The fire of this world gives light, but the fire of Hell is utter darkness. In explaining the words of David, 'the voice of the Lord divideth the flame of fire.' (Ps. 28:7) St. Basil says, that in Hell the Lord separates the fire that burns from the flame which illuminates, and, therefore, this fire burns, but gives no light.  B. Albertus Magnus explains this passage more concisely by saying that God 'divides the heat from the light.' St. Thomas teaches, that in Hell there is only as much light as is necessary to torment the damned by the sight of their associates and of the devils. (3 p., q. 97, art. 5) And according to St. Augustine, the bare sight of these infernal monsters excites sufficient terror to cause the death of all the damned, if they were capable of dying."

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"12. To suffer a parching thirst without having a drop of water to quench it, is intolerably painful. It has sometimes happened, that travellers, who could procure no refreshment after a long journey, have fainted from the pain produced by thirst. So great is the thirst of the damned, that if one of them were offered all the water on this Earth, he would exclaim: All this water is not sufficient to extinguish the burning thirst which I endure. But, alas the unhappy damned shall never have a single drop of water to refresh their tongues. 'He cried out and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.' (Luke 16:24) The rich glutton has not obtained, and shall never obtain, this drop of water, as long as God shall be God."

"13. The reprobate shall be likewise tormented by the stench which pervades Hell. This stench shall arise from the very bodies of the damned. 'Out of their carcasses shall arise a stink.' (Is. 34:3) The bodies of the damned are called carcasses, not because they are dead (for they are living, and shall be for ever alive to pain), but on account of the stench which they exhale. Would it not be very painful to be shut up in a close room with a fetid corpse? St. Bonaventure says, that if the body of one of the damned were placed in the Earth, it would, by its stench, be sufficient to cause the death of all men. How intolerable, then, must it be to live for ever in the dungeons of Hell in the midst of the immense multitudes of the damned! Some foolish worldlings say: If I go to Hell, I shall not be there alone. Miserable fools! do you not see that the greater the number of your companions, the more insufferable shall be your torments? 'There,' says St. Thomas, 'the society of the reprobate shall cause an increase and not a diminution of misery.' (Suppl., q. 86, art. 1) The society of the reprobate augments their misery, because each of the damned is a source of suffering to all the others. Hence, the greater their number, the more they shall mutually torment each other.  And the 'people,' says the Prophet Isaias, 'shall be as ashes after a fire, as a bundle of thorns they shall be burnt with fire.' (Is. 33:12) Placed in the midst of the furnace of Hell, the damned are like so many grains reduced to ashes by that abyss of fire, and like so many thorns tied together and wounding each other."

"14. They are tormented not only by the stench of their companions, but also by their shrieks and lamentations. How painful is it to a person longing for sleep to hear the groans of a sick man, the barking of a dog, or the screams of an infant. The damned must listen incessantly to the wailing and howling of their associates, not for a night, nor for a thousand nights, but for all eternity without the interruption of a single moment."

"15. The damned are also tormented by the narrowness of the place in which they are confined; for, although the dungeon of Hell is large, it will be too small for so many millions of the reprobate, who like sheep shall be heaped one over the other. 'They are', says David, 'laid in Hell like sheep.' (Ps. 48:15) We learn from the Scriptures that they shall be pressed together like grapes in the winepress, by the vengeance of an angry God. 'The winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God the Almighty.' (Apoc. 19:15) From this pressure shall arise the pain of immobility. 'Let them become unmovable as a stone.' (Exod. 16:16) In whatever position the damned shall fall into Hell after the general judgment, whether on the side, or on the back, or with the head downwards, in that they must remain for eternity, without being ever able to move foot or hand or finger, as long as God shall be God. In a word, St. Chrysostom says, that all the pains of this life, however great they may be, are  scarcely a shadow of the torments of the damned." (hom. 39, ad pop. Ant)

"16. The reprobate, then, shall be tormented in all the senses of the body. They shall be also tormented in all the powers of the soul. Their memory shall be tormented by the remembrance of the years which they had received from God for the salvation of their souls, and which they spent in labouring for their own damnation; by the remembrance of so many graces and so many divine lights which they abused. Their understanding shall be tormented by the knowledge of the great happiness which they forfeited in losing their souls, Heaven, and God, and by a conviction that this loss is irreparable. Their will shall be tormented by seeing that whatsoever they ask or desire shall be refused. 'The desire of the wicked shall perish.' (Ps. 111:10)  They shall never have any of those things for which they wish, and must forever suffer all that is repugnant to their will. They would wish to escape from these torments and to find peace; but in these torments they must for ever remain, and peace they shall never enjoy."

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"17. Perhaps they may sometimes receive a little comfort or at least enjoy occasional repose?  No, says St. Cyprian: In this life, how great soever may be the tribulations which we suffer, there is always some relief or interruption. The damned must remain for ever in a pit of fire, always in torture, always weeping, without ever enjoying a moment's repose. But perhaps there is some one to pity their sufferings? At the very time that they are so much afflicted, the devils continually reproach them with the sins for which they are tormented, saying: Suffer, burn, live for ever in despair: you yourselves have been the cause of your destruction. And do not the saints, the divine Mother, and God, who is called the Father of Mercies, take compassion on their miseries?  No; 'The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from Heaven.' (Matt. 26:29) The saints, represented by the stars, not only do not pity the damned, but they even rejoice in the vengeance inflicted on the injuries offered to their God. Neither can the divine Mother pity them, because they hate Her Son. And Jesus Christ, who died for the love of them, cannot pity them, because they have despised His love, and have voluntarily brought themselves to perdition." (169b)

Torments of hell cannot be adequately described (Bishop M. Sheehan) "No tongue can describe the horrors of hell"

“No tongue can describe the Happiness of Heaven: no tongue can describe the horrors of hell.  It is a grievous mistake to suppose that the dreadful pictures of hell drawn by preachers and writers are mere fabrics of the imagination, mere senseless exaggerations with no relation to the truth. The details presented may not indeed correspond with the facts, but they help us to stretch our minds towards the awful reality; they put before us sufferings we know of, so that we may get some idea of sufferings similar in their nature, but far more intense (the pain of sense), and of other, and inconceivably greater, sufferings of a different and higher order (the pain of loss).”  (170)

The Three Fatima Children See Hell  (Mark Fellows) "Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form...amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair"

For those who require more compelling evidence regarding the existence or nature of hell, please consider the following evidence of Sister Lucia (Lucia dos Santos) the eldest of the three children of Fatima to whom Our Blessed Mother appeared, regarding what transpired on one of Her appearances:

“As Our Lady spoke these last words (Lucia said), She opened Her hands once more, as She had done during the two previous months. The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals.”

“At this moment, Ti Marto observed that ‘Lucia took a deep breath, went pale as death, and we heard her cry out in terror to Our Lady, calling Her by name.’  Lucia continued: ‘Terrified and as if to plead for succour, we looked up at Our Lady, Who said to us, so kindly and so sadly – 'You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world Devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end, but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.'”

“‘To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.’” (171)

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40 Dreams of Saint John Bosco  (Fr. J.  Bacchiarello, S.D.B.):  "To Hell and Back"

The unidentified guide who appears to Saint John Bosco in his dream says the following:

"'Now that you have seen what others suffer, you too must experience a touch of Hell.' 'No, no!' I cried in terror. He insisted, but I kept refusing.  'Do not be afraid', he told me; 'just try it. Touch this wall.'"

"I could not muster enough courage and tried to get away, but he held me back. 'Try it,' he insisted. Gripping my arm firmly, he pulled me to the wall. 'Only one touch,' he commanded, 'so that you may say you have both seen and touched the walls of eternal suffering and that you may understand what the last wall must be like if the first is so unendurable. Look at this wall!' I did intently. It seemed incredibly thick. 'There are a thousand walls between this and the real fire of Hell,' my guide continued. 'A thousand walls encompass it, each a thousand measures thick and equally distant from the next one. Each measure is a thousand miles. This wall therefore is millions and millions of miles from Hell's real fire. It is just a remote rim of Hell itself.'"

"When he said this, I instinctively pulled back, but he seized my hand, forced it open, and pressed it against the first of the thousand walls. The sensation was so utterly excruciating that I leaped back with a scream and found myself sitting up in bed. My hand was stinging and I kept rubbing it to ease the pain. When I got up this morning I noticed that it was swollen. Having my hand pressed against the wall, though only in a dream, felt so real that, later, the skin of my palm peeled off."

"Bear in mind that I have tried not to frighten you very much, and so I have not described these things in all their horror as I saw them and as they impressed me. We know that Our Lord always portrayed Hell in symbols because, had He described it as it really is, we would not have understood Him. No mortal can comprehend these things. The Lord knows them and He reveals them to whomever He wills." (172)

DREAMS, VISIONS & PROPHECIES OF DON BOSCO
(Rev. Eugene M. Brown)

Preface by Timothy Cardinal Manning, former Archbishop of Los Angeles:

"This is a wonder world of dreams. Favoured people in the history of  salvation, such as Joseph of the Old Testament and Joseph of the New, were visited on high through the medium of dreams. Saint Don Bosco is very much of that context and his dream visitations are an integral part of his life and sanctity. It is a joy to know that Don Bosco Publications has assembled a collection of these.  All of us will be enriched by reflecting on them." (173)

Excerpts from Chapter Five of the Book:  They are the same as those above quoted from the book "40 Dreams of  St. John Bosco," just previously referred to. The "guide" referred to in Dreams, Visions and Prophecies of Don Bosco was not identified.

The Back Cover of the Book:   "It is truly astounding how this phenomenon went on in Don Bosco's life for sixty years. After a day marked by many worrisome problems, plans, hard work, he would no sooner rest his weary head on his pillow than he would enter a new world of ideas and visions that would exhaust him until dawn. No other man could have endured this continuous shifting from a natural to a preternatural or supernatural level without serious mental injury."

"Don Bosco once confided to us:  'At first, I was hesitant about giving these dreams the importance they deserved. I often regarded them as mere flights of fancy.  As I was narrating these dreams and predicting deaths and other future events, several times I wondered if I had rightly understood things, and I became fearful that what I said might actually be untrue.  Occasionally, after narrating a dream, I could not remember what I had actually said. Therefore, in confessing to Father Cafasso, I sometimes accused myself of speaking perhaps rashly.  The saintly priest would listen to me, think the matter over, and then say: 'Since your predictions come true, you need not worry.  You may continue to make them.'" (Ibid.)

The aforementioned endorsement of Cardinal Manning regarding Dreams, Visions and Prophecies of Don Bosco would also apply to the quotations from the aforementioned book entitled 40 Dreams of Saint Don Bosco.

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Don Bosco: Our Lady's Wonder Worker  (Susan Vennari):

"The priest who from his youth had tried to draw other youths to God, whose juggling, magic tricks, and acrobatic feats had always been vehicles to lead others to listen to the Gospel or the catechism; the loving intercession with which the Blessed Mother, under the title of Our Lady Help of Christians, obtained favours of every request. The miracle worker. The seer who could tell future events. The dreamer of prophetic dreams. The reader of souls, which enabled Don Bosco to assist the boys in his care, with reasonable teaching and gentle guidance: the emphasis on good confession and frequent reception of the Sacraments. As he told his 'sons' one evening, 'God has given me the gift of discerning hypocrites. When one of them comes near me, I discover his presence by a nauseous odour which I can hardly bear.'  He made use of all these gifts because he had to do so, in order to proclaim the glory of Mary Help of Christians – and also in order to live."

"In his youth, he had been inclined to influence other boys for the good. Then when he became a cleric, he visited a prison with Saint Joseph Cafasso. There he saw the pitiable state of the boys who could do nothing to improve themselves while they were in prison and were doomed to recidivism when they got out. To consider the loss of so many young souls pierced his heart. To rescue these souls before they ended up in prison, to offer them a place to live, to instruct them in the Faith and how to live the Faith, and to teach them skills so they could make a proper way in the world: these thoughts became his prayer and the primary focus of his entire priestly life. His Patroness, Our Lady Help of  Christians, lavished assistance to found the Oratory for boys, the Salesian order of priests, an order for sisters, a publishing house, trade schools for the boys. She enabled him to send Missionaries to South America, to
save many souls and more." (174)

A PRIEST WHO SAW HEAVEN, HELL AND PURGATORY
     The death experience of Father Jose Maniyangat

"On  Sunday, April 14, 1985,  I was riding a motorcycle when I was hit head-on by a jeep. I was rushed to a hospital. On the way, my soul came out of my body and I experienced death. Immediately I met my Guardian Angel [who said], 'I am going to take you to Heaven, the Lord wants to meet you and talk with you.' He also said that, on the way, he wanted to show me hell and purgatory."

"First, the Angel escorted my to hell. It was an awful sight! I saw Satan and the devils, an unquenchable fire of about 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, worms crawling, people screaming and fighting, others being tortured by demons. The Angel told me that all these sufferings were due to unrepented mortal sins. Then, I understood that there are seven degrees of suffering or levels according to the number and kinds of mortal sins committed in their earthly lives. The souls looked very ugly, cruel and horrific. It was a fearful experience. I saw people whom I knew, but I am not allowed to reveal their identities. The sins that convicted them were mainly abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, hatefulness, unforgiveness  and sacrilege.  The Angel told me that if they had repented, they would have avoided hell and gone instead to purgatory. I also understood that some people who repent from these sins might be purified on earth through their sufferings. This way they can avoid Purgatory and go straight to Heaven."

"I was surprised when I saw in hell even priests and Bishops, some of whom I never expected to see. Many of them were there because they had misled the people with false teaching and bad example." (175) 

Do You Know What Sin Is? (Father F. X. Schouppe, S. J.)  "To sin is to say to God: 'I will not serve Thee! I despise Thy Law, I laugh at Thy threats!'" "On a like occasion, the exorcist inquired of the demon what was his greatest pain in hell. He replied with an accent of indescribable despair: 'Always, always! Never, never!' One day, a holy soul was meditating upon hell, and considering the eternity of the pains, the frightful 'always...never,' she was thrown into complete confusion by it, because she was unable to reconcile this immeasurable severity with the Divine Goodness and other Perfections. 'Lord,' she said, 'I submit to Thy Judgments, but do not push the rigours of Thy Justice too far.' 'Do you understand' was the answer, 'what sin is?  To sin is to say to God – I will not serve Thee! I despise Thy Law, I laugh at Thy threats!' – 'I understand,  Lord, that sin is an outrage to Thy Majesty.' 'Well, measure, if you can, the greatness of this outrage.'  'Lord, this outrage is infinite, since it attacks Infinite Majesty.'"

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"'Must it not, then, be punished by an infinite chastisement?  Now, as the punishment could not be infinite in its intensity, Justice demands that it be so at least in its duration. Accordingly, it is the Divine Justice that wills the eternity of the pains: the terrible –'always'– the terrible –' never' –. 'The damned themselves will be obliged (p. 73) to render homage to this Justice and cry out in the midst of their torments: 'Thou art just, O Lord: and Thy Judgments are equitable.'"  (Ps. 118:137) (176)

Comments:
In light of all the above stated wealth of convincing evidence regarding the place called hell, how could any reasonable person possibly reject the proposition that there is in fact such a place.  If the person was baptized a Catholic, and was instructed regarding basic doctrines of the Catholic Faith in elementary school and high school, how could that person reject what he had learned about hell and the possibility that he might have to live there FOREVER, without any relief from the suffering he would have to endure every second. Just imagine how horrific it would be for a sinner when he hears Our Lord Jesus Christ proclaiming, "Depart from Me, ye cursed into Everlasting Fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matt. 25:41)

In the thirties, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Toronto, Ontario, it was the custom for the Pastor to arrange for a Mission to be conducted by the Redemptorist Fathers. They stood on a platform in front of a large black wooden Cross, dressed in their black robes with a large Rosary around their waist, from which hung a large Crucifix.

They were excellent preachers: fire and brimstone! On the first night, the topic was The Last Four Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven and hell. There was always a big line-up for Confession after the ceremonies were concluded.
When was the last time a Mission was held in your parish? When was the last time you heard a sermon on what constitutes a Mortal Sin? When was the last time you heard a sermon on hell?  If you have not heard a sermon on hell, it is probably because your pastor has not read or heard of the teaching of His Holiness Pope Pius XII proclaimed on March 23, 1949, and referred to in the following paragraph. Also when was the last time you heard of such a being as the devil?

SACRED DUTY TO PREACH ABOUT HELL
(Dom Antoine Marie osb, and Pope Pius XII)
"Preaching on the first truths of the Faith and the Final Ends has become more necessary
and urgent than ever, including preaching about hell."

"During His public life, our Saviour Jesus often returned to the subject of hell, of Gehenna, of the unquenchable fire (Mk. 9:43-48) reserved for those who until the end of their lives refuse to believe and convert, and where both body and soul, can be lost. (Mt. 10:28) The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 395) reminds us: 'mortal sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of Sanctifying Grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell.' The Magisterium of the Church has often spoken on this topic."

Pope Pius XII emphasized, on March 23, 1949: "Preaching on the first truths of the Faith and the Final Ends, has not only lost nothing of its opportuneness in our time, but has become more necessary and urgent than ever, including preaching about hell. Of course, this subject must be treated with dignity and wisdom. But, as for the Substance of this Truth, the Church has the Sacred Duty before God and before men to announce and teach it without watering it down in any way, just as Christ revealed it, and there is no circumstance of time that could ever lessen the force of this Obligation. It binds in conscience every priest entrusted, in ordinary or extraordinary ministry, with the task of instructing, warning, and guiding the faithful. It is true that the desire for Heaven is, in itself, a more perfect motivation than the fear of eternal punishment, but that does not mean that for all men it is the most effective motivation to keep them from sin and convert them to God." (177)

Comments:
Also, did your pastor ever tell the congregation that it is a Mortal Sin deliberately not to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on a Sunday, or other Holy Day of Obligation? One pastor did not tell his flock that New Years Day is a Holy Day of Obligation in Canada, because he did not wish to worry them. He knew that many of them would be partying until late at night, and would not be attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on January 1st.

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SALVATION

Scripture Verses

"Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who enter by it.” (Matt. 7:13)

“How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way, which leadeth to life: and few there are who find it!” (Matt. 7:14) “For many are called but few chosen." (Matt. 20:16) Footnote: "In effect, many after their call, have attained to faith and justification; but few in comparison are elected to eternal glory, because the far greater part do not obey the call, but refuse to come, whilst many of those who come fall away again; and thus very few, in comparison with those who perish, will at the last day be selected for eternal glory.” (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1290)

"Not every one that saith to Me, 'Lord, Lord', shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: but he that doth the Will of My Father, Who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. 7:21)  Footnote: “Here, Jesus Christ shows, that it is not sufficient to believe in Him and hear His Words, but that in order to [attain] Salvation, we must join works with Faith; for in this shall we be examined at the last day. Without Faith, they could not cry out, Lord, Lord. (Rom. 10, sic) But the strongest Faith without the works of justice, will not be available to Salvation. (1 Cor. 13) Many who have the Lord continually in their mouths, but care little about putting on the Lord, or penetrating themselves with His true Spirit, will find their presumption and the false consciences they have made to themselves, woefully disappointed” (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1260).

“And a certain man said to Him: ‘Lord, are they few that are saved?’ But He said to them: ‘Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able.’” (Luke 13:23-24) Footnote: Verse  24: “Shall desire to be saved; but for want of taking sufficient pains, and not being thoroughly in earnest, shall not attain to it. Our Lord answers here in the affirmative: viz. that the number of those who are saved, is very small, for a few only can enter by the narrow gate. Therefore, does He say, according to Saint Matthew, 'Narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there are that enter therein.' This does not contradict what is said in the 8th chapter of Saint Matthew: That many shall come from the east, and sit down in the Kingdom of God; for many indeed shall join the blessed company of the Angels, but when considered with the number of the slain, they will appear but few." (S. Aust. ser. 32 de Verb. Dei)  (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1372)

"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12)  Footnote: "That is, be equally upon your guard against presumption and despair. Saint Paul is anxious to inspire a just confidence in Jesus Christ, but he is not less solicitous to root out all self-confidence arising from our supposed merits or excellence."  (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1551)

SALVATION DEPENDS UPON JESUS CHRIST
(Pope Leo XIII)
"It is reasonable, therefore, not to expect an end to troubles in this world,
but rather to steel one’s soul to bear troubles
"

We have the benefit of a superb encyclical, Tametsi Futura: On Jesus Christ The Redeemer by Pope Leo XIII: “We are indeed now very far removed in time from the first beginnings of Redemption; but what difference does this make when the benefits thereof are perennial and immortal?  He Who once hath restored human nature ruined by sin, the same preserveth and will preserve it forever. ‘He gave Himself a Redemption for all.’ (1 Timothy 2:6) ‘In Christ all shall be made alive’ (1 Corinthians 15:22)  'And of His Kingdom there shall be no end’ (Luke 1:33) Hence, by God’s Eternal Decree, the Salvation of all men, both severally and collectively, depends upon Jesus Christ. Those who abandon Him become guilty by the very fact, in their blindness and folly, of their own ruin; whilst at the same time they do all that in them lies to bring about a violent reaction of mankind in the direction of that mass of evils and miseries from which the Redeemer in His Mercy had freed them.”

“Those who go astray from the road wander far from the goal they aim at. Similarly, if the pure and true light of truth be rejected, men’s minds must necessarily be darkened and their souls deceived by deplorably false ideas. What hope of Salvation can they have who abandon the very principle and fountain of life? Christ alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  (John 14:6)   If He be abandoned, the three necessary conditions of Salvation are removed.

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CHRIST THE WAY

"It is surely unnecessary to prove, what experience constantly shows and what each individual feels in himself, even in the very midst of all temporal prosperity – that in God alone can the human will find absolute and perfect peace. God is the only end of man. All our life on earth is the truthful and exact image of a pilgrimage. Now, Christ is the 'Way,' for we can never reach God, the Supreme and Ultimate Good, by this toilsome and doubtful road of mortal life, except with Christ as our leader and guide.”

“'How so?' Firstly, and chiefly, by His Grace: but this would remain ‘void’ in man if the Precepts of His law were neglected.  For, as was necessarily the case after Jesus Christ had won our Salvation, He left behind Him His Law for the Protection and Welfare of the Human Race, under the guidance of which men, converted from evil life, might safely tend towards God. ‘Going, teach ye all nations...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.’ (Matthew 28:19-20)  ‘Keep My commandments.'" (John 14:15)

"Hence, it will be understood that in the Christian religion the first, and most necessary condition is docility to the Precepts of Jesus Christ, absolute Loyalty of will towards Him as Lord and King. A serious Duty, and one which oftentimes calls for strenuous labour, earnest endeavour, and perseverance! For, although by Our Redeemer’s Grace, human nature hath been regenerated, still there remains in each individual a certain debility and tendency to evil. Various natural appetites attract man on one side and the other; the allurements of the material world impel his soul to follow after what is pleasant, rather than the law of Christ.”

“Still, we must strive our best, and resist our natural inclinations with all our strength ‘unto the obedience of Christ.’ For unless they obey reason, they become our masters, and carrying the whole man away from Christ, make him their slave. ‘Men of corrupt mind, who have made shipwreck of the Faith, cannot help being slaves ... They are slaves to a threefold concupiscence: of will, of pride, or of outward show.'" (Saint Augustine, De Vera Religione 37)

“In this contest, every man must be prepared to undergo hardships and troubles for Christ’s sake. It is difficult to reject what so powerfully entices and delights. It is hard and painful to despise the supposed goods of the senses, and of fortune, for the Will and Precepts of Christ Our Lord. But the Christian is absolutely obliged to be Firm, and Patient in Suffering, if he wishes to lead a Christian life. Have we forgotten of what Body and of what Head we are the members? ‘Having joy set before Him, He endured the Cross,’ and He bade us [to] Deny Ourselves. The very dignity of human nature depends upon this disposition of mind. For, as even the ancient Pagan philosophy perceived, to be Master of Oneself and to make the lower part of the soul obey the superior part, is so far from being a weakness of will, that it is really a noble power, in consonance with right reason and most worthy of a man.”
Moreover, to bear and to suffer is the ordinary condition of man. Man can no more create for himself a life free from suffering and filled with all happiness, than he can abrogate the Decrees of His Divine Maker, Who has willed that the consequences of Original Sin should be perpetual. It is reasonable, therefore, not to expect an end to troubles in this world, but rather to steel one’s soul to bear troubles, by which we are taught to look forward with certainty to Supreme Happiness. Christ has not promised Eternal Bliss in Heaven to riches, nor to a life of ease, to honours or to power, but to longsuffering and to tears, to the love of justice and to cleanness of heart.” (emphases added)

“From this, it may clearly be seen what consequences are to be expected from that false pride which, rejecting our Saviour’s Kingship, places man at the summit of all things and declares that human nature must rule supreme.   Wherefore, the Law of Christ must be sought in the Church.  Christ is man’s ‘Way’; the Church also is his ‘Way’ —
Christ of Himself and by His very Nature, the Church by His commission and the communication of His power. Hence, all who would find Salvation apart from the Church, are led astray and strive in vain.”

“When Jesus Christ is absent, human reason fails, being bereft of its Chief Protection and Light, and the very end is lost sight of, for which, under God’s Providence, human society has been built up. This end is the obtaining by the members of society of natural good, through the aid of civil unity, though always in harmony with the Perfect and Eternal Good, which is above nature. But, when men’s minds are clouded both rulers and ruled go astray for they have no safe line to follow, nor end to aim at.”  (178)

Comment:
Let us pray daily, beseeching Our Blessed Mother Mary to obtain for us, our families and others, the Graces of Final Perseverance and Final Repentance.

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DUTY OF PRIESTS

What is the cause of the shocking decline in Sunday Mass observance? Is it because most of the faithful are ignorant of the obligation, and of the untold Graces and benefits for attending, as well as the fatal risks involved for failure to attend? Who is to blame for such ignorance? 

THE OTHER SIDE OF CHRIST
(Father Robert D. Smith)

"Father Smith, the author of a book by that title, was a Professor at Saint Joseph's Seminary, (Dunwoodie), Yonkers, New York; he wrote columns for The Wanderer, under that title. He alerts us as to one major cause of the decline in attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays, namely the failure on the part of the majority of Priests in America to preach the complete Words of Christ, especially ‘His own most frequent teaching, on a strict and coming Judgment,’ by focusing on only the positive aspects of His teaching, and by advancing the heresy “that virtually all men must be saved.”

“And this is what the Gospels are mostly about, what Christ’s own message is mostly about: the absolute Need for Repentance, for Holiness. Salvation depends on it. Unholiness leads to Damnation. The breaking of any one of the major parts of God’s moral law, the Ten Commandments, leads to DAMNATION, TO HELL. He spoke about this hell much more than He did about Heaven. But the secular world ignores all this and tries to get us to do so as well, and to live on in this world complacently, not by God’s standards, but by the world’s. The world now, as in the time of Christ, tries to pretend that every idea of morality is acceptable to God.  And the world now tries to pretend that this was what even Christ Himself was saying."

A sense of fatalism has crept into the American Catholic clergy until it is now widespread. ‘What can we do? Society itself is collapsing. We are doing our best. We are teaching Christ correctly. We teach only in a positive way, about the joys of union with Christ. We never mention the negative, never mention God’s just Judgment, never mention hell. But we are right in doing so. There is a massive apostasy, few vocations, few converts, but this comes from the effects of the corruption of society. It is the world that has gone mad. We are teaching correctly.’"

"'Not so.' In order to present only the positive side of Christ, they have quietly, and often unwittingly, dropped as much as two-thirds of the Gospel Message. Huge sections of the Words of Christ are glossed over or omitted altogether. In fact, relatively few of Christ’s Words in the Gospels are exclusively positive. The false teachers of Christianity solve this by speaking about the positive passages all the time to the exclusion of all the rest. The Good Shepherd, the Good Samaritan, the Beatitudes, those words about love that do not include a note of warning; these are only a small portion of the Words of Christ, yet they are spoken of Sunday after Sunday, to the exclusion of the rest.”

“The full teaching of Christ has a much greater effect than does a small part of it, even when it comes to correcting the world at large. We followers of Christ are the leaven of the world. (Matt. 13:33) But that leaven, the teaching of Christ, must be accepted totally and passed on totally before it can have any substantial effect on the world. In fact, Christ’s Words that most directly concern turning from sin are the very words most ignored.”

“The only way to correct anyone is not by presenting the joys of prayer, but by presenting the Cross of Christ.  This applies to everyone. Every renewal, great or small, turning from major sin or minor, must begin with ideas of death and judgment, not of joy. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius, had the correct Christian idea. His Spiritual Exercises, the classic retreat manual of the Jesuits, begin not with dances of hand-clasping joyfulness, but with Meditations on Death and Judgment, Heaven and hell.” (179)

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“And all the greatest Saints knew this, going right back to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. And it comes in its strongest form in the very words of Christ himself. Even when Christ is correctly preached, He will still be rejected by many. But a true apostolate, one that preaches Christ Crucified, (1 Cor. 1:23) will never be barren in the sense that the ministry of a good many American Catholic Priests is now barren.”

Christ as Lion and Lamb

“Father Robert Persons (1546-1610), of the Society of Jesus, made an observation that was surprising in his own time, and is no less surprising four hundred years later. He noted that Saint John the Evangelist ‘affirmed that Christ Who was slain as a Lamb, should come again to Judge as a Lion.’ Father Persons was referring to a passage in Saint’s John’s Apocalypse that describes the Day of Judgment and speaks of Christ, the Lamb of God, as appearing on that day as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the only one worthy to open the Scroll of the Revelation of Judgment. The Judgment described later on in the opening of the seals, completely fits the imagery of Lion as Judge: surprising Grace and Clemency on those the Lion considers loyal friends; surprising Wrath on those He does not.  The seven seals of the Scroll, when opened, are all in terms of fear.”

“I think there is a connection between this development in the 1300’s and 1400’s and the Protestant break from the Church in the 1500’s.  The idea of a totally mild and unconditional Christ had already taken root, and it was not just among artists. Theologians arose who taught that it was not just indulgences that needed to be reformed, but ideas of morality itself. They taught that God is all-loving, unconditionally, so to those who say they believe in Christ. The images of Christ often seen in those days lent themselves to this idea. The Ten Commandments were no longer to be regarded as necessary for salvation; mortal sin, as a concept, was considered irrelevant, and hell was thought to be empty, at least of anyone who acknowledged some kind of belief in Christ. The new idea was that morality did not count either way toward Salvation or damnation. These, mollified somewhat, were key elements in the teachings of later Protestants such as Martin Luther, who taught that obeying the Third Commandment, requiring worship on the Sabbath, and the sixth Commandment, insofar as it related to divorce and remarriage, were no longer required for Salvation.”

"There is another kind of heresy that is largely untalked about but is far more pervasive in its effects on Priests, affecting in one way or another probably ninety-five percent or more of the Priests in this country: the idea that virtually all men must be saved.  The priests affected by this, and they are legion, are affected in either of two ways. First, there is a large group of outright heretics, modernists, who believe that no one can possibly be dammed, that somehow sin does not ever lead to hell. This is a direct contradiction of dozens of passages in the New Testament. Second, however, there is another large group who are not directly modernistic, who do not really believe that everyone is necessarily saved, but who are severely tainted by modernism. This second group still retains an idea of sin, but is afraid to teach it as it was taught by Christ.”  

“They believe that their congregations would reject it, but that is very mistaken. Even now, people in Church recognize and accept Christian truth when they hear it. In fact, the whole subject, carefully treated, is very interesting to them, and a refreshing change from their regular diet, the saltless food of modernism’s ‘positive’ approach.

"And here is the great pity, the great unseen heart of the disease. Between the effects of those priests severely tainted by modernism and those who are directly modernistic, great numbers in Church seldom hear Christ’s teaching, His own most frequent teaching, on a strict and coming Judgment.  The modernistic Priests and those severely tainted by modernism are all ashamed of a central teaching of Christ. Because of their failure to teach it, because of their shame at teaching it, they shall not only have to answer to Christ on Judgment Day, but to all the lost souls they failed to warn in this world.”

“And what happens with the rest of their preaching, even in this world? Saltless, it is both tedious and ineffectual. They actually speak out against sodomy, abortion, and other crimes against God’s law, but, by ignoring altogether any mention of future penalty, they unwittingly make themselves sound as dull and tiresome as an ancient pagan philosopher. And they are equally ineffectual."

“Jesus spoke often about Judgment, and always in a strong manner. Almost all of His parables end with a strong Phrase of Warning.  And He spoke strongly elsewhere in many ways and in many places.  The religion of Christ is one of Strength. And it requires Strength of those who, under God, follow it, taking up the Cross of Christ. God gives this Strength to all of us who follow Him, avoiding the weakness and inanities of this world, which often parade under other names.” (Ibid.)

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VENERABLE ARCHBISHOP FULTON J, SHEEN
"The Mass...bring home to your people what it is. It is a Sacrifice. It is a renewal of the Cross."

It is appropriate to publish the excerpts from the outstanding sermon delivered at a Priest’s retreat, by the peerless and most courageous Priest of the twentieth century, a captivating and popular Radio and Television personality, the holy and brilliant Venerable Archbishop Fulton John Sheen. At a conference for Priests, he castigated, with intense emotion, those persons who maintain that the Mass is principally a banquet, and the youth who claim that the Mass is unprofitable for them. He also exhorted the Priests to have a high respect for their Ministry, to say the Mass devoutly and to educate their people as to the nature of the Mass and its tremendous value.

He declared: “The Mass, therefore, we are inclined to almost dismiss as just a form of liturgy, a pageantry, a celebration, a banquet. A banquet? Is that all it is? Who ever heard of a banquet without Sacrifice? Listen, if all that we ever did was come to the Eucharistic table in order to eat the Bread of Life, and drink the wine that fosters virgins, if that is all we did, we would be Parasites on the Mystical Body of Christ! How is the Church going to have wheat to be ground and grapes to be crushed unless we add the Sacrificial Content of Calvary? Our Blessed Lord ordered it when He said, ‘Do it, repeat it? Keep a Memorial of the Exodus from Egypt: Keep a Memorial of your own Exodus from sin, for I redeemed you.’ This is the Mass. So, bring home to your people what it is. It is a Sacrifice. It is a renewal of the Cross."

“Young people are saying, ‘But I don’t want to go to Mass. I don’t get anything out of Mass.’ Of course they don’t! They don’t bring anything to it! You don’t get anything out of the Louvre unless you know something about Art. You don’t get anything out of a visit to Europe unless you know something about History. You don’t get anything out of visiting an Opera unless you know something about Music. What are we teaching our people, our young people? We are teaching them what: doctrine, doctrine, doctrine? Not Sacrifice, Discipline. You bring something here. Bring a sacrifice; bring a commitment. Give up some of your time. Give up some of your dope. Give up some of your drink. Then, you will be able to bring something more to the Altar than just simply bringing up bread and wine. Begin to bring yourselves.”

"This is the Gospel that we have to preach – The Cross and The Eucharist. This is why the Good Lord called us. Though we are not just to think of keeping it for ourselves, though it is for ourselves, too. But, we are to think of what it will do for the rest of our people, if we only bring home to them This Great and Wonderful Memorial:  to be able to stand with John and Mary at the foot of the Cross, and to exercise the Greatest Power that there is in this world – to take bread and say, ‘Body,’ and take wine and say, ‘Blood.’ What mighty men we are. God grant that we may realize this dignity of our Vocation, and not just recite the words of Mass. We recite them too quickly. This is not a prayer, the Mass. It’s an action. And we’re dying and we’re rising again from the dead. Therefore, our words must be vibrant, with life and with death. This is our dignity and God grant that we may live up to it. God love you.” (180)

General Instruction of the Roman Missal (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

"When he [the Priest] celebrates the Eucharist, therefore, he must serve God and the people with dignity and humility, and by his bearing and by the way he says the Divine Words, he must convey to the faithful the Living Presence of God." (181)

Prayer For Priests Based On The 10th Promise To Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

We must pray daily for Priests. Here is one prayer suggested by The Apostleship of Prayer:

“Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eternal High Priest, let your Love flow into the hearts of Your Priests and transform them into Living Images of You. By your Grace, make them true Apostles of Your Sacred Heart.  I pray for the fulfillment of the promise You made to Saint Margaret Mary: ‘I will give to Priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts’ May Your Kingdom come to the hearts of all through the Ministry of Holy Priests!” (182)

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CAUTION OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER MARY TO THE VENERABLE MARY OF AGREDA

"Lucifer has hurled into hell so Great a Number of Souls and continues so to hurl them every day, rising up in his pride against the Almighty. In this manner, he has been able to introduce into the world his tyrannical power,  spreading among men Forgetfulness of Death, Judgment, Heaven and hell, and casting so many nations from abyss to abyss of darkness and bestial errors, such as are contained in the heresies and false sects of the infidels.  Do thou, therefore, beware of this terrible danger, my Daughter, and let not the memory of the Law of thy God, His Precepts and Commands, and the Truths of the Catholic Church and the Doctrines of the Gospels ever fail in thy mind. Let not a day pass in which thou does not spend much time in meditation upon all these; and exhort thy religious and all those who will listen to thee to do the same.  For thy enemy and adversary is labouring with ceaseless vigilance to obscure thy understanding in forgetfulness of the Divine Law, seeking to withdraw thy will, which is a blind faculty, from the practice of justification. This, thou knowest, consists in acts of living faith, trustful hope, and ardent love, all coming from a contrite and humble heart." (Ps. 50:19) (183)

"THE LAST FOUR THINGS: DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL, AND HEAVEN"
(Father Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C)
  "Christ did not say that those were few in number who walked in the path to Heaven,
but that there were but few who found that narrow way"

The Number Of The Elect

"What does Christ say about the number of the elect ? His words are these: 'Many are called, but few are chosen.' He repeats these words when He speaks of the guest who had not on a wedding gar­ment: 'Bind his hands and his feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness. For many are called, but few chosen.' Were nothing more to be found to this intent in the whole of the Scriptures, this passage could not fail to alarm us. But there are many other similar ones, of which I will quote one or two."

"In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, we read that Our Lord said: 'Enter ye in at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction, and many there are that go in thereat. How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there are that find it.' (Matt. 7:13) Are not these words calculated to inspire us with anxiety and apprehension? May not we be amongst those who go in at the wide gate, who walk on the broad road that ends in everlasting perdition?"

"In order that thou mayst better appreciate the meaning of Our Lord's words, and perceive more clearly how few are the elect, observe that Christ did not say that those were few in number who walked in the path to Heaven, but that there were but few who found that narrow way. 'How strait is the gate that leadeth unto life, and few there are that find it.' It is as if the Saviour intended to say: The path leading to Heaven is so narrow and so rough, it is so overgrown, so dark and difficult to discern, that there are many who, their whole life long, never find it. And those who do find it are exposed constantly to the danger of deviating from it, of mistaking their way and unwittingly wander­ing away from it, because it is so irregular and over­grown. This Saint Jerome says in his commentary on the passage in question. Again, there are some who when they are on the right road, hasten to leave it, because it is so steep and toilsome. There are also many who are enticed to leave the narrow way by the wiles and deceits of the devil, and thus, almost imperceptibly to themselves, are led down­wards to hell. From all that has been said, we may gather that those are but few in number who find the way to Heaven, and yet fewer are those who persevere in following it unto the end."

"Now because Christ knew that these words of His would be misinterpreted, and understood in a false sense by both believers and unbelievers, on another occasion He accentuated and emphasized what He had already said concerning the small num­ber of the elect. For when one of the disciples asked Him: 'Lord, are they few that shall be saved?' He answered and said: 'Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter and shall not be able.' (Luke 13:24) Listen to the words of the Divine Teacher. He bids us strive, take trouble, make use of all our powers in order to enter unto the narrow gate. And what is still more calculated to appall, He adds that many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able....And because He was aware that we should not lay this weighty truth to heart as we ought, He reiterates it in yet more explicit language." (184)

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"After He had told a rich man who came to Him to leave all his possessions and follow Him, and the man had gone away sorrowful, He said, ad­dressing His disciples: 'How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of God!' And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus again answering saith: 'Children, how hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.' Then, the disciples wondered the more, saying among them­selves, 'Who then can be saved?' And Jesus look­ing on them saith: 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible unto God.'" (Mark 10: 23-27)

"Truly these words, coming from the lips of our Divine Master, are enough to inspire us with pro­found alarm; they are almost enough to cause us to despond. For they expressly tell us that the work of our salvation is a work of immense difficulty, an almost miraculous achievement, and that it is well-nigh impossible for poor humanity to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven....For all the powers of hell are leagued together with the wicked world against us; all the powers of hell put their forces in array in order to Conquer and Enslave every one of us mortals. And with the awful powers of darkness, the evil, crafty world, makes common cause, and the concupis­cences of the flesh do the same, for the purpose of compassing our ruin."

"We must needs acknowledge that all who have over­come the evil enemy, the evil world, and their own evil proclivities, have been strengthened by God with His Special Assistance....For the consolation and encouragement of the Christian, it must be remarked that if the num­ber of his enemies is so appallingly great, the num­ber of his friends is still greater." We are not left to do battle alone; our Holy Guardian Angel and all the Blessed Spirits are on our side; we may rely on the powerful protec­tion of the Mother of God, on the virtue of the Sacraments, the Merits of Christ's Passion, the In­spiration of the Holy Spirit, the Succour of Almighty God. By means of these mighty aids, we shall overcome if we fight bravely, and do not weakly yield ourselves into captivity, as unhappily too many do."

"The whole teaching of the Gospel is wholly at variance with the principles they follow; and those who live a careless life, and indulge their senses, are repeatedly warned that Eternal Death will be their portion. Listen to the admonition Christ addresses to the votaries of this world and the lovers of its luxuries: 'Woe to you that are rich, for you have your consolation. Woe to you that are filled, for you shall hunger; woe to you that now laugh, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when men shall bless you,' that is, when men of bad princi­ples, opposed to the maxims of religion, applaud your words, your actions, your opinions. This denunciation from Our Lord's Lips  may well fill us with dismay."

As previously stated on page 1 of this book, "What object in life have the great majority of mankind? What is it that they strive after and crave for? They desire to be rich, to be prosperous, to live in luxury, and to be  praised by their fellow­men. Nobody considers this to be a sin. And yet Our Lord declares that everlasting death will be the doom of such persons, and He denounces them in forcible language."

"From these and similar passages, which abound in Holy Scripture, thou seest that God is more strict than thou dost imagine, and it is a more easy matter to lose thy soul than thou perhaps thinkest. Wherefore, do not any longer  live so heedlessly, but 'work out thy salvation with fear and trembling' as the Apostle exhorts thee. The Saints did so at all times, having the fear of God's judgments ever be­fore their eyes.  The ungodly, on the contrary, were  ever wont to say, as many do at the present day: 'God is merciful, He will not condemn us so lightly to eternal damnation.' But remember what is said in Holy Scripture: 'Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin to sin. And say not, – The mercy of the Lord is great, He will have mercy on the multitude of my sins – 'For Mercy and Wrath come quickly from Him, and His Wrath Looketh Upon Sinners.'" (Ecclus. 5:5-7)

"We also find Saint Catharine of Sienna saying: 'O unhappy sinners, do not rely upon the greatness of God's Mercy; believe me, the more you provoke the Anger of this Merciful God by Wilful Sin, the deeper you will be cast into the Abyss of Perdition.'" (Ibid.)

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"It is undoubtedly true that we ought to place our trust in God's Mercy; but what the nature of our confidence should be, we are taught by Saint Gregory. He says: 'Let him who does all that he can, rely firmly upon the Mercy of God. But for him who does not do all that lies within his power, to rely upon the Mercy of God would be simple Presump­tion.' To each and all of us, the Apostle Peter says: 'Labour the more, that by good works you may make your calling and election sure.'" (2 Pet. 1:10)

"Several of the Fathers of the Church consider that from the fact that at the time of the deluge only eight persons were saved, at the destruction of So­dom and Gomorrha only four; namely, Lot, his wife and his two daughters escaped with their lives, and of the six hundred thousand able men who departed out of Egypt not more than two reached the Promised Land, the others all dying in the desert, it may be concluded that the number of the elect amongst Christians will be proportionately small. This agrees with what Saint John Chrysostom said on one occasion when he was preaching in the city of Antioch: 'What think you, my hearers, how many of the inhabitants of this city may perhaps be saved?  What I am about to say is very terrible, yet I will not conceal it from you. Out of this thickly popu­lated city, with its thousands of inhabitants, not a hundred will be saved; I even doubt whether there will be as many as that. For what indifference we see amongst the aged, what wickedness amongst the young, what impiety amongst all classes of people.'"

"Such words as these may well make us tremble! We should hesitate to believe them, did they not come from the lips of so great a Saint and Father of the Church. And if it is true that in the first five centuries, when the zeal and devotion of Christians was much more fervent than it is now, so small a number attained everlasting salvation, what will it be in our own day, when crime and vice prevail to so fearful an extent?"

"Since it is impossible for any one to deny, or even to doubt, that the number of the elect is small in proportion to that of the reprobate, I beseech thee, O Christian reader, exert thyself to the utmost to accomplish the work of thy salvation. Thou know­est what an awful thing it is to be damned eternally. The plagues and torments of hell are so terrible that words cannot be found to describe them. Consider in time the eternity of those unspeakable tortures, and take heed, lest thou too be cast into the abyss of Never-Ending Anguish."

"How wouldst thou be able to endure torments so immeasurable, so endless? Wouldst thou not de­spond and despair, wouldst thou not storm and rage? Yet, that would avail thee nothing; it would only add to thy sufferings and increase thy misery."  All this is most terrible, most awful, most appalling. How is it that thou dost not think about it more often? How is it possible that thou can live on so heed­lessly? How is it possible that thou hast not more fear of hell? Dost thou perhaps think thyself secure of Heaven? How is it that thou dost go with the multitude, as if thou didst not know that thou art in great danger of perishing with the multitude?"

"If thou wouldst be saved, follow the counsel of Saint Anselm, when he says: 'If thou wouldst be certain of being in the number of the elect, strive to be one of the few, not of the many. And if thou wouldst be quite sure of thy salvation, strive to be among the fewest of the few; that is to say: Do not follow the great majority of mankind, but follow those who enter upon the narrow way, who renounce the world, who give themselves to prayer, and who never relax their efforts, by day or by night, that they may attain Everlasting Felicity.'" (184)

Conclusion
"Let us, my dear reader, courageously and cheer­fully do all, undertake all, sacrifice all that we may gain the Ineffable Happiness of Heaven, for we never can purchase Heaven at too dear a price. Let us not be disheartened at the difficulties on our road, for, after all, it is not so difficult to merit Heaven. Were we to do for Heaven half as much as people do to earn a living, to acquire a little wealth, power or fame, or to enjoy life, we would be sure of secur­ing a high place among the Saints. All we have to do to gain Heaven is to keep the Commandments of God and of His Church, to bear our little crosses, to discharge the obligations of our state of life, to overcome temptation; and although this is above our natural strength, we nevertheless can count on the Grace of God, if we pray earnestly for it, and with God's help everything will become compara­tively easy, for, as Saint Paul says: 'I can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth me.'  (Phil. 4:13)  Earnest, Persistent Prayer will secure Heaven to us."  (Ibid.)

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THE LITTLE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO ARE SAVED:
(Saint Leonard of Port Maurice)
"Few are saved in comparison to those who are damned"

“Saint Leonard of Port Maurice was a most holy Franciscan friar who lived at the monastery of Saint Bonaventure in Rome. One of Saint Leonard of Port Maurice's most famous sermons was ‘The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved.’ This sermon, like his other writings, was submitted to canonical examination during the process of canonization." The following is a summary of that Sermon.

The Teaching of the Fathers of the Church

“Two learned Cardinals, Cajetan and Bellarmine teach that the greater number of Christian adults are damned. Suarez after consulting all the theologians and making a diligent study of the matter wrote, ‘The most common sentiment which is held is that, among Christians, there are more damned souls than predestined souls.’  Add the authority of the Greek and Latin Fathers to that of the theologians, and you will find that almost all of them say the same thing. This is the sentiment of Saint Theodore, Saint Basil, Saint Ephrem, and Saint John Chrysostom. Now let us consult the Latin Fathers. You will hear Saint Gregory saying clearly, ‘Many attain to faith, but few to the Heavenly Kingdom.’ Saint Anselm declares, ‘There are few who are saved.’ Saint Augustine states even more clearly, ‘Therefore, few are saved in comparison to those who are damned.’ The most terrifying, however, is Saint Jerome. At the end of his life, in the presence of his disciples, he spoke these dreadful words: ‘Out of one hundred thousand people whose lives have always been bad, you will find barely one who is worthy of indulgence.’”

The Words of Holy Scripture

“In Old and New Testaments, you will find a multitude of figures, symbols and words that clearly point out this truth: very few are saved. In the time of Noah, the entire human race was submerged by the Deluge, and only eight people were saved in the Ark.  Saint Peter says, ‘This ark was the figure of the Church,’ while Saint Augustine adds, ‘And these eight people who were saved signify that very few Christians are saved, because there are very few who sincerely renounce the world.’ The Bible also tells us that only two Hebrews out of two million entered the Promised Land after going out of Egypt, and that only four escaped the fire of Sodom and the other burning cities that perished with it.”

“I would not finish if I had to point out all the figures by which Holy Scripture confirms this truth; let us content ourselves with listening to the living Oracle of Incarnate Wisdom. What did Our Lord answer the curious man in the Gospel who asked Him, ‘Lord, is it only a few to be saved?’ He addresses all of those present. He says to them: ‘Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’ Who is speaking here? It is the Son of God, Eternal Truth, Who on another occasion says even more clearly, ‘Many are called, but few are chosen.’ ...Saint Gregory explains, that out of all men, many are called to the True Faith, but out of them few are saved. Brothers, these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Are they clear? They are true. Tell me now if it is possible for you to have faith in your heart and not tremble.”

Salvation in the Various States of Life

"I am horror-struck when I hear Saint Jerome declaring that although the world is full of Priests, barely one in a hundred is living in a manner in conformity with that state; when I hear a servant of God attesting that he has  learned by revelation that the number of Priests who fall into hell each day is so great that it seemed impossible to him that there be any left on earth; when I hear Saint Chrysostom exclaiming with tears in his eyes, ‘I do not believe that many Priests are saved; I believe the contrary, that the number of those who are damned is greater.’"

“There was a synod being held in Paris. A famous preacher was invited to preach. While he was preparing his sermon, a horrible demon appeared to him and said, ‘Lay your books aside. If you want to give a sermon that will be useful to these princes and prelates, content yourself with telling them on our part, 'We the princes of darkness thank you, princes, prelates, and pastors of souls, that due to your negligence, the greater number of the faithful are damned; also, we are saving a reward for you for this favour, when you shall be with us in hell. '"

“The following narrative is from Saint Vincent Ferrer. He relates that an archdeacon in Lyons gave up his charge and retreated into a desert place to do penance, and that he died the same day and hour as Saint Bernard. After his death, he appeared to his bishop and said to him, 'Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, thirty-three thousand people also died. Out of this number, Bernard and myself went up to heaven without delay, three went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell.'" (185)

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"Our chronicles relate an even more dreadful happening. One of our brothers, well-known for his doctrine and holiness, was preaching in Germany. He represented the ugliness of the sin of impurity so forceful that a woman fell dead of sorrow in front of everyone. Then, coming back to life, she said, 'When I was presented before the Tribunal of God, sixty thousand people arrived at the same time from all parts of the world; out of that number, three were saved by going to Purgatory, and all the rest were damned.'"

“Most Catholic adults confess badly at death, therefore, most of them are damned. I say ‘all the more certain,’ because a dying person who has not confessed well when he was in good health will have an even harder time doing so when he is in bed with a heavy heart, an unsteady head, a muddled mind; when he is opposed in many ways by still-living objects, by still-fresh occasions, by adopted habits, and above all by devils who are seeking every means to cast him into hell. Now, if you add to all these false penitents, all the other sinners who die unexpectedly in sin, due to the doctors' ignorance or by their relatives' fault, who die from poisoning or from being buried in earthquakes, or from a stroke, or from a fall, or on the battlefield, in a fight, caught in a trap, struck by lightning, burned or drowned, are you not obliged to conclude that most Christian adults are damned? That is the reasoning of Saint Chrysostom. This Saint says that most Christians are walking on the road to hell throughout their life. Why, then, are you so surprised that the greater number goes to hell?”

“The answer, you will tell me, is that the Mercy of God is great. Yes, for those who fear Him, says the Prophet; but great is His justice for the one who does not fear Him, and it condemns all obstinate sinners. So you will say to me: 'Well, then, who is Paradise for, if it is not for Christians?' It is for Christians, of course, but for those who do not dishonour their character and who live as Christians. Moreover, if to the number of Christians adults who die in the Grace of God, you add the countless host of children who die after Baptism and before reaching the age of reason, you will not be surprised that Saint John the Apostle, speaking of those who are saved, says, ‘I saw a great multitude which no man could number.’"

"And this is what deceives those who pretend that the number of the saved among Catholics is greater than that of the damned... If to that number, you add the adults who have kept the robe of innocence, or who after having defiled
it, have washed it in the tears of penance, it is certain that the greater number is saved; and that explains the words of Saint John, 'I saw a great multitude,' and these other words of Our Lord, 'Many will come from the east and from the west, and will feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven,' and the other figures usually cited in favour of that opinion."

"But if you are talking about Christian adults, experience, reason, authority, propriety and Scripture all agree in proving that the greater number is damned. Do not believe that because of this, paradise is empty; on the contrary, it is a very populous kingdom. And if the damned are 'as numerous as the sand in the sea,' the saved are 'as numerous at the stars of heaven,' that is, both the one and the other are countless, although in very different proportions."

"One day Saint John Chrysostom preaching in the cathedral in Constantinople and considering these proportions, could not help but shudder in horror and ask, 'Out of this great number of people, how many do you think will be saved?' And, not waiting for an answer, he added, 'Among so many thousands of people, we would not find a hundred who are saved, and I even doubt for the one hundred.'  What a dreadful thing! The great Saint believed that out of so many people, barely one hundred would be saved; and even then, he was not sure of that number. What will happen to you who are listening to me? Great God, I cannot think of it without shuddering! Brothers, the problem of salvation is a very difficult thing; for according to the maxims of the theologians, when an end demands great efforts, few only attain it."

"That is why Saint Thomas, the Angelic Doctor, after weighing all the reasons pro and con in his immense erudition, finally concludes that the greater number of Catholics are damned. He says, 'Because eternal beatitude surpasses the natural state, especially since it has been deprived of original grace, it is the little number who are saved.'" (185)

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“So then, remove the blindfold from your eyes that is blinding you with self-love, that is keeping you from believing such an obvious truth by giving you very false ideas concerning the Justice of God. ‘Just Father, the world has not known Thee,’ said Our Lord Jesus Christ. He does not say ‘Almighty Father, most Good and Merciful Father.’ He says ‘Just Father,’ so we may understand that out of all the attributes of God, none is less known than His Justice, because men refuse to believe what they are afraid to undergo.”

"The Saint proceeds to deal with the subjects of The Goodness of God, and that God Desires All Men to be Saved, and continues: "Either you understand what it means to be saved or to be damned for all eternity, or you do not. If you understand, and in spite of that, you do not decide to change your life today, make a good confession and trample upon the world, in a word, make your every effort to be counted among the littler number of those who are saved, I say that you do not have the Faith.'" 

"Now, if I show you that God wants to save all men, and for this purpose He gives all of them His Grace and all the other necessary means of obtaining that sublime end, you will be obliged to agree that whoever is damned must impute it to his own malice, and that if the greater number of Christians are damned, it is because they want to be. 'Thy damnation comes from thee; thy help is only in Me.'"

"GOD WANTS ALL MEN TO BE SAVED"
"All are in need of the Grace of God."

"In a hundred places in Holy Scripture, God tells us it is His desire to save all men. 'Is it my Will that a sinner should die, and not that he should be converted from his ways and live?...I live, saith the Lord. I desire not the death of a sinner. Be converted and live.'  When someone wants something very much, it is said that he is dying with desire; it is a hyperbole. But God has wanted and still wants our salvation so much that He died of desire, and He suffered death to give us life. This will to save all men is, therefore, not an affected, superficial and an apparent will of God; it is a real, effective and beneficial will; for He provides us with all the means most proper for us to be saved. He does not give them to us so they will not obtain it. He gives them to us with a sincere will, with the intention that they may obtain their effect.  And if they do not obtain it, He shows Himself afflicted and offended over it. He commands even the damned to use them in order to be saved. He exhorts them to it; he obliges them to it; and if they do not do it, they sin. Therefore, they may do it and be saved."  

"Brothers, you must know that the most ancient belief is the Law of God, and that we all bear it written in our hearts, that it can be learned without any teacher, and that it suffices to have the light of reason in order to know all the precepts of the Law. That is why even the barbarians hid when they committed sin, because they knew they were doing wrong; and they are damned for not having observed the Natural Law written in their heart: for had they observed it, God would have made a miracle rather than let them be damned; He would have sent them someone to teach them and would have given them other aids, of which they made themselves unworthy by not living in conformity with the inspirations of their own conscience, which never failed to warn them of the good they should do and the evil they should avoid....If these infidels have no excuse, will there be any for a Catholic who had so many Sacraments, so many sermons, so many aids at his disposal." 

Prayer:  (Saint Leonard of Port Maurice)

"Cast yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ and say to Him, with tearful eyes and contrite heart: 'Lord, I confess that up to now I have not lived as a Christian. I am not worthy to be numbered among your elect. I recognize that I deserve to be damned; but your Mercy is great and, full of confidence in Your Grace, I say to You that I want to save my soul, even if I have to sacrifice my fortune, my honour, my very life, as long as I am saved. If I have been unfaithful up to now, I repent, I deplore, I detest my infidelity, I ask You humbly to forgive me for it. Forgive me, Good Jesus, and strengthen me also, that I may be saved. I ask You not for wealth, Honour or prosperity; I ask You for one thing, only to save my soul'"

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Conclusion
“Brothers, I want to send all of you away comforted today. What is the use of knowing whether few or many are saved?  Saint Peter says to us, ‘Strive by good works to make your election sure.’  When Saint Thomas Aquinas's asked him what she must do to go to Heaven, he said, ‘You will be saved if you want to be.’  I say the same thing to you, and here is proof of my declaration. No one is damned unless he commits mortal sin: that is of faith.  And no one commits mortal sin unless he wants to: that is an undeniable theological proposition. Therefore, no one goes to hell unless he wants to; the consequence is obvious.  Does that not suffice to comfort you?"

"Weep over past sins, make a good Confession, sin no more in the future, and you will all be saved. Why torment yourself so?  For, it is certain that you have to commit mortal sin to go to hell, and that to commit mortal sin you must want to, and that consequently no one goes to hell unless he wants to. That is not just an opinion, it is an undeniable and very comforting truth; may God give you to understand it, and may He bless you. Amen.”  (185)

SAINT LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE

Feast day: November 26, Died: 1751
Saint Leonard of Port Maurice was a: "Franciscan proponent of the Blessed Sacrament, the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and the Stations of the Cross, as well as the Immaculate Conception. He was born Leonard Casanova in Port Maurice, Porto Maurizio, Italy, and joined the Franciscans of the Strict Observance in 1697. Ordained in 1703, he began preaching all over the region of Tuscany, Italy. By 1736, he was attracting huge crowds in Rome and elsewhere, and he erected almost six hundred Stations of the Cross throughout the lands. In 1744, Leonard was sent by Pope Benedict XIV to preach on Corsica, returning to Rome in 1751 after receiving a summons from the Pope. Leonard died at his friary, St. Bonaventure, on November 26. He was canonized in 1867 and named patron of parish missions." (186)

Tribute to Saint Leonard of Port Maurice
The following is a statement about Saint Leonard and his sermon, preceding the Liturgical Prayer of the Divine Office, Sixth Lesson: “Upon hearing him, even hearts of iron and brass were powerfully inclined to penance, by reason of the astonishing effectiveness of the sermon and the Preacher’s burning zeal. And in the Liturgical Prayer, we ask of the Lord, to give the power to bend the hearts of hardened sinners by the words of preaching.”

Comment:
N.B. Searches at two diocesan seminary libraries in the Province of Ontario, Canada, and to the Office of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome for another source, other than the source referred to in the Footnote number 185, above mentioned, were not successful.
Furthermore, for the authenticity of the proposition that the little number of persons will be saved, please recall the statements of Jesus Christ Himself above quoted on page 112 herein under the heading, The Words of Holy Scripture and especially the following, "How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way, which leadeth to life: and few there are who find it!” (Matt. 7:14)  Also to be considered is that the Article was composed by a person who was eventually declared to have been a Saint in his lifetime, who employed for that purpose the Graces he received from the Blessed Trinity, through Our Blessed Mother, the Mediatrix of all Graces; "For without me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

"TV TIME: HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY WATCH?"

Does the average Catholic give much thought daily to his ultimate goal?  What activity takes a great deal of daily time and attention of the average person/Catholic? 

I don't watch that much T.V.  "'I don't watch that much TV,' says the average person, 'just a few hours here and there.'  Unfortunately, the average person – according to the most recent figures from Nielsen Media Research Inc., – watches TV for 4 hours and 35 minutes every single day. Worse, the average household has a TV playing for 8 hours, 14 minutes every day." (187)

4.5 hours isn't that much!

"Let's add that up. Perhaps 4 hours and 35 minutes does not seem like that much time. It probably never feels like that much time, since the hours seem to fly by when you are engrossed in a program – or two or three."

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"However, per week 4.5 hours adds up to just over 32 hours. That is 32 hours EVERY week. Think about that. Adults are spending almost as much time in front of a T.V. as they are working a full-time job.  Children are being educated by their T.V. sets more than they are being educated by their teachers."

"Per month that adds up to 136 hours, or 5 days 16 hours. The average American is spending more than 5 1/2 solid days EVERY month watching T.V.. Over the course of a year, the average American spends over 69 solid days watching T.V..  That is over two solid months every year. Over a life time of  72 years, that adds up to over 13 years.  Not only is that a loss of time, it is an insane amount of time."  (187)

OUTSTANDING SUMMATION OF THE EXCELLENCE OF THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
(Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, 1801-1890)

"To me nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass, said as it is among us. I could attend Masses forever, and not be tired. It is not a mere form of words – it is a great action, THE GREATEST ACTION THAT CAN BE ON EARTH. It is not the invocation (invoke; to call on a deity in prayer) merely, but, if I dare use the word, the evocation (inspire or draw forth a response) of the Eternal. Here becomes present on the Altar in Flesh and Blood, before whom Angels bow and devils tremble. This is that Awful (inspiring awe) Event which is the Scope, and the Interpretation, of every part of the Solemnity." (188)

FURTHER QUESTIONS

Questions arise. At what place could a Catholic attend, in what company could he be, or in what activity could he be engaged that could compare with being in the Presence of Almighty God in His Temple on a Sunday? Outside there is the world and its evil. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Inside, we experience a taste of Heaven – the Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Sacred Humanity – “Who is the Blessed and only Mighty, the King of kings, and Lord of lords: Who only hath Immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible, Whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be Honour and Empire Everlasting.” (1 Tim. 6:15-16) "The Son of the Most High."  (Luke 1:32) Who sacrificed His life to redeem our sins; Who is Our Mediator – "Our prayers are, therefore, offered through Our Lord Jesus Christ" (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 740), the One God Who raised Lazarus from the dead, Who multiplied food for the hungry, Who healed the sick, cured the blind and the crippled, Who walked on water; Who “rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: ‘Peace; be still. And the wind ceased; and there was made a great calm.'" (Mark 4:39)

We also experience the Presence of the Blessed Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Ghost, all in their Sacred Divinity; the One God Who created the world; Who owns the world and everything in it  – "The world and all it holds is Mine." (Ps. 50) (189) the God, "Who made the world and all things therein, He being the Lord of Heaven and earth." (Acts 17:24) The One Who giveth to all, life, and breath, and all things" (Ibid. 25); "And hath made of one, all mankind, to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, determining appointed times, and limits of their habitation" (Ibid. 26); "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being"(Ibid. 28). “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and all they that dwell therein” (Ps. 23: 1); “All things were made by Him: and without Him was made nothing that was made” (John 1:3); “the God Who hath thy breath in His hand.” (Daniel 5:23)  “The Lord is my Firmament, my Refuge and my Deliverer. My God is my Helper, and in Him will I put my Trust. My Protector, and the horn of my Salvation, and my Support ” (Ps. 17:3), Footnote: “Can we refuse to love One from Whom we have received so many favours?” (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 692).  Aren’t we in the deepest debt to Jesus Christ for having given His life for our Salvation, for giving to us our own life and for all that we legally own?

Innumerable Angels, including our Guardian Angel, and Saints surround the Tabernacle and Altar engaged in adoring and worshiping the Blessed Trinity, and Jesus Christ in His Sacred Humanity. Our Blessed Mother is on the Altar during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, for wherever Jesus Christ is so is Our Lady, Ever Virgin and Mediatrix of all Graces.  (see next paragraph)

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UNION BETWEEN JESUS CHRIST AND HIS HOLY MOTHER
(Saint Louis de Montfort)

“O sweet Jesus...the greater part of Christians, even the most learned, do not know the necessary union there is between Thee and Thy Holy Mother. Thou, Lord, art always with Mary, and Mary is always with Thee, and She cannot be without Thee.” (190)

THE GREATEST AND MOST WONDERFUL EVENT

Furthermore, when Holy Communion is distributed at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we experience the greatest and most wonderful event that could ever happen to us: the reception into our sinful bodies, “If we say that we have no sin: we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8), of the Sacred Body, Blood, and Soul of Jesus Christ, in His Sacred Humanity, “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), as well as God the Father in His Divine Nature, God the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in His Divine Nature, and God the Holy Ghost in His Divine Nature.

ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS

We Catholics have received ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS THAT WE COULD EVER POSSIBLY RECEIVE FROM ALMIGHTY GOD: MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH INSTITUTED BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. “Thou are Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18) You will observe that Jesus Christ did not say, “Churches" (page 3 hereof, James Cardinal Gibbons). There is only one true Church: "The Lord hath reigned, Let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad," (Ps. 96:1) Footnote: "We have great reason to rejoice in being educated in the true faith."

PRAYER OF SAINT LOUIS DE MONTFORT TO JESUS CHRIST
"May it burn incessantly on the altar of my heart"

Let us burn into our memory and repeat frequently with St. Louis De Montfort the following “burning prayer which I offer to Thee with Saint Augustine and Thy other true friends."

“Thou art Christ, my Holy Father, my tender God, my great King, my good Shepherd, my one Master, my best  Helper, my most Beautiful and my Beloved, my Living Bread, my Priest forever, my Leader to my country, my true Light, my Holy Sweetness, my straight Way, my excellent Wisdom, my pure Simplicity, my pacific Harmony, my whole Guard, my good Portion, and my Everlasting Salvation."

"Christ Jesus, my sweet Lord, why have I ever loved, why in my whole life have I ever desired anything except Thee, Jesus my God?  Where was I when I was not in Thy mind with Thee? Now, from this time forth, do ye, all my desires, grow hot, and flow out upon the Lord Jesus; run, ye have been tardy thus far; hasten whither ye are going; seek Whom ye are seeking. O Jesus, may he who loves Thee not, be anathema; may he who loves Thee not, be filled with bitterness!"

“O SWEET JESUS, MAY EVERY GOOD FEELING THAT IS FITTED FOR THY PRAISE, LOVE THEE, DELIGHT IN THEE, ADMIRE THEE. GOD OF MY HEART AND MY PORTION, CHRIST  JESUS, MAY MY HEART FAINT AWAY IN SPIRIT AND MAYEST THOU BE MY LIFE WITHIN ME! MAY THE LIVE COAL OF THY LOVE GROW HOT WITHIN MY SPIRIT, AND BREAK FORTH INTO A PERFECT FIRE; MAY IT BURN INCESSANTLY ON THE ALTAR OF MY HEART; MAY IT GLOW IN MY INNERMOST BEING; MAY IT BLAZE IN HIDDEN RECESSES OF MY SOUL; AND IN THE DAY OF MY CONSUMMATION, MAY I  BE FOUND CONSUMMATED WITH THEE.   AMEN.” (191)

Comments:
What equal or greater Graces and Benefits could one ever receive outside of attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Can we ignore the God Who desires that we be His friend? Why would a reasonable Catholic deliberately avoid attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation? The "Most Beautiful Thing This Side Of Heaven." With those words, Father Frederick William Faber of the Brompton Oratory described the Tridentine Latin Mass; (192), "The Greatest Action That Can Be On Earth," (see below) and run the risk of spending

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forever in Everlasting Fire and the Tortures of hell for indulgence in some form of passing pleasure?  Whether one knows it or not, when one participates in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and has consumed the Sacred Host in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, ONE HAS EXPERIENCED, WITHOUT ANY DOUBT, THE HIGHLIGHT OF ANY GIVEN DAY.

GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH
(Father John A. Hardon, S.J.)
       "Virtue alone [moral goodness, excellence] is no promise of dying in the State of Grace.
Pray for the Grace of a happy death"

It is only just, right, and proper that this book ends with THE MOST IMPORTANT EXHORTATION WE COULD EVER RECEIVE IN OUR LIFETIME:

"Just because a person has lived a good life does not, by itself, guarantee dying in God's friendship. Over and above this, we must pray for the Extraordinary Grace that the moment before we enter Eternity we receive the Gift of Dying in the Friendship of God. This Grace will be given, but not because we have earned it by living a good life. In other words, virtue alone is no promise of dying in the State of Grace. We must, moreover, pray for the GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH. IT IS THE SINGLE GREATEST GRACE THAT ANY HUMAN BEING CAN RECEIVE. No other can compare with it..."

"...THIS GRACE, the Church tells us, MUST BE CONSTANTLY AND EARNESTLY PRAYED FOR. That is what we are praying for, and confidently hope for, because WE ARE ASKING THE MOTHER OF THE GOD, WHO WILL JUDGE US THE MOMENT WE DIE. We are asking Her to ask Her Son to be Merciful. He will be because He Loves Her. Mary always obtains whatever She wants, provided we have the Faith to Trust Her and the Humility to admit our need."  (193)

The prayerful warrior could not have given us better advice. John Anthony Hardon, S.J. rest in peace and, please, pray for us!

CRITICAL AND  EVERLASTING  CHOICE
(Deuteronomy Chapter 30)

"15. Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good; and on the other hand, death and evil. 16. That thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and walk in His ways, and keep His Commandments and ceremonies, and judgments; and thou mayst live, and He may multiply thee, and bless thee in the land, which thou shalt go in to possess. 17. But if thy heart be turned away, so that thou wilt not hear, and being deceived with error, thou adore strange gods, and serve them. 18. I foretell thee this day that thou shalt perish, and shalt remain but a short time in the land, to which thou shalt pass over the Jordan, and shalt go in to possess it. 19. I call Heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose, therefore, life, that both thou, and thy seed may live.  20.  And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey His voice, and adhere to Him (for He is thy life, and the length of thy days), that thou mayst dwell in the land, for which the Lord swore to thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give it them." (Douay Rheims Bible p. 251).

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MARVELLOUS FRUITS OF THE HOLY ROSARY
(Saint Louis de Montfort)
From: The Secret of the Rosary

St. Louis De Montfort states: "I should like to give you even more reason for embracing this devotion which so many great souls have practised; the Rosary recited with meditation on the mysteries brings about the following Marvellous results:

1. It gradually brings us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ;

2. It purifies our souls washing away our sin;

3. It gives us victory over all our enemies;

4. It makes it easy for us to practice virtue;

5. It sets us on fire with the Love of Our Blessed Lord;

6. It enriches us with graces and merits;

7. It supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God, and to our fellowmen, and finally, it obtains all kinds of Graces for us from Almighty God."

"The knowledge of Jesus Christ is the science of Christians and the science of salvation; Saint Paul says that it surpasses all human sciences in value and perfection. This is true:
1.  because of the dignity of its object, which is a God-man compared to whom the whole universe is but a drop of dew or a grain of sand;
2.  because of its helpfulness to us; human sciences, on the other hand, but fill us with the smoke and emptiness of pride;
3.  and finally, because of its utter necessity:  for no one can possibly be saved without the knowledge of Jesus Christ; and yet a man who knows absolutely nothing of any of other sciences will be saved as long as he is illumined by the science of Jesus Christ."

"Blessed is the Rosary which gives us this science and knowledge of our Blessed Lord through our meditations on His life, death, Passion and glory."

"The Queen of Saba, lost in admiration at Solomon's wisdom, cried out: 'Blessed are thy men and blessed are thy servants who stand before thee always, and hear thy wisdom.'  But far happier still are the faithful who carefully mediate on the life, virtues, suffering and glory of our Saviour, because by this means they can gain the perfect knowledge in which eternal life consists. 'This is eternal life.'"

"Our Lady revealed to Blessed Alan that no sooner had Saint Dominic begun preaching the Rosary, than hardened sinners were touched and wept bitterly over their grievous sins. Young children performed incredible penances and everywhere he preached the Holy Rosary such fervour arose that sinners changed their lives and edified everyone by their penances and change of heart."

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"If by chance your conscience is burdened with sin, take your Rosary and say at least part of it, honouring some of the mysteries of the life, passion or glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and be sure that, while you are meditating upon these mysteries and honouring them He will show His sacred wounds to His Father in Heaven. He will plead for you and obtain for you contrition and the forgiveness of your sins."

"One day Our Lord said to Blessed Alan; 'If only these poor wretched sinners would say My Rosary, they would share in the merits of My Passion and I would be their Advocate and would appease My Father's Justice.'"

"This life is nothing but warfare and a series of temptations;  we do not have to contend with enemies of flesh and blood but with the very powers of hell. What better weapons could we possibly use to combat them than the Prayer which our great Captain taught us, and the Angelic Salutation which has chased away devils, destroyed sin and renewed the world?"

"What better weapon could we use than meditation on the life and Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?  For, as Saint Peter says, it is with this thought we must arm ourselves in order to defend ourselves against the very same enemies which He conquered and which molest us every day."

"Ever since the devil was crushed by the humility and the Passion of Jesus Christ he has been very nearly unable to attack a soul that is armed with meditation on the mysteries of Our Lord's life, and, if he does trouble such a soul, he is sure to be shamefully defeated." (Cardinal Hughes)

"'Put you on the armour of God.' So arm yourselves with the arms of God: with the Holy Rosary, and you will crush the devil's head and you will stand firm in the face of all his temptations. This is why even the material rosary itself is such a terrible thing for the devil, and why the saints have used it to enchain devils and to chase them out of the bodies of people who were possessed. Such happenings are reported in more than one authentic record.'"

"Blessed Alan said that a man he knew of had desperately tried all kinds of devotions to rid himself of the evil spirit which possessed him, but without success. Finally he thought of wearing his rosary around his neck, which eased him considerably. He discovered that whenever he took it off the devil tormented him cruelly, so he resolved to wear it night and day. This drove the evil spirit away forever, because he could not bear such a terrible chain. Blessed Alan also testifies that he had delivered a large number of people who were possessed by putting the Rosary around their necks."

"Father Jean Amat, of the order of Saint Dominic, was giving a series of Lenten sermons in the Kingdom of Aragon one year, when a young girl was brought to him who was possessed by the devil. After he has exorcised her several times without success he put his Rosary around her neck.  Hardly had he done so when the girl began to scream and yell in a fearful way, shrieking: 'Take them off! take them off! these beads are torturing me!'  At last the father, filled with pity for the girl, took his Rosary off her."

"The very next night when Father Amat was in bed, the same devils who had possession of the girl came to him foaming with rage and tried to seize him. But he had his Rosary clasped in his hand and no efforts of theirs could wrench it from him. He managed to beat them with it very well indeed and chased them away, crying out: 'Holy Mary, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, come to my help!'"

"The next day when he went to the Church he met the poor girl, still possessed, and one of the devils within her started to laugh and said in a mocking voice: 'Well, brother, if you had been without your Rosary, we would have made short shrift of you!'  Then, the good Father threw his Rosary around the girl's neck without more ado and said: 'By the sacred name of Jesus and that of Mary His Holy Mother, and by the power of the most Holy Rosary I command you, evil spirits, to leave the body of this girl,' and they were immediately forced to obey and she was delivered from them."

"These stories show the power of the Holy Rosary in overcoming all possible temptations that evil spirits may bring, and also all kinds of sin, because these blessed beads put devils to rout." (194)

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Our Lady of the Rosary

 

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ALL HONOUR AND GLORY BELONG TO GOD

"Unless the Lord build a house, they labour in vain that build it." Footnote: "We must labour, and still expect success from God alone. S. Chrys. Eph. ii, 16. – God must be the principal agent, and all the glory must be given to Him."  (Ps. 126:1)

"'For it is God Who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish, according to the good-will.' Footnote: 'We can neither have a will, nor begin, nor fulfill any thing of ourselves, in order to gain a reward in Heaven.'" (Phil: 2:13)

"Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God." Footnote: "to think anything of ourselves, that may deserve a reward in Heaven....It is God alone Who gives us strength, light and Grace. I am far from giving a part only to God, and a part to myself. It all exclusively belongs to Him." (Saint Chrysostom) (2 Cor. 3:5)

AFTERWORD
(By John Kenneth MacKenzie, Q.C.)

I take no credit for the production of this paper. May this work redound to the Honour and Glory of God – "You therefore should pray in this manner: "Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.'" Footnote; "The honour and glory of God should be the principal subject of our prayers, and the ultimate end of our every action; every other thing must be subordinate to this," Footnote (Matt. 6:9) (Douay Rheims Bible, p. 1257.) “For it is incontestable that the respect men pay you, and the good for which they honour you, are due to God. You rob Him, therefore, of all the merit which you appropriate to yourself. Can any servant be more unfaithful than one who steals his Master’s glory?” (Venerable Louis of Granada) (195) This paper was made possible by the Cooperating Graces provided by the Blessed Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost, through the "Treasure of Our Lord," Our Blessed Mother Mary, Ever Virgin and Mediatrix of all Graces. Without those Graces, this project would never have been initiated nor completed.

As Father John Hardon, S.J. and Dom Lorenzo Scupoli have taught, I am nothing and on my own, I could not have made it all the way.  Jesus Christ said, “Without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) I heed the counsel of The Little Flower: "'A soul is not holy, the Saint explained, just because Our Lord uses it as an instrument.' ...'We should try to grasp this truth,' she added, 'and attribute nothing of good to ourselves. No one actually possesses the virtues he practices, so let everything redound to the Glory of God.' ...She never tired of repeating, 'God has need of no one, so let us not take foolish pride in the thought that He decides to make use of us at times.'" (196)

Let us imitate the good example of Jesus Christ, our Leader Who said "I can do nothing of myself." (John 5:30) " I do nothing of myself." (John 8: 28) "If I glory Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father that glorifieth Me." (John 8:54)

I repeat "May this work redound to the Honour and Glory of God." I wish to thank sincerely those persons, whom Almighty God put in my life, for their valuable contributions to this work, especially Doctor Dennis Q. McInerny. I consider it an honour that he agreed to compose the Preface to this book. He read drafts of, and suggested necessary corrections to the text, notwithstanding the heavy work load he has as a Professor of Philosophy at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska, U.S.A., and as the author of several books, and articles for various publications, including the monthly Newsletter issued by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. He has been blessed with an abundance of intellectual gifts. He is an eminent defender of our Faith.

I am also very grateful to Doctor Gordon Sinnamon, a neighbour, and a Professor of Mathematics at Western University, London, Ontario who was always ready, willing and most competent to solve the many computer problems that were encountered. I have been so blessed by Almighty God to have Doctor Sinnamon's skills available, many times on short notice. I can honestly state that I could not have completed the preparation of this book without Dr. Gordon's willing and valuable assistance. I am grateful for the expertise of his son, Ben for doing the necessary research regarding the equipment needed to prepare the text of the book, for his assistance and cooperation in installing the computer and other equipment, for his advice and help in the operation of the equipment and in solving problems related thereto. I must also thank his brothers Craig and Corey for their beneficial assistance, from time to time, in solving computer problems.

Edward Taylor, my next-door neighbour, very frequently, and generously, came to my assistance as soon as I requested his help to correct computer and other problems. I could not have finished the completion of this book without Edward's valuable help. I also thank Derrick Matheson of London, and my niece Claire Corupe of St. Catharines, Ontario, for their superb assistance for solving, from time to time, by telephone and on short notice computer problems. Every book must be proofread. I sincerely appreciate the many excellent skills that Angela Clarke of London, provided in assisting in that onerous task, and also for doing some typing.

I also sincerely thank Noel McFerrar, Head of Publicity, University of Saint Michael's College, Toronto, Ontario, and Frances Theilade, Librarian, Saint Peter's Seminary, London, Ontario, Canada, who performed outstanding and valuable research assistance. Special thanks to all those  persons in religious orders, including the Precious Blood Sisters of Canada, and the Carmelite Community of Saint Agatha, Ontario, as well as many lay persons who continually prayed for the success of this most important undertaking. I also am grateful to the late Mary Yuristy of Delhi, Ontario for the material she provided and for her advice, prayers, and support.

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FOOTNOTES

N.B. Unless otherwise stated, all Scriptural Verses have been taken from The Old Testament of The Holy Catholic Bible, and The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Douay Rheims Bible, Rev. Father Geo. Leo Haydock, (Catholic Treasures, P.O. Box 658, Duarte, California, 91009, 1-626-966-7159).

(1) Tom Fath, “When Was Sunday Mass Obligation Changed To An Option?” New Oxford Review (March 2001), p. 24.

(2) Father Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C., The Four Last Things: Death-Judgment-Hell-Heaven (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 218.

(3) Father J.E. Moffatt, S.J., Minute Meditations (Milwaukee, WI.: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1958), p. iii.

(4) Translated by Una Morrissy, The Sermons of the Cure of Ars (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1995), p. 9.

(5) James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, The Faith of Our Fathers (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1980),  p. 5.

(6) Most Reverend Louis LaRavoire Morrow, S.T.D., Bishop of Krishnagar, My Catholic Faith (Kenosha, WI.:  My Missions House, 1954), pp. 8-9, p. 202, p. 238, p. 250.

(7) Rev. Bennet Kelly, C.P., The New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism, Official Revised Ed., No. 1.  (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1969), pp. 12-13.

(8) Father J.A. Hardon, S.J., S.T.D., Tape: The Principle and Foundation, (Published and Printed by Eternal Life, 902 W Stephen Foster Ave., Bardstown, KY., U.S.A., 40004-2402, 1-800-842-2871, Fax: 502-348-2224).

(9) Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, The Spiritual Combat (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1990), pp. 99-103.

(10) See footnote (8).

(11) Brother Patrick Mary, MFVA, “Seeking God’s Will,” Fishers of Men, Vol. 16, Number 08 (August 2008), p. 1.

(12) Thomas A. Kempis, The Following Of Christ (Montreal, Quebec: Desmarais and Robitaille Limited, 1924), Book 3, Chap. 23, pp. 270-271.

(13)  Holy Ghost Fathers, Prayer to the Holy Spirit, (P.0. Box 2000, Wheaton, Maryland, 20902).

(14) Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X  {Extracted from A Compendium of Catechetical Instruction, edited by the Right Reverend Monsignor John Hagen, which was first published in Ireland in 1910} (Gladysdale Victoria, 3797, Australia: Instauratio Press, 1993), p. 100, p. 163.

(15) Compiled by Rev. Father Geo. Leo Haydock, The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Duarte, California: Catholic Treasures, 1991), Footnote: Matt. 20:18, p. 1290.

(16) Deacon Bill Crane, Imitation of Christ, Book 1, p. 20; "Newsletter of the Holy Eucharistic Apostolate," Vol. 23, Number 2, (2010): (P.O. Box 206, Lombard, IL, U.S.A., 60148 – 0206), p. 4.

(17) Providentissimus Deus, 18 November, 1893; http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_18111893_providentissimus-deus_en.html.

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(18) Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983), pp. 268-273.

(19) Father James Groenings, S.J.. The Passion of Jesus And Its Hidden Meaning (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers Inc., 1987), pp. 362-370, pp. 373-376.

(20) "John Paul, Bishop" His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, Catechism of the Catholic Church (Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1994), p. 445.

(21) Canon G. F. Tangue “On Sanctifying Sundays and Holidays of Obligation,” Catholic Family News, February 2008, p. 7, cols. 1-2: Sermons From the Flemish, out of print. See also: http://archive.org/stream/sermonsfromthe
fl05unknuoft/sermonsfromthefl05unknuoft_djvu.txt

(22) The Complete Catholic Handbook (Harrison, N.Y., 10528: Roman Catholic Books), p. 34.

(23) Father James B. Buckley, F.S.S.P., “The Sacrifice of the Mass, Part 1,” Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter Newsletter (Sept. 2004): p. 6.

(24) Father William Lawrence, F.S.S.P., "The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass," Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, (Denton, N.E., U.S.A.), pp. 1-12. 

(25) Rev. Dr. Nicholas Gihr, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Dogmatically, Liturgically, and Ascetically Explained (Saint Louis, Missouri: B. Herder Book Co., 1946), p. 22.

(26) Footnote (5), pp. 253-254.

(27) Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Tape: Renewal and Reconciliation: THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS, Conference 5 (Pomfret, Maryland: Producer-Distributor, Ministr-O-Media inc., 1974).

(28) Sapientiae Splendor The Weekly Spiritual Supplement (Issue 69), The Holy Sacrifice  (Source: The Heart Of The Mass, 1936); (Saint-Joseph de Clairval Abbey, Grande Rue, 21150 Flavigny-sur-Ozerain); http://www.clairval.com),  p. 1-4; or  http://www.clairval.com/lettre.php?language=EN.

(29) John Salza, "Devotion to the Precious Blood and Heavenly Sacrifice "  Catholic Family News,   Part I is in the (August 2010 Issue), pp 1, 17.  Part II is in the (October 2010 Issue) pp. 3-4. See also www.johnsalza.com

(30) Heb. 4:14; 8:1-2; 9:11-12; Heb. 10:21-22; Heb. 2:17; 3:1.

(31) Heb. 8:2; 9:12; 10:19.

(32) Heb. 7:25; 8:6; 10:19, 29; 12:24; and 13:21, which connect the ongoing Priestly Work of Jesus Christ with its ongoing effects.

(33) Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25. Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Heb. 9:20.

(34) Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 9:20. 

(35) Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24-25.

(36) Apoc. 5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 8:1; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9;  21:9, 14, 22-23, 27; 22:1, 3).

(37) Heb. 1:8; 4:16; 8:1; 12:2; Apoc. 1:4; 3:21; 4:2-6; 9-10; 5:1, 6-7, 11, 13; 6:16; 7:9-11, 15, 17; 8:3; 12:5; 14:3; 16:17; 19:4-5; 20:11-12; 21:3, 5, 22:1-3.

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(38) Apoc. 3:21; 5:13; 6:16; 7:10; 22:1, 3 where Saint John distinguishes the position of the Lamb and the Throne before which the Lamb appears.

(39) Apoc. 6:9;  8:3, 5,  9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7

(40) Apoc. 5:8; 6:9; 8:3-5; Apoc. 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7

(41) Apoc. 12:11; Apoc. 1:5; 5:9.

(42) Footnote (28), p. 2.

(43) Footnote (5), pp. 254-255.

(44) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_20111947_mediator-dei_en.html.

(45) "Preface of the Most Holy Trinity": The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, (1962) (London: Baronius Press Limited, 2004), p. 897.

(46) Footnote (28), p. 2.

(47) Footnote (27).

(48) Rev. J. McDonnell, S.J., Daily Mass (Dublin: "Office of the Irish Messenger," 1928),  p. 30.

(49) "The Holy Eucharist and Pro-Life Formation," Catholic Life and Family, (2004, Issue 2),  p. 2, cols. 1– 2.

(50) Compiled and Arranged by W.M.B., Thoughts of the Cure D'Ars (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1984),  p. 32.

(51) http://www.cantius.org/go/news/detail/perpetual_mass_association/.

(52) Arthur J. Brew, "The Church is Today’s Sole Refuge, Says Dr. Marra,” The Wanderer, (30 January, 1997).

(53) The Wonderful Gift of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Carmel of Saint. Joseph, the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario, (August 24, 1997).

(54)  Tremendous Value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Catholic Fraternity for Restoration,  (P.O. Box 807, Clovis, CA., 93613).  Note: The quotes are taken from the book THE HIDDEN TREASURE – HOLY MASS by Saint Leonard, Imprimatur: Michael Augustine, Archbishop of New York, Jan. 2, 1890, $7.00.  From Catholic Fraternity for Restoration, (P.O. Box 807, Clovis, CA, 93613).   Send stamped envelope for ten free copies.  Additional copies 2 cents each 2000 or more 1 cent each. http://www.charityblossom.org/nonprofit/catholic-fraternity-for-restoration-inc-clovis-ca-93613-fran- schleadewitz-770457021/. 

(55) Canon G. F. Tanghe, "The Mass the Perfect Sacrifice," Catholic Family News, (November 2011), p. 3, cols. 1-5.

(56) John A. Hardon, S.J., With Us Today: On the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist (Naples, Florida: Sapientia Press of Ave Maria University, 2000), pp. 25-28.    

(57) Father James B. Buckley, F.S.S.P.,  "The Sacrifice of the Mass Part II," Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter Newsletter (October 2004), p. 6.

(58) Footnote (56), pp. 28-30, 183.

(59) Footnote (14), pp. 78-79.

(60) Footnote (45), p. 884.

(61) Footnote (56), pp. 30-31.

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(62) Footnote (56), pp. 31-33.

(63) http://www.traditioninaction.org/bestof/bst001vennari.htm.

(64) Most Reverend Peter J. Sartain, Bishop of Joliet, Is That Truly Jesus?, Christ Is Our Hope, Premiere Issue, Feature Story (October 2008),  p. 18.  www.dioceseofjoliet.org/magazine.    

(65) Footnote (56), p. 184.

(66) Footnote J. E. Schmidt, M.D., Attorneys’ Dictionary of Medicine (New York: Mathew Bender, 1984, Vol. 2), p. H. 17.

(67) http://vultus.stblogs.org/index.php/2010/06/feast-of-the-eucharistic-heart/

(68) www.acfp2000.com/Sacred_Heart/Sacred%20Heart.html

(69) Father Vincent Ferrer Biehl, S.J., A Newman Prayer Book (Birmingham, England: The Oratory, 1990),  p. 28.

(70) Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, Divine Intimacy, (New York: Desclee Company, 1963), p. 645.

(71) Father Edmond Kline, An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: (posted on June 07, 2006) by warriorforourlady; www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1645034/posts.

(72) Translated, with an Introduction and Notes, by Charles J. O'Neil, Professor of Philosophy, Marquette University On the Truth of the Catholic Faith, (Summa Contra Gentiles), Book Four Salvation (Garden City, New York: Hanover House, 1957), p. 268.

(73) John A. McHugh, O.P., S.T.M., Litt.D. and Charles J. Callan, O.P., S.T.M. , Litt.D., Catechism of the Council of Trent For Parish Priests (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1982), p. 241.

(74) Footnote (45), p. 82.

(75) Footnote (14), p. 84.

(76) The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey S.S., D.D., The Spiritual Life  (Tournai, Belgium: Descle'e & Co., 1930) Foreword, and pp. 147-148.   

(77) Saint Louis Marie Grignion De Montfort, True Devotion to Mary (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1985), pp. 167-168.

(78) Footnote (14), p. 83.

(79) Footnote (77), pp. 169-171.

(80) Saint Peter Julian Eymard, How To Get More Out Of Holy Communion (Manchester N.H.: Sophia Institute Press, 1940), p. 32.

(81) Footnote (14), p. 81.

(82) Footnote (76), pp. 143-147.

(83) Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, SJ. Archbishop of Ottawa, Canada; http://archbishopterry.blogspot.ca/search?updated-min=2008-12-31T21:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2009-08-30T08:57:00-04:00&max-results=50&start=125&by-date=false.

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(84) Footnote (80), p. 20.  

(85) Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and Yousuf Karsh, These Are the Sacraments (New York: Hawthorn Books Inc., 1962), pp. 63-64;  www.ewtn.com/library/doctrine/sacramen.txt

(86) http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis.html

(87) Della Thompson, The Oxford Dictionary of Current English (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), p. 589.

(88) Ibid, p. 970.

(89) www.newadvent.org/cathen/10662a.htm

(90) www.gikids.org/files/documents/resources/eat-e.pdf

(91a) The Oxford International Dictionary of the English Language (Toronto: Leland Publishing Company, Ltd., 1957), p. 1257.

(91b) O'Collins, Gerald and Edward G. Farrugia. A Concise Dictionary of Theology, 3rd ed. (New York: Paulist Press, 2013), p. 156.

(92) The Pope in America: World Youth Day 1993 (St. Paul, MN., Wanderer Press. 1993), p. 47.

(93) Archangel M. Sica, O.F.M., Eucharistic Vigil Guide (Lindenhurst, N.Y.: The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 2003), p. 34

(94) Footnote (73), p. 244.

(95) John P. McClernon, Sermon In A Sentence: From The Writings Of Saint Thérèse Of Lisieux (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2002), pp. 114-116.

(96) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, General Instruction of the Roman Missal: (Washington, D.C., United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, June 2004), p. 93.

(97) Austin Flannery, O.P., Vatican Council II: The Conciliar Documents and Post Conciliar Documents (Leominster, Herefords, England: Fowler Wright Book Ltd., 1975), pp. 4-5.

(98) Father Stefano Manelli, O.F.M. Conv., S.T.D., Jesus Our Eucharistic Love (O.B.L Victory Mission, Militia of Our Immaculate Mother, P.O. Box 186, Burlington, Ont., Canada, L7R 3Y2, 1973), p. 49.

(99) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070429_maddalena-pazzi_en.html.

(100) Footnote (98), p. 48.

(101) Ibid, p. 49.

(102) Marie Anne Jacques, "Blessed Dina Belanger" Michael Journal, (Oct.-Nov.-Dec. 2009), p. 21.

(103) Footnote (14), p. 84.

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(104) Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Holy Communion, Translation: Clara Morris Rumbal (New York: The Sentinel Press, 2000), pp. 115-118.

(105) Footnote (70), p. 646.

(106) Footnote (12), pp. 36-37.

(107) Footnote (45), pp. 86-87.

(108) Ibid, p. 91.

(109) Ibid, pp. 91-92.

(110) Ibid, p. 100.

(111) Ibid, p. 87.

(112) Prepared by Catholic Biblical Association, A Commentary On The New Testament (Washington, D.C., 1942), p. 637

(113) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/special_features/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_20030417_ecclesia_
eucharistia_en.html (17 April, 2003).

(114) "Sacrilegious Holy Communions" Msgr. Vincent Foy, P.H., (Archdiocese of Toronto, ON. Canada).

(115) "Dressing For Sunday Mass," The Remnant, (15 March 2009), p. 14, cols. 1-2.

(116) "Summer Dress," Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, Sunday Bulletin, London, Ontario, Canada, (June 29, 2008).

(117) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_03091965_mysterium_en.html.

(118) Pope Saint Pius X, Sacra Tridentina, On Frequent and Daily Reception of Holy Communion, (December 20, 1905). http://www.ewtn.com/library/Curia/Cdwfreq.htm

(119) Father J.A. Hardon, S.J., S.T.D., Tape: The Last Supper, (Published and Printed by Eternal Life, 902 W Stephen Foster Ave., Bardstown, KY., U.S.A.,  400042402; 1-800-842-2871, Fax: 502-348-2224).

(120) Footnote (48), p. 2.

(121) Amber Siscoe "A Duty and a Privilege: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass," Catholic Family News, (May 2013).

(122) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_03091965_mysterium_en.html.

(123) Pope Paul VI, Solemni Hac Liturgia, Credo Of The People Of God,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19680630_credo.html

(124) http://catholicsaints.info/saint-peter-julian-eymund/

(125) Footnote (56), pp. 33-34.

(126) Pamphlet: The Real Presence: Christ In The Eucharist: How To Believe?,  Father John A. Hardon, S.J., (Published and Printed by Eternal Life, 902 W Stephen Foster Ave., Bardstown, KY., U.S.A., 400042402, 1-800-842-2871, Fax: 502-348-2224) see also www.therealpresence.org.

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(127) Deacon Bill Crane, "Newsletter of the Holy Eucharistic Apostolate," Vol. 25, Number 1, (2011), (P.O. Box 206, Lombard, ILL., U.S.A., 60148 – 0206).

(128) http://umblepie-northernterritory.blogspot.ca/2010/09/bishop-challoner-1691-1781-catholic.html.

(129)  Father F. X. Lasance, Blessed Sacrament Prayerbook (Fitzwilliam, N.H.: Loreto Publications, 03447,2010), pp. 960-961

(130) The Blessed Cure of Ars in his Catechetical instruction: Catechism on the Real Presence, Chapter 11.  www.ewtn.com/library/catechsm/catars.htm

(131) Father Joseph Poisson, F.S.S.P., Sermon: "Holy Hour",  (London, Ontario, Canada; Sancta Maria Latin Mass Community, 2010).

(132) Pierre-Marie Dumont, The Wonders of Lourdes (USA LLC, Mame Paris: Magnificat Press, 2008), pp. 199-202.

(133) Bernard C. Mischke, O.S. C., Meditations On the Mass (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1964), pp. 121-122.

(134a) Footnote (76), Foreword and pp. 219-221.

(134b) "The Practice of the Presence of God," Catholic Family News, (January 2014), Vol. 21, Issue 21, pp.1, 23. Gloria.tv:  http:gloria.tv/?media=552892.

(135) His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, The Code of Canon Law (London: Collins Liturgical Publications, 1983), p. 178.

(136) Msgr. Vincent Foy, P.H., J.C.D., Letter, (August 24, 2010), (Room 414, 3276 Saint Clair Ave. E., Toronto, ON., M1L 1W1).

(137) Father John A. Hardon, S.J., Spiritual Life in the Modern World (Bardstown, KY., U.S.A., 2000), Eternal Life,  pp. 89-90.

(138) Footnote (112), p. 117.

(139) Footnote (7), p. 102.

(140) Footnote (76),  p. 342.

(141) Ibid, pp. 342-346.

(142) Ibid, Footnote (14), p. 172.

(143) Footnote (76), pp. 346-347.

(144) Pope Pius IX., Ubi Primum, Papal Encyclicals, 1740-1878 (Ed. Claudia Carlen) (Wilmington, North Carolina, McGrath Publishing Company, 1981),  p. 292.   www.ewtn.com/library/encyc/p9ubipr2.htm.

(145) Footnote (77), pp. 14-15.

(146) Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, The Glories of Mary  (Brooklyn: Redemptorist Fathers, 1931), pp. 70, 72-73, 201, 202.

(147) Taken from The City of God, and given by The Blessed Virgin Mary to Venerable Mary of Agreda,  Divine Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary (Necedah, Wis.: J.M.J. Book Company, April, 1998), pp. 5-7, 77-78.

(148) Father John A. Hardon, S.J., Theology of  Prayer (Published and Printed by Eternal Life, 2000), (902 W Stephen Foster Ave., Bardstown, KY., U.S.A.,  400042402; 1-800-842-2871, Fax: 502-348-2224), pp 76-77

(149) www.catholictradition.org/Mary/three.htm.

Page 147

(150) Father F. X. Lasance, Blessed Sacrament Prayerbook (Fitzwilliam, N.H.: Loreto Publications, 2010), p. 37.

(151) Ibid, pp. 77-79.

(152) The Oxford International Dictionary of the English Language (Toronto: Leland Publishing Company, Ltd., 1957),  p. 817. 

(153) Footnote (146), pp. 199-200.

(154) Novena on the Spirituality of Saint Therese (Darien IL., Society of the Little Flower, 60561-5340), p. Day Four: www.littleflower.org

(155) Rev. Irenaeus, "Promises of the Sacred Heart."  www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/incab2.htm;  http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Devotions%20to%20the%20Sacred%20Heart.html

(156) Father John A. Hardon, S.J., Spiritual Life in the Modern World, (2000) Footnote (137), pp. 32-33, 39.

(157) Sapientiae Splendor The Weekly Spiritual Supplement (Issue 19, pp. 1,3) Source: (Saint-Joseph de Clairval Abbey, F-21150 Flavigny-Sur-Ozerain, France); or  http://www.clairval.com/lettre.php?language=EN.; when the Website is displayed search "March 1, 1998, Blessed Bartolo Longo".

(158) The Sermons of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1982), pp. 124 – 129.

(159) The Editor, "The Pope, Condoms, & Crazy Mixed-Up Catholics – From Tradition To Turmoil," Catholic Truth; (Issue number 65, February, 2011), p. 4. www.catholictruthscotland.com

(160) Footnote (76), pp. 347-348.

(161) The Reverend Canon Alfred Weber, The Holy Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Verdun: Catholic Association for the Diffusion of the Holy Gospel, 1903), p. 351.

(162) The Most Rev. M. Sheehan, D.D., Archbishop of Germia, Apologetics And Catholic Doctrine Part II (Dublin: M.H. Gill and Son Ltd., 1944), pp. 288-289.

(163) Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, Complied and edited by J. Schaefer, What Will Hell Be Like?, (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc, 1988), pp. 10-12.

(164) Footnote (162), pp. 283-286.

(165) Footnote (162), pp.286-287.

(166) Footnote (76), p. 348.

(167) Jerzy M. Domanski, compiler. Regis N. Barwig, translator, Maria Was His Middle Name, (Altadena, CA: The Benziger Sisters, 1977), pp. 33-34.

(168) Footnote (162), p. 287.

(169a) Footnote (76), p. 348.

(169b) St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Sermons of St. Alphonsus de Liguori (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1982), pp. 89-95.

Page 148

(170) Footnote (162), pp, 287-288.

(171) Mark Fellows, Sister Lucia: Apostle of Mary’s Immaculate Heart (Buffalo, N.Y.: Immaculate Heart Productions, 2007), p. 65-66.

(172) 40 Dreams of Saint John Bosco, Compiled and Edited by Father. J. Bacchiarello, S.D.B., (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1996), Chapter 32, pp. 164-165.

(173) Rev. Eugene M. Brown, Dreams, Visions & Prophecies of Don Bosco (New Rochelle, New York: Don Bosco Publications, 1986), Statement on Back Cover, and pp. 226-227. The "guide" referred to in Dreams, Visions and Prophecies of Don Bosco was not identified.

(174) Susan Vennari, "Don Bosco: Our Lady's Wonder-Worker," Catholic Family News, (July 2005), p. 7, cols. 2-3, p. 8, col. 1.

(175) Father Jose Maniyangat, "A priest who saw Heaven, hell and Purgatory" Michael Journal, (November-December, 2006), p. 16. See also www.frmaniyangathealingministry.com/Content/viewcontent.aspx?linkId=41&linkLvl1Id=6

(176) Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J., The Dogma On Hell  (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc, 1989), pp. 73-74.

(177) Dom Antoine Marie osb, Spiritual Newsletter (August 20, 2006), Abbey of Saint Joseph de Clairval, (21150 Flavigny-Sur-Ozerain, France), pp. 2-3.  www.clairval.com/lettres/en/2006/08/20/2230806.htm

(178) Pope Leo XIII, Tametsi Futura Prospicientibus, On Jesus Christ The Redeemer, (November 1, 1900), paragraphs. 4-8.

(179)  Father Robert D. Smith, The Other Side of Christ  (Houston, TX: Magnificat Press, 1987), pp.2-4, 7, 13–14, 16.

(180) Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Tape: Renewal and Reconciliation: THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS, Conference 5 (Pomfret, Maryland: Producer-Distributor, Ministr-O-Media inc., 1974).

(181) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, General Instruction of the Roman Missal: Liturgy Documentary Series 2 (Washington D.C., 2003), p. 47, paragraph 93.

(182) Prayer for Priests, The Apostleship of Prayer, (Suite 216, 3211 South Lake Drive, Milwaukee, WI., 53235, 414-486-1152).

(183) Taken from the City of God, and given by The Blessed Virgin Mary to Venerable Mary of Agreda, Divine Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary (Necedah, Wis., J.M.J. Book Company, 1998), p. 83-84.

(184) Footnote (2), pp. 212-222.

(185) Our Lady of the Rosary Library, (11721 Hidden Creek Road Prospect, KY 40059). http://olrl.org/snt_docs/fewness.shtml

(186) www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4247

(187) http://trashyourtv.holisticlocal.com/articles/854

(188) http://www.adoremus.org/7-899Newman.html 

(189) Alexander Jones, L.S.S., S.T.L., I.C.B., The Jerusalem Bible (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1966), p.832.

(190) Footnote (77), p. 39.

Page 149

(191) Ibid, p.42.

(192) http://acatholiclife.blogspot.ca/2007/06/most-beautiful-thing-this-side-of.html

(193) Father J.A. Hardon, S.J., Theology of Prayer (Boston: The Daughters of Saint Paul, 1979), p. 79; reprinted and published in U.S.A. by Eternal Life, Bardstown, Ky. See footnote (8)

(194) St. Louis De Montfort, The Secret of the Rosary (Bayshore, New York: Montfort Publications 1992), pp. 65-68.

(195) Venerable Louis of Granada, The Sinner's Guide (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc, 1985), p. 261.

(196) Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face, My Sister Saint Therese (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc, 1997), pp. 204-205.

(197) Father J.A. Hardon, S.J., With us Today: On the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist (Washington, DC: Sapientia Press, 2001), (see also www.realpresence.org)

(198) Code of Canon Law, Latin-English Edition (Washington, DC.: Canon Law Society of America, 1983) c.920,1,2

(199) Father J.A. Hardon, S.J., The Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church. Doubleday 1975

(200) The Catechism Of The Catholic Church, www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm (1417)

(201) The Catechism Of The Council of Trent, John A. McHugh, and Charles J. Callan, The Catechism Of The Council Of Trent (Rockford, Illinois Ill., 61105, Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. 1982) p. 251.

 

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John Kenneth MacKenzie

© Copyright 2015 J.K. MacKenzie, B.A.,LLB., Queen's Counsel