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Beautiful words of inspiration for priests…… February 6, 2012

Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, Dallas Diocese, General Catholic, Interior Life, priests, religious, Tradition, Virtue.
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…..and for us all.  Written in a spirit of charity, an excerpt from Fr. Cornelius a Lapide’s Personality of St. Paul, translated by the Daughters of St. Paul years before the last council.  The excerpt regards St. Paul’s burning zeal for the apostolate and personal conversion:

….For the same reason, while He was constituting Peter His Vicar, Bishop, Shepherd, and Apostle to the whole world, Christ asked Peter three times: “Simon, son of John, dost thou love me?” and at Peter’s answer, “Yes, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee,” He added: “Feed My sheep.”  In this way, He taught us that the shepherd of souls must each day increase in love in order to grow equally in devotion to his duty; indeed, the measure of love is also the measure of zeal in pastoral duties. 

When an apostle undertakes his apostolate and goes to India, Ethiopia, China, or Japan, for example [or, indeed, goes to a parish in the town where he grew up-ED], he  must convince himself of the need to become a totally different person from what he was.  Thus, from a Saul, he must become a Paul; from a carnal man, he must become a spiritual man; and from a an earthly being, a heavenly being. He must be almost a new man descended from Heaven into a new world. Love and divine ardor must vibrate and flash forth form his lips, his face, his gestures, and his eyes; and this must increase with time. Hence, every day, in the manner of a St. Francis Xavier, let him ardently invoke the Holy Spirit and recite to Him a hymn of love so that the Spirit may inflame him with ever greater love.

Paul inspired with the same zeal for souls all the faithful he won to Christ, even the common men and women.  He made  an apostle of every member of the faithful, so that all endeavored to increase Christ’s glory, to spread the Faith, and to lead parents, children, relatinos, in-laws, men and women servants, and neighbors to embrace it.  In this way, the Christian religion was, in a very short time, marvelously spread throughout cities and villages; the mustard seed grew to a large tree and then to an immense grove.

Apostolic men should do as Paul did, that they may earn the praise, good results,  merit, and glory not of one apostolate only, but of many.  Otherwise, by themselves alone, they will succeed in doing very little.

————————–End Quote—————————–

If we set a good example, or by prayer, fasting, or even using arguments of reason based on the Faith, convert someone, either entirely or to greater holiness, or to give up some vice, great Grace redounds to us.  As the Apostle James make clear in the 2nd Chapter of his letter in Sacred Scripture, such spiritual works of mercy are necessary and vital for our salvation, as are corporal works of mercy.  If the person we convert then converts others, further Grace flows to us.  Likewise, if we scandalize someone with our bad example, or with error, or belittle the Faith in some way, these sins cause us to lose Grace, to fall away from Our Lord. 

We all have a vocation.  Some are called to Holy Orders, many are called to Holy Matrimony and likely parenthood.  A vocation is far, far more than a job.  It is a calling that should consume us in a holy giving of self to others.  All the faithful are called to mortify themselves and their preferences, to give up often times what may be best or preferential for them for the benefit of another.  It is profoundly against our fallen natures to do so, and it is also increasingly counter-cultural.  But it is the essence of what it means to be a Christian.  I am very bad at this, I constantly push what I want to the fore, even at the expense of those around me.  I pray frequently that I may change from these habits of selfishness, to embrace true Charity and dying to self.

Pray for me!

Novena for the Holy Face February 6, 2012

Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, General Catholic, Interior Life, Virtue.
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This Novena is a little early for once!  Start on Sexagesima, or Shrove, Sunday – next week!

Novena of the Holy Face  – Start Sunday, February 12, 2012

This novena prayer may be said at any time, but especially in the nine days leading up to the Feast of the Holy Face on Shrove Tuesday – i.e. starting two Sundays before the start of Lent.

THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS

“I firmly wish that my face reflecting the intimate pains
of my soul, the suffering and love of my heart, be more
honoured! Whoever gazes upon me already consoles me.”
(Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister Pierina)

DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER

O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, through the intercession
of Holy Mary, whose soul was pierced through by a sword
of sorrow at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son, we
ask your help in making a perfect Novena of reparation with
Jesus, united with all His sorrows, love and total abandon-
ment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints to intercede
for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most Holy Face
of Jesus and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. (Start novena)

NOVENA IN HONOR OF THE MOST
HOLY FACE OF JESUS

“All those who, attracted by my love, and venerating my
countenance, shall receive, by virtue of my humanity, a
brilliant and vivid impression of my divinity. This splendour
shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal
glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness
of their features with my divine countenance.” (Our Lord
Jesus Christ to St. Gertrude)

Sure…….”Catholics” support Obama February 6, 2012

Posted by Tantumblogo in Dallas Diocese, episcopate, error, foolishness, General Catholic, sadness, scandals, sickness, Society.
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Is support for this man sufficient to disqualify one from being in the Body of Christ, or at least the life of Grace?:

 ….a survey conducted this week has the president beating Republican hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich among Catholic voters in the 2012 race.

According to the Public Religion Research Institute, Obama gets 48 percent of the Catholic votes to Romney’s 40 percent and 56 percent of the Catholic vote to Gingrich’s 32 percent……

Commenter Terry C feels that Obama should be called evil.  I have a hard time disagreeing.  Apparently, half of those who call themselves Catholics (many of which probably have not darkened the door of a church in years), cannot recognize that evil.  Or, they’ve been taught that some evil can be accomodated, if it accomplishes “a greater good,” a complete repudiation of Thomist reasoning, which establishes (and is, in fact, a Dogma of the Faith) that good cannot come from evil.  If Obama’s constant persecution of the Church and almost evangelical support for abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, etc.,  don’t count as evil, I don’t know what does.

But another poll, done by Fox, shows that white Catholics oppose Obama 49/42, which is still very sad.