The Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God

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JMJ

Feast of the Annunciation

And the Word was made flesh... (Jn. 1.14)

The heathen had very clearly conceived the idea that God had descended from heaven and mixed with men; the Greek mythology is full of it. Now God has actually come down to earth (Jn. 3.13) at the moment of the Annunciation: the Second Divine Person of the Most Holy Trinity became man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the action of the Holy Ghost in the instant when the Blessed Virgin Mary uttered the words, Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum (Be it done to me according to your word, Lk. 1.38).

The Incarnation is that "divine intervention" other than which there was "no other that could more successfully have snatched us away from evil and more powerfully dispose us toward goodness" (Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP, "Our Savior and His Love for Us," 101-102) for, from the point of view of God, the Incarnation is just fitting for Him "Who Is inclined to give Himself as much as possible to man" (ibid., 101).

Necessity of the Incarnation

As we shall see in the death of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, God wished to have perfect satisfaction to His injured majesty, to display His justice as well as His mercy. Now, "the greatness of an injury is measured by the dignity of the one who suffers; hence the offence given to God by the sin of disobedience of our first parents is infinitely great. No finite being, not even the most perfect angel, could atone for an offence against God, only God Himself" (Frs. Spirago-Clarke, "The Catechism Explained"). "So that," according to St. Ambrose, "to redeem man it was necessary that God should become man." "As God only, He could not suffer; as man only, He could not redeem;" (Frs. Spirago-Clarke, op. cit.) hence the Eternal Word assumed a human nature.

The God-Man could satisfy perfectly the injured majesty of God by appearing on earth in our state of a lowly creature. Had He appeared in His divine majesty, the Jews would never have dared to crucify Him (1 Cor. 2.8).

Tepidity of Soul

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JMJ

Passion Sunday

But Jesus hid Himself (Jn. 8.59).

On the Danger to Which Tepidity Exposes the Soul
A Sermon of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, and Founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer

JESUS CHRIST "is the true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. ” (John i. 9.) He enlightens all; but he cannot enlighten those who voluntarily shut their eyes to the light; from them the Saviour hides himself. How then can they, walking in darkness, escape the many dangers of perdition to which we are exposed in this life, which God has given us as the road to eternal happiness? I will endeavour Today to convince you of the great danger into which tepidity brings the soul, since it makes Jesus Christ hide his divine light from her, and makes him less liberal in bestowing upon her the graces and helps, without which she shall find it very difficult to complete the journey of this life without falling into an abyss that is, into mortal sin.

A tepid soul is not one that lives in enmity with God, nor one that sometimes commits venial sins through mere frailty, and not with full deliberation. On account of the corruption of nature by original sin, no man can be exempt from such venial faults. This corruption of nature renders it impossible for us, without a most special grace, which has been given only to the mother of God, to avoid all venial sins during our whole lives. Hence St. John has said: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John i. 8.) God permits defects of this kind, even in the saints, to keep them humble, and to make them feel that, as they commit such faults in spite of all their good purposes and promises, so also, were they not supported by his divine hand, they would fall into mortal sins. Hence, when we find that we have committed these light faults, we must humble ourselves, and acknowledging our own weakness, we must be careful to recommend ourselves to God, and implore of him to preserve us, by his almighty hand, from more grievous transgressions, and to deliver us from those we have committed.

What then are we to understand by a tepid soul? A tepid soul is one that frequently falls into fully deliberate venial sins such as deliberate lies, deliberate acts of impatience, deliberate imprecations, and the like. These faults may be easily avoided by those who are resolved to suffer death rather than commit a deliberate venial offence against God. St. Teresa used to say, that one venial sin does us more harm than all the devils in hell. Hence she would say to her nuns: "My children, from deliberate sin, however venial it may be, may the Lord deliver you." Some complain of being left in aridity and dryness, and without any spiritual sweetness. But how can we expect that God will be liberal of his favours to us, when we are ungenerous to him? We know that such a lie, such an imprecation, such an injury to our neighbour, and such detraction, though not mortal sins, are displeasing to God, and still we do not abstain from them. Why then should we expect that God will give us his divine consolations?

But some of you will say: Venial sins, however great they may be, do not deprive the soul of the grace of God: even though I commit them I will he saved; and for me it is enough to obtain eternal life. You say that, ”for you it is enough to be saved." Remember that St. Augustine says that, ”where you have said, „ It is enough‟ there you have perished." To understand correctly the meaning of these words of St. Augustine, and to see the danger to which the state of tepidity exposes those who commit habitual and deliberate venial sins, without feeling remorse for them, and without endeavouring to avoid them, it is necessary to know that the habit of light faults leads the soul insensibly to mortal sins. For example: the habit of venial acts of aversion leads to mortal hatred; the habit of small thefts leads to grievous rapine; the habit of venial attachments leads to affections which are mortally sinful. ”The soul," says St. Gregory, ”never lies where it falls." (Moral., lib. xxxi.) No; it continues to sink still deeper. Mortal diseases do not generally proceed from serious indisposition, but from many slight and continued infirmities; so, likewise, the fall of many souls into mortal sin follows from habitual venial sins; for these render the soul so weak that, when a strong temptation assails her, she has not strength to resist it, and she falls.

Many are unwilling to be separated from God by mortal sins; they wish to follow him, but at a distance, and regardless of venial sins. But to them shall probably happen what befell St. Peter. When Jesus Christ was seized in the garden, St. Peter was unwilling to abandon the Lord, but "followed him afar off." (Matt. xxvi. 58.) After entering the house of Caiphas, he was charged with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He was instantly seized with fear, and three times denied his Master. The Holy Ghost says: ”He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little." (Eccl. xix. 1.) They who despise small falls will probably one day fall into an abyss; for, being in the habit of committing light offences against God, they will feel but little repugnance to offer to him some grievous insult.

The Lord says: ”Catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines." (Cant. ii. 15.) He does not tell us to catch the lions or the bears, but the little foxes. Lions and bears strike terror, and therefore all are careful to keep at a distance through fear of being devoured by them; but the little foxes, though they do not excite dismay, destroy the vine by drying up its roots. Mortal sin terrifies the timorous soul; but, if she accustom herself to the commission of many venial sins with full deliberation, and without endeavouring to correct them, they, like the little foxes, shall destroy the roots that is, the remorse of conscience, the fear of offending God, and the holy desires of advancing in divine love; and thus, being in a state of tepidity, and impelled to sin by some passion, the soul will easily abandon God and lose the divine grace.

Moreover, deliberate and habitual venial sins not only deprive us of strength to resist temptations, but also of the special helps without which we fall into grievous sins. Be attentive, brethren; for this is a point of great importance. It is certain, that of ourselves we have not sufficient strength to resist the temptations of the devil, of the flesh, and of the world. It is God that prevents our enemies from assailing us with temptations by which we would be conquered. Hence Jesus Christ has taught us the following prayer: ”And lead us not into temptation." He teaches us to pray that God may deliver us from the temptations to which we would yield, and thus lose his grace. Wow, venial sins, when they are deliberate and habitual, deprive us of the special helps of God which are necessary for preservation in his grace. I say necessary, because the Council of Trent anathematizes those who assert that we can persevere in grace without a special help from God (Sess. 6, can. xxii.) Thus, with the ordinary assistance of God, we cannot avoid falling into some mortal sin: a special aid is necessary. But this special aid God will justly withhold from tepid souls who are regardless of committing, with full deliberation, many venial sins. Thus these unhappy souls shall not persevere in grace.

They who are ungenerous to God well deserve that God should not be liberal to them. "He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly." (2 Cor. ix. 6.) To such souls the Lord will give the graces common to all, but will probably withhold his special assistance; and without this, as we have seen, they cannot persevere without falling into mortal sin. God himself revealed to B. Henry Suso, that, for tepid souls who are content with leading a life exempt from mortal sin, and continue to commit many deliberate venial sins, it is very difficult to preserve themselves in the state of grace. The venerable Lewis da Ponte used to say: "I commit many defects, but I never make peace with them." Woe to him who is at peace with his faults! St. Bernard teaches that, as long as a person who is guilty of defects detests his faults, there is reason to hope that he will one day correct them and amend his life: but when he commits faults without endeavouring to amend, he will continually go from bad to worse, till he loses the grace of God. St. Augustine says that, like a certain disease of the skin which makes the body an object of disgust, habitual faults, when committed without any effort of amendment, render the soul so disgusting to God, that He deprives her of his embraces. ” Hence the soul, finding no more nourishment and consolation in her devout exercises, in her prayers, communions, or visits to the blessed sacrament, will soon neglect them, and thus neglecting the means of eternal salvation, she shall be in great danger of being lost.

This danger will be still greater for those who commit many venial sins through attachment to any passion, such as pride, ambition, aversion to a neighbour, or an inordinate affection for any person. 1st. Francis of Assisi says that, in endeavouring to draw to sin a soul that is afraid of being in enmity with God, the devil does not seek in the beginning to bind her with the chain of a slave, by tempting her to commit mortal sin, because she would have a horror of yielding to mortal sin, and would guard herself against it. He first endeavours to bind her by a single hair; then by a slender thread; next by a cord; afterwards by a rope; and in the end by a chain of hell that is, by mortal sin; and thus he makes her his slave. For example: A person cherishes an affection for a female through a motive of courtesy or of gratitude, or from an esteem for her good qualities. This affection is followed by mutual presents; to these succeed words of tenderness; and after the first violent assault of the devil, the miserable man shall find that he has fallen into mortal sin. He meets with the fate of gamesters, who, after frequently losing large sums of money, yield to an impulse of passion, risk their all, and, in the end, lose their entire property.

Miserable the soul that allows herself to be the slave of any passion. “Behold, how small a fire what a great wood it kindleth." (St. James iii. 5.) A small spark, if it be not extinguished, will set fire to an entire wood; that is, an unmodified passion shall bring the soul to ruin. Passion blinds us; and the blind often fall into an abyss when they least expect it. According to St. Ambrose, the devil is constantly endeavouring to find out the passion which rules in our heart, and the pleasures which have the greatest attraction for us. When he discovers them, he presents occasions of indulging them: he then excites concupiscence, and prepares a chain to make us the slaves of hell.

St. Chrysostom asserts, that he himself knew many persons who were gifted with great virtues, and who, because they disregarded light faults, fell into an abyss of crime. When the devil cannot gain much from us, he is in the beginning content with the little; by many trifling victories he will make a great conquest. No one, says St. Bernard, suddenly falls from the state of grace into the abyss of wickedness. They who rush into the most grievous irregularities, begin by committing light faults. It is necessary also to understand that, when a soul that has been favoured by God with special lights and graces, consents to mortal sin, her fall shall not be a simple fall, from which she will easily rise again, but it will be a precipitous one, from which she will find it very difficult to return to God.

Addressing a person in the state of tepidity, our Lord said: ”I would that thou wert cold or hot; but because thou art luke-warm, and neither hot nor cold, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth." (Apoc. iii. 15, 16.)”I would thou wert cold" that is, it would be better for thee to be deprived of my grace, because there should then be greater hopes of thy amendment; but, because thou livest in tepidity, without any desire of improvement, ”I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth." By these words he means, that he will begin to abandon the soul; for, what is vomited, is taken back only with great horror.

A certain author says, that tepidity is a hectic fever, which does not excite alarm, because it is not perceived; but it is, at the same time, so malignant that it is rarely cured. The comparison is very just; for tepidity makes the soul insensible to remorses of conscience; and, as she is accustomed to feel no remorse for venial faults, she will by degrees become insensible to the stings of remorse which arise from mortal sins.

Let us come to the remedy. The amendment of a tepid soul is difficult; but there are remedies for those who wish to adopt them. First, the tepid must sincerely desire to be delivered from a state which, as we have seen, is so miserable and dangerous; for, without this desire, they shall not take pains to employ the proper means. Secondly, they must resolve to remove the occasions of their faults; otherwise they will always relapse into the same defects. Thirdly, they must earnestly beg of the Lord to raise them from so wretched a state. By their own strength they can do nothing; but they can do all things with the assistance of God, who has promised to hear the prayers of all. “Ask, and it shall be given; seek, and you shall find." (Luke xi. 9.) We must pray, and continue to pray without interruption. If we cease to pray we shall be defeated; but if we persevere in prayer we shall conquer.

"Ite ad Ioseph" ("Go to Joseph" - Gen. 41.55).

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JMJ

Feast of St. Joseph

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, Father and Protector of Carmel

"Of old it was said to the needy and suffering people in the kingdom of Egypt: Go to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you (Gen. 41.55).

The same is now said by the Sovereign Pontiff to all needy and suffering people in the kingdom of the Church: GO TO JOSEPH...

What was truly said of the first Joseph, as to his future, as to his goodness, his chastity, his patience, his wisdom, his influence with the king, his power over the people, and his love for the brethren, is verified much more perfectly, even to this day, in the second JOSEPH." - Herbert Cardinal Vaughan, Archbishop of Westminster

Words of our holy Mother St. Teresa of Jesus: "To other Saints Our Lord seems to have given power to succor us in some special necessity - but to this glorious Saint, I know by experience, He has given the power to help us in all. Our Lord ...would have us understand that as He was subject to St. Joseph on earth - for St. Joseph, bearing the title of father and being His guardian, could command Him - so now in Heaven Our Lord grants all his petitions. I have asked others to recommend themselves to St. Joseph, and they, too, know the same thing by experience..."

Words of St. Thomas Aquinas: "Some Saints are privileged to extend to us their patronage with particular efficacy in certain needs, but not in others; but our holy patron St. Joseph has the power to assist us in all cases, in every necessity, in every undertaking."

Let us commend ourselves always to St. Joseph, Father and Protector of Carmel, that we who have been clothed with the Holy Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel may, in union with the intercession of Our Immaculate Mother of Carmel, be prevented from being moved to give ourselves to the mortal perversions of our age especially those sins of the flesh such as the Scriptural uncleanness, cf. Gal. 5.19: Lev. 15.16-18 - what St. Thomas Aquinas calls "pollution, without any copulation, for the sake of venereal pleasure" - fornication (copulation outside marriage), adultery, homosexuality or sodomy and effeminacy, lasciviousness, and immodesty in dress especially among women (after the fashion of the entertainment goddesses); the allures of the world to strive after riches and luxury; and, the pride of the devil by disobedience to the legitimate commands (that is, in accordance to the traditional teachings and moral norms of the Catholic Faith) of those whom God has set over us (parents, civil authorities, and the legitimate pastors of the Church). They who do such things, are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them (Rom. 1.32). 

Prayer to St. Joseph for Purity: "O Guardian of Virgins and holy father St. Joseph, into whose faithful keeping were entrusted Christ Jesus, Innocence itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, I pray and beseech thee by these dear pledges, Jesus and Mary, that, being preserved from all uncleanness, I may with spotless mind, pure heart and chaste body ever serve Jesus and Mary most chastely all the days of my life. Amen."

A blessed Feast to all!

Divine Providence

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JMJ

Fourth Sunday in Lent

The Multiplication of the Loaves (Jn. 6.1-15)

Before that our Lord performed this miracle, He asked Philip, Whence shall we buy bread wherewith to feed these people? (Jn. 6.5) And the Evangelist observes, He said that to try Him, for He knew what He was about to do (Jn. 6.6). There is no difficulty in our lives for which God does not know the solution. From all eternity He has foreseen it and had the remedy for each case, no matter how complicated the situation may be. However, sometimes in difficult circumstances He seems to leave us alone as if the outcome were to depend on us, but He does this only to test us. He wants us to measure our strength against the difficulty - which makes us more aware of our weakness and insufficiency - and He wants us also to exercise our faith and our confidence in Him. The Lord never really abandons us unless we forsake Him first. He only hides Himself and covers His actions with a dark veil. This is the time to believe, to believe firmly, and to wait with humble patience and complete confidence.

The Apostles tell Jesus that a young boy has five loaves and two fishes, that is very little, in fact, nothing at all, for feeding five thousand men. But the Lord asks for this nothing and uses it to accomplish a great miracle. It is always thus: the all-powerful God, Who can do everything and create from nothing, when dealing with His free creatures, will not act without their help. Man can do but very little; yet God wants, asks for, and requires this little as condition of His intervention. Only the Lord can make us saints, as only He could multiply the small supplies of the young boy; still He asks for our help. Like the boy in the Gospel, we too must give Him everything in our power; we must offer Him each day our good resolutions, renewed faithfully and lovingly, and He will bring about a great miracle for us also, the miracle of our sanctification and of our perfection.

"Obey God, rather than men" - Acts 5.29

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JMJ

Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent

In vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men (Mt. 15.9).

The prevalent opinion concerning the normative or the "ordinary" (Pope Benedict XVI, "Summorum Pontificum") celebration of the New Rite of the "Mass" (the "Novus Ordo Missae") in post-Vatican II parishes is that, by the so-called Apostolic Constitution "Missale Romanum" of Pope Paul VI issued on April 3, 1969, the said Roman Pontiff instituted the "Novus Ordo Missae" to replace the Traditional Latin Mass of the Roman Rite. Consequently, to refuse to offer this New "Mass" is a serious violation of Church law. And to question it on doctrinal grounds is tantamount to questioning the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.

Lie # 1: the exaggerated notion of Papal Infallibility by those prelates, clergymen, religious, and lay 'commentators' who claim to be 'loyal' to and in 'full' communion with the Holy See as regards the Papal pronouncements and acts bearing on the New 'Catholic Order' of Vatican II built on the New "Mass"* - that these must be unquestionably adhered to and irrevocably carried out.
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* The Traditional Catholic Order of things has the Traditional Rite of Catholic Worship for its foundation: "lex orandi, lex credendi," that is, how one prays shows what one believes.
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On the contrary, ​they can never prove, by the same Papal document in that form originally issued in Latin, that Pope Paul Vi intended it as an irrevocable decree equal to or even greater than the edict (the Papal Bull "Quo Primum")  of Pope St. Pius V who, claiming to be speaking in the capacity of the Supreme Legislator of the Church and exercising his Sovereign Apostolic Authority, ordained that the Traditional Latin Mass of the Roman Rite is the norm and ordinary form "in perpetuum" with the curse of the "wrath of the Almighty God and of the Apostles Peter and Paul" as the inevitable divine sanction against those who would impiously dare contravene his irrevocable Apostolic injunction.

Proofs:

The forgeries of the Vatican Press Bureau which came into the hands of the Freemasons [Annibale Bugnini, a Freemason in the trappings of a Catholic prelate, was running the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship, cf., our post "The Catholic Sanctuary Prefigured in the OldTestament II"]:

     a. Pope Paul's "Missale Romanum" published in the official "Acta Apostolicae Sedis" (3 April 1969, Vol. LXI, N. 4, pp. 221-222) contains this Bureau's insertion (2nd of the document's last three paragraphs):

          "Quae Constitutione hac Nostra praescripsimus vigere incipient a die XXX proximi mensis Novembris hoc anno, id est a Dominica I Adventus" (We ​order​ that this Constitution go into effect November 30th of this year [1969], the first Sunday of Advent.).

         That the above text was the Bureau's insertion is made explicit first by the last paragraph following it:

           "Nostra haec autem statuta et praescripta ​nunc​ et in posterum firma et efficacia esse et fore ​vo​lumus​​..." (We ​wish that this our decrees and prescriptions may be firm and effective ​now​ [3 April 1969].

         Note how the second paragraph "orders" that the New Missal composed under the overseership of a Freemason was to become official November 30, 1969; whereas, the last paragraph "whishes" that the same bastard Missal prepared by a Freemason with the collaboration of Protestant 'ministers' be "firm and effective" April 3, 1969 (or, perhaps, earlier; the Popes normally indicate the date of effectivity but in this document, the "now" was not specified).

         The point we're making: the whole weight of Pope Paul's published Act suppressing the Traditional Latin Mass and introducing a mere counterfeit "Mass", having been designed, with its suitable "table" in its suitable refashioned sanctuary, by a Freemason rests on two or three recurring official terms:

          i. "confidimus" ("we hope," "we trust," "we have confidence that," "we wish"): "Haud secus Nos, etsi, deprae scripto Concilii Vaticani II, in Novum Missale legitimas varietates et aptationes ascivimus, nihilo tamen secus fore ​confidimus​ ..." ("While leaving room in the New Missal, according to the order of the Second Vatican Council, for legitimate variations and adaptations, ​we hope​...").

          ii. "volumus" ("we wish," "we desire"), see the last paragraph quoted above.

          Terms which do not carry with them a solemn 'infallible' tone of command to force the whole Latin Church to worship through the New "Mass" the alien 'god' of the New 'Catholic Theology'. The New "Mass", with the prevailing New 'Catholic' disorder built on it, is nothing but a 'pet project' in accordance with Pope Paul's pastoral pleasures. The Freemasons running the Vatican Press Bureau found that the Roman Pontiff's words necessary for the whole Latin Church to bow, in the name of "obedience", to their idol under the appearance of a loving and merciful 'god' who "loves and heals unrepentant sinners" (cf., our post "The Ultimate Delusion of Vatican II 'Catholicism'"), to be anything but weak and emaciated. These most impious people therefore tried to firm up with the phrase "​we order​" Pope Paul's Act but did it in such a lousy and stupid manner as to effect a contradiction in the 'official' effectivity of the suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass in our sanctuaries. This, it highly seems, is the closest that Satan could get, in this end-times period, in his attempt to overturn the Church by capitalizing once more on the weakness of Cephas as he sift[ed] him as wheat (Lk. 22.31).

    b. a mistranslation of the first of the last three paragraphs of Pope Paul's document which was immediately sent around the world:

          "Ad extremum, ex iis quae hactenus de novo Missali Romano exposuimus quiddam nunc cogere et efficere placet​" ("Concerning all that we have just set forth regarding the New Roman Missal, We are now pleased to end by drawing a conclusion).

          Whereas, the Freemason-run Vatican Press Bureau, after the most "perfidious" (the Traditional Roman Missal") manner of the ​Synagogue of Satan ​(Apoc. 2.9; 3.9) - the mother of Freemasonry - rendered it: "In conclusion, we wish to give the force of law to all that we have set forth concerning the New Missal." Hence, the second paragraph which "orders" the 'official' effectivity of the suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass on November 30, 1969 drew its "force" from the diabolical designs of those men of perdition; the "order" was not by the Roman Pontiff but by those subverted men of the ​Synagogue ​secretly entered in ​(Jude 1.4).

Lie # 2: "those who refuse to celebrate the New 'Mass' of Pope Paul VI constitute a serious violation of Church law."

​On the contrary​, in the light of what have been presented

1. from the foregoing:

     a. Pope Paul's Consitution "Missale Romanum" resting on his mere personal "wish," "hope," and pleasure can never bind Catholic consciences under pain of eternal perdition. In fact, there are even no sanctions threatened by his Act.

     b. The New "Mass" then and the Constitution "Missale Romanum" by which Pope Paul VI tried to institute it does not involve Papal Infallibility. In fact, Pope Paul's Constitution was ​null and void from the beginning​ by virtue of the irrevocable decree issued with an explicitly solemn exercise of 'Papal Infallibility' by Pope St. Pius V (cf., our post "Traditional Latin Mass: the 'norm' of the Roman Rite 'in perpetuity'").

          Objection: a Pope is not bound by his predecessors; he can abrogate their Acts as the Popes in the past had already done.

          We reply: Men of Faith are wont to be bound by the infallible and irrevocable teachings, judgments, and sentences of the Sovereign Pontiff as to be bound by the eternally valid teachings, judgments, and sentences of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Only those men who are of weak faith, or without faith and pretend to have it can protest that they are not bound by a mere man.

2. from our post, "The Ultimate Delusion of Vatican II 'Catholicism'": a Pope can never "order" Catholics to sin by transgressing the First Commandment, worshipping an alien 'god' through the New "Mass" or even attending such a sacrilegious rite.

Pope Paul VI, in instituting Bugnini's New "Mass", defied God in spite of His decree through the irrevocable injunction made by Pope St. Pius V concerning the perpetually normative celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass of the Roman Rite. It is not a violation of divine decrees and neither of Church laws then to refuse and even resist what Pope Paul VI merely wished to accomplish by his Act with which he defied God.

On Concealing Sins in Confession

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JMJ

And he was casting out a devil, and the same was dumb (Lk. 11.14).

THE devil does not bring sinners to hell with their eyes open: he first blinds them with the malice of their own sins. ”For their own malice blinded them.” (Wis. ii. 21.) He thus leads them to eternal perdition. Before we fall into sin, the enemy labours to blind us, that we may not see the evil we do and the ruin we bring upon ourselves by offending God. After we commit sin, he seeks to make us dumb, that, through shame, we may conceal our guilt in confession. Thus, he leads us to hell by a double chain, inducing us, after our transgressions, to consent to a still greater sin the sin of sacrilege. I will speak on this subject today, and will endeavour to convince you of the great evil of concealing sins in confession.

In expounding the words of David ”Set a door O Lord, round about my lips,” (Ps. cxl. 3) St. Augustine says: “We should keep a door to the mouth, that it may be closed against detraction, and blasphemies, and all improper words, and that it may be opened to confess the sins we have committed. Thus,” adds the holy doctor, ”it will be a door of restraint, and not of destruction.” To be silent when we are impelled to utter words injurious to God or to our neighbour, is an act of virtue; but, to be silent in confessing our sins, is the ruin of the soul. After we have offended God, the devil labours to keep the mouth closed, and to prevent us from confessing our guilt. St. Antonine relates, that a holy solitary once saw the devil standing beside a certain person who wished to go to confession. The solitary asked the fiend what he was doing there. The enemy said in reply: ”I now restore to these penitents what I before took away from them; I took away from them shame while they were committing sin; I now restore it that they may have a horror of confession.”“My sores are putrefied and corrupted, because of my foolishness.” (Ps. xxxvii. 6.) Gangrenous sores are fatal; and sins concealed in confession are spiritual ulcers, which mortify and become gangrenous.

“God,” says St. John Chrysostom, “has made sin shameful, that we may abstain from it, and gives us confidence to confess it by promising pardon to all who accuse themselves of their sins.” But the devil does the contrary: he gives confidence to sin by holding out hopes of pardon; but, when sin is committed, he inspires shame, to prevent the confession of it.

You, brethren, who have sinned, I say, that you ought to be ashamed to offend so great and so good a God. But you have no reason to be ashamed of confessing the sins which you have committed. Was it shameful in St. Mary Magdalene to acknowledge publicly at the feet of Jesus Christ that she was a sinner? By her confession she became a saint. Was it shameful in St. Augustine not only to confess his sins, but also to publish them in a book, that, for his confusion, they might be known to the whole world? Was it shameful in St. Mary of Egypt to confess, that for so many years she had led a scandalous life? By their confessions these have become saints, and are honoured on the altars of the Church.

We say that the man who acknowledges his guilt before a secular tribunal is condemned, but in the tribunal of Jesus Christ, they who confess their sins obtain pardon, and receive a crown of eternal glory. “After confession,” says St. Chrysostom, ”a crown is given to penitents.” He who is afflicted with an ulcer must, if he wish to be cured, show it to a physician: otherwise it will fester and bring on death. If, then, brethren, your souls be ulcerated with sin, be not ashamed to confess it; otherwise you are lost. ”For thy soul be not ashamed to say the truth.” (Eccl. iv. 24.) But, you say, I feel greatly ashamed to confess such a sin. If you wish to be saved, you must conquer this shame.”For there is a shame that bringeth sin, and there is a shame that bringeth glory and grace.” (Ib. iv. 25.) There are, according to the inspired writer, two kinds of shame: one of which leads souls to sin, and that is the shame which makes them conceal their sins at confession; the other is the confusion which a Christian feels in confessing his sins; and this confusion obtains for him the grace of God in this life, and the glory of heaven in the next.

St. Augustine says, that to prevent the sheep from seeking assistance by her cries the wolf seizes her by the neck, and thus securely carries her away and devours her. The devil acts in a similar manner with the sheep of Jesus Christ. After having induced them to yield to sin, he seizes them by the throat, that they may not confess their guilt; and thus he securely brings them to hell. For those who have sinned grievously, there is no means of salvation but the confession of their sins. But, what hope of salvation can he have who goes to confession and conceals his sins, and makes use of the tribunal of penance to offend God, and to make himself doubly the slave of Satan? What hope would you entertain of the recovery of the man who, instead of taking the medicine prescribed by his physician, drank a cup of poison? God! What can the sacrament of penance be to those who conceal their sins, but a deadly poison, which adds to their guilt the malice of sacrilege? In giving absolution [a guarantee with our traditional Catholic priests, cf., our page "Catholic Resistance", for the priests of the "New Catholic Church", with their questionable "New Ordination", generally reduce sins to mere 'weakness' so that the traditional Sacrament of Penance is falsified into a Protestant 'counselling' session] , the confessor dispenses to his patient the blood of Jesus Christ; for it is through the merits of that blood that he absolves from sin. What, then, does the sinner do, when he conceals his sins in confession? He tramples under foot the blood of Jesus Christ. And should he afterwards receive the holy communion in a state of sin, he is, according to St. Chrysostom, as guilty as if he threw the consecrated host into a sink. Accursed shame! how many poor souls do you bring to hell? Unhappy souls! they think only of the shame of confessing their sins, and do not reflect that, if they conceal them, they shall be certainly damned.

Some penitents ask: ”What will my confessor say when he hears that I have committed such a sin ?” What will he say? He will say that you are, like all persons living on this earth, miserable and prone to sin: he will say that, if you have done evil, you have also performed a glorious action in overcoming shame, and in candidly confessing your fault.

”But I am afraid to confess this sin.” To how many confessors, I ask, must you tell it? It is enough to mention it to one priest, who hears many sins of the same kind from others. It is enough to confess it once: the confessor will give you penance and absolution, and your conscience shall be tranquillized. But, you say: ”I feel a great repugnance to tell this sin to my spiritual father.” Tell it, then, to another confessor, and, if you wish, to one to whom you are unknown. ”But, if this come to the knowledge of my confessor, he will be displeased with me.” What then do you mean to do? Perhaps, to avoid giving displeasure to him, you intend to commit a heinous crime, and remain under sentence of damnation. This would be the very height of folly.

But you say: “I am afraid that my confessor, when he hears my sin, will rebuke me with great severity.” God! Do you not see that all these are deceitful artifices of the devil to bring you to hell? No; the confessor will not rebuke you, but he will give an advice suited to your state. A confessor cannot experience greater consolation than in absolving a penitent who confesses his sins with true sorrow and with sincerity. If a queen were mortally wounded by a slave, and you were in possession of a remedy by which she could be cured, how great would be your joy in saving her life! Such is the joy which a confessor feels in absolving a soul in the state of sin. By his act he delivers her from eternal death: and by restoring to her the grace of God, he makes her a queen of Paradise.

But you have so many fears, and are not afraid of damning your own soul by the enormous crime of concealing sins in confession. You are afraid of the rebuke of your confessor, and fear not the reproof which you shall receive from Jesus Christ, your Judge, at the hour of death. You are afraid that your sins shall become known (which is impossible), and you dread not the day of judgment, on which, if you conceal them, they shall be revealed to all men. If you knew that, by concealing sins in confession, they shall be made known to all your relatives and to all your neighbours, you would certainly confess them. But, do you not know, says St. Bernard, that if you refuse to confess your sins to one man, who, like yourself, is a sinner, they shall be made known not only to all your relatives and neighbours, but to the entire human race? If you do not confess your sin, God himself shall, for your confusion, publish not only the sin which you conceal, but also all your iniquities, in the presence of the angels and of the whole world. ”I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will show thy wickedness to the nations.” (Nah. iii. 5.)

Listen, then, to the advice of St. Ambrose. The devil keeps an account of your sins, to charge you with them at the tribunal of Jesus Christ. Do you wish, says the saint, to prevent this accusation? Anticipate your accuser: accuse yourself now to a confessor, and then no accuser shall appear against you at the judgment-seat of God. But, according to St. Augustine, if you excuse yourself in confession, you shut up sin within your soul, and shut out pardon.

If, then, brethren, there be a single soul among you who has ever concealed a sin, through shame, in the tribunal of penance, let him take courage, and make a full confession of all his faults. ”Give glory to God with a good heart.” (Eccl. xxxv. 10.) Give glory to God, and confusion to the devil. A certain penitent was tempted by Satan to conceal a sin through shame; but she was resolved to confess it; and while she was going to her confessor, the devil came forward and asked her where she was going. She courageously answered: “I am going to cover myself and you with confusion.” Act you in a similar manner; if you have ever concealed a mortal sin, confess it candidly to your director, and confound the devil. Remember that the greater the violence you do yourself in confessing your sins, the greater will be the love with which Jesus Christ will embrace you.

Courage, then! expel this viper which you harbour in your soul, and which continually corrodes your heart and destroys your peace. Oh! what a hell does a Christian suffer who keeps in his heart a sin concealed through shame in confession! He suffers an anticipation of hell. It is enough to say to the confessor: ”Father, I have a certain scruple regarding my past life, but I am ashamed to tell it.” This will be enough: the confessor will help to pluck out the serpent which gnaws your conscience. And, that you may not entertain groundless scruples, I think it right to tell you, that if the sin which you are ashamed to tell be not mortal, or if you never considered it to be a mortal sin, you are not obliged to confess it; for we are bound only to confess mortal sins. Moreover, if you have doubts whether you ever confessed a certain sin of your former life, but know that, in preparing for confession, you always carefully examined your conscience, and that you never concealed a sin through shame; in this case, even though the sin about the confession of which you are doubtful, had been a grievous fault, you are not obliged to confess it because it is presumed to be morally certain that you have already confessed it. But, if you know that the sin was grievous, and that you never accused yourself of it in confession, then there is no remedy; you must confess it, or you must be damned for it. But, lost sheep, go instantly to confession. Jesus Christ is waiting for you; he stands with arms open to pardon and embrace you, if you acknowledge your guilt. I assure you that, after having confessed all your sins, you shall feel such consolation at having unburdened your conscience and acquired the grace of God, that you shall for ever bless the day on which you made this confession. Go as soon as possible in search of a confessor. Do not give the devil time to continue to tempt you. and to make you put off your confession: go immediately: for Jesus Christ is waiting for you.

(A Sermon of St. Alphonsus Liguori)

Christianity: Not a "Feel Good" Religion

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JMJ

Second Sunday of Lent

Lord, it is good for us to be here (Mt. 17.4).

The soul of Jesus, personally united to the Eternal Word (cf., Jn 1.1), enjoyed the Beatific Vision, which has as its connatural effect the glorification of the body. But this effect was impeded by Jesus Himself, who during the years of His life on earth, wanted to resemble us as much as possible by appearing “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom 8.3). However, in order to confirm the faith of the Apostles who were shaken by the announcement of the Passion, Jesus permitted some rays from His blessed soul to shine forth for a few brief instants on Thabor, when the Apostles saw Him transfigured. The three were enraptured by it, and yet Jesus had revealed to them only one ray of His glory, for no human creature could have borne the complete vision here on earth.

Glory is the fruit of grace: the grace possessed by Jesus in an infinite degree is reflected in an infinite glory transfiguring Him entirely. Something similar happens to us: grace will transform us from glory to glory (2 Cor 3.18), until one day it will bring us to the Beatific Vision of God in heaven. But while grace transfigures, sin, on the other hand, darkens and disfigures whoever becomes its victim.

The Divine Master teaches His disciples in this way that it was impossible – for Him as well as for them – to reach the glory of the Transfiguration without passing through suffering. It was the same lesson that He would give later to the two disciples at Emmaus: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so to enter into His glory? (Lk 24.26). What has been disfigured by sin cannot regain its original supernatural beauty except by way of purifying suffering.

Peter’s proposal, It is good for us to be here, was interrupted by a voice from heaven: This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased; hear ye Him!

Spiritual consolations are never an end in themselves and we should never desire them nor try to retain them for our own satisfaction. Joy, even that which is spiritual, should never be the necessary concomitant of possessing God, so too on earth, it should be nothing but a means, enabling us to give ourselves with greater generosity to the service of God. To Peter, who wanted to stay on Thabor in the sweet vision of the transfigured Jesus, God Himself replied by inviting him to listen to and follow the teachings of His Beloved Son. The ardent Apostle would soon learn that following Jesus meant carrying the Cross and ascending Calvary with Him [thus the Catholic priest shows us during the Traditional Latin Mass when he ascends the high altar as he begins to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice].

God does not console us for our entertainment but rather for our encouragement, for our strengthening, for the increase of our generosity in suffering for love of Him.

The vision disappeared; the Apostles raised their eyes and saw nothing nisi solum Jesum (save Jesus alone), and with Jesus alone they came down from the mountain. This is what we must always seek and it must be sufficient for us: Jesus alone, God alone. “Solo Dios basta” (God alone suffices!), as St. Teresa of Jesus puts it. Everything else – consolations, helps, friendships (even spiritual ones), understanding, esteem, encouragement (even from Superiors) -  may be good to the extent that God permits us to enjoy them. He very often makes use of them to encourage us in our weakness, but if, through certain circumstances, His divine hand takes all these things away, we should not be upset or disturbed. It is precisely at such times that we can prove to God more than ever – by deeds and not by words only – that He is our All and that He alone suffices! On these occasions the loving soul finds himself in a position to give God one of the finest proofs of its love: to be faithful to Him, to trust in Him, and to persevere in its resolutions to give all, even if, by removing His gifts, He has left it alone. The soul may be in darkness, that is, subject to misunderstanding, bitterness, material and spiritual solitude combined with interior desolation. The time has come to repeat Jesus alone, to come down from Thabor with Him, and to follow Him with the Apostles even to Calvary, where He will suffer, abandoned not only by men, but even by His Father.

Christian Doctrinal Instruction: Heaven

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JMJ

Second Sunday of Lent

Lord, it is good for us to be here (Mt. 17.4).

IN this day's gospel we read, that wishing to give his disciples a glimpse of the glory of Paradise, in order to animate them to labour for the divine honour, the Redeemer was transfigured, and allowed them to behold the splendour of His countenance. Ravished with joy and delight, St. Peter exclaimed: Lord, it is good for us to be here. Lord, let us remain here; let us never more depart from this place; for, the sight of Thy beauty consoles us more than all the delights of the earth. Brethren, let us labour during the remainder of our lives to gain heaven. Heaven is so great a good, that, to purchase it for us, Jesus Christ has sacrificed His life on the cross. Be assured, that the greatest of all the torments of the damned in hell, arise from the thought of having lost heaven through their own fault. The blessings, the delights, the joys, the sweetness of Paradise may be acquired; but they can be described and understood only by those blessed souls that enjoy them. But let us, with the aid of the holy Scripture, explain the little that can be said of them here below.

According to the Apostle, no man on this earth, can comprehend the infinite blessings which God has prepared for the souls that love him. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Cor. ii. 9). In this life we cannot have an idea of any other pleasures than those which we enjoy by means of the senses. Perhaps we imagine that the beauty of heaven resembles that of a wide extended plain covered with the verdure of spring, interspersed with trees in full bloom, and abounding in birds fluttering about and singing on every side; or, that it is like the beauty of a garden full of fruits and flowers, and surrounded by fountains in continual play. ”Oh! what a Paradise," to behold such a plain, or such a garden! But, how much greater are the beauties of heaven! Speaking of Paradise, St. Bernard says: O man, if you wish to understand the blessings of heaven, know that in that happy country there is nothing which can be disagreeable, and everything that you can desire. ”Nihil est quod nolis, totum est quod velis." Although there are some things here below which are agreeable to the senses, how many more are there which only torment us? If the light of day is pleasant, the darkness of night is disagreeable: if the spring and the autumn are cheering, the cold of winter and the heat of summer are painful. In addition, we have to endure the pains of sickness, the persecution of men, and the inconveniences of poverty; we must submit to interior troubles, to fears, to temptations of the devil, doubts of conscience, and to the uncertainty of eternal salvation.

But, after entering into Paradise, the blest shall have no more sorrows. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. The Lord shall dry up the tears which they have shed in this life. And death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow, shall be any more, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold, I make all things new (Apoc. xxi. 4, 5). In Paradise, death and the fear of death are no more: in that place of bliss there are no sorrows, no infirmities, no poverty, no inconveniencies, no vicissitudes of day or night, of cold or of heat. In that kingdom there is a continual day, always serene, a continual spring, always blooming. In Paradise there are no persecutions, no envy; for all love each other with tenderness, and each rejoices at the happiness of the others, as if it were his own. There is no more fear of eternal perdition; for the soul confirmed in grace can neither sin nor lose God.

”Totum est quod velis." In heaven you have all you can desire. Behold, I make all things new. There everything is new; new beauties, new delights, new joys. There all our desires shall be satisfied. The sight shall be satiated with beholding the beauty of that city. How delightful to behold a city in which the streets should be of crystal, the houses of silver, the windows of gold, and all adorned with the most beautiful flowers. But, oh! how much more beautiful shall be the city of Paradise! the beauty of the place shall be heightened by the beauty of the inhabitants, who are all clothed in royal robes; for, according to St. Augustine, "they are all kings." How delighted to behold Mary, the queen of heaven, who shall appear more beautiful than all the other citizens of Paradise! But, what it must be to behold the beauty of Jesus Christ! St. Teresa once saw one of the hands of Jesus Christ, and was struck with astonishment at the sight of such beauty. The smell shall be satiated with odours, but with the odours of Paradise. The hearing shall be satiated with the harmony of the celestial choirs. St. Francis once heard for a moment an angel playing on a violin, and he almost died through joy. How delightful must it be to hear the saints and angels singing the divine praises! They shall praise thee for ever and ever (Ps. lxxxiii. 5). What must it be to hear Mary praising God! St. Francis de Sales says, that, as the singing of the nightingale in the wood surpasses that of all other birds, so the voice of Mary is far superior to that of all the other saints. In a word, there are in Paradise all the delights which man can desire.

But the delights of which we have spoken are the least of the blessings of Paradise. The glory of heaven consists in seeing and loving God ​facie ad faciem [​face ​to face​, Ex. xxxiii.11; as the Catholic priest teaches us in the traditional Latin Mass where he stands ​face to face with God - really present in the tabernacle - at the high altar!]. The reward which God promises to us does not consist altogether in the beauty, the harmony, and other advantages of the city of Paradise. God himself, whom the saints are allowed to behold, is, according to the promises made to Abraham, the principal reward of the just in heaven. I am thy reward exceeding great (Gen. xv. 1). St. Augustine asserts, that, were God to show his face to the damned, ”Hell would be instantly changed into a Paradise of delights." (Lib. de trip, habit., torn. 9.) And he adds that, were a departed soul allowed the choice of seeing God and suffering the pains of hell, or of being freed from these pains and deprived of the sight of God, ”she would prefer to see God, and to endure these torments."

The delights of the soul infinitely surpass all the pleasures of the senses. Even in this life divine love infuses such sweetness into the soul when God communicates himself to her, that the body is raised from the earth. St. Peter of Alcantara once fell into such an ecstasy of love, that, taking hold of a tree, he drew it up from the roots, and raised it with him on high. So great is the sweetness of divine love, that the holy martyrs, in the midst of their torments, felt no pain, but were on the contrary filled with joy. Hence, St. Augustine says that, when St. Lawrence was laid on a red-hot gridiron, the fervour of divine love made him insensible to the burning heat of the fire. ”Hoc igne incensus non sentit incendium." Even on sinners who weep for their sins, God bestows consolations which exceed all earthly pleasures. Hence St. Bernard says: ”If it be so sweet to weep for thee, what must it be to rejoice in thee!"

How great is the sweetness which a soul experiences, when, in the time of prayer, God, by a ray of His own light, shows to her His goodness and His mercies towards her, and particularly the love which Jesus Christ has borne to her in His passion! She feels her heart melting, and as it were dissolved through love. But in this life we do not see God as he really is: we see him as it were in. the dark. We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face (1 Cor. xiii. 12). Here below God is hidden from, our view; we can see him only with the eyes of faith: how great shall be our happiness when the veil shall be raised, and we shall be permitted to behold God face to face! We shall then see his beauty, his greatness, his perfection, his amiableness, and his immense love for our souls.

Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred (Eccl. ix. 1). The fear of not loving God, and of not being loved by Him, is the greatest affliction which souls that love God endure on the earth; but, in heaven, the soul is certain that she loves God, and that He loves her; she sees that the Lord embraces her with infinite love, and that this love shall not be dissolved for all eternity. The knowledge of the love which Jesus Christ has shown her in offering Himself in sacrifice for her on the cross, and in making Himself her food in the sacrament of the altar, shall increase the ardour of her love. She shall also see clearly all the graces which God has bestowed upon her, all the helps which He has given her, to preserve her from falling into sin, and to draw her to his love. She shall see that all the tribulations, the poverty, infirmities, and persecutions which she regards as misfortunes, have all proceeded from love, and have been the means employed by Divine Providence to bring her to glory. She shall see all the lights, loving calls, and mercies which God had granted to her, after she had insulted him by her sins. From the blessed mountain of Paradise she shall see so many souls damned for fewer sins than she had committed, and shall see that she herself is saved and secured against the possibility of ever losing God.

The goods of this earth do not satisfy our desires: at first they gratify the senses; but when we become accustomed to them they cease to delight. But the joys of Paradise constantly satiate and content the heart. I shall be satisfied when Thy glory shall appear. The damned are, according to the Apostle, vessels full of wrath and of torments, vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction (Rom. ix. 22). But the just are vessels full of mercy and of joy, so that they have nothing to desire. They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house (Ps. xxxv. 9). In beholding the beauty of God, the soul shall be so inflamed and so inebriated with divine love, that she shall remain happily lost in God; for she shall entirely forget herself, and for all eternity shall think only of loving and praising the immense good which she shall possess for ever, without the fear of having it in her power ever to lose it. In this life, holy souls love God; but they cannot love him with all their strength, nor can they always actually love him. St. Thomas teaches, that this perfect love is only given to the citizens of heaven, who love God with their whole heart, and never cease to love him actually.  (Ps. xvi. 15). And though they satiate they always appear to be as new as the first time when they were experienced; they are always enjoyed and always desired, always desired and always possessed. ”Satiety," says St. Gregory, ”accompanies desire." (Lib. 13, Mor., c. xviii.) Thus, the desires of the saints in Paradise do not beget pain, because they are always satisfied; and satiety does not produce disgust, because it is always accompanied with desire. Hence the soul shall be always satiated and always thirsty: she shall be for ever thirsty, and always satiated with delights. The damned are, according to the Apostle, vessels full of wrath and of torments, (Rom. ix. 22). But the just are vessels full of mercy and of joy, so that they have nothing to desire.

Justly, then, has St. Augustine said, that to gain the eternal glory of Paradise, we should cheerfully embrace eternal labour. For nothing, says David, shalt thou save them (Ps. Iv. 8). The saints have done but little to acquire Heaven. So many kings, who have abdicated their thrones and shut themselves up in a cloister; so many holy anchorets, who have confined themselves in a cave; so many martyrs, who have cheerfully submitted to torments to the rack, and to red-hot plates have done but little. The sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come (Rom. viii. 18). To gain heaven, it would be but little to endure all the pains of this life.

Let us, then, brethren, courageously resolve to bear patiently with all the sufferings which shall come upon us during the remaining days of our lives: to secure heaven they are all little and nothing. Rejoice then; for all these pains, sorrows, and persecutions shall, if we are saved, be to us a source of never-ending joys and delights. Your sorrows shall be turned into joy (John xvi. 20) When, then, the crosses of this life afflict us, let us raise our eyes to heaven, and console ourselves with the hope of Paradise. At the end of her life, St. Mary of Egypt was asked, by the Abbot St. Zozimus, how she had been able to live for forty-seven years in the desert where he found her dying. She answered: ”With the hope of Paradise." If we be animated with the same hope, we shall not feel the tribulations of this life. Have courage! Let us love God and labour for heaven. There the saint expects us, Mary expects us, Jesus Christ expects us; he holds in his hand a crown to make each of us a king in that eternal kingdom.