Update / November is the Month of the Holy Souls, Part 1

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Starting today, All Saints Day, we have the glorious week of Plenaries! Holy Church makes it so easy to obtain this indulgence for your loved ones among the Holy Souls. It’s one of those joyful things about being a Catholic, that you can turn into a habit each year. It is the perfect time to visit your departed at the cemetery, if you find it difficult to make time for that. This is the time to motivate you, to honor them and to contemplate mortality in general…and to get souls into Heaven, as God’s will determines!

Here’s what you need to know…

From Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:

PLENARY INDULGENCE

An indulgence that can remove all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. No one but God knows for certain when a plenary indulgence is actually gained, because only He knows whether a person's dispositions are adequate. One norm for such dispositions is that "all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent." If these dispositions are in any way less than complete, the indulgence will only be partial. The same provision applies to the three external conditions necessary to gain a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. If these conditions are not satisfied, an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial. These conditions may be satisfied several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, though preferably Communion should be received and the prayers offered for the Pope on the same day as the indulgenced work. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.

From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Holy Cross Chaplaincy:

Six General Rules for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence

1. State of grace…when performing the indulgenced act

2. Complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

3. Confession (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

4. Communion (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

5. Prayers for the Supreme Pontiff (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

6. Indulgenced Act: a special good work with…conditions of place and time

Indulgenced Acts to be Performed for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Purgatory

• From November 1 to 8: visit of a cemetery with mental prayer for the poor souls

• On November 2: visit of a church or an oratory with one Our Father and one Creed being recited

Also from Fr. Hardon…

MENTAL PRAYER

The form of prayer in which the sentiments expressed are one's own and not those of another person and the expression of these sentiments is mainly, if not entirely, interior and not externalized. Mental prayer is accomplished by internal acts of the mind and affections and is either simple meditation or contemplation. As meditation, it is a loving and discursive (reflective) consideration of religious truths or some mystery of faith. As contemplation, it is a loving and intuitive (immediately perceptive) consideration and admiration of the same truths or mysteries of faith. In mental prayer the three powers of the soul are engaged: the memory, which offers the mind material for meditation or contemplation; the intellect, which ponders or directly perceives the meaning of some religious truth and its implications for practice; and the will, which freely expresses its sentiments of faith, trust, and love, and (as needed) makes good resolutions based on what the memory and intellect have made known to the will.

November 2nd is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, or All Souls Day….ending the Triduum of Death which began on All Hallow’s Eve.

Election Day in the United States is the 3rd. Let us pray for America, her leaders and her people, especially the unborn.

Looking ahead, Advent begins the 29!

Let us remember the Holy Souls in Purgatory with particular attention this coming month.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Requiescant in pace.

Amen.

When There is Nothing Left to Cling To....

…Wrap your arms around the Cross…and hold on tight.

Thought for the Day

Never did Our Blessed Lord say: “Be mediocre.”

”Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5:48

“He answering, said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself.”

Luke 10:27

“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 go in thereat.”

Matthew 7:13

The Joy of Weekday Mass

I attended Mass yesterday, on the feast of Saint Faustina, great seer of the Divine Mercy. It was a 12 noon Mass, celebrated just as the children at the parish school were getting out for playtime. I have always thought the most beautiful sound in the world is children playing. I don’t know how others feel about this distraction at Mass, but I welcome it. Surely there is still hope, as long as these little voices resound to the heavens.

During the consecration, I thought of all the people in their cars passing the church at that moment, as it is on a main road. Most have no idea they are passing an actual miracle. We Catholics possess so much, and yet evangelize so little. But first, we must evangelize our fellow Catholics, those who even receive Our Blessed Lord and still know not what they do.

Throughout my life, weekday Mass has given me a unique sense of peace and joy. I can’t explain it. You just have to go and experience it. It feels different than going on the obligatory Sunday. On Long Island, many are still well attended. If no one goes, they will gradually fade and become less available. Let us not take our precious faith for granted. Let us not assume all of this will be here for us always.

In our monthly theme posts, we discuss the prominent feasts of the month. Part of the purpose of this, is to remember our Catholic faith in greater fullness. Celebrating these feasts by attending Mass adds a greater dimension to our saintly devotions and the practice of our Holy Religion.

"The Remedy on Beads"

I couldn’t agree more with TAN Books words…

“Throughout history, when the Church has faced great trials, dark spiritual battles, or periods of widespread confusion, Heaven’s remedy has remained unchanging: Pray the Rosary every day.

While last month we stood beside Our Lady in her grief during the month of Our Lady of Sorrows, October invites us to contemplate the fullness of Christ's life, death, and resurrection through her holy eyes. The Holy Rosary is not merely a string of beads or a repetition of prayers; it is a school of contemplation, a spiritual shield, and a quiet path to profound peace.

What better way to enter into this holy month than by renewing your commitment to the Gospel through the hands of Mary?

To aid you and your family in contemplating the mysteries of Christ and strengthening your daily prayer life, TAN Books is offering up to 40% off our entire

Month of the Holy Rosary Collection

throughout October.” 

Catholic Preparedness: Stock Up on Faith Essentials!

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows, Part 2

We look to the Doctor of the Church, Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, to contemplate Our Lady’s Sorrows this month.  Saint Alphonsus is one of the prime theologians on the Seven Sorrows of Mary.  He was born in the month of September, 1696, in the city of Marianella, Italy.  He became a bishop and founded the Redemptorists.  He lived a long life and died not far from the place of his birth, in 1787.

One of the best-known works of Saint Alphonsus is The Glories of Mary.  This is a collection of 5 books in one, one of which is “Of the Dolours of Mary.”  In this part, Alphonsus meditates on all Seven Sorrows and provides a prayer for each.  Following is an excerpt from the First Sorrow, “The Prophecy of Simeon.”  This Sorrow deals with Our Lady’s knowledge and anguish at the future sufferings of her Son. 

Today, for those paying attention, we are all in anticipation of how the crises in the world will play out.  Let us learn peace and acceptance from Our Lady of Sorrows.  Not complacency, but inner peace in the midst of these concerns.  We know God will always be with His children.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori’s Meditations on the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saint Alphonsus begins with this sentiment:

“Mary was the Queen of Martyrs, for her martyrdom was longer and greater than that of all the Martyrs.”

In this valley of tears every man is born to weep, and all must suffer, by enduring the evils which are of daily occurrence. But how much greater would the misery of life be, did we also know the future evils which await us! “Unfortunate, indeed, would his lot be,” says Seneca, “who, knowing the future, would have to suffer all by anticipation.”

Our Lord shows us this mercy. He conceals the trials which await us, that, whatever they may be, we may endure them but once. He did not show Mary this compassion; for she, whom God willed to be the Queen of Sorrows, and in all things like His Son, had to see always before her eyes and continually to suffer all the torments that awaited her; and these were the sufferings of the Passion and death of her beloved Jesus; for in the temple Saint Simeon, having received the Divine Child in his arms, foretold to her that that Son would be a mark for all the persecutions and oppositions of men.

“Behold, this Child is set . . . for a sign which shall be contradicted.”

And therefore, that a sword of sorrow should pierce her soul:

“And thy own soul a sword shall pierce.”

…Since, then, Jesus, our King, and His most holy Mother, did not refuse, for love of us, to suffer such cruel pains throughout their lives, it is reasonable that we, at least, should not complain if we have to suffer something. Jesus, crucified, once appeared to Sister Magdalen Orsini, a Dominicaness, who had been long suffering under a great trial, and encouraged her to remain, by means of that affliction, with Him on the cross. Sister Magdalen complainingly answered: “O Lord, Thou wast tortured on the cross only for three hours, and I have endured my pain for many years.” The Redeemer then replied: “Ah, ignorant soul, what dost thou say? From the first moment of My conception I suffered in heart all that I afterwards endured dying on the cross.” If, then, we also suffer and complain, let us imagine Jesus, and His Mother Mary, addressing the same words to ourselves.

Prayer

Ah, my Blessed Mother, it is not one sword only with which I have pierced thy heart, but I have done so with as many as are the sins which I have committed. Ah, Lady, it is not to thee, who art innocent, that sufferings are due, but to me, who am guilty of so many crimes. But since thou hast been pleased to suffer so much for me, ah, by thy merits, obtain me great sorrow for my sins, and patience under the trials of this life, which will always be light in comparison with my demerits, for I have often deserved Hell.

Amen.

September 12th is the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary.  From the Collect of the Tridentine Mass:

“Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that Thy faithful, happy under the invocation and protection of the most holy Virgin Mary, may, by her dear intercession, be delivered from all evils on earth and be worthy to attain unto eternal joys in Heaven.”

And again from Saint Alphonsus:

“Oh, my sweet Lady and Mother, I love thee much, and because I love thee, I love also thy holy name.  I purpose and hope with thy aid always to invoke it in life and death.”

Notable feasts for the rest of the month:

14th-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

15th-SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY / OUR LADY OF SORROWS

17th-Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi / Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church

21st-Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist

23rd-Saint Pio of Pietrelcina / Ember Wednesday of September or Autumn

24th-OUR LADY OF RANSOM

25th-Ember Friday

26th-Ember Saturday

29th-Saints Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, the Archangels

30th-Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church

****** Prepper Challenge for september ******

What is My Contribution?  What is My Special Gift?

Your community and the Church are going to need you in the coming days.  What will you specialize in that will be a significant contribution?  Every prepper tends to develop a skill or two that is specialized.  What interests you?  What is a “sustainable” skill that will have value even in a grid-down (no electricity) situation?  Do you already have a skill?  Can you improve it?  Can you learn a new one?  Think and pray about it!

Noah was the Original Prepper ~ Build Your Ark!

Octave of Pentecost: Veni Sancte Spiritus!

How great it is to be a traditional Roman Catholic-we get a Pentecost octave! 7 days to be joyful at the Descent of the Holy Ghost!

Oh, but don’t forget we also have the Ember Days this week, which are supposed to be penitential. The Ember Days of Summer (or Pentecost) always fall within the Octave of Pentecost. So Holy Church in her wisdom has given us a little conundrum, as sometimes happens.

Traditionally, we eat meat at only one meal on Ember Wednesday and Saturday (Ember Friday, of course, is a day of abstinence for many faithful Catholics, as it is a Friday-note, within this Octave, it is not a solemnity, as within the Easter Octave, in which Friday penance is abrogated…let me make that clear, there is a Friday penance within the Octave of Pentecost). We also pray for the blessings of the coming season and beseech God’s mercy. There are other aspects of the Ember Days, which you can research-we do have a topic on it to the right>>> The Ember Day Tridentine Masses are quite inspiring and reading them is a perfect addition to your prayers. So IMHO, do honor the Ember Days this week but in a spirit of joy that we have been given the Paraclete, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity!

In a previous post, I gave a link to the Novena to the Holy Ghost for the Seven Gifts. Day Four concerns itself with the Gift of Fortitude. We desperately need this virtue during these times of change and turbulence which are upon the world. The Holy Ghost gives us great strength and consolation. Here is an excerpt:

By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. 'He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.'

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good.

Amen.

Thou in toil art comfort sweet, pleasant coolness in the heat, solace in the midst of woe.

I think you’ll be as impressed as I was by the following Catholic singing quartet of siblings. Here is the hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus” with the notes from the video…

The "Veni Creator Spiritus" is a 9th century Latin hymn attributed to the Benedictine monk St. Rabanus Maurus. It is used as a hymn for the Vespers of Pentecost, as well as for the Octave of Pentecost, where it is still celebrated. Since the 11th century at the latest, the “Veni Creator Spiritus” has also been sung at synods, ordinations and conclaves.

Harpa Dei ~ Veni Creator Spiritus

Have you started your Novena to the Holy Ghost for Pentecost?

You can still do it! Go here…

EWTN Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts

April is the Month of the Holy Eucharist, Part 2

As of Septuagesima (in the trad Liturgical Calendar), we have entered “The Cycle of Easter:  The Mystery of the Redemption,” which remains until next Advent.  This Cycle contains:  Septuagesima, Lent, Passiontide, Easter or Paschal Time and Time After Pentecost.  We are still in Easter Time, a time of great joy, after the penance of Lent, when we rejoice that +++ “It is Finished” +++ and we have so great a Resurrected Savior.

Indeed He is Risen!

We have the Month of the Holy Eucharist, Divine Mercy celebrated this month, and a deeply concerning war going on.  It seems a theme of reparation and mercy is in order right now.  We also have the Major Rogation Day or Greater Rogations on the 25th.  This is an historical day of penance, similar to the Ember Days.  Here are some great links for you to peruse…

Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration:  Eucharistic Reparation

EWTN UK:  7 Powerful Ways to Make Reparation for the Blasphemies Against Our Lord in the Eucharist

Bishop Schneider’s Crusade of Eucharistic Reparation

From I Am Jesus website:

“Pope Pius VII granted an indulgence to everyone who, with contrition for his sins and with devotion, says the following Act of Reparation to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament…Pope Pius VII, who was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800, to his death in 1823. He reigned during the time of dramatic conflicts with Napoleon, and his spiritual leadership was instrumental in restoring the Church. Immediately upon becoming Pope, he bravely left the safety of Venice for Rome which was still occupied by Napoleon’s army, to face whatever persecution might arise. His papacy brought about the restoration of the Church after the armies of the French Revolution had devastated the papacy under Pius VI. Written at a time when the Church was under attack, Pope Pius VII wrote this beautiful Act of Reparation Prayer for the laity.”

Act of Reparation by Pope Pius VII

Jesus, my God, my Saviour, true God and true Man, with that most profound homage with which the faith itself inspires me, I adore and love Thee with my whole heart, enclosed in the most august Sacrament of the Altar, in reparation for all the acts of irreverence, profanation, and sacrilege, which I may ever have been so unhappy as to have committed, as well as for all such like acts that ever have been done, or which may be done, though God forbid they should be, in ages yet to come.

I adore Thee, therefore, my God, not indeed as Thou deservest, nor as much as I am bound to adore, but as far as I am able; and I would that I could adore Thee with all the perfection of which all reasonable persons are capable. Meantime I purpose now and ever to adore Thee, not only for those Catholics who adore Thee not, and love Thee not, but also in the stead of, and for the conversion of all heretics, schismatics, impious atheists, blasphemers, impostors, Mahometans, Jews, and idolaters.

Jesus, my God, mayest Thou be ever known, adored, loved, and praised every moment, in the most holy and divine Sacrament. I adore Thee every moment, O living Bread of Heaven, Great Sacrament! Jesus, Heart of Mary, I pray Thee send Thy blessing on my soul. Holiest Jesus! Loving Saviour! I give Thee my heart. May all know, adore, and praise every moment, always, the most holy and divine Sacrament.

AMEN.

Notable feasts coming up…

25th-Saint Mark, Evangelist / Major Rogation Day (prayer and penance)

28th-Saint Louis de Montfort

29th-Saint Catherine of Siena, one of 4 women Doctors of the Church

30th-Pope Saint Pius V / Saint Catherine of Siena (trad)

*** Prepper Challenge for the Spring ***

With current events in mind, it’s the same as it was for March, let's make it this season's challenge...Make a plan!

“15 Points Preparedness Worksheet”

“Biblical Support for Preparedness”

~ Noah was the original prepper ~

Divine Mercy Sunday

During this concerning time of war and crisis, there is nothing more important we can do than beseech the Divine Mercy!

Here are some good links for today…Did you pray the Chaplet Novena starting Good Friday? You still can!…

EWTN Divine Mercy

There is a Plenary! Vatican Document

A Feast of Unfathomable Grace: Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy On This Blog