Triduum of Death.....or of.....Heaven!

All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day

All Souls Day

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“Triduum of Death” is a term we don’t hear too much anymore, perhaps because people think it sounds too negative. However, we must realize that this triple feast is one of great joy! Satan and his minions have taken over “Halloween” and made it an occasion for occult rituals, darkness and gruesome decor. True to form, Satan takes something good and holy and perverts it. Let us teach our children the true meaning of these great Catholic feasts. We honor those who have succeeded in winning the Heavenly reward, just as we hope to. The Holy Souls have also won it, though they remain in Purgatory, in need of our prayers. Surely, on All Souls Day, due to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in addition to prayers all over the world, many souls pass through that glorious Gate to behold the Triune God! What a truly wonderful day! What a wonderful triduum we now celebrate!

Let us pray for those involved in the occult. Let us also pray for the fires in California at this time and all those suffering.

Following are some quick excerpts of prayer, from the book, A Prayerbook of Favorite Litanies, compiled by Fr. Albert J. Hebert. Its my favorite prayerbook. You can get it HERE.

“All ye holy angels and archangels, all ye holy orders of blessed spirits, all ye holy patriarchs and prophets, all ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, all ye holy disciples of Our Lord, all ye Holy Innocents, all ye holy martyrs, all ye holy Bishops and confessors, all ye holy Doctors, all ye holy priests and levites, all ye holy monks and hermits, all ye holy virgins and widows, all ye holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us!”

“O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy departed servants the remission of all their sins, that through our pious supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.”

“Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants and handmaids, (name your loved ones), who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of grace. To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light and peace, through the same Christ Our Lord.”

“O Lord, grant eternal rest to all the souls of the faithful departed, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.”

Feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (new calendar)

I will try not to allow 4 months to go by again without posting! What have I been doing the past 4 months? Meditating on radical detachment from the world. On this feast of St. John the Baptist, one who exemplified this detachment, these words come to me….much of this is based on my recent research into the nature of this insane realm we find ourselves in….

I seek not the song of men but the music of nature

I seek not the spectacles of men but the glories of creation

I seek not the great musings of men but the simplicity of His Law

I seek not to travel the seas but to return each day to His Presence

I seek not the stages of the world but the Throne of Divine Majesty

I seek not the bread of men but the Bread of Life

I seek not the broken hallelujah but the Holy Hosanna

I seek not the darkness but live for the Light

I seek not tears but laughter

I seek not fortune but the Pearl of Great Price

I seek not the hopeless screens but the Perennial Sacrifice of the Mass

I seek not the bewitching fantasies of men and demons but the Eternal Truth

I seek not the adoration of men but to adore the Most High

I seek not the endless ruminations of a lost realm but the Ineffable Splendor of the Beatific Vision

(This probably needs more work. Also, you might have noticed a little Leonard Cohen thrown into 2 lines, God rest his soul.)

Easter Wednesday Update

I hope everyone had a Lent filled with blessings and graces, a very happy Easter and many wishes for a joyful Octave of Easter this week.

I mentioned previously that the past year or so has been difficult in my personal life. I must reevaluate where I am going with this blog and this website. I am praying and reflecting carefully on this.

For now, I would like to encourage everyone to pray the Holy Rosary daily and to participate in Divine Mercy Sunday, which is this coming Sunday, April 28th. See if your church is doing any activities. If not, think about getting some friends together to pray the chaplet or simply pray it with your family. It has never been more important!

Please also pray for Nomen Christi Apostolate. Even in the midst of personal difficulties, I have no choice but to try to advance this ministry. Time is of the essence. We are moving closer toward calamity and the church is nowhere near prepared for it. This is the task I have taken on. Thank you so much for your prayers. I know the posts on here are erratic, but I would ask you to stay in touch and please check back from time to time until I settle on a regular posting schedule once again. God bless!

A few important words....

I have been doing some great research on Catholic prophecy….Fatima, Akita and Anne Catherine Emmerich…..very relevant to what we see going on all around us. Definitely time to pray and prep! The signs are everywhere. Some of the coming chastisements may still be mitigated through repentance and penance and doing all the things Our Lady of Fatima instructed such as praying the Rosary every day, performing the First Saturdays and wearing the Brown Scapular. Detach and disengage from the world! Mercy and grace may still be obtained. Do not delay! Defend the truth. Fight the crime against humanity we call abortion. Follow the narrow path. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. Do not be a part or a party to sin in any form! Stick to your guns and be willing to be unliked and to have your relationships ripped apart. Be willing to lose all to possess Christ! Pray for the Holy Father. Blessings….CFM

Update....

Hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas Season and wishing you and your families many blessings for the New Year!

I must say, I have had a very difficult past year and have been struggling with a succession of personal and family issues. I have several family members who are seriously ill and in great need of prayer. In this coming year, I will be working on my family’s preparedness more aggressively (and you should too!) and renovating my home on Long Island.

Please keep my family and my husband’s family in your prayers. Thanks so much! CFM:)

Holy Communion "Prayer for Peace"

If you have been following recent posts, I have been writing short commentary on parts of the Holy Mass of the Tridentine Rite. Last time, we dealt with the “Sanctus.” The previous 2 posts dealt with the “Prayers for Holy Communion.” Since I had no direction when I started this, its been kind of random. So let’s discuss the remaining prayer for Communion, the “Prayer for Peace.” (These prayers are said by the priest, bowing before the newly consecrated Body and Blood of Christ.)

“O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst to Thine Apostles: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: look not upon my sins but upon the faith of Thy Church; and deign to grant her that peace and unity which is in accord with Thy will: Who livest and reignest God, world without end. Amen.”

In order to best understand these prayers, we must understand the point we are at in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Body and Blood of Christ are now miraculously present on the altar and we have just finished the “Agnus Dei,” beseeching His mercy and the gift of peace. Continuing with the theme of peace, the above prayer is said. The priest then kisses the altar and exchanges words of peace with the Deacon. In the Novus Ordo, this is when people shake hands to show a sense of peace among each other. The idea is to show peace among the people before receiving Our Blessed Lord.

Why does the priest kiss the altar? I’m not sure what the purpose of this is, but it seems he is perhaps expressing a peace with God first, before expressing his peace with men. This would be in accord with Catholic teaching, that we cannot have peace in the world without first being at peace with God. These are the two beams of the Holy Cross. There is the vertical, reaching up to the Father, and the horizontal, reaching out to humanity. The horizontal beam cannot be supported without the vertical.

These “Prayers for Holy Communion,” are said just before the priest and the people receive Our Blessed Lord in innocence. We are beginning these 3 prayers with the sentiment of peace, which is absolutely necessary and fitting at this great anticipatory moment before communing with the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. We call to mind the words of Our Lord Himself, telling His Apostles of the peace He gives to them. We in turn receive this peace through the Church the Apostles founded. We then reiterate in a sense, the “Agnus Dei,” in asking for mercy and peace.

Let us remember that without peace with God, there can be no other peace, not within us as individuals, and not among us. People attribute the ills of the world today to all sorts of things, but we as Roman Catholics, know the truth: We have lost our relationship with Almighty God, our loving Creator. Let us defend this truth valiantly, especially when we are in challenging situations. This is what separates the saints from the dominion of Hell! Peace to you, my dear readers:)

Thought for the Day.....

Virtue Doesn’t Make Good Theater.

Just sayin.

Hosanna In Excelsis!

In keeping with our analysis of various parts of the Holy Mass (I am using the Tridentine Rite), let's look at the "Sanctus."  It is disturbing that this prayer is said so nonchalantly by many people, even often sung in a folky way which in no way reflects the most sublime nature of these words, which lift us straight up to the Majestic Throne, the Triune God of Heaven.  It should take our breath away every time we say it.  It should create in us the most humble attitude before our Creator, our hearts lying prostrate.  It is the hymn sung by the saints as Our Lord rode humbly into His city, the City of Gold, Yerushalaim, knowing full well what the result would be.....

"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts!  Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!  Hosanna in the highest!  Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!"

According to The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, Baronius Press, 2008:

"The triumphal hymn of the Angels, the Trisagion (thrice holy), is addressed to the three divine Persons.  It is composed of words taken from Isaias...from Psalm 117, and from the acclamations which greeted Jesus on the occasion of His solemn entry into Jerusalem."

In the old Rite, the Sanctus is prayed kneeling, but in the new, unfortunately, that has been changed.  This Sunday when we speak or sing this glorious prayer at Holy Mass, may we envision the clouds opening, and Heaven revealing itself, a foretaste of what is to come after our death if we remain in His Body.  How wonderful!

Holy Communion "Prayer for Sanctification" from the Holy Mass

Okay, let's jump right in and continue with some simple commentary on the text of the Holy Mass of the Tridentine Rite:

"O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living
God, Who, according to the will of Thy Father,
with the cooperation of the Holy Ghost,
hast by Thy death given life to the
world; deliver me by this Thy most
sacred Body and Blood, from all mine iniquities and from all evils and make me always
cleave to Thy commandments, and
suffer me never to be separated from
Thee, Who livest and reignest with the same God the
Father and the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen."

Last time, we commented on the Holy Communion "Prayer for Grace."  The above prayer immediately precedes this.  We are preparing for the most sublime and important human experience there is:  A physical and spiritual union with the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer from the Cross.  What words could possibly prepare us for such a thing?  Holy Mother Church in her wisdom has given them to us.

There are three basic thoughts being expressed here.  First, we address the One we are about to receive, invoking also the other two Members of the Holy Trinity.  We acknowledge our Redemption through His death, without which, none of this makes any sense.  Secondly, we beseech Him to deliver us from all evil which may interrupt His plan for the fruition of our Redemption.  Thirdly, we desire complete and everlasting union with Him.  We admit that this is done not by just feeling warm and fuzzy, but by "cleaving," becoming one in fiber, to His commandments and teachings, distributed to us by His Holy Church.  This is radically counter-cultural because His teachings are radically counter-cultural.  In other words, something very real and specific is required of us if we are to avail ourselves of this greatest of Privileges, AS WE SHOULD EXPECT.

Prayer:  "Lord, how can I truly be one with Thee?  What changes must I make in my life to do this?  Please never let me receive Thee unworthily.  Amen."

Holy Communion "Prayer for Grace"

How would the Church be different, in fact, how would the world be different, if every Catholic truly contemplated these words before receiving Our Blessed Lord at Holy Mass?  One who is not properly disposed to receive ought to be struck with terror at the mere thought of approaching the Sacred Host after reading these words....and yet....so many sacrilegious Communions!  O Lord, have mercy! 

"Let not the partaking of Thy Body, O Lord Jesus Christ, which I, though unworthy, presume to receive, turn to my judgment and condemnation; but let it, through Thy mercy, become a safeguard and remedy, both for soul and body; Who with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest God, for ever and ever. Amen."