For Saturday

"In Jesus Christ is the fulness of the Godhead with all its infinite sanctity. In Mary is reflected the sanctity of Jesus, as by His grace it could be found in a creature.

Mary, as the pattern both of maidenhood and maternity, has exalted woman’s state and nature, and made the Christian virgin and the Christian mother understand the sacredness of their duties in the sight of God.

Her very image is as a book in which we may read at a glance the mystery of the Incarnation, and the mercy of the Redemption; and withal her own gracious perfections also, who was made by her Divine Son the very type of humility, gentleness, fortitude, purity, patience, love.

What Christian mother can look upon her image and not be moved to pray for gentleness, watchfulness, and obedience like Mary’s? What Christian maiden can look upon her without praying for the gifts of simplicity, modesty, purity, recollection, gentleness such as hers?

Who can repeat her very name without finding in it a music which goes to the heart, and brings before him thoughts of God and Jesus Christ, and heaven above, and fills him with the desire of those graces by which heaven is gained?

Hail then, great Mother of God, Queen of Saints, Royal Lady clothed with the sun and crowned with the stars of heaven, whom all generations have called and shall call blessed. We will take our part in praising thee in our own time and place with all the redeemed of our Lord, and will exalt thee in the full assembly of the saints and glorify thee in the Heavenly Jerusalem. "- Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O. Meditations and Devotions

Today I spotted something while I was driving by a local Catholic parish

There was a display on its lawn of many, many white crosses to commemerate the babies who are legally killed in the womb in this country. However, I could not read on the accompanying sign the details of how many crosses there were, or how many lives lost each represented, for someone had defaced the words with spray paint. However, the words were not simply blacked out, nor covered with obscene replacements (as I have seen happen before). Over the entire sign, there were three huge circles, each with the slanting 'eliminate' line inside. It was somehow appropriate. After all, the babies are eliminated- why should we not expect attempts to tell the truth about our society's murderousness to be eliminated too ?

Prayers requested
First , the forces of evil in Florida have gained some new allies. Prayer for the protection of the life of an innocent victim is still necessary.

(Link courtesy of Mark Shea. )

Second, prayers for your humble webscribe would be most welcome, and my gratitude would be great. Thank you !

The Feast of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
is today. There is information on them here. Forty incredible saints who died for the Faith- and who, for the most part, spoke the language that is in the most widespread use in this country. Now exactly why isn't their feast day at least an option on the calendar in the United States ?

From "Jeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed"
by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

"If we would gain true bliss, we must cease to seek it as an end; we must postpone the prospect of enjoying it. For we are by nature in an unnatural state; we must be changed from what we are when born, before we can receive our greatest good. And as in sickness sharp remedies are often used, or irksome treatment, so it is with our souls; we must go through pain, we must practise self-denial, we must curb our wills, and purify our hearts, before we are capable of any lasting solid peace. To attempt to gain happiness, except in this apparently tedious and circuitous way, is a labour lost; it is building on the sand; the foundation will soon give way, though the house looks fair for a time. "

Parochial and Plain Sermons

Jeff Miller
has his own spin on sexism in the Church.

Deo gratias !
Terri is receiving the necessities of life- for now .

But we need to keep up the prayer support !

Link courtesy of Mark Shea.

Notes from a sermon preached October 20th, 1872
by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

"[Final Perseverance]
1. INTROD.—Epistle for the day, perseverance in grace.

2. Two things plain: (1) perseverance necessary, Matt. xxiv. 13, Ezech. xxxiii. 18 .

3. (2) Not in our power, but a special gift of God. We cannot merit it.

4. Now what is merit? (Explain.) By ourselves not only not perseverance, but nothing can we merit.

5. Because (1) by ourselves we can do nothing pleasing to God, because of our sinfulness; and (2) because how can anything we do be worthy of heaven? what proportion? Luke xvii. 7-10 .

6. (1) Therefore the grace of God, and (2) His promise; thus we can be said, first, to please God, and secondly, to merit.

7. And these two by the merits of our Lord and Saviour.

8. But there are two things we cannot merit—the first grace and the last.

9. As to the first grace, it is plainly God's free bounty which has made us Christians.

10. As to the last, it is God's free bounty, in spite of the accumulation of merits. No extent of merit is sufficient to gain perseverance—the just may fall, however holy, etc. Think of Solomon; think of Judas. It is a special gift to die in grace.

11. Two conclusions. First let us continually pray that God would give us this special gift of dying in grace.

12. This may comfort us when we lose our friends, that God may in His mercy have taken them then, when they were in grace. "

Hear all ye peoples of Arda !
On this date, in the year 1955, the final volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, was published, to the general rejoicing of all those who had been traumatized by the cruel cliffhanger at the end of The Two Towers. Truly an anniversary to remember !

Since I probably won't get to blog tommorow...
I'm mentioning the feast of one of my favorites, St. Margaret Clitherow, today.

I believe I read somewhere....
that Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was very fond of the following prayer:

"Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that my life may be only a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up, and see no longer me, but only Jesus! Stay with me, and then I shall begin to shine as Thou shinest: so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from Thee. None of it will be mine. No merit to me. It will be Thou who shinest through me upon others. O let me thus praise Thee, in the way which Thou dost love best, by shining on all those around me. Give light to them as well as to me; light them with me, through me. Teach me to show forth Thy praise, Thy truth, Thy will. Make me preach Thee without preaching—not by words, but by my example and by the catching force, the sympathetic influence, of what I do—by my visible resemblance to Thy saints, and the evident fulness of the love which my heart bears to Thee. " - Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

The horror down in Florida...
is on everybody's mind and on almost everybody's blog. Pray, pray, pray. May all the saints in Heaven plead for this innocent woman. Lord, give strength to those who are there, trying to prevent this terrible sin from happening.

"I was caught by the cords of death; the snares of Sheol had seized me; I felt agony and dread. Then I called on the name of the Lord, 'O Lord, save my life!' Gracious is the Lord and just; yes, our God is merciful. The Lord protects the simple; I was helpless, but God saved me. " - Psalm 116, Verses 2-6

Is anybody else worried ...
that this bit of parody sounds way too plausible ?

Now this is one amazing Sunday...
since it is not only World Mission Sunday, but also the day when Catholics (and others) around the world are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, and his beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. . Viva il Papa! Beata Teresa, ora pro nobis !

Music at the 11:30 am Mass

Processional Hymn: "From All That Dwell Below the Skies"
Offertory: "Long Live the Pope!"- H.G. Ganss
Communion: "Adoro Te Devote" - Charles Gounod
Recessional Hymn: "Now Thank We All Our God"

If it were not Sunday....
today would be the feast of several interesting saints. First off, the North American Martyrs, men of incredible courage and faith. Also St. Philip Howard, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. BTW, while some maintain that he died of natural causes, as stated in the biography linked, others maintain that he was poisoned to death. Finally, there is St. Paul of the Cross, C.P., Priest and Founder . A blessed feast day to any Passionists out there ! Oratorians, particularly those in the English-speaking countries, owe a debt to the Passionists, as it was one of their number who brought our own Venerable Newman into the Church.