Friday, September 30, 2005

From Discourses to Mixed Congregations
by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.


You cannot decide, my brethren, whether you are outrunning God's mercy, merely because the sin you now commit seems to be a small one; it is not always the greatest sin that is the last. Moreover you cannot calculate, which is to be your last sin, by the particular number of those which have gone before it, even if you could count them, for the number varies in different persons. This is another very serious circumstance. You may have committed but one or two sins, and yet find that you are ruined beyond redemption, though others who have done more are not. Why we know not, but God, who shows mercy and gives grace to all, shows greater mercy and gives more abundant grace to one man than another. To all He gives grace sufficient for their salvation; to all He gives far more than they have any right to expect, and they can claim nothing; but to some He gives far more than to others. He tells us Himself, that, if the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon had seen the miracles done in Chorazin, they would have done penance and turned to Him. That is, there was that which would have converted them, and it was not granted to them. Till we set this before ourselves, we have not a right view either of sin in itself, or of our own prospects if we live in it. As God determines for each the measure of his stature, and the complexion of his mind, and the number of his days, yet not the same for all; as one child of Adam is preordained to live one day, and another eighty years, so is it fixed that one should be reserved for his eightieth sin, another cut off after his first.
The Feast of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
is today. There is information on him here.

It is also the feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Oh, please....
please, let this work out !


Link courtesy of Don Jim.
The Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels
is today. There is information on them here, here, and here. A blessed feast to all who have them as patrons, especially Fr. Michael of the Pittsburgh Oratory !

The two Archangels who have a special office in the Gospel are St. Michael and St. Gabriel—and they both of them are associated in the history of the Incarnation with Mary: St. Gabriel, when the Holy Ghost came down upon her; and St. Michael, when the Divine Child was born.

St. Gabriel hailed her as "Full of grace," and as "Blessed among women," and announced to her that the Holy Ghost would come down upon her, {30} and that she would bear a Son who would be the Son of the Highest.

Of St. Michael's ministry to her, on the birth of that Divine Son, we learn in the Apocalypse, written by the Apostle St. John. We know our Lord came to set up the Kingdom of Heaven among men; and hardly was He born when He was assaulted by the powers of the world who wished to destroy Him. Herod sought to take His life, but he was defeated by St. Joseph's carrying His Mother and Him off into Egypt. But St. John in the Apocalypse tells us that Michael and his angels were the real guardians of Mother and Child, then and on other occasions.

First, St. John saw in vision "a great sign in heaven" (meaning by "heaven" the Church, or Kingdom of God), "a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars"; and when she was about to be delivered of her Child there appeared "a great red dragon," that is, the evil spirit, ready "to devour her son" when He should be born. The Son was preserved by His own Divine power, but next the evil spirit persecuted her; St. Michael, however, and his angels came to the rescue and prevailed against him.

"There was a great battle," says the sacred writer; "Michael and his Angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels; and that great dragon was east out, the old serpent, who is called the devil." Now, as then, the Blessed Mother of God has hosts of angels who do her service; and she is their Queen.

Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., Meditations and Devotions

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

The Catholic Carnival
is up.

Monday, September 26, 2005

What the heck ? !!!

Women bypass sex in favour of 'instant pregnancies'

Let me get this straight....

Our culture is saying "Sexual intercourse is so important that even single people must have it, so contraception is necessary..."

and

"Sexual intercourse is so unimportant that expecting married couples to make time for it three times a week is unrealistic, so IVF is necessary..."

??????????????????????????????????????

I'm guessing the fact that large amounts of money are being made by both procedures muffles the sense of absurdity....




Link courtesy of Fructus Ventris.
The Feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs
is today. There is information on them here and here .
It is also the feast of Pope St. Eusebius ,