Sunday, July 24, 2016

God Above All Things (Notes from the Ignatian Exercises)




Our use of creatures in life should have a holy indifference.

Normal Creatures:
(Material)
1.) Minerals
2.) Plants
3.) Animals
4.) Men
5.) Angels

Abnormal Creatures:
(Circumstantial)
1.) Situations/Scenarios
2.) Conditions in life
3.) Experiences/Encounters
4.) Emotions

*Creatures should help us to serve God. They should not be used to [attempt to] replace God.



We have three purposes in life:
1.) To Know God
  a.) Mountains >> To see God's beauty and majesty
  b.) Storms >> To see God's power and might
  c.) Seas >> To see God's infinite mercy
  d.) Snow >> To see God's purity

2.) To Love God
  a.) We ourselves must love Him
  b.) We must help others to love Him
  c.) From others we must learn to love Him (through discipline/correction and teaching)

3.) To Serve God (through development of gifts)
  a.) Parable of the Talents
  b.) Perseverance unto Perfection
  c.) In this world but not of it
  d.) Development of the Will (intellect + memory + courage/fortitude)

*We must deny ourselves and cultivate virtue. Use temptations and trials as an occasion of perfection and not of indulgence.

Ex: a child born with Down Syndrome can be a gift and a great occasion of patience and pure love
Ex: calumny against us can teach us humility
Ex: Immodesty can be an occasion of self-denial, modesty of the eyes, and to offer it up for that other person's soul and conversion

Some of the most common creatures which overtake us:
- Work
- Sports
- Impurity
- Epicureanism (love of luxury, fine things)
- Greed/Covetousness, desire for material goods
- Desire for esteem/praise
- False asceticism / Esotericism (yoga, buddhism, etc.)

St. Ignatius teaches us that HOLY INDIFFERENCE regards all things as blessings, whether benefits or crosses:
1.) Honors vs Dishonors
2.) Health vs Sickness
3.) Prosperity vs Poverty
4.) Comfort vs Pain/discomfort
5.) Long life vs Short Life

We are dust and to dust we shall return.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

We need to thank God for all of our benefits while remaining unattached to them.
We need to thank God for our crosses and rejoice, for power is made perfect in infirmity.




Sunday, July 17, 2016

Rules for Fraternal Correction: For the Ninth Sunday After Pentecost (from The Pulpit Orator, Rev John Evangelist Zollner OSB,

When:
1.) We are certain the person committed the sin
2.) We believe if we do not say something they may never know it is a sin
3.) We believe the person will listen to our admonition
4.) When superiors are neglecting to make the admonition and there is nobody else fit to do it
5.) When we do not risk any serious personal loss (such as home, job, etc.)

How:
1.) With prudence (meaning on a case by case basis, with a different approach depending on the person and especially contingent upon their level of dignity/superiority over us; superiors should be corrected with reverence)
2.) With love (see 1 Cor 13)
3.) At the right time (specifically, when passions are not raised)
4.) In the right place (privately, unless the crime is public and a scandal and requires public correction)
5.) By giving a good example ourselves







Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Sola Scriptura Logically & Sufficiently Refuted: by Fr. Damen (SJ, 1837)

The following is an abridged version of Fr. Arnold Damen's talk from 1837 called "The Church or the Bible."

"One cannot have God for his Father, who will not have the Church for his Mother," and likewise one cannot have the Word of God for his faith who will not have the Church for his teacher....lest while reading the Scriptures "they wrest them to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:16)

"He that believeth and is Baptized," said the Son of the Living God, "shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned." (Mark 16:16). Here, then, Our Blessed Lord laid down the two conditions of salvation:
1.) Faith
2.) Baptism. 

 ...we must have Divine Faith, not human faith.
What is Divine Faith? It is to believe, upon the authority of God, all the Truths that God has revealed...to believe without doubting, without hesitating.
 Human faith is when we believe a thing upon the authority of men – on human authority. 

You hear it said nowadays in this Nineteenth Century of little faith that it matters not what religion a man professes, providing he be a good man. That is heresy.
If a man is at liberty to reject what God revealeth, what use for Christ to send out His Apostles and disciples to teach all nations, if those nations are at liberty to believe or reject the teachings of the Apostles or disciples?

If God reveals a thing or teaches a thing, He means to be believed.
He wants to be believed whenever He teaches or reveals a thing. Man is bound to believe whatsoever God has revealed... bound to worship God, both with our reason and intellect, as well as with our heart and will.

Man must profess the true religion if he would be saved.
What is the true religion? To believe all that God has taught. I am sure that even my Protestant friends will admit this is right...
"But what is the true Faith?"
"The true Faith," say my Protestant friends, "is to believe in the Lord Jesus."
Agreed, Catholics believe in that. Tell me what you mean by believing in the Lord Jesus?
"Why," says my Protestant friend, "you must believe that he is the Son of the Living God."
Agreed again. Thanks be to God, we can agree on something. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, that He is God. To this we all agree, excepting the Unitarians and Socinians, but we will leave them alone tonight. If Christ be God, then we must believe all He teaches. Is this not so, my dearly beloved Protestant brethren and sisters? And that's the right Faith, isn't it ?
"Well, yes," says my Protestant friend "I guess that is the right Faith. To believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God we must believe all that Christ has taught."
Without that Faith there is no salvation, without that Faith there is no hope of Heaven, without that Faith there is eternal damnation! We have the words of Christ for it. "He that believeth not shall be condemned." (Jn 3:18)

If Christ commands me under pain of eternal damnation to believe all that He has taught, He must give me the means to know what He has taught, for Christ could not condemn me for believing a thing I do not know. Christ is a good and just God, loves us and desires our salvation...(1 Tim 2:4)

If, therefore, Christ commands me upon pain of eternal damnation, He is bound to give me the means of knowing what He has taught. And the means Christ gives us of knowing this must have been at all times within the reach of all people.
The means that God gives us to know what He has taught must be a means adapted to the capacities of all intellects – even the dullest. For even those of the dullest of understandings have a right to salvation...
The means that God gives us to know what he has taught must be an infallible means. It must be an infallible means, so that if a man makes use of that means, he will infallibly, without fear of mistake or error, be brought to a knowledge of all the truths that God has taught.
RECAP OF NECESSARY MEANS OF SALVATION:
1.) Accessible at all times to all people
2.) Easy to understand
3.) Infallible
Who can object to my premises?


Has God given us such means?
"Yes," say my Protestant friends, "He has."
And so says the Catholic: God has given us such a means.
What is the means God has given us whereby we shall learn the Truth that God has revealed?
"The Bible," says my Protestant friends, "the Bible, the whole of the Bible, and nothing but the Bible."
But we Catholics say, "No; not the Bible and its private interpretation, but the Church God."
I will prove the facts, then, that it is not the private interpretation of the Bible that has been appointed by God to be the teacher of man, but the Church of the living God. (1 Tim 3:15)

Sola Scriptura invented 1500 years after Christ
If God had intended that man should learn His religion from a book – the Bible – surely God would have given that book to man; Christ would have given that book to man. Did He do it? He did not. Christ sent His Apostles throughout the whole universe and said: "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (Mt 28:19)
Christ did not say, "Sit down and write Bibles and scatter them over the earth, and let every man read his Bible and judge for himself."
That injunction was reserved for the Sixteenth Century, and we have seen the result of it. Ever since the Sixteenth Century there have been springing up religion upon religion, and churches upon churches, all fighting and quarreling with one another. And all because of private interpretation of the Bible.

65 years without the Bible
Christ sent His Apostles with the authority to teach all nations, and never gave them any command of writing the Bible. 
The first word written was by St. Matthew...about seven years after Christ left this earth, so that the Church of God, established by Christ, existed seven years before a line was written of the New Testament.
St. Mark wrote about ten years after Christ left this earth;
St. Luke about twenty-five years,
and St. John about sixty-three years after Christ had established the Church of God.
St. John wrote the last portion of the Bible – the Book of Revelation – about sixty-five years after Christ had left this earth and the Church of God had been established.
The Catholic religion had existed sixty-five years before the Bible was completed, before it was written.

Now, I ask you, my dearly beloved separated brethren, were these Christian people, who lived during the period between the establishment of the Church of Jesus and the finishing of the Bible, were they really Christians, good Christians, enlightened Christians? Did they know the religion of Jesus?
It is admitted on all sides, by all denominations, that they were the very best of Christians, the first fruit of the Blood of Jesus Christ.
But how did they know what they had to do to save their souls? Was it from the Bible that they learned it?
Most assuredly not.
None of the Apostles ever read the Bible; not one of them except, perhaps, Saint John. For all of them had died martyrs... heroes for the Church of Jesus before the Bible was completed.
How, then, did those Christians...know what they had to do to save their souls?
From the teaching of the Church of God.

397 years without the Bible
Not only sixty-five years did Christ leave the Church He had established without a Bible, but over three hundred years.
In the days of the Apostles there were many false gospels. There was the Gospel of Simon, of Nicodemus, of Mary, of Barnabas, and the Gospel of the infancy of Jesus. All of these gospels were spread among the people, and the people did not know which of these were inspired and which were false and spurious.
And so it was in regard to the epistles...people were at a loss for over three hundred years to know which was false or spurious, or which inspired.
It was not until the Fourth Century that the Pope of Rome, the Head of the Church, the successor of Saint Peter, assembled together the Bishops of the world in a council. And there in that council it was decided that the Bible, as we Catholics now have it.

1400 years without the Bible
Not only for three hundred years was the world left without the Bible, but for one thousand four hundred years the Christian world was left without the Sacred Book.
Before the art of printing was invented, Bibles were rare, costly things. You must all be aware that the art of printing was invented about the middle of the Fifteenth Century.
Historians tell us that in the Eleventh Century Bibles were so rare and costly that it took a considerable fortune to buy oneself a copy of the Bible. 
Let us suppose that a man should work at the copying of the Bible for twenty years, as historians say it would have taken him that long, not having the conveniences and improvements to aid him that we have now. Then, at a dollar a day, for twenty years, the cost of a Bible would be nearly $8,000. (~$1-2M in 2016)

Salvation for the Wealthy Only?
You ask, "What are we to do to save your souls?" The Protestant preacher would say to you, "You must get a Bible; you can get one at such-and-such a shop." You would ask the cost, and be told it was $8,000 $2,000,000. You would exclaim: "The Lord save us! And can we not go to Heaven without that book?" The answer would be: "No, you must have the Bible and read it."
This would be a hopeless condition, indeed.
For fourteen hundred years the world was left without a Bible – not one in twenty thousand, before the art of printing was invented, had the Bible. And would our Divine Lord have left the world without that book if it was necessary to man's salvation?
Most assuredly not.

Salvation for the Scholars Only? (Illiterate & Monolingual Not Invited)
But let us suppose for a moment that all had Bibles...that Bibles were written from the beginning, and that every man, woman, and child had a copy. What good would that book be to people who did not know how to read it?
Even now one-half the inhabitants of the earth cannot read. (~15% in 2016)
Moreover, as the Bible was written in Greek and Hebrew, it would be necessary to know these languages in order to be able to read it.
But it is said that we have a translation now in French, English, and other languages of the day. Yes, but are you sure you have a faithful translation? If not, you have not the Word of God. 
"I do not know Greek or Hebrew," says my separated friend; "for my translation I must depend upon the opinion of the learned."
Well, then, dear friends, suppose the learned should be divided in their opinions, and some of them should say it is good, and some false? Then your faith is gone; you must commence doubting and hesitating...

Salvation Exclusively for King-James-Only Believers?
...the most learned among Protestants tell you that your translation – the King James edition – is a very faulty translation and is full of errors.
Your own learned divines, preachers, and bishops have written whole volumes to point out all the errors that are there in the King James translation, and Protestants of various denominations acknowledge it.

Protestants Admit Their Bible is Not Infallible (Full of Errors in Translation)
When I lived in St. Louis, there was held in that city a convention of ministers. All denominations were invited, the object being to arrange for a new translation of the Bible, and give it to the world.
A very learned Presbyterian stood up, and, urging the necessity of giving a new translation of the Bible, said that in the present Protestant translation of the Bible there were no less than thirty thousand errors.
And you say, my dear Protestant friends, that the Bible is your guide and teacher. What a teacher, with thirty thousand errors! The Lord save us from such a teacher! One error is bad enough, but thirty thousand is a little too much.

Men are fallible, with fallible private interpretations
My dear people, how can you be sure of your faith? You say the Bible is your guide....
Let us suppose for a moment that all should have a Bible – should all read it and have a faithful translation; even then it cannot be the guide of man, because the private interpretation of the Bible is not infallible, but, on the contrary, most fallible... the source and fountain of all kinds of errors and heresies, and all kinds of blasphemous doctrines. 
There are now throughout the world three hundred and fifty different denominations or churches [in Fr. Damen's time - some estimate over 30,000 now], and all of them say the Bible is their guide and teacher.
Are all of them true churches? This is an impossibility. Truth is one as God is one, and there can be no contradiction.

"Believers" Divided Amongst Themselves
Opinion #1
Let us suppose that here is an Episcopalian minister.
From the Word of the Bible, he says it is clear that there must be bishops. For without bishops there can be no priests, without priests no Sacraments, and without Sacraments no Church.
Opinion #2
The Presbyterian reads the Bible also, and deduces that there should be no bishops, but only presbyters. "Here is the Bible," says the Episcopalian; and "here is the Bible to give you a lie," says the Presbyterian. Yet both of them are prayerful and well-meaning men.
Opinion #3
Then the Baptist comes in; He is a well-meaning, honest man, and prayerful also. "Well," says the Baptist, "have you ever been baptized?" "I was," says the Episcopalian, "when I was a baby."
"And so was I," says the Presbyterian, "when I was a baby." "But," says the Baptist, "it was done by sprinkling, and that is no baptism at all. Unless you go down into the river, like Christ, it is no baptism." And he gives the Bible for it. "Unless you are baptized over again," says the Baptist, "you are going to Hell as sure as you live."
Opinion #4
Next comes the Unitarian..."Well, allow me to tell you that you are a pack of idolaters. You worship a man for a God who is no God at all." And he gives several texts from the Bible to prove it, while the others are stopping their ears that they may not hear the blasphemies of the Unitarian. And they all contend that they have the true meaning of the Bible.
Opinion #5
Next comes the Methodist, and he says, "My friends, have you got any religion at all?" "Of course we have," they say. "Did you ever feel religion," says the Methodist, "the Spirit of God moving within you?"
"Nonsense," says the Presbyterian, "we are guided by our reason and judgment."
"Well," says the Methodist, "if you have never felt religion, you never had it, and will go to Hell for eternity."
Opinion #6
The Universalist next comes in, and hears them threatening one another with eternal hellfire. "Why," says he, "you are a strange set of people. Do you not understand the Word of God? There is no Hell at all. That idea is good enough to scare old women and children," and he proves it from the Bible.
Opinion #7
Now comes in the Quaker. He urges them not to quarrel, and advises that they do not baptize at all. He is the sincerest of men, and gives the Bible for his faith.
Opinion #8
Another comes in and says: "Baptize the men and let the women alone. For the Bible says, 'unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.' So," says he, "the women are all right, but baptize the men."
Opinion #9
Next comes in the Shaker, and says he: "You are a presumptuous people. Do you not know that the Bible tells you that you must work out your salvation in fear and trembling, and you do not tremble at all. My brethren, if you want to go to heaven – shake, my brothren, shake!"

No Authority = Chaos, Doubt, Uncertainty...DIVISION
I have brought together seven or eight denominations, differing one from another, or understanding the Bible in different ways, illustrative of the fruits of private interpretation. What, then, if I brought together the three hundred and fifty different denominations, all taking the Bible for their guide and teaching, and all differing from one another?

Are they all right?

One says there is a Hell, and another says there is no Hell. Are both right?

One says Christ is God; another says He is not.

One says they are unessential.

One says Baptism is requisite, and another says it is not. Are both true?

This is an impossibility, my dear friends; all cannot be true.

Who, then, is true? He that has the true meaning of the Bible, you say. But the Bible does not tell us who that is – the Bible never settles the quarrel. It is not the teacher.

The need for a Supreme Judge
The Bible, my dear people, is a good book. Every Catholic is exhorted to read the Bible. But good as it is, the Bible, my dear friends, does not explain itself.
Your understanding of the Bible is not inspired – for surely you do not pretend to be inspired!
The Catholic Church says the Bible is the Word of God, and that God has appointed an authority to give us the true meaning.
EXAMPLE: The Constitution of the United States...did not say to the people of the States: "Let every man read the Constitution and make a government unto himself; let every man make his own explanation of the Constitution."
What did Washington do? He gave the people the Constitution and the Supreme Law, and appointed his Supreme Court and Supreme Judge of the Constitution.
All are bound to go by the decisions of the Supreme Court, and it is this and this alone that can keep the people together and preserve the union of the United States. The moment the people take the interpretation of the Constitution into their own hands, that moment there is an end of union.
In every well-ruled country there must be such a thing as this – a Supreme Law, Supreme Court, Supreme Judge, that all the people abide by.
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." 

So our Divine Savior also has established His Supreme Court
His Supreme Judge – to give us the true meaning of the Scriptures, and to give us the true revelation and doctrines of the Word of Jesus. The Son of the Living God has pledged His Word that this Supreme Court is infallible, and, therefore, the true Catholic never doubts.
"I believe," says the Catholic, "because the Church teaches me so. I believe the Church because God has commanded me to believe her. He said: 'Hear the Church, and he that does not hear the Church let him be to thee as a heathen and a publican.' 'He that heareth you heareth Me,' said Christ, 'and he that despiseth you despiseth Me.' "Therefore, the Catholic believes because God has spoken, and upon the authority of God.

But our Protestant friends say, "We believe in the Bible." Very well; how do you understand the Bible? "Well," says the Protestant, "to the best of my opinion and judgment this is the meaning of the text." He is not sure of it, but to the best of his opinion and judgment. This, my friends, is only the testimony of a man – it is only human faith, not Divine Faith.

It is Divine Faith alone by which we give honor and glory to God, by which we adore His infinite wisdom and veracity, and that adoration and worship is necessary for salvation.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Welcoming Wolves in Sheep's Clothing Freely Into the Flock

My friend Stephen Kokx recently posted an article on akacatholic.com in response to the Brussels
bombings which was short, sweet and insightful.

I'd like to provide some follow up commentary as I find myself sitting on the edge of my seat wondering when, where and how the next major attack will happen.

Let's begin with the end (of Stephen's article):

"Invoking the Gospel to support indiscriminate hospitality is a fallacious sophism for several reasons. First, it is true that there is an order in charity: to help someone by damaging someone else is complete nonsense. Those who rule a society cannot ignore the common good. It is therefore not necessary to welcome masses of people into a society already in crisis. Also, true charity cannot lose sight of the eternal salvation of souls, which you can get only through the Roman Church. The entry of people of other faiths in large numbers does not facilitate their conversion but feeds into an indifference, even if they do not take control of the society and do not impress it with their faith. There is a clear plan behind the entry of Muslims in Europe, which is to give the final blow to what little remains of Christian identity. I do not think that those who govern the Church can ignore a matter so obvious. I can only conclude that they are accomplices." - Fr. Mauro Tranquillo (FSSPX)

"To help someone by damaging someone else is complete nonsense."

This is 100% correct.

Our Lord warned us of false shepherds who come in sheep's clothing - the tactic publicized by the Masons in the Alta Vendita and by the Communists as exposed by Bella Dodd and the book AA-1025.
We know this applies spiritually to heretics & schismatics, but it seems many have forgotten that this is also a very effective tactic of war in the temporal realm, commonly known as the Trojan Horse.

Muslims are allowed to lie to pretend to convert in order to deceive, pacify, and destroy, and that is why a bunch of people were shot up in Paris, why several were blown up in Brussels, and why many more will undoubtedly lose their lives in the months or years to come.
The ease with which this mission is carried out is highly contingent upon how readily the global leaders continue to welcome in these wolves into their flocks.


Many today, blinded by a naive idealism about humanitarian support, believe that kicking the gates off of our fences and exposing a flock to wolves is the best way to save other sheep who are presently being persecuted.
I find it shocking that I have to explain why this a ridiculous opinion.

When a deadly disease is found in a town, the area is quarantined. Both those infected and those exposed are kept in a contained place to prevent the disease from spreading.
Once the perimeter is sealed, brave doctors and other volunteers go into the quarantined area to attempt to vaccinate, treat and save as many as possible.
What they do NOT do is invite all the people who claim not to be sick to run into other towns and potentially infect an even greater population.


Islam is a deadly disease, a poisonous ideology which is rapidly infecting the masses. It takes no prisoners, demands you convert or die.
The Middle East needs to be quarantined.
Missionaries can go risk and give their lives as have millions before to go and try to convert and save their souls.
Soldiers can go risk the same to try to suppress the violence and to eradicate the disease.

Sound familiar? That's what the Crusades were. You know, that demonized, evil effort by the corrupt Catholic Church to conquer the world?

WRONG.

Without the Crusades, what is presently unfolding would have happened centuries ago.

Today it's happening precisely because the Church is leading the effort to take this thing from a localized epidemic to a global pandemic by promoting open borders.


The NUMBER ONE goal of a national government is to protect and safeguard its own people.
Opening the borders is not the solution.
If you want your wife and kids put at risk, pack up and move them to the Middle East to be missionaries and God bless you on your way, for no greater gift is there than to lay down your life for another.
But inviting those who would try to kill you in Iraq or Syria into this country because you think it's the "nice" thing to do is a different story. That puts my wife and child at risk, and as a husband and a father, it's my grave responsibility to take exception with that.

We will remain here in an effort to raise many holy children. Here, at home, where they are presently [somewhat] safe.
We will pray, fast, do penance and live in charity, acknowledging that we alone can do nothing but with God can do all things.
18 years from now, maybe my son will be one of those courageous souls to go risk his life abroad.
Between then and now, I just hope he doesn't have to face that same risk on US soil.

"If it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice...as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."






Saturday, May 14, 2016

True vs False Protest

One cannot protest something he does not understand; instead, he can only delude himself into protesting a fallacy. The genesis of this delusory protest can be likened to the opening of Pandora's box, whence follows an ever rising tide of erroneous hypotheses whose only commonality is their perversion and deviation from the truth. How can one infallibly identify such a false, damnable protest? By its fruits: division, heresy, justification of vice, oversimplifying the mysteries of God. "There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be." - Fulton J Sheen




Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Fiery Prayer for the Apostles of the Latter Times by St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort

Found at Tradition in Action


St. Louis composed this prayer asking for apostles of the latter times. These fiery words are certainly applicable to our days, when the need for these apostles is so urgent in face of the universal and profound affliction of Holy Mother Church. 

The division into days and subtitles has been added to make it easier to pray. 

First Day: To Raise Up Men of Thy Right Hand

Remember, O Lord, remember Thy congregation which Thou did possess from the beginning and think of from all eternity. It was held in Thy Almighty hand when, by a word, Thou didst create the world out of nothing. It was hidden in Thy heart when Thy Divine Son, dying on the Cross, consecrated it by His death and confided it, as a precious treasure, to the care of His most dear Mother: Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast possessed from the beginning (Ps. 73:2). 

Accomplish, O Lord, Thy merciful designs; raise up the men of Thy right hand, such men as Thou hast shown in prophetic vision to some of Thy greatest servants - to St. Francis of Paola, to St. Vincent Ferrer, to St. Catherine of Siena, and to many other noble souls during the last two centuries.

A trumpeting Angel
Remember, O Lord: O Almighty God, remember this Company, applying to it all the might of Thy arm, which has no limits, to create, to produce and to bring it to perfection. 

Great God, Thou Who out of the very stones can raise up children to Abraham, in the might of Thy Godhead say but one word to provide good laborers for Thy harvest and missionaries for Thy Church. 

Remember, O Lord: God of infinite goodness, remember Thy mercies of old and, through this mercy, remember this congregation. Remember Thy repeated promises that Thou has made to us by Thy Prophets and by Thine Own Son to grant us all our lawful requests. Remember the prayers that have been offered To Thee by Thy servants for this end for so many centuries. Let their wishes, their sighs, their tears, and the blood that they have shed for Thee come into Thy presence and earnestly implore Thy mercy. But, above all, remember Thy Dear Son: Look on the face of Thy Christ (Ps. 83:10). Contemplate His agony, His shame and confusion, His loving complaint in the Gar- den of Olives, when He said: What profit is there in My Blood?(Ps. 29:10). 

His cruel death, His Blood that poured forth cries out for mercy so that, by means of this congregation, His Kingdom may be established upon the ruins of that of His enemies. 

Remember, O Lord: Remember, O Lord, this community in the effects of Thy justice. It is time, O Lord, to do: they have dissipated Thy law (Ps. 118:126). It is time to do what Thou has promised: Thy Divine Law is transgressed. Thy Gospel is ignored, Thy religion abandoned. Torrents of iniquity overwhelm the world, carrying away even Thy servants; the whole earth has become desolate; impiety is enthroned; Thy sanctuary is profaned, and abomination has reached even into the holy place. 

Will Thou suffer this any longer, just Lord, God of vengeance? Will the end of all be like that of Sodom and Gomorrah? Will Thou be forever silent? Must not Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven? Must not Thy Kingdom come? Hast Thou not given to some of Thy friends a prophetic glimpse of the future renovation of Thy Church? Are not the Jews to be converted to the Truth? Is not this what Thy Church is awaiting? Do not all the Saints in heaven cry out to Thee: Avenge Thyself? Do not all the just on earth say to Thee: Amen. Come, O Lord, for the time is at hand (Apoc. 22:20). Do not all creatures, even the most insensible, moan under the weight of the numberless sins of Babylon and call for Thy coming to reestablish all things? For we know that every creature groaneth (Rom. 8:22). 

Second Day: Detachment from all Earthly Things

Lord Jesus, Remember Thy congregation. Remember to give to Thy Mother a new company who, through Her, will renew all things and thus, through Mary, complete the years of grace just as, through Her, Thou did begin them. 

Give me children, otherwise I shall die (Gen. 30:1): Give to Thy Mother children, servants, or let me die. Give Thy Mother children. It is for Thy Mother’s sake that I pray to Thee. Remember that Thou did dwell within her womb, were nourished at Her breasts, and reject me not. Remember whose Son Thou art and hear me. Remember what She is to Thee and what Thou art to Her, and grant my request. What is it I am asking from Thee? Nothing for myself, all for Thy glory. What am I asking of Thee? What Thou can, and even, I dare say, what Thou should grant me, being as Thou art the true God to Whom all power has been given in heaven and on earth and the best of all children, for Thou loved Thy Mother with an infinite love. 

What am I asking of Thee? 

Children: Priests, free with Thy freedom, detached from all things, without father or mother, or brothers or sisters, without relations according to the world, without means, without worry, without cares, and even without any will of their own. 

Children: Slaves of Thy love and of Thy will: men according to Thy heart, who, without self-will to stain and hold them back, accomplish all Thy designs and crush all Thy enemies; other Davids, with the staff of the Cross and the sling of the holy Rosary in their hands. 

Children: souls raised above this earth like heavenly dew who, without impediment, fly hither and thither in accordance with the breath of the Holy Spirit. It was they, in part, Thy Prophets spoke of when they asked: Who are these that fly as clouds? (Is. 60:8). Wither the impulse of the Spirit was to go, there they went (Ez. 1:12). 

Children: Men ever at Thy hand, ever ready to obey Thee, like Samuel, at the voice of their Superiors: Presto sum: I am ready, every ready to run and suffer everything with Thee and for Thee, like the Apostles: Let us also go ,that we may die with Him(John 11:16). 

Children: True Children of Mary, Thy Holy Mother, who are begotten and concealed by Her charity, carried in Her bosom, fastened to Her breasts, nourished with Her milk, reared under Her care, upheld by Her arms, and enriched with Her graces. 

Children: True servants of the Blessed Virgin, who, like other Saint Dominics, would go everywhere carrying the bright and burning torch of the Holy Gospel in their mouths and the holy Rosary in their hands; barking, like faithful watchdogs, at the wolves who would fain tear to pieces the flock of Jesus Christ; burning like fires and lighting up the darkness of the World like other suns. Men who would, by means of a true devotion to Mary, that is to say, interior, not hypocritical; exterior, not critical; prudent, not ignorant; tender, not indifferent; constant, not unsteady; and holy, without presumption, crush wherever they go the head of the old serpent, in order that the curse Thou placed on him might be entirely fulfilled: I will put enmities between thee and the Woman and thy seed and Her seed: She shall crush thy head(Gen. 3:15). 

Third Day: In Combat with the Devil

It is true, great God, that as Thou has predicted, the world will lay mighty snares to entrap the heel of this mysterious woman, that is to say, the little company of her children who will emerge toward the end of the world, and that there will be a mighty enmity between this blessed posterity of Mary and the cursed race of Satan. But it is a divine enmity, and the only one of which Thou art the author: I will put enmities. But these combats and persecutions that the children of the race of Belial will inflict on Thy Blessed Mother’s race will only serve to show to greater advantage the power of Thy grace and the courage of their virtue and the authority of Thy Mother, since Thou hast given to Her, from the beginning of the world, the commission to curse this proud spirit by the humility of Her Heart: She shall crush thy head

If not this, then I shall die: Is it not better that I should die rather than see my God cruelly offended every day and myself in constant danger of being carried away by the unopposed and ever-increasing torrents of iniquity? Ah, death would be to me a thousand times preferable. Either send me help from heaven or take away my soul. Yes, if I did not hope that sooner or later Thou would, in the interest of Thy glory, hear his poor sinner as Thou has already heard so many others: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him (Ps. 33:7), then I would pray to Thee just as the Prophet did: Take away my soul! (Kings 19:4) 

But the confidence that I have in Thy mercy makes me say with another Prophet: I shall not die, but live; and shall declare the works of the Lord (Ps. 117:17) until I can say with Simeon: Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, in peace, because my eyes have seen Thy salvation (Luke 2:29). 

Fourth Day: Formed by the Holy Spirit in Mary

Remember, O Lord, O Holy Spirit, remember to produce and to form children of God with Thy divine and faithful Spouse, Mary. Thou did form Jesus Christ, the Chief of the predestined, with Her and in Her. It is with Her and in Her that Thou should form all His members; Thou did beget no divine person in the Divinity; but it is Thou alone Who forms all holy persons out of the Divinity; and all the saints that have been or shall be until the end of the world are so many works of Thy love united with Mary. The special reign of God the Father lasted until the Deluge, and was concluded by a deluge of water. The reign of Jesus Christ was concluded by a deluge of Blood. But Thy reign, Spirit of the Father and of the Son, continues at the present time and will be concluded by deluge of fire, of love, of justice.

A trumpeting Angel
When shall it come, this deluge of fire and pure love, which Thou art to enkindle in all the earth with so much strength and sweetness that all nations, Turks, idolaters, even the Jews, will burn with it and be converted? And there is no one who can hide himself from his heat (Ps. 18:7). 

May it be enkindled: May this divine fire, which Jesus Christ came to bring the world be enkindled before that of Thy anger, which will reduce everything to ashes. Send forth Thy spirit and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103:30). Send forth the spirit of fire upon the earth to create priests all aflame, by whose ministry the face of the earth may be renewed and the Church reformed. 

Remember Thy congregation, O Lord: It is a congregation, an assembly, a choice selection of predestined souls, which Thou must make in the world and of the world:I have chosen you out of the world (John 15:19). It is a flock of peaceful sheep which Thou must collect from among the wolves; a company of chaste doves and royal eagles from among so many ravens; a swarm of honey bees from among so many wasps; a herd of fleet deer from among so many tortoises; a battalion of courageous lions from among so many timid hares. Ah! Lord: Gather us from among the nations (Ps. 105:47). Call us together, unite us, that we may render all glory to Thy holy and powerful name. 

Fifth Day: Complete trust in Providence

Thou did predict this illustrious company to Thy Prophets who spoke of it in inspired, although in very obscure and very secret, terms:
Thou shall set aside for Thy inheritance a free rain, O God; and it was weakened, but Thou hast made it perfect. In it shall Thy animals dwell: in Thy sweetness, O God, Thou hast provided for the poor. The Lord shall give the word to them that preach good tidings with great power. The king of powers is of the beloved, of the beloved; and the beauty of the house shall divide spoils. If you sleep among the midst of lots, you shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and the hinder parts of her back with the paleness of gold. When He that is in heaven appointed kings over her, they shall be white with snow in Selmon. The mountain of God is a fat mountain. A curdled mountain, a fat mountain. Why suspect, ye curdled mountains? A mountain in which God is well pleased to swell: for there the Lord shall dwell unto the end (Ps. 67: 10-17).
What is this voluntary rain which Thou has separated and chosen for Thy weakened heritage if not these missionaries, these children of Mary, Thy Spouse, whom Thou art to assemble and to separate from the world for the good of Thy Church so afflicted and so weakened by the crimes of her children? 

What are these animals and these poor who will dwell in Thy heritage, to be there nourished with the heavenly sweetness that Thou has prepared for them, if not these poor missionaries trusting in Providence, who will be satiated with Thy divine joys; if not those mysterious animals of Ezekiel, having the humanity of man by their disinterest and beneficent charity toward their neighbor; the courage of the lion by their holy anger and their ardent, prudent zeal against the demons and the children of Babylon; and the strength of the ox by their apostolic labors and their mortification of the flesh, and finally, the swiftness of the eagle by their contemplation in God? 

These are the missionaries whom Thou wish to send to Thy Church. They shall have the eye of a man for their neighbor, the eye of a lion for Thy enemies, the eye of an ox for themselves, and the eye of an eagle for Thee. These imitators of the Apostles shall preach with a strength and a virtue so great and so striking that they will stir up all minds and all hearts, wheresover they will preach. It is to them that Thou wilt give Thy word: even Thy mouth and Thy wisdom: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist or gainsay(Luke 21: 15), which none of Thy enemies will be able to resist. 

It is among these well-beloved that Thou, Holy Spirit, as King of the virtues of Jesus Christ, the Well-Beloved, will take Thy delight. For in all their missions, they shall have no other end in view than that of giving to Thee all the glory of the spoils taken from Thy enemies: The king of powers is of the beloved, of the beloved, and the beauty of the house shall divide the spoils. 

By their trust in Providence and their devotion to Mary, they shall have the silvery wings of the dove: that is to say, a perfect charity toward their neighbors to bear with their defects, and a great love for Jesus Christ to carry His Cross. 

Thou alone, as King of heaven and King of kings, shall set apart from the world these missionaries like so many kings, in order to make them whiter than the snow on the top of Mount Selmon, the mountain of God, the strong and fertile mountain in which God takes wonderful delight and in which He dwells and shall dwell until the end. 

Lord God of Truth, Who is this mysterious mountain of which Thou speakest such wonderful things if not Mary, Thy dear Spouse, whose foundation Thou has placed upon the tops of the highest mountains? The foundations thereof are in the holy mountains ... the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of mountains (Ps. 86:1; Mich. 4:1). 

Happy, a thousand times happy, are the priests whom Thou has chosen and predestined to dwell with Thee upon this abundant and divine mountain, there to become the kings of eternity by their contempt of the world and their elevation in God; there to be made whiter than snow by their union with Mary, Thy spouse, all beautiful, all pure, all immaculate; there to be enriched with the dew of heaven and the riches of the land, with all the temporal and eternal blessings with which Mary is filled. 

It is from the top of this mountain that, like other Moses’, they shall direct the arrows of their ardent prayers against their enemies to crush or to convert them. It is upon this mountain that they shall learn, even from the lips of Jesus Christ, Who always dwells there, the meaning of His Eight Beatitudes. It is upon this mountain of God that they shall be transfigured with Him as upon Tabor, die with Him as upon Calvary, and ascend to heaven with Him as upon Mount Olivet. 

Sixth Day: That they may extinguish the fire in the House of God

Remember, O Lord, Thy congregation: It is Thy Grace alone that must form this company. If man touches it first, nothing will be done. If he interferes with Thy work, he will spoil all, overturn all. Thy congregation: It is Thy work, great God. Do Thy work: do Thy all-divine work; collect, call, gather together Thy elect from all places over which Thou has domination and make of them a strong army to defend Thy heritage against Thy enemies.

Soldiers pay homage to God

The battalions pay homage to the God of battles
Seest Thou, Lord, God of battles, seest Thou the captains who are forming full battalions, the potentates who are assembling whole fleets, the merchants gathering in large numbers at the markets and the fairs? Crowds of robbers, drunkards, libertines, impious men are uniting against Thee every day - and so easily and promptly. The sound of a whistle, the beat of a drum, the sight of a blunt sword-tip, the promise of a withered laurel wreath, the offer of a bit of gold or silver; in a word, a breath of fame and earthly interest, a vile pleasure for which they long can, in a moment, unite robbers as one, call forward soldiers, assemble battalions, bring together merchants, fill houses and market places and cover the earth and the sea with an innumerable multitude of the reprobate, who, although divided among themselves by the places whence they come, by the differences in their dispositions or by their personal interests, are nevertheless united as one man, until death, to fight against Thee under the banner and the leadership of the demon. 

And we, great God! Although there is so much glory and profit, so much sweetness and so many advantages to be gained by serving Thee, shall there be so few to take up Thy cause? Hardly any soldiers under Thy banner! Nary a St. Michael to proclaim among Thy brethren in zeal for Thy glory: Who is like unto God? 

Ah, let me cry out everywhere: Fire! Fire! Fire! Help! Help! Help! Fire even within the sanctuary! Help for our brother who is being murdered! Help for our children whose throats are being cut! Help for our Father Who is being stabbed! If any man be on the Lord’s side, let him join with me (Ex. 32:26). 

Let all good priests who are spread over the Christianworld, and those who are actually on the battlefield and those who have withdrawn from the combat to bury themselves in deserts and solitude, let them all come forward and unite with us — in unity there is strength — so that we may form, under the banner of the Cross, a well-regulated army in battle array, and together attack the enemies of God who have already sounded the alarm. They have shouted; they have raged; they have swelled their ranks. Let us break their bonds asunder; let us cast away their yoke from us. He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them (Ps. 2:3-4). Let the Lord arise, and let His enemies be dispersed. 

Arise, O Lord, why sleepest Thou? Arise: Arise, O Lord, why feignest Thou to sleep? Arise in Thy might, Thy mercy, and Thy justice, to form Thyself a chosen bodyguard to keep Thy house, to defend Thy glory, and to save the souls bought at the price of Thy Precious Blood, so that there may be but one fold and one shepherd, and that all may glorify Thee in Thy holy temple: And in His temple all shall proclaim His glory. Amen.