One does not hear sermons like this at the local parish.
What the Church needs is a “rock solid papacy.”
The N.O. “was not ‘fabricated’ for the greater glory of God”, but “to foster active participation and to not offend Protestants.”
“We are in a crisis!”
The splendor associated with the true worship of God is the inheritance of every Catholic.
The Cenacle in which Our Lord celebrated the first Mass was a beautifully furnished upper chamber. Its mere elevation, designated it for use on special occasions above and beyond mundane activity. Why did our Lord expressly desire that the place for this singular Pasch should be richly adorned? Bossuet provides us with the answer: “The Evangelists do not remark,” says Bossuet, “that this was His ordinary custom on other Pasches. The Holy Fathers also say that this adornment was connected with the Institution of the Eucharist. Jesus Christ desired to show us with what care places consecrated to the celebration of this Mystery should be decorated. It is only in this circumstance that He did not wish to appear poor. “
The Old Testament, with its foreshadowing of “good things yet to come”, is filled with precise directives from God Himself regarding accoutrements, elaborate priestly garments, ritual, ceremony, victims, etc., for how He wanted to be worshiped. If that was the case then, it only follows that the worship of God in the New Testament should
be even more magnificent. 
“If that which is done away is glorious: much more that which remained is in glory” 2 Cor. III:II. God, over a period of thousands of years before Christ, did not prepare His people for the Perfect Sacrifice so that under the New Covenant, we could then worship Him in a more mediocre and miserly manner than did the Jewish race that only beheld the “shadow”; to do so would only be a deterioration, not a perfection of true worship.
What is most capable of drawing the hearts of a humanity caught in the drab and dull monotony of day-to-day living with all its uncertainties and sorrows, if not the Mass? This, the greatest glory on earth, is in the hands of the Catholic Church. The ritual, reverence, magnificence in which it must be celebrated is the sign of our belief that Christ is, here and now, present in our world of pain. Isn’t that something we should want to communicate to the world?
From the Manual of the Holy Catholic Church on the pre-conciliar liturgies of the Church:
Q. But are not the religious ceremonies used in the Catholic Church, contrary to the simplicity and humility of the Gospel?
A. No. Because, first, whatever conduces to preserve order and decorum in the worship of God, is not contrary to the humility and simplicity of religion; for our reason teaches us that order ought to be observed in all things, and especially in what regards the service of the Almighty; St. Paul expressly commands, that “all things be done decently and according to order.” 1 Cor. XIV:40 …..Now, all the public ceremonies of the Church are ordained for this end – to preserve uniformity in all the exterior acts of religion. [Forget post-conciliar inculturation!]
Second, Whatever has a connection with virtue is used for no other view but to render us more virtuous and better disposed towards the service of God, and cannot possibly be against the humility and simplicity of religion; for this can never forbid any external action which is performed with an humble and sincere heart in order to honor God. Now, all the ceremonies of religion are intended to excite in our minds a high idea of the magnificence and grandeur of Almighty God, and a just sense of our own weakness and infirmities, and they are used on purpose to give public homage to God, as our sovereign Lord, and to acknowledge our own dependence on Him.
Third, The humility and simplicity of the Gospel consists in a deep sense of the infinite majesty of God, and of our own unworthiness, and in a total submission to Him, seeking His honor and glory, and the accomplishment of His Holy will in all things. Now, experience itself teaches, that nothing contributes more effectively to excite in our souls, a reverential respect of the Divine Majesty, with a sense of our own nothingness in His presence, than those august and solemn ceremonies which the Church uses.
To be continued
Why do so many Catholics when looking upon a cross, remain impassive and indifferent to the sufferings of our Lord? It would be good for our souls to examine ourselves and see if we are guilty of the reason offered by St. Alphonsus Liguori. Thus forearmed with knowledge, we can correct ourselves, if necessary, and come to better utilize the graces Holy Mother Church offers us this holy season to grow in the love of our Lord and Redeemer.
Consider not so much the sorrows and insults……as the love with which He bore them………for me.
“During the holy week they are present at the celebration of his death, but without sentiments of tenderness or gratitude, and as if they commemorated an event which never happened, or which does not concern them. Perhaps they neither know nor believe what the Gospels relate of the Passion of Jesus Christ: I answer and say, that they know it and believe it, but they do not reflect on it. Ah! for those who believe and reflect on the Passion of the Redeemer, it is impossible not to burn with love for a God who suffers such torments, and dies for the love of them. “The charity of Christ presseth us.” – 2 Cor. 5:14
“The Apostle meant to say that, in thinking on the Passion of our Lord, we should consider not so much the sorrows and insults which he suffered as the love with which he bore them; for Jesus Christ wished to submit to such torments, not only to save us (since for our salvation a single petition offered by him to his Father would be sufficient), but also to make us understand the affection which he entertained for us, and thus gain our hearts. Ah! a soul that thinks of this love of Jesus Christ cannot but love him….
“O happy you, O loving souls, who frequently meditate on the Passion of Jesus. ‘You shall, says Isaias,draw waters with joy out of the Saviour’s fountains.'”
This painting was done according to the instructions of St. John Bosco. St. Joseph is dropping roses over the Vatican which is seen against a backdrop of dark, ominous clouds. Two angels carry a banner which reads: “Ite ad Joseph”.
One of St. John Bosco’s prophetic dreams relates an event in which a Pope(s) leads the faithful away from Rome. It is a lengthy account, so I will only present the part which is most apropos for us today on this great Feast of St. Joseph. I will include a few opinions which are merely mine, but which I consider make a great deal of sense.
“It was during a dark night; people could no longer tell the path to take to their homes.”
It does not seem far-fetched to imagine that this probably refers to the “diabolical disorientation” to which Sr. Lucia referred. How many times in her writings did she not express her deep concerns about the dangers to our faith in “a world plunged in the darkness of error, immorality and pride”, and for “the souls of the faithful abandoned by their leaders”?
“When there appeared in the sky a splendid light that lit the footsteps of the travelers as though it were high noon.”
For these times of apostasy, God in His mercy sent us the “Light of the Saints”, Lucia dos Santos. Quite literally, the long-remaining Fatima seer’s name means “light of the saints”! But foremost, the messages, warnings, and promises of Our Lady of Fatima are, indeed, a light unto our path.
She is that splendid light who appeared in the heavens to dispel the darkness of error. When our Lady would appear, her visits were preceded by a flash of light, and she herself was always radiant with the splendor of the Light which is God. In her final apparition of October 13, she did appear at high noon, and it seems that the falling sun was to warn us of approaching spiritual darkness: “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that the sun shall go down at midday.” – Amos 8:9
“Then were to be seen a crowd of men, women, children, old men, monks, nuns and priest, and at their head the Sovereign Pontiff, leaving the Vatican and forming in procession.”
The faithful are actually following the lead of a pope away from the Apostolic Seat of Peter!
“Now, however, there is a violent storm, overshadowing the light, and seemingly fighting against it.”
This is the war waged against the light given for our times; a war of lies, misrepresentations, deceptions, distortions, calumniations, and diabolical apings which rage against our Lady of Fatima’s message and its messengers. Even to this day, we still do not know the words our Lady spoke when she gave the children the vision of the 3rd secret. Our own hierarchy has kept them hidden from us, with the reason being, according to Fr. Alonso, that an “untimely” revelation of the text “would have only exasperated further the two trends which continue to tear the Church; a traditionalism which would be thought to be helped by the prophecies of Fatima and a progressivism which would have howled against these apparitions which, in such a scandalous manner, would have seemed to put the brakes on the march forward of the conciliar Church.”
“However, they arrived at a small square that was strewn with dead and wounded; several of them shouted for help. The ranks of the procession thinned out considerably.”
The post-conciliar ”procession” has resulted in a catastrophic apostasy. Subsequently, there has been a drastic decline in the Church’s institutions. If you need convincing, get a copy of Jone’s Index of Leading Catholic Indicators: The Church since Vatican II. Also see mycatholic source. com
“Having walked for a period of corresponding to two hundred sunrises, they all noticed that they were not longer in Rome. Fear seized hold of their minds and each one pressed round the Pope in order to protect his person and to help him in his troubles.”
I think this latter sentence most aptly refers to those who adhere to a form of papolotry; those who would rather be wrong with the Pope than right with traditional Catholics. They, unfortunately, have allowed themselves be led away “from Rome.”
Here is the part I love and which I long to see fulfilled:
“At that moment, two angels could be seen presenting the Pope with a standard and saying to him: ‘Receive this red banner from Him who fights and scatters the most powerful armies of the earth. (Today, I think of St. Joseph, “Terror of Demons” at whose name, the devils flee! So, beginning today, and with much love, say his name a thousand times over!) The enemies have fled and your sons are imploring you with sighs and tears to return.’”
“Raising one’s eyes to the standard, one could read written on one side: Regina sine Labe Concepta, and on the other side: Auxilium Christianorum.”
“The Pontiff took the standard with joy, but seeing the small numbers of those who had stayed with him, he became sad.”
The number who have maintained the faith – in spite of following the Pope – is small.
“Having heard that, the Pope began to move forward, and the ranks of those in the procession swelled.”
“When he entered the holy City, he began to weep over the desolation of its inhabitants, many of whom were no more. Then entering Saint Peter’s, he intoned the “Te Deum”, which was taken up by a choir of angels singing “Gloria in excelsis…”
“The singing ended, the darkness completely vanished and the brilliant sun began to shine. The towns, villages and countryside saw their populations much diminished. The earth seemed to preserve the trace of a storm and of a rainfall or of hail stones, and people were going up to one another and saying: “Yes, truly, there is a God in Israel.”
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Praised be Jesus Christ who has set the Great St. Joseph as lord over His House!
St. Joseph, terror of demons, put to flight the enemies of Holy Mother Church that we may soon see the triumphant victory of our Lady, and the promised reign of peace!
Have a blessed feast day!
Some have asked as to how this Pope could lead people astray. Well, here is one way to do it: false apparitions. Have you ever tried to dissuade a Medjugorite? Their “religion” is a Pentecostalism, an ecumenist one, flavored with sentimental and sensational Mariology so as to give the appearance of being Catholic.
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“As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis opened his diocese to Medjugorje priests, and asked Fr. Jozo Zovko to bless him. And shortly before he left for the papal conclave in Rome, he approved of visionary Ivan Dragicevic’s public apparition arrangements that drew 10,000 people.
“Medjugorje is far from unknown to Pope Francis.
“In the recent newsletter of the organization Children of Medjugorje, Sr. Emmanuel Maillard summarizes three occasions when the new Pope, as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, approved of public talks from prominent Medjugorje visitors in his diocese.”
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There is another bit of interesting news at the Huff Post which suggests who the next Secretary of State will be:
“Citing anonymous sources, Corriere della Sera writes of an under-the-counter agreement between the supporters of Bergoglio and the “great loser” Angelo Scola. Based on this agreement, Scola would become Secretary of State of the Holy See, taking upon himself the difficult task of guiding the reformation of the roman Curia. For this “dirty work” the archbishop of Milan would want to be rewarded in the next conclave. Bergoglio, in fact, is 76 years old and his pontificate might not last long.”
I think all of our readers should read this article at Renew America. It’s serious, people; really, really serious. The article is copyrighted, so I will only give you this small bit:
“One of the first signs of Bergoglio’s approach to the papacy will be to observe how he handles Vice President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to the Vatican, to join in the celebration. Will Bergoglio allow Joe Biden to receive Holy Communion while in Rome? – given Joe Biden’s pro-abortion position? [Reports are that the Holy Father himself will not be distributing Holy Communion. He will “sit it out”. So, will he tell the deacons to withhold Communion from those two?]
Will he dialogue with Biden – like he did with Skorka?
The bus to Bergoglio’s “end of the world” has left the station – and he’s taking you with him.”
I am going to be deleting the previous post entitled “A Prophet Arises?” I think he is a fraud.
I do not see that Massimo Coppo belongs to any approved Catholic Order. An internet search says that “Since 2010, after a particular call he is staying night and day in Assisi, in a penitential mission of prayer and Christian witness.” On various pages that advertise this Massimo, I see the word “Christian”, not Catholic, although there are pictures of Popes so as to fool people. Another page has a link to an ufo site.
And of course there is a bank number given so one can make a direct deposit to the organization with which he is associated: Associazione I.A.C.A. International Association for Christian Action.
Addendum, 3/14/13 – In answer to a question left in the com box:
I have gone back to the CRC issue #5, January ’03, from which I obtained material for this post. Due to my haste, I neglected to look and see who the author was. It turns out that it was Brother Bruno, the Brother who started assuming responsibility for the Community in the declining years of the Abbé. So, it must be said that the Brother wrote what he must have considered would meet with the approval of the Abbe, since the Abbé was still listed as the editor of their publications.
The title of the article reads: “Gentle and Humble Anticipation: Is a New Saint Pius X Coming?” The Abbé is not quoted in any part as saying that Bergoglio would be another Pius X. It seems obvious that the article represents the optimistic thinking of Brother Bruno; but the Abbé must not have made any objections to its publication.
In the context of the time in which it was written, recall the Abbé’s abhorrence of what he termed John Paul II’s “Wojtylian Gnosis” that somehow ALL men are already associated with Christ by virtue of being men! In the year 2003, the Community of the CRC was already expressing hopes for a holy, zealous pope in the shoes of St. Pius X. Brother Bruno must have seen in Bergoglio the simplicity and humble origins which we saw in that last, great, saintly Pope.
Would it really have pleased the Abbé to see the elevation of Cardinal Bergoglio to the papacy? I apologize for my assumption in saying that he would. He might have, but it turns out we really don’t know. I am deleting the pertinent sentence in this post:
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He is known for his austerity, and thus, probably the reason he chose the name of “Francis”. I find it interesting that he was picked during the month of St. Joseph, and that he was elected on the 13th, the number associated with Fatima. Furthermore, he will be installed on the Feast of St. Joseph. That bodes well. I am hopeful. Considering the other possibilities, I was relieved. I was of the opinion that the ones favored by trads, Ranjith and Burke, did not stand a chance.
The Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a Jesuit, is described as being reserved, timid, and laconic and austere. The CRC of January 2003 wrote that when he was made Cardinal in 2001, Argentinians initiated fundraising efforts to fly to Rome for the ceremonies of his receiving the red hat. Bergoglio ordered the people to stay home and to distribute the monies to the poor. He preferred to celebrate with Lenten austerity, practically alone. I quote from the CRC: “He has always lived this way. Since he was made archbishop of the Argentinian capital, the luxurious residence next to the cathedral has remained empty. He lives in a nearby apartment, together with another bishop, old and ailing. In the evening, he himself cooks for both of them. He rarely drives, getting around most of the time by bus, wearing the cassock of an ordinary priest.”
Though living with simplicity and having sympathy for the poor, he rebuffs Liberation Theology. The article continues: “…[H]e is not the type to compromise himself for the public…instead of giving a learned homily on social justice to the people of Argentina, reduced by hunger – he told them to return to the humble teaching of the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. ‘ This,’ he explained, ‘is the way of Jesus.’…He is a Jesuit of the old school, faithful to St. Ignatius.”
For me, I find it most welcome to know that he does not like to travel, and that as archbishop and Cardinal, he only flew to Rome when summoned.
In view of his abhorrence to being in the Vatican bureaucracy, I wish I could have seen his reaction when the Cardinals selected him pope. He is quoted as once having replied to the possibility of being appointed to an important dicastery by saying, “Please, I would die in the Curia.” It was also said that after the death of John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger as well as Cardinal Ruini,were favorable to him as papabile, while Sodano, according to Magister, would not likely support him. That was in 2002 and who knows how sides were aligned this time around. But if Bergoglio was not a “Sodano man”, than that in itself must be an indication that God has been merciful.
According to Magister, in that interview of ’02, what he found likeable and unique about Bergoglio, was that “He flees everything that resembles honours and the pursuit of a career”; that and his deep spirituality.
We do not have a traditionalist Pope, but we are getting better than what we deserve. For that, I am grateful, and you can be sure I will be praying much for this Holy Father.
Oh, and I might add just one more thought. In my opinion, Cardinal Bergoglio was probably selected precisely because of his inexperience with the Roman curia: the “wolves” more easily to devour him. Just call that woman’s intuition.
Update, Wednesday, March 13
– from RTE News:
“Meanwhile, Pope Benedict’s former child abuse investigator, Bishop Charles Scicluna, has said the pontiff resigned last month to rid the Vatican of officials he could not trust.
“In a taped conversation with a journalist published in the Italian daily newspaper, Corriera della Serra, Dr Scicluna said Pope Benedict wanted to give space to a successor who could take the situation in hand in a way that he could not.”
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During this morning’s Mass for the opening of the conclave to elect our next pontiff, it thundered loudly, in what one newspaper said, seemed an “ominous sign of the stormy times facing the Roman Catholic Church today.” The whole world is watching as if our future were hanging on the balance.
Here is a link to the NBC “Watch Live: Sistine Chapel” with live viewing of the chimney stack which will show the smoke either white or black indicating whether we have our new pope or not.
I thought the following tidbit of information would be of interest to look over while we pray and wait.
NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY March 12, 2013 (AP)
This picture [left] made available Tuesday, March 12, 2013 by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano shows the three sizes of the pope’s garments and shoe boxes in a room next to the Sistine Chapel, seen through the door at right, at the Vatican. Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: There’s no front-runner, no indication how long voting will last and no sense that a single man has what it takes to fix the many problems. The three identical white outfits in small, medium and large for the new pontiff’s first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica are delivered to the Vatican before the start of the conclave and left in a room next to the Sistine Chapel, where the newly elected pope changes into his new clothes. (AP Photo/L’Osservatore Romano)
Hat tip to Angelqueen for this audio.
Do not listen if you are fainthearted; if your favorite forum is Catholic Answers; if you are a person of “pseudo-mystical optimism”; if you would prefer to feel the security of having your head in the sand; if the ignominy of the cross repulses you.
The speaker is Father Gregory Hesse, S.T.D., J.C.D. of Vienna, Austria. He was ordained in 1981 in St. Peter’s Basilica. He held doctorates in both Thomistic theology and Canon Law. From 1986-88 he served as Secretary to Cardinal Stickler at the Vatican. I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance and conversing with him a few years before he died.
NOTICE of April 18, 20013: The above audio has apparently been removed from Gloria TV. Therefore, I am linking to another of Canon Hesse’s talks. This one is titled “Is the Church Indefectible given the current crisis?” , again from Gloria TV.
