The Rosary: Not Vain, but Biblical (Part 1) – Explaining the Faith
The Rosary: Proof the Rosary is From Heaven (Part 2) – Explaining the Faith
The Rosary with Scripture: Joyful Mysteries (Mondays & Saturdays)
Lepanto and the Rosary Confraternity
Since When Is It Vain to Pray the Rosary? When Jesus condemned praying “vain repetitions,” was he condemning all repetitious prayer? No. Nope. Definitely, absolutely not.
Explanation 1.Hail Mary, full of GraceLuke 1:28 (Hail, full of Grace)The Angel Gabriel greets Mary with very respectful greeting used for royalty. The text doesn’t say “Mary” after Hail but it is implied. Gabriel then proclaims Mary full of Grace (full of God’s own life and love) 2.The Lord is with YouLuke 1:28 (The Lord is with you)This is word for word. The Angel Gabriel said that the Lord is with Mary; she is full of his Grace, his own life. 3.Blessed are you among WomenLuke 1:41 (Blessed are you among women)Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit; she is inspired by the 3rd person of the Blessed Trinity to proclaim that Mary is the most blessed among all women. 4.And Blessed is the fruit of thy womb JesusLuke 1:42 (and blessed is the fruit of your womb)Elizabeth still inspired by the Holy Spirit proclaims that the fruit of Mary’s womb, the developing Jesus, is blessed. The text doesn’t say “Jesus” after womb, but it is implied, the fruit of her womb is Jesus. 5.Holy Mary, Mother of GodLuke 1:43 (And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?)Mary is full of God’s grace; this would make her holy. Mary is the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity. Since Jesus is God this makes her the mother of God. She is the mother of the God-Man Jesus, not the mother of the Trinity.
6.Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death – James 5:16 (Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects)St. James tells Christians to pray for one another. All the baptized are members of the body of Christ (1Cor 12:12-14), therefore it is right to pray for other members of the body. James goes on to say that the prayers of the righteous have great power. What human (other then Jesus) is more righteous then the Blessed Mother. Though she is in heaven she still hears the prayers of her children on Earth and intercedes for them.
People who rush through prayers and rosaries are not true devotees and their worship is not acceptable: the Catholic Church does not condone it
ABSOLUTE MUST SEE: THE TERRIBLE HABIT TO PRAY THE ROSARY QUICKLY AND NOT FROM THE HEART
SAINT LOUIS MARIA GRIGNON DE MONTFORT – THE 7 TYPES OF FALSE DEVOTEES
SAINT LOUIS MARIA GRIGNON DE MONTFORT – LA VERDADERA DEVOCION A LA VIRGEN MARIA
Sus caracteres Interior: La verdadera devoción a Nuestra Señora es interior: es decir, debe partir del espíritu y del corazón; nace dicha devoción de la estima que se hace de la Virgen, de la alta idea que uno se ha forma do de sus grandezas y del amor que se le tiene. Tierna: Es tierna, es decir, llena de confianza en la Santísima Virgen, como la de un niño para con su buena madre. Esta devoción es la que hace que un alma recurra a Ella en todas sus necesidades de cuerpo y espíritu con mucha sencillez, confianza y ternura. Santa: Esta devoción a nuestra Señora es santa: es decir, que conduce a un alma a evitar el pecado y a imitar las virtudes de la Santísima Virgen en particular, la humildad profunda, la fe viva, la ciega obediencia, la continua oración, su universal mortificación, la pureza incomparable, la caridad ardiente, la heroica paciencia, la dulzura angelical y la divina sabiduría. Tales son las diez principales virtudes de la Santísima Virgen. Constante: Es constante, es decir, afirma a un alma en el bien y la lleva a no abandonar fácilmente las prácticas de devoción; la hace animosa para oponerse al mundo, y sus costumbres y sus máximas, a la carne con sus apetitos y sus pasiones, y al demonio en sus tentaciones: de modo que una persona verdaderamente devota a la Santísima Virgen no es mudable, melancólica, escrupulosa ni medrosa. Desinteresada: La verdadera devoción a Nuestra Señora es desinteresada; es decir, inspira aun alma que no se busque a sí misma; sino sólo a Dios en su Santísima Madre. Un verdadero devoto de María no ama a esta augusta Reina por espíritu de lucro y de interés, ni por su bien temporal ni espiritual, sino únicamente porque merece ser servida, y Dios sólo en Ella. (Tratado de la Verdadera Devoción, núms. 105-110)
One of the most tragic divisions within Christianity is the one between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches. Both have valid holy orders and apostolic succession through the episcopacy, both celebrate the same sacraments, both believe almost exactly the same theology, and both proclaim the same faith in Christ. So, why the division? What caused the division?
A Protestant preacher recently said that devotion to the Mother of God is the cause of all bad in the world, since she was not a virgin after she gave birth to Christ and was just another woman. This really has upset me. Why do we worship the Virgin Mary and how do we answer those who say that she was nothing but another woman? What significance does she have for us Orthodox? (B.W., TX)
As All-Holy and Most-Pure, Mary was free from actual sin, but, in the opinion of most Orthodox theologians, although not dogmatized by the Church, she did fall under the curse of Original Sin as does all mankind. For this reason by virtue of her solidarity with all humanity the Theotokos died a bodily death. Yet, in her case, the resurrection of the body had been anticipated; and she was assumed body and soul into Heaven; and her tomb was found empty an event celebrated in the Feast of the Falling-Asleep (or Dormition) of the Most-Holy Theotokos (Aug. 15). Thus, as the hymns of that Feast proclaim, she has passed from earth to heaven, beyond death and judgment, living already in the age to come. She enjoys now the same bodily glory all of us hope to share one day.
ABSOLUTE MUST SEE: NICEAN CREED – THE FILIOQUE DEBATE BETWEEN ORTHODOX AND CATHOLIC CREEDS – MINUTE 42′ Explaining What the Creed Means Line by Line: Explaining the Faith with Fr. Chris Alar
https://www.catholic.com/audio/cot/the-myth-of-protestant-bible-martyrs In the 1370s, a dissenting Catholic priest named John Wycliffe became involved in a translation of the Bible in the middle English that was completed in 1382. He died of a stroke in 1384, so he wasn’t a martyr for the Bible. In fact, Wycliffe’s translation came under fire because of his heresies such as denying Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist and his association with the proto Protestant lollard movement…
… What we see during this period is not a church that burns people at the stake merely for having vernacular scriptures. Instead, there are a few regions where vernacular translations are restricted or subject to review because of an acute heretical movement that relied on them. Aaron de himself even praised the queen for owning personal copies of the gospel. According to Van Lear, it was not the possession of a vernacular Bible as such, but who owned it and whether they were associated with heretical movements that irked the church authorities. A number of provincial counsels issued edicts and injunctions against vernacular translations. They seem to have been more concerned with the spread of heresy than with the vernacular Bible as such. Now it is fair to point out that some church leaders may have overreacted with their rules withholding scripture in order to prevent heresy while other church leaders underacted when it came to providing their own vernacular translations to help the faithful.
But that’s a far cry from the common view among some Protestants that the church chained up bibles to keep people from reading them and executed those who published them In the vernacular, Bibles were chained in churches so that everyone could read them. It was so they wouldn’t be stolen. Protestants also like to cite Jan Hus as a Bible martyr and he was executed for heresy in 1415, but in his article, why was Jan Hus burned at the stake during the Council of Constance? Thomas Fudge never mentions Bible translation as one of Huss crimes. The Dresden Bible written in Czech had already been published in the 1370s. Instead, Huss was executed for his theological heresies, which included many of wycliffe’s errors and a form of donatism that claimed sacraments administered by sinful clerics were invalid. Finally, there’s William Tindale who’s known for his English Bible translation, which included several anti-Catholic notes… … But what about the former point of punishing heresy like the need for regulating Bible translations? I think most conservative Protestants would agree the church should regulate doctrine and combat heresy. For example, if a member of your congregation starts leading other people to believe Jesus is not fully God and that person won’t recant his beliefs, then you’d ask him to leave your church to be disfellowshipped, which Catholics call excommunication until the person repent of his heresy. Now, a Protestant might agree, but say they reject executing heretics, which is what the Catholic church did in the Middle Ages, but that wasn’t unique to Catholicism. John Calvin had Michael Cerveti burned at the stake for his Trinitarian heresies. The Lutheran theologian, Philip Maldon published a pamphlet signed by Martin Luther, which concluded of the Anabaptist that in some cases quote, the stubborn sectaries must be put to death. Catholicism should not be rejected because the church was involved in the execution of heretics. By that logic, many Protestant denominations would have to be rejected as well as the Bible itself because it authorizes executing heretics. Deuteronomy 1820 says, any prophet presumes to speak in my name, a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods that prophet shall die…
John Wycliffe (/ˈwɪklɪf/; also spelled Wyclif, Wickliffe, and other variants; c. 1328 – 31 December 1384) was an English scholastic philosopher, Christian reformer, Catholic priest, and a theology professor at the University of Oxford. Wycliffe is traditionally believed to have advocated or made a vernacular translation of the Vulgate Bible into Middle English, though more recent scholarship has minimalized the extent of his advocacy or involvement for lack of direct contemporary evidence
On 17 November 1382, Wycliffe was summoned before a synod at Oxford. He still commanded the favour of the court and of Parliament, to which he addressed a memorial. In 1383 he was summonsed to Rome, but he suffered a debilitating stroke and was excused from travel. He was neither excommunicated then, nor deprived of his living.
Who Was the Real Martin Luther?
A biographical sketch of the spark that lit the Reformation.
Servant of God Maria Serafina del Sacro Cuore di Gesu Micheli (ne Clotilde), Italian foundress of the Institute of Sisters of the Angels (1849-1911). “While she was in Epfendorf – on 10 November 1883 – she passed through to find a church for her to reflect in and found a church that she failed to realize was in fact a Protestant church. Her Guardian Angel came to her and said: Arise for this is a Protestant church. But I want to make you see the place where Martin Luther was condemned and the pain he suffered as a punishment for his pride”; Micheli saw demons who had forced Luther to his knees and confirmed he was consigned to the fires of Hell.”
MARTIN LUTERO, está en el infierno según vidente, y así es como murió
«Lutero se ha paseado por la historia inmune a la verdad, a los hechos y a la lógica». Alentó la violencia brutal al servicio de los príncipes alemanes
María Elvira Roca Barea, filóloga y autora de «Imperiofobia y Leyenda Negra», ha escrito un artículo en El País en el que revela la realidad sobre la figura de Martín Lutero, desmontando los mitos buenistas en torno a su persona.
Las celebraciones en torno al quinto centenario del cisma luterano, que impulsó el monje agustino, obvian los aspectos más oscuros de su figura y legado. El manto religioso oculta un conflicto político y nacionalista
SOME THINGS THAT JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES DO NOT REALIZE ABOUT THEIR OWN RELIGION
The term “apostate” (or Latin variations such as apostatavit or apostata) appears in Catholic baptismal registers to denote a person who has formally abandoned, renounced, or defected from the Catholic faith. JWs did not invent anything. They are just re-using words that the Catholic church has been using for centuries.
The vows of chastity, obedience and poverty at Bethel are also copied from the vows that every nun or monk has been taking for centuries when entering a convent or a monastery.
The teaching that Jesus is an angel is a heresy invented by a heretical Catholic priest named Arius in the IV Century. The teaching of Arianism was condemned at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. JWs did not get any new light nor invent anything. This heresy was unknown to first Century Christian. SEE SECTION ON “JESUS, ANGEL OR MAN”.
The teaching that The Holy Spirit is a force and not a person was likewise another invention of other heretical Catholics from the IV Century, called Pneumatomachi or Pneumatomachians, The term comes from Greek, meaning “fighters against the Spirit”. They were also called after the heretical Catholic Bishop of Constantinolple Macedonius and their group came to be known as the Macedonians. Pneumatomachianism or the Macedonian heresy was condemned at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. JWs did not invent anything nor did they have any new light coming from God. They are just recycling old heresies from heretical priests from the IV Century. SEE SECTIONS ON “THE HOLY SPIRIT” AND “THE HOLY TRINITY”.
The music used in the audio drama in the audio cassette of my childhood about the Israelites coming out of Egypt “Jehovah’s Name to Be Declared in All the Earth” is actually an extract from the “Tuba Mirun” of the Requiem of Giuseppe Verdi. That Requiem is a Catholic Mass to the Dead that Verdi premiered in 1874.
Reading the Bible at the Kingdom Hall every 3 years is nothing new. The Catholic liturgy for the mass follows a 3-year Sunday liturgical cycle (Cycles A, B, and C) which was implemented in the Catholic Church in 1969, following the Second Vatican Council. Previously Catholics had one year cycle with the Tridentine Mass. The Bible is also read at every single mass every single day of the year in 3 year-cycles. Yes, true Catholics do read the Bible and not only at mass. True Catholics are supposed to read the Bible every day at home too according to the Apsotolic Exhortation VERBUM DOMINI of Pope Benedict XVI of 2010 (See https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20100930_verbum-domini.html) and also according to VERBUM DEI of Pope Paul VI of November 1965 (See https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html)
The name Jehovah was neither invented by nor is the property of JWs. Many Catholic Bibles use the term Yahve. The scribes “wrote the consonants YHWH using the vowel points for Adonai as a reminder to Jewish lectors to say “Adonai” instead of “Yahweh.” This custom of writing the consonants of one word with the vowels of another is where we get the English word “Jehovah.” In Latin, “YHWH” had become “JHWH,” and when combined with the vowels of Adonai—a, o, and a—it became “Jahowah,” which then became the English “Jehovah.” Some have argued that this usage began in the Christian Catholic community as early as the twelfth century, though it is often traced to 1518, when Petrus Galatinus, O.F.M. [a Catholic Franciscan Friar]—the confessor of Pope Leo X—published a book that popularized it. SEE SECTIONS ON “THE NAME OF GOD”
I can go on and on but that is what my website is here for…
We will all render account and answer to Jesus personally for the heresies that we were led to believe and spread without ever checking our sources, blaspheming the divinity of Jesus, sullying the Holy Name of God and staining the reputation of the Holiest woman who ever walked on earth the Holy Virgin Mary.
Insisting Bible in hand pushing the fallacious argument that Jesus had brothers while the same term “adelphoi” is also used in 1st Corinthians 15:6 saying that Jesus appeared to 500 “adelphoi” and being adamant that Mary had sex with any man and had other children is an insult,a public calumny and an outrage to any virgin woman and especially to the Holy Virgin Mary. She is right here, every day, she watches us, hears us, loves us and helps us with her intercession and JWs never asked themselves once if they are actually spreading calumnies against an innocent woman who does exist and who is the witness of the lies that have been spreading against her under a false varnish of godly devotion just because JWs and other protestants never took the time to check their sources before going around staining her reputation. SEE SECTION ON “THE VIRGIN MARY”.
The Top Ten Errors of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Arm yourself with knowledge of the more egregious errors in the doctrines of the Watch Tower Society
From April to July 2028, I personally contacted by phone and email the Supervisor of Reference Services of the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania of the Pennsylvania State Archives and he was a great help in directing me to who to speak to to obtain the files and testimonies of the actual court case Docket 459 JUNE 1903 of the case of Charles Taze RUSSELL vs Maria RUSSELL.
In May 2018, following his advice and after calling many numbers and having to insist to get through an unwilling operator who insisted that they did not have the files while they actually did have them, I managed to personally contact the Supervisor of the Department of Court Records in the City-County Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania of the Allegheny County in the United States. She sent me via email 4 pictures of the Court dockets of the Russell vs Russell case. When I asked her to send me the files of the actual testimonies, she said that I had to come to the office in person. I fixed a date in July 2018 and she said she would order the book for my coming to consult it. Two days later on July 6th 2018, she sends me an email stating the following: “I have attempted to order your file, however it is stating that it is not in the box. I have the record center searching for it in other boxes and I will update you on Monday with regards to the status. In the meantime I have included ******* on this email to see if she can find anything in our docket books that you can look at.” The following Monday she sent her last email: “Hello, Unfortunately we are unable to provide this file as it has not been returned to the record center. I do apologize for any inconvenience.” She never responded to any of my further emails…. (?????????) It was clear from the very start that they were unwilling to provide any more information as to the whereabouts of the files or the reason of the disappearance of the documents.
CASE OF PEDOPHILE ELDER IN MY CONGREGATION OF NEWBURGH SPANISH
Sexual predator sentenced for propositioning underage boys
NOTE: Other videos from headline news that were on television and accessible online for years on this arrest have now been removed or are hidden on the web
CASE OF CANDACE CONTI, IN THE CIRCUIT OF A FRIEND OF MINE N CALIFORNIA
CONTI v. WATCHTOWER BIBLE TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK INC (2015)
Documents and court records relating to the case of “Candace Conti v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York & North Fremont Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses”.
Jun 17, 2012 — Candace Conti, now 26, said that she had been repeatedly molested by an adult member of her Fremont, Calif., congregation when she was 9
1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),4 and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.”5
1214 This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to “plunge” or “immerse”; the “plunge” into the water symbolizes the catechumen’s burial into Christ’s death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as “a new creature.”6
1215 This sacrament is also called “the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” for it signifies and actually brings about the birth of water and the Spirit without which no one “can enter the kingdom of God.”7
1216 “This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding . . . .”8 Having received in Baptism the Word, “the true light that enlightens every man,” the person baptized has been “enlightened,” he becomes a “son of light,” indeed, he becomes “light” himself:9
Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift….We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.10
1217 In the liturgy of the Easter Vigil, during the blessing of the baptismal water, the Church solemnly commemorates the great events in salvation history that already prefigured the mystery of Baptism:
Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power.
In Baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament.11
1218 Since the beginning of the world, water, so humble and wonderful a creature, has been the source of life and fruitfulness. Sacred Scripture sees it as “oveshadowed” by the Spirit of God:12
1219 The Church has seen in Noah’s ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism, for by it “a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water”:14
The waters of the great flood
you made a sign of the waters of Baptism,
that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness.15
1220 If water springing up from the earth symbolizes life, the water of the sea is a symbol of death and so can represent the mystery of the cross. By this symbolism Baptism signifies communion with Christ’s death.
1221 But above all, the crossing of the Red Sea, literally the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, announces the liberation wrought by Baptism:
You freed the children of Abraham from the slavery of Pharaoh,
bringing them dry-shod through the waters of the Red Sea,
to be an image of the people set free in Baptism.16
1222 Finally, Baptism is prefigured in the crossing of the Jordan River by which the People of God received the gift of the land promised to Abraham’s descendants, an image of eternal life. the promise of this blessed inheritance is fulfilled in the New Covenant.
Christ’s Baptism
1223 All the Old Covenant prefigurations find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. He begins his public life after having himself baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan.17 After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”18
1224 Our Lord voluntarily submitted himself to the baptism of St. John, intended for sinners, in order to “fulfill all righteousness.”19 Jesus’ gesture is a manifestation of his self-emptying.20 The Spirit who had hovered over the waters of the first creation descended then on the Christ as a prelude of the new creation, and the Father revealed Jesus as his “beloved Son.”21
1225 In his Passover Christ opened to all men the fountain of Baptism. He had already spoken of his Passion, which he was about to suffer in Jerusalem, as a “Baptism” with which he had to be baptized.22 The blood and water that flowed from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus are types of Baptism and the Eucharist, the sacraments of new life.23 From then on, it is possible “to be born of water and the Spirit”24 in order to enter the Kingdom of God.
See where you are baptized, see where Baptism comes from, if not from the cross of Christ, from his death. There is the whole mystery: he died for you. In him you are redeemed, in him you are saved.25
Baptism in the Church
1226 From the very day of Pentecost the Church has celebrated and administered holy Baptism. Indeed St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”26 The apostles and their collaborators offer Baptism to anyone who believed in Jesus: Jews, the God-fearing, pagans.27 Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household,” St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. and the narrative continues, the jailer “was baptized at once, with all his family.”28
1227 According to the Apostle Paul, the believer enters through Baptism into communion with Christ’s death, is buried with him, and rises with him:
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.29
The baptized have “put on Christ.”30 Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies.31
1228 Hence Baptism is a bath of water in which the “imperishable seed” of the Word of God produces its life-giving effect.32 St. Augustine says of Baptism: “The word is brought to the material element, and it becomes a sacrament.”33
1229 From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion.
1230 This initiation has varied greatly through the centuries according to circumstances. In the first centuries of the Church, Christian initiation saw considerable development. A long period of catechumenate included a series of preparatory rites, which were liturgical landmarks along the path of catechumenal preparation and culminated in the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation.
1231 Where infant Baptism has become the form in which this sacrament is usually celebrated, it has become a single act encapsulating the preparatory stages of Christian initiation in a very abridged way. By its very nature infant Baptism requires a post-baptismal catechumenate. Not only is there a need for instruction after Baptism, but also for the necessary flowering of baptismal grace in personal growth. the catechism has its proper place here.
1232 The second Vatican Council restored for the Latin Church “the catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps.”34 The rites for these stages are to be found in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).35 The Council also gives permission that: “In mission countries, in addition to what is furnished by the Christian tradition, those elements of initiation rites may be admitted which are already in use among some peoples insofar as they can be adapted to the Christian ritual.”36
1233 Today in all the rites, Latin and Eastern, the Christian initiation of adults begins with their entry into the catechumenate and reaches its culmination in a single celebration of the three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.37 In the Eastern rites the Christian initiation of infants also begins with Baptism followed immediately by Confirmation and the Eucharist, while in the Roman rite it is followed by years of catechesis before being completed later by Confirmation and the Eucharist, the summit of their Christian initiation.38
The mystagogy of the celebration
1234 The meaning and grace of the sacrament of Baptism are clearly seen in the rites of its celebration. By following the gestures and words of this celebration with attentive participation, the faithful are initiated into the riches this sacrament signifies and actually brings about in each newly baptized person.
1235 The sign of the cross, on the threshold of the celebration, marks with the imprint of Christ the one who is going to belong to him and signifies the grace of the redemption Christ won for us by his cross.
1236 The proclamation of the Word of God enlightens the candidates and the assembly with the revealed truth and elicits the response of faith, which is inseparable from Baptism. Indeed Baptism is “the sacrament of faith” in a particular way, since it is the sacramental entry into the life of faith.
1237 Since Baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the devil, one or more exorcisms are pronounced over the candidate. the celebrant then anoints him with the oil of catechumens, or lays his hands on him, and he explicitly renounces Satan. Thus prepared, he is able to confess the faith of the Church, to which he will be “entrusted” by Baptism.39
1238 The baptismal water is consecrated by a prayer of epiclesis (either at this moment or at the Easter Vigil). the Church asks God that through his Son the power of the Holy Spirit may be sent upon the water, so that those who will be baptized in it may be “born of water and the Spirit.”40
1239 The essential rite of the sacrament follows: Baptism properly speaking. It signifies and actually brings about death to sin and entry into the life of the Most Holy Trinity through configuration to the Paschal mystery of Christ. Baptism is performed in the most expressive way by triple immersion in the baptismal water. However, from ancient times it has also been able to be conferred by pouring the water three times over the candidate’s head.
1240 In the Latin Church this triple infusion is accompanied by the minister’s words: “N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In the Eastern liturgies the catechumen turns toward the East and the priest says: “The servant of God, N., is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” At the invocation of each person of the Most Holy Trinity, the priest immerses the candidate in the water and raises him up again.
1241 The anointing with sacred chrism, perfumed oil consecrated by the bishop, signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized, who has become a Christian, that is, one “anointed” by the Holy Spirit, incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet, and king.41
1242 In the liturgy of the Eastern Churches, the post-baptismal anointing is the sacrament of Chrismation (Confirmation). In the Roman liturgy the post-baptismal anointing announces a second anointing with sacred chrism to be conferred later by the bishop Confirmation, which will as it were “confirm” and complete the baptismal anointing.
1243 The white garment symbolizes that the person baptized has “put on Christ,”42 has risen with Christ. the candle, lit from the Easter candle, signifies that Christ has enlightened the neophyte. In him the baptized are “the light of the world.”43 The newly baptized is now, in the only Son, a child of God entitled to say the prayer of the children of God: “Our Father.”
1244 First Holy Communion. Having become a child of God clothed with the wedding garment, the neophyte is admitted “to the marriage supper of the Lamb”44 and receives the food of the new life, the body and blood of Christ. the Eastern Churches maintain a lively awareness of the unity of Christian initiation by giving Holy Communion to all the newly baptized and confirmed, even little children, recalling the Lord’s words: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them.”45 The Latin Church, which reserves admission to Holy Communion to those who have attained the age of reason, expresses the orientation of Baptism to the Eucharist by having the newly baptized child brought to the altar for the praying of the Our Father.
1245 The solemn blessing concludes the celebration of Baptism. At the Baptism of newborns the blessing of the mother occupies a special place.
1246 “Every person not yet baptized and only such a person is able to be baptized.”46
The Baptism of adults
1247 Since the beginning of the Church, adult Baptism is the common practice where the proclamation of the Gospel is still new. the catechumenate (preparation for Baptism) therefore occupies an important place. This initiation into Christian faith and life should dispose the catechumen to receive the gift of God in Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.
1248 The catechumenate, or formation of catechumens, aims at bringing their conversion and faith to maturity, in response to the divine initiative and in union with an ecclesial community. the catechumenate is to be “a formation in the whole Christian life . . . during which the disciples will be joined to Christ their teacher. the catechumens should be properly initiated into the mystery of salvation and the practice of the evangelical virtues, and they should be introduced into the life of faith, liturgy, and charity of the People of God by successive sacred rites.”47
1249 Catechumens “are already joined to the Church, they are already of the household of Christ, and are quite frequently already living a life of faith, hope, and charity.”48 “With love and solicitude mother Church already embraces them as her own.”49
The Baptism of infants
1250 Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called.50 The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. the Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth.51
1251 Christian parents will recognize that this practice also accords with their role as nurturers of the life that God has entrusted to them.52
1252 The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole “households” received baptism, infants may also have been baptized.53
Faith and Baptism
1253 Baptism is the sacrament of faith.54 But faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe. the faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. the catechumen or the godparent is asked: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” the response is: “Faith!”
1254 For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow after Baptism. For this reason the Church celebrates each year at the Easter Vigil the renewal of baptismal promises. Preparation for Baptism leads only to the threshold of new life. Baptism is the source of that new life in Christ from which the entire Christian life springs forth.
1255 For the grace of Baptism to unfold, the parents’ help is important. So too is the role of the godfather and godmother, who must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized – child or adult on the road of Christian life.55 Their task is a truly ecclesial function (officium).56 The whole ecclesial community bears some responsibility for the development and safeguarding of the grace given at Baptism.
1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation.59 He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them.60 Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament.61 The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are “reborn of water and the Spirit.” God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.
1258 The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament.
1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.
1260 “Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.”62 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.
1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,”63 allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church’s call not to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.
Baptism Arrangement – CHECK: Jehovah’s witnesses versus Bible
Jesus commanded to baptise in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Over time, Watchtower has changed the question asked prior to immersion, replacing “holy spirit” with “spirit-directed organization,” and then removing reference to the “holy spirit” altogether. Scriptural precedence is ignored in order to elevate the Watchtower organization.
Bible
Watchtower
Matthew 28:19
“Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the holy spirit”.
(1) “Have you repented of your sins, dedicated yourself to Jehovah, and accepted his way of salvation through Jesus Christ?”
(2) “Do you understand that your baptism identifies you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with Jehovah’s organization?”
At Matthew 28:19, Jesus outlined a simple yet powerful baptismal process. It was to be “in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the holy spirit”. He made no mention of affiliation with any earthly organization. Whilst the Watchtower baptism arrangement originally followed the requirements set by Jesus, it has gradually deviated from his guidelines.
From a sermon by Saint Caesarius of Arles, bishop (d. AD 542)
(Sermo 229, 1-3: CCL 104, 905-908)
We have all been made temples of God through baptism
My fellow Christians, today is the birthday of this church, an occasion for celebration and rejoicing. We, however, ought to be the true and living temple of God.
Nevertheless, Christians rightly commemorate this feast of the church, their mother, for they know that through her they were reborn in the spirit. At our first birth, we were vessels of God’s wrath; reborn, we became vessels of his mercy. Our first birth brought death to us, but our second restored us to life.
Indeed, before our baptism we were sanctuaries of the devil; but after our baptism we merited the privilege of being temples of Christ. And if we think more carefully about the meaning of our salvation, we shall realize that we are indeed living and true temples of God. God does not dwell only in structures fashioned by human hands, in homes of wood and stone, but rather he dwells principally in the soul made according to his own image and fashioned by his own hand. Therefore, the apostle Paul says: The temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.
When Christ came, he banished the devil from our hearts, in order to build in them a temple for himself. Let us therefore do what we can with his help, so that our evil deeds will not deface that temple. For whoever does evil, does injury to Christ. As I said earlier, before Christ redeemed us, we were the house of the devil, but afterward, we merited the privilege of being the house of God. God himself in his loving mercy saw fit to make of us his own home.
My fellow Christians, do we wish to celebrate joyfully the birth of this temple? Then let us not destroy the living temples of God in ourselves by works of evil. I shall speak clearly, so that all can understand. Whenever we come to church, we must prepare our hearts to be as beautiful as we expect this church to be. Do you wish to find this basilica immaculately clean? Then do not soil your soul with the filth of sins. Do you wish this basilica to be full of light? God too wishes that your soul be not in darkness, but that the light of good works shine in us, so that he who dwells in the heavens will be glorified.
Just as you enter this church building, so God wishes to enter into your soul, for he promised: I shall live in them, and I shall walk the corridors of their hearts.
Office of Readings Wed. of 31 st week Ordinary Time
What is required for a baptism to be valid – Minute 1h38′
Why babies are baptized? – Minute 1h41′
Not a child of God until you are baptized
IN BAPTISM THE HOLY SPIRIT DWELLS IN US
MINUTE 1H02′
THE THREE BAPTISMS : WATER, BLOOD, DESIRE
PART OF THE CHURCH BY BAPTISM, BLOOD OR DESIRE
Minute 20:25
WHAT IS THE CHURCH? BAPTISM BY WATER, DESIRE OR BLOOD
ANY BAPTISM DONE NOT IN THE NAME OF THE PERSONS OF THE HOLY TRINITY IS INVALID
ANY BAPTISM DONE NOT IN THE NAME OF THE PERSONS OF THE HOLY TRINITY IS INVALID
Brown Scapular: Mt. Carmel & Fatima – Explaining the Faith w/Fr. Chris Alar
Our Lady of Mount Carmel: FULL FILM, documentary, history, of Brown Scapular and Lady of Mt. Carmel
¿Porqué la llamamos Virgen del Carmen?
Historia y Milagros del Escapulario Carmelita
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
MUST SEE: Our Lady of Guadalupe (12 December 1531)
ABSOLUTE MUST SEE: Our Lady of Guadalupe: scientific details
Guadalupe: The hidden message in her eyes
Scientific Analysis of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe – The signs and symbols
What People Forget About Our Lady of Guadalupe
Virgen de Guadalupe – Los Rayos
Why did Aztecs Stop Human Sacrifice & Secrets from Our Lady of Guadalupe
LADY OF GUADALUPE
Guadalupe: The hidden message in her eyes
LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE
Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 ended up bringing in 13 Million Christians as a consequence of appearing to Juan Diego while in 1517 Martin Luther had taken out 10 Million – See Minute 1h14′
MATER MISERICORDIAE – MOTHER OF MERCY
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy
Patronal Feast of the Congregation
On August 5, the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of the Snows, the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy celebrates its patronal feast, honoring its Patroness – the Mother of Mercy Incarnate. On this day, the election of Mary as the heavenly Superior General of the Congregation has been traditionally renewed since in 1937, in the form of a special, ceremonial prayer. Saint Faustina wrote in her Diary: I saw the Virgin Mary and She said to me, Oh, how very pleased I am with the homage of your love! And at that moment She covered all the sisters of the Congregation with Her mantle. With Her right hand, She clasped Mother General Michael to herself, and with Her left hand she did the so to me, while all the sisters were at Her feet, covered with Her mantle. Then the Mother of God said hen the Mother of God said, Everyone who perseveres zealously till death in My Congregation will be spared the fire of purgatory (Diary, 1244). This day is the anniversary of the dedication of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the oldest church in the West dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Pope Sixtus III, to celebrate the end of the stormy Council of Ephesus (431 AD), which declared the dogma of the divine motherhood of Mary (Theotokos), introduced the feast of the Mother of the Son of God, which was first celebrated in this particular basilica, and with time, successive Popes expanded it to the whole Church. Today, the liturgical calendar of the Church contains the memorial of Our Lady of the Snows, commemorating the miracle associated with the rise of the basilica, and this name is functioning in the minds of the faithful. Therefore, the first circumstance of the establishment of the feast of Mary as Mother of the Son of God – Mercy Incarnate, has been forgotten. For more information about Mary the Mother of Mercy, Her title, worship and iconography in the Church and Congregation, follow the link: Our Lady of Mercy.
Saint Mary Major: When the Virgin Made It Snow in the Middle of August
Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major).
The “miracle of the snow”—the rare summer snowfall which, according to legend, fell Aug. 5, 352, on the Esquiline Hill, one of the famed “Seven Hills” of Rome.
The Catholic Encyclopedia tells the story of the basilica’s origins:
During the pontificate of Liberius, the Roman patrician John and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On Aug. 5, at the height of the Roman summer, snow fell during the night on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow.
Beauraing: The Missing Link! – Explaining the Faith
OUR LADY OF FATIMA
FATIMA: Understanding Fatima – Explaining the Faith
History of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Devotion and Our Lady of Fatima
Qui est Notre-Dame de Fatima ? Histoire, apparition et où elle se trouve
Cette invocation mariale est très présente dans l’Église catholique depuis 1917. Tant dans la prière du Rosaire, comme lieu de pèlerinage, que dans la ferveur des fidèles et des papes. Le 13 mai, nous célébrons Notre-Dame de Fatima, en commémoration de sa première apparition à Cova da Iria, au Portugal.
Acompañada de su hermana y de una amiga, Bernardita se dirige a la Gruta de Massabielle cerca de Lourdes, al borde del río Gave, para recoger leña. Mientras se está descalzando para cruzar el arroyo, oye un ruido como de viento, levanta la cabeza hacia la Gruta:
«Vi a une señora vestida de blanco: llevaba un vestido blanco, un velo también de color blanco, un cinturón azul y una rosa amarilla en cada pie.» Bernadette intenta hacer la señal de la cruz pero no lo consigue. Cuando la Virgen hace la señal de la cruz, también ella lo consigue y reza el rosario con la Señora. La aparición dura hasta el final del Rosario.
Segunda aparición domingo 14 febrero de 1858
Tres días después de la primera aparición Bernardita siente una fuerza interior que la empuja a volver a la Gruta a pesar de la prohibición de sus padres. Debido a su insistencia, su madre le da permiso para volver.
Bernardita se dirigió a la gruta, acompañada de su hermana y otras niñas. El grupo juvenil comenzó por entrar en la Iglesia para orar un instante y llenar de agua bendita un frasquito que llevaban preparado. Llegando a la Gruta rezan el rosario. De repente, el rostro de Bernadette aparece transfigurado, su mirada se ilumina: veía a la misma Señora.
Bernardita, recibiendo de una de sus amigas, el agua bendita, roció a la Aparición, diciendo: «Si venís de parte de Dios, acercaos». A estas palabras, la Virgen se inclina varias veces y se adelanta casi hasta el borde de la roca, pareciendo que se sonreía.
Concluido el rosario, la visión desapareció.
Tercera aparición: jueves 18 de febrero de 1858.
Después de oír la Santa Misa el día 18 de febrero a las seis de la mañana, Bernardita se dirigía a la Gruta con una señora y una joven de Lourdes. Al poco tiempo ve una luz clarísima que iluminaba el hueco de la peña, y al momento ve también la celestial Visión. Las dos mujeres se arrodillaron y dieron a Santa Bernardita un papel, tinta y pluma que ella presentó a la Aparición, diciéndole: «Señora mía, si tenéis algo que comunicarme, quisiera que tuvieseis la bondad de escribir en este papel quién sois y qué deseáis.» La Virgen sonrió al oír tan sencilla petición y entreabriendo sus labios dijo: «Lo que tengo que deciros no es necesario escribirlo. Hacedme únicamente el favor de venir aquí durante quince días.» Os lo prometo, respondió Bernardita. «Y yo a mi vez prometo hacerte feliz, respondió la Virgen, no en este mundo, sino en el otro».
Cuarta aparición: Viernes 19 de febrereo de 1858.
Bernardita llega a la Gruta, esta vez acompañada de su madre, su madrina y más seis personas. Lleva en su mano una vela bendecida y encendida. De aquel gesto nacerá la costumbre de llevar velas para encenderlas ante la Gruta.
Quinta aparición: sábado 20 de febrero de 1858.
Durante esta aparición la Señora le dió una oración secreta a Bernadette (solo para ella), que le enseñó palabra por palabra para rezar todos los días de su vida.
Sexta aparición: domingo 21 de febrero 1858.
Por la mañana temprano la Señora se presenta a Bernardita, a la que por primera vez acompaña una pequeña multitud. Después es interrogada por el comisario de policía Jacomet, que quiere que diga lo que ha visto. Bernardita no habla más que de «Aquero» (aquello).
Séptima aparición: martes 23 de febrero de 1858
Rodeada por unas ciento cincuenta personas, Bernardita se dirige hacia la Gruta. Entre el público hay varios notables como el médico Dozous, el abogado Dufo, el capitán Duplessis entre otros.
La Aparición le comunica tres secretos «sólo para ella», pues sólo a ella concierne.
Octava aparición: miercoles 24 de febrero de 1858
Unas 300 personas están presente en la grupa cuando llega Bernadette. En pocos minutos entra en éxtasis. En su rostro la alegría y la tristeza se alternan rápidamente. Mensaje de la Señora: “¡Penitencia! ¡Penitencia! ¡Penitencia! ¡Rece a Dios por los pecadores!”
Novena aparición: jueves 25 de febrero de 1858
La Señora dice a Bernadita: «Vaya a beber y lavarse en la fuente». Pero en la Gruta no había fuente…
Bernardita cuenta: «No encontré más que un poco de agua fangosa. Al cuarto intento, conseguí beber; me mandó también que comiera hierba que había cerca de la fuente, luego la visión desapareció y me marché.»
La muchedumbre le comenta: «¿Sabes que la gente cree que estás loca por hacer tales cosas?».
Bernardita sólo contesta. «Es por los pecadores.»
Esta es la aparición en que comienza a brotar la fuente del famoso agua de Lourdes.
Décima aparición: 27 de febrero de 1858
Hay allí ese día ochocientas personas. Algunas llegaron a las 2 de la madrugada para conseguir un lugar. Santa Bernardette llega a las 7 de la mañana. La Aparición permanece silenciosa. Bernardette bebe agua del manantial y hace los gestos habituales de penitencia arrodillándose y besando el suelo.
Undécima aparición: domingo 28 de febrero de 1858
Más de mil personas asisten al éxtasis. Bernardita reza, besa la tierra y se arrastra de rodillas en señal de penitencia. A continuación se la llevan a casa del juez Ribes que la amenaza con meterla en la cárcel.
Duodécima aparición: lunes 1 de marzo de 1858
Se han congregado más de mil quinientas personas y entre ellas la madre de Bernadette y, por primera vez, también su padre.
Esta es además la única vez que está presente un sacerdote: el P. Antoine Dézirat. Durante la noche, Catalina Latapie, una amiga de Lourdes, acude a la Gruta, moja su brazo dislocado en el agua del manantial y el brazo y la mano recuperan su agilidad: fue uno de los primeros milagros de Lourdes.
Decimotercera aparición: martes 2 de marzo 1858
La muchedumbre aumenta cada vez más. Durante la aparición Bernadette hace las penitencias habituales de besar el suelo y beber el agua. La Señora le encarga: «Vaya a decir a los sacerdotes que se construya aquí una capilla y que se venga en procesión.» Bernardita se lo hace saber a D. Peyramale, párroco de Lourdes. Éste tan sólo quiere saber una cosa: el nombre de la Señora.
Decimocuarta aparición: miércoles 3 de marzo de 1858
A las siete de la mañana, cuando ya hay allí tres mil personas, Bernardita se encamina hacia la Gruta; pero ¡la Visión no aparece! Por la tarde siente la llamada interior de la Señora; acude a la Gruta y vuelve a preguntarle su nombre. La respuesta es una sonrisa.
Decimoquinta aparición: jueves 4 marzo 1858
Ocho mil personas están presentes, esperando un milagro al finalizar los catorce días de visitas a la Gruta que la Señora había pedido a Bernadette. La visión permanece silenciosa. Bernadette reza su rosario y al terminar la aparición vuelve a casa.
Decimosexta aparición: jueves 25 de marzo 1858
Después de tres semanas sin ir a la Gruta, el 25 de marzo, día de la Anunciación, Bernardita fue atraída a la Gruta de madrugada. Sigue con la misma inquietud: cuál es el nombre de la Señora, requerido por el párroco. Cuando ve a la Señora, Bernardita lo intenta pedir con la fórmula ceremonial que había preparado durante mucho tiempo:
«Señorita, ¿sería tan amable de decirme quién es, por favor?» pero hasta tres veces se equivoca. Cuando intentó hacer la pregunta por cuarta vez la Señora levantó los ojos al cielo, uniendo las manos, que estaban extendidas y abiertas hacia la tierra, en señal de oración, y dijo: «Yo soy la Inmaculada Concepción».
Decimoséptima aparición: miércoles 7 de abril de 1858
Cuando Bernadette llegó a la Gruta ya hay muchas personas reunidas ahí. Habían escuchado el día anterior que Bernadette había sentido la llamada interior para ir a la Gruta.
Durante esta aparición, Bernardita sostiene una vela encendida. La llama rodea su mano durante mucho tiempo sin quemarla. Estaba presente el doctor Douzous que impresionado tomó nota de este hecho inexplicable.
Decimoctava y última aparición: viernes 16 de julio de 1858
Bernardita siente interiormente el misterioso llamamiento de la Virgen y se dirige a la Gruta; pero no consigue llegar porque, por causa de los muchos devotos que acudían de todas partes, el acceso a la Gruta estaba prohibido y la Gruta vallada. Bernadette se dirige, pues, al otro lado del río Gave, enfrente de la Gruta. «Me parecía que estaba delante de la Gruta, a la misma distancia que las otras veces, no veía más que a la Virgen. Jamás la había visto tan bella.»
“Apparitions” de l’Immaculée Conception à Bernadette SoubirousLourdes, 11 février – Lourdes, 16 juillet 1858
NUESTRA SEÑORA DE COROMOTO. Breve historia de la Patrona de Venezuela.
Nuestra Señora de Coromoto
Los secretos de la Virgen de Coromoto
Conferencia de Virgen de Coromoto – Nuevos Hallazgos
APPARITIONS OF JESUS TO SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE
The message of Paray-le-Monial
A 350 años de las apariciones de Paray-le-Monial
The events in Paray-le-Monial took place at the end of the 17th Century. Three great apparitions of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary focus on the message for the attention of all men, that was delivered therein. They took place between the end of December 1673 and June 1675. One can identify three great dimensions of this message : a declaration of love (I), a complaint (II), a demand (III).
MOTHER MARY, SAINTS, WORSHIP? – FR. MIKE SMITH – ASCENSION PRESENTS
We have a mother!!! I have a mother!!! We all have a loving mother!!! The Most Holy Blessed Virgin Mary is a Mother to us all!!! Jesus Himself gave Her to us as a Mother.
I didn’t know!!! I didn’t know until January 2022 when I realized, listening to father Schmidt, that when Jesus died on the cross and he told Saint John: “This is your mother” and he told Mary: “Woman, this is your son”, he was giving his mother to all of us, to all mankind!!! And me little orphan like girl coming from where I come from, from the heartache of the childhood that I went through – that I explained in my biography (SEE “ABOUT” SECTION), I have yearned my entire life to be loved by a mother and now I do I have a mother: Mother Mary, the Virgin Mary!!! She is here for all of us!!!
God has resolved the impossible existential conundrum of the orphans: God is the Father of all of us, all of us whatever the circumstances, orphans with living parents who ignore us, who do not know how to love us, who hated us, who abused us, who hurt us, who harmed us, voluntarily or unvoluntarily, knowingly or unknowingly, for whatever the reason, or people who had parents who died, or who never knew their parents, or were given up for adoption, or were simply abandonned, all of us, at some point in lige whatever our background, we need loving parents. So God has resolved this issue: He is our Father, we do have a father Papa the Father that we pray in Our Father prayer “Our Father who art in the heavens”, “Abba Father”, we have a Father, all of us without distinction, we have a Father who loves us and who is waiting for us to be part of his loving family and who wants to adopt us by the adoption of the Catholic baptism. By the Catholic holy Sacrament of baptism we become children of God, Sons and Daughters of God the Father Almighty by adoption in Jesus Christ and we have a mother. We have a mother!!! God has sent us the holy Virgin Mary as a mother to every single human on the planet: there is no longer a human that is without a mother: we have a mother; her name is Mary. Her name, her very name comes from “Amor”, “Amour”, “Love”, She is love itself. She came to adopt us as her children.
HERE MY FAVORITE EXPLANATION OF THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE NAME “MARY, MARIA”:
“In 1906 Zorrell advanced another explanation of the name Mary, based on its derivation from the Egyptian mer or mar, to love, and the Hebrew Divine name Yarn or Yahweh (Zeitschrift fur katholische Theologie, 1906, pp. 356 sqq.). Thus explained the name denotes “one loving Yahweh” or “one beloved by Yahweh”.”
Enciclopedia: “Mary, The Blessed Virgin” (External link)
Mary’s 10 Virtues in the Bible: You Will Get to Heaven!
Explaining the Faith w/Fr. Chris Alar
From a homily In Praise of the Virgin Mother by Saint Bernard, abbot
(Hom. 4:8-9; Opera omnia, Edit Cisterc 4. [1966], 53-54)
The whole world awaits Mary’s reply
You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.
The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.
Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it, David begs it. All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.
Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.
Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous.
Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.
Office of Readings Dec 20
LA VIRGEN MARIA
Una mujer capaz de ver distinto Donde todos hubiesen visto una locura, María vio un horizonte. Donde muchos hubiesen visto una trasgresión, ella intuyó la promesa de Dios. Donde tantos se hubiesen estremecido ante la perspectiva y hubiesen exigido más pruebas, más seguridades o más garantías, ella exclamó: «Hágase». Donde la ley era la referencia y la condena, ella fue capaz de cantar la grandeza del Dios que está con los más pequeños y da la vuelta a todos los órdenes establecidos. Donde todo era convencional, María, con una acogida hecha al tiempo de ignorancia y valentía, de confianza y entrega, fue capaz de colaborar con Dios de un modo radical. (Pastoral sj)
September 8th Celebration: The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
From The Catholic News Agency
The Catholic Church celebrates today the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of September 8, nine months after the December 8 celebration of her Immaculate Conception as the child of Saints Joachim and Anne.
The circumstances of the Virgin Mary’s infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible, but other documents and traditions describing the circumstances of her birth are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the first centuries of the Church.
These accounts, although not considered authoritative in the same manner as the Bible, outline some of the Church’s traditional beliefs about the birth of Mary.
The “Protoevangelium of James,” which was probably put into its final written form in the early second century, describes Mary’s father Joachim as a wealthy member of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife Anne, by their childlessness. “He called to mind Abraham,” the early Christian writing says, “that in the last day God gave him a son Isaac.”
Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God’s displeasure with them.
As it turned out, however, the couple were to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah, as an angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied that all generations would honor their future child: “The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth, and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.”
After Mary’s birth, according to the Protoevangelium of James, Anne “made a sanctuary” in the infant girl’s room, and “allowed nothing common or unclean” on account of the special holiness of the child. The same writing records that when she was one year old, her father “made a great feast, and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel.”
“And Joachim brought the child to the priests,” the account continues, “and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations’ . . . And he brought her to the chief priests, and they blessed her, saying: ‘O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.’”
The protoevangelium goes on to describe how Mary’s parents, along with the temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated Virgin for the rest of her life, and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.
Saint Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance, and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley,” he said.
The fourth-century bishop, whose theology profoundly shaped the Western Church’s understanding of sin and human nature, affirmed that “through her birth, the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”
THE VIRGEN MARY IS THE NEW LIGHT BEARER AND LUCIFER DOES NOT LIKE IT
SAINT LOUIS MARIA GRIGNON DE MONTFORT – THE VIRGEN MARY IS THE WAY TO JESUS WHO IS THE WAY TO GOD THE FATHER
MARY LEADS TO JESUS
DIVINIZACION DE LOS HOMBRES – MADRE TRINIDAD DE LA SANTA IGLESIA
OBRA DE LA IGLESIA
SAINT LOUIS MARIA GRIGNON DE MONTFORT – María es la Reina de los Corazones
37. De lo que acabamos de decir, se debe evidentemente concluir: En primer lugar, que María recibió de Dios un gran dominio en las almas de los elegidos, pues Ella no puede hacer en ellos su resi- dencia como Dios Padre le ha ordenado, formarlos, nutrirlos y engen- drarlos a la vida eterna como madre suya, tenerlos por herencia y por- ción suya, formarlos en Jesucristo y a Jesucristo en ellos, dejar en su corazón las raíces de sus virtudes, y ser la compañera indisoluble del Espíritu Santo para todas estas obras de gracia. Me parece que Ella no podría hacer todas estas cosas, sino teniendo el derecho y dominio sobre sus almas por una singular gracia del Altísimo, que habiéndole dado potestad sobre su Unigénito, se la ha dado también sobre sus hijos adoptivos, no sólo en cuanto al cuerpo, lo cual sería poco, sino también en cuanto al alma.
38. María es la Reina del cielo y de la tierra por obra de la gracia, como Jesucristo es Rey por naturaleza y derecho de conquista: aho- ra bien, como el reinado de Jesucristo consiste principalmente en el corazón o en el interior del hombre, según estas palabras: “El reino de Dios está dentro de vosotros” (Lc. 17, 21), de igual manera, el reinado de la Santísima Virgen es principalmente en el interior del hombre, o sea en su alma, y es principalmente en las almas donde Ella es más glorificada con su Hijo que en todas las criaturas visibles, de donde nosotros podemos llamarla como los santos Reina de los Corazones.
Solamente a María entregó Dios las llaves de las bodegas (Cant. 2, 4) del divino amor, y el poder de entrar en las vías más subli- mes y secretas de la perfección, y allí hacer entrar a los otros. María solamente es quien da la entrada en el Paraíso celeste a los miserables hijos de Eva, la infiel, para allí pasearse agradablemente con Dios, para ocultarse con seguridad de sus enemigos, para allí alimentarse deliciosamente y sin temer la muerte, del fruto de los árboles de la vida y de la ciencia del bien y del mal, y poder beber a grandes tragos de las aguas celestiales de esta bella fuente que allí brota con abun- dancia; o mejor aún, como Ella misma es este paraíso terrestre, o esta tierra virgen y bendita de la que Adán y Eva pecadores fueron expulsados, no permite la entrada en sí misma más que a aquellos y a aquellas que son de su agrado, para hacerles santos.
SAINT LOUIS MARIA GRIGNON DE MONTFORT – Las virtudes de la Virgen María
Las virtudes de la Santísima Virgen en particular, la humildad profunda, la fe viva, la ciega obediencia, la continua oración, su universal mortificación, la pureza incomparable, la caridad ardiente, la heroica paciencia, la dulzura angelical y la divina sabiduría. Tales son las diez principales virtudes de la Santísima Virgen.
SAINT LOUIS MARIA GRIGNON DE MONTFORT – La Virgen María es el nuevo paraíso
Hacerlo todo en María 261. 3– Se debe hacer todo en María. Para comprender bien esta práctica, es necesario saber que la Santísima Virgen es el verdadero paraíso terrenal del nuevo Adán, y que el antiguo paraíso terrenal no era sino una figura de este otro. Hay, pues, en este paraíso terrenal, riquezas, bellezas, rarezas y dulzuras inexplicables, que el nuevo Adán, Jesucristo, ha dejado allí. Es en este paraíso donde Él ha tenido sus complacencias durante nueve meses, donde Él ha obrado sus maravillas, y en donde ha ostentado sus riquezas con la magnificencia de un Dios. Este santísimo lugar no está compuesto sino de tierra virgen e inmaculada, en la cual ha sido formado y alimentado el nuevo Adán, sin mancha ninguna ni inmundicia, por obra del Espíritu Santo que allí habita. Es en este paraíso terrenal donde verdaderamente se encuentra el árbol de la vida, que ha producido a Jesucristo; el árbol de la ciencia del bien y del mal, que ha dado la luz al mundo. Hay en este divino lugar árboles plantados por la mano de Dios, y regados por su divina unción, que han producido y producen todos los días frutos dignos de un paladar divino: hay jardines esmaltados de bellas y diferentes flores de virtudes que exhalan aromas tales que embelesan a los propios ángeles. Hay en este lugar prados verdes de esperanza, torres inexpugnables de fortaleza, encantadoras mansiones de confianza, etc. Nadie más que el Espíritu Santo para poder hacer conocer la verdad oculta bajo estas figuras de cosas materiales. Hay en este lugar un aire de pureza sin imperfección; un hermoso día que no conoce noche, de la humanidad santa; un sol radiante, sin sombras, de la Divinidad; un horno ardiente y continuo de caridad, en donde todo el hierro que allí es puesto es abrasado en fuego y transformado en oro; hay un río de humildad que brota de la tierra, y que dividiéndose en cuatro brazos, que son las cuatro virtudes cardinales, irriga todo este lugar encantado.
262. El Espíritu Santo, por la boca de los Santos Padres, llama también a la Santísima Virgen: 1.– La puerta oriental, por donde el sumo Sacerdote, Jesucristo, entra y sale en el mundo (Ver Ez 44, 1-3); por medio de Ella entró allí la primera vez, y por Ella vendrá la segunda; 2.– El santuario de la Divinidad, el reposo de la Santísima Trinidad, el trono de Dios, la ciudad de Dios, el altar de Dios, el templo de Dios, el mundo de Dios. Todos estos diferentes epítetos y alabanzas son muy verdaderos, en relación a las diferentes maravillas y gracias que el Altísimo ha hecho en María. ¡Oh, qué riquezas! ¡Oh, qué gloria! ¡Oh, qué placer! ¡Oh, qué felicidad de poder entrar y morar en María, donde el Altísimo ha puesto el trono de su gloria suprema!
263. Pero, ¡cuán difícil es a pecadores como nosotros conseguir el permiso, y la capacidad, y la luz para entrar en un lugar tan alto y tan santo, que es custodiado no por un querubín, como el antiguo paraíso terrenal (Gen 3, 24), sino por el mismo Espíritu Santo, que se ha hecho dueño absoluto de él, y del cual dice: “Hortus conclusus soror mea sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus”. María está cerrada; María está sellada; mis miserables hijos de Adán y de Eva expulsados del paraíso terrenal, no pueden entrar en éste sino por una gracia toda particular del Espíritu Santo, que deben merecer.
Fue precisamente Nuestra Señora quien, a través del Mensaje de Fátima, anunció que vendría a pedir la Comunión reparadora de los primeros sábados de mes, por ser el sábado el día en que tradicionalmente se honraba a la Santísima Virgen desde siglos atrás. Hubo que esperar al día 10 de diciembre de 1925, para que se cumpliera aquel anuncio, teniendo ello lugar en el monasterio de Santa Dorotea, en Tuy (Pontevedra), donde se encontraba Sor Lucía, quien junto a sus primos Francisco y Jacinta, había tenido la dicha de ser testigo de las visiones marianas en Fátima. Fue así como la Santísima Virgen le pidió la institución de la devoción de los cinco Primeros Sábados de mes como modo de reparar las ofensas contra su Inmaculado Corazón.
¿En que consiste esta devoción?
Atendiendo el pedido de Nuestra Señora, sus fieles devotos podemos consolarla cumpliendo durante cinco primeros sábados de mes consecutivos los siguientes requisitos:
Confesión.
Asistir a la Santa Misa, recibiendo la Sagrada Comunión con intención de reparar las ofensas contra el Inmaculado Corazón de María.
Rezo del Santo Rosario.
Meditar al menos uno de los Misterios del Santo Rosario durante quince minutos.
¿Por qué cinco sábados?
Ello obedece a los cinco tipos de blasfemias con las que se ofende a Nuestra Señora, y que Ella misma reveló a Sor Lucía:
Blasfemias contra su Inmaculado Corazón.
Blasfemias contra su virginidad.
Blasfemias contra Ella en cuanto Madre de Dios y Madre de toda la humanidad.
Blasfemias de aquellos que públicamente infunden en los niños la indiferencia, el desprecio e incluso el odio a la Santísima Virgen.
Blasfemias de quienes ultrajan sus sagradas imágenes.
La Comunión Reparadora de los Primeros Sábados de mes
Aparición de Nuestro Señor y de la Santísima Virgen a Sor Lucia en Pontevedra
1. – ¿Cuándo? El 10 de diciembre de 1925. – ¿Cómo? Por una aparición de Nuestro Señor y de la Santísima Virgen que me mostró su Inmaculado Corazón cercado de espinas y pidiendo reparación. – ¿Dónde? En Pontevedra (Pasaje Isabel II). La primera aparición (tuvo lugar) en mi cuarto, la segunda cerca del portal del jardín donde estaba trabajando.
2. ¿Las condiciones requeridas? Durante cinco meses, el primer sábado, recibir la Santa Comunión, rezar el rosario, hacer compañía quince minutos a Nuestra Señora meditando los misterios del rosario, y confesarse con la misma intención. La confesión puede hacerse otro día, siempre que uno esté en estado de gracia al recibir la Santa Comunión.
3. Beneficios o promesas. «A las almas que busquen desagraviarme de esta manera (dijo Nuestra Señora), les prometo asistirlas a la hora de la muerte con todas las gracias necesarias para su salvación.”
4. ¿Por qué cinco sábados y no nueve, o siete en honor de los dolores de Nuestra Señora? “Encontrándome en la capilla con Nuestro Señor cierto momento de la noche del 29 al 30 del mes de mayo de 1930, y hablando a Nuestro Señor de las preguntas cuatro y cinco, me sentí de repente poseída íntimamente por la divina presencia y, si no me equivoco, esto es lo que me fue revelado:
«Hija mía, el motivo es simple. Hay cinco especies de ofensas y blasfemias proferidas contra el Inmaculado Corazón de María: – las blasfemias contra la Inmaculada Concepción. – las blasfemias contra su virginidad. – las blasfemias contra su maternidad divina, negando al mismo tiempo reconocerla como Madre de los hombres. – las blasfemias de aquellos que buscan públicamente sembrar en el corazón de los niños la indiferencia o el desprecio, o incluso el odio respecto a esta Madre Inmaculada. – las ofensas de aquellos que la ultrajan directamente en sus santas imágenes.
Este es, hija mía, el motivo por el cual el Inmaculado Corazón de María me ha inspirado a pedir esta pequeña reparación, y, en consideración de la misma, a conmover Mi misericordia para perdonar a las almas que tuvieron la desgracia de ofenderla. En cuanto a ti, busca sin cesar, por tus oraciones y tus sacrificios, conmover Mi misericordia respecto a esas pobres almas».
5. ¿Aquellos que no pudieran cumplir estas condiciones el sábado, pueden satisfacerlas el domingo? «La práctica de esta devoción será igualmente aceptada el domingo siguiente al primer sábado, cuando mis sacerdotes, por justos motivos, lo permitan a las almas».
“Did the Catholic Church prohibit the use of the name Jehovah and removed it from its Bibles?”
I discovered to my great surprise that the name “Yahve” or “Yahweh” appears in many Catholic Bibles and this name is read during the Catholic mass in the reading of the Liturgy of the Word or the Liturgy of the Holy Scriptures from the pulpit! It is the case in my very own church!!
“To avoid taking the Holy Name of God in vain and therefore break the 2nd Commandment”, the Catholic Church has taken the same approach as devout Jews who preferred an alternative not to sully the Holy name of God. No one is sure of the exact pronunciation of the original Tetragrammaton YHWH. The scribes “wrote the consonants YHWH using the vowel points for Adonai as a reminder to Jewish lectors to say “Adonai” instead of “Yahweh.” This custom of writing the consonants of one word with the vowels of another is where we get the English word “Jehovah.” In Latin, “YHWH” had become “JHWH,” and when combined with the vowels of Adonai—a, o, and a—it became “Jahowah,” which then became the English “Jehovah.” Some have argued that this usage began in the Christian community as early as the twelfth century, though it is often traced to 1518, when Petrus Galantinus, O.F.M. [a Catholic Franciscan Friar]—the confessor of Pope Leo X—published a book that popularized it.”
If one travels a little around the world, actually many evangelist denominations commonly use the very same name “Jehovah” while the Catholic Liturgy prefers to use “Yahweh” or “THE LORD” for the aforementioned reasons. The JWs are neither the inventors nor the keepers nor the only users of the name Jehovah or Yahweh as most of them proudly believe. For more see https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/yahweh.
Also, JWs love to pride themselves in believing and promoting that they have some kind of primacy on God’s name and that they are the ones who restored it where it was originally in the Bible “7000 times” and therefore give due glory to God. Where the biggest fallacy resides is that they fail to realize that not only the Catholic Church, as the Jews did, always had at heart the First Commandment never to take the Holy Name of God in vain, but also that true worship and giving glory to God start with recognizing Who He is and What He says He is. Rejecting what God Himself explains of Him being a Holy Trinity, God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit and relegating the Second Person of the Holy Trinity The Logos to the mere status of an angelic creature (JWs have no idea that they are actually. recycling an old Third Century heresy from Arianism) and demoting the Third Person of the Holy Trinity to the rank of a mere force instead of a Person is nothing less than a purely demonic blasphemy and their teachings sully the very Name that they claim to glorify, not to mention the other blasphemies they spread against the Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God The Son!
