Tag: St Bonaventure

Pope Benedict, St Bonaventure on “the Seal of the LIving God”.

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The Book of Truth, St Francis of Assisi, St Bonaventure and Joseph Ratzinger and Era of peace

“…St Bonaventure, the seventh leader of the Franciscan Order, after having a mystical experience on Mount La Verna (the site of St Francis’ stigmatisation)…”

As Joseph Ratzinger reminds us in “The Theology of History in St Bonaventure”, the Stigmata of St Francis reveals him as the angel in the Book of Revelation who ascends ‘from the rising of the sun’ and carries ‘the seal of the living God’ and has power to seal the ‘servants of God in their foreheads’ (Revelation 7:2).

St Bonaventure and Ratzinger both contend that St Francis will in the future bring about a new Order of Franciscans who will emulate the original perfection that Francis manifested and will usher in an era of Peace in the world, in preparation for the final coming of Christ.

From: https://jesusrisen.me/category/st-francis-of-assisi/

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For me, (except for the Book of Truth) the key prophecy foretelling the state of the papacy today, has always been that of St. Francis of Assisi. To teach people the Truth, you have to start with something that people will be able to accept. Who would question St Francis?

“  2. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death.
“3. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
“4. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.”

“7. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer.”

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The previous quote (from “Jesus risen”) above tells us much more – indeed of a connection between St Francis, St Bonaventure and Pope Benedict – specifically – about the “Seal of the Living God”, the  “era of peace” and the “final coming of Christ”.

This, indeed, is Good News. Because, when people are afraid to read the Book of Truth, we have other sources to quote, to lead them towards the Truth.

The Book of Revelation tells us about the “Seal on the foreheads” and how this Seal was carried by an angel, before people were sealed with it on their foreheads. Therefore, this “Seal of the Living God” is both an object, as well as a mark (an indelible, spiritual mark that sets us aside as belonging to God).

 Revelation7: 2-4

“…Then I saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea,

3“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

4 I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the Israelites: …”

Rev 14:1

“[1] And I beheld, and lo a lamb stood upon mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their forehead.”

This concept is not surprising . Kings have always had seals to mark their Kingship and their property. In the days of old, a king‘s seal (on a letter, for example) would give protection to those who bore it.

Therefore it is to be noted, that Pope Benedict (Ratzinger), in quoting St Bonaventure, recognizes the significance of this Seal.

In this unbelieving and deceptive world, however, the fact that we have a “Seal of the Living God” mentioned in the Book of Truth, is held as being wrong, or even heretical, when we print it and put it in our homes for protection, or wear it as a scapular. Most priests dismiss it as soon as they know that it comes from the Book of Truth. They say it is simply a “spiritual mark”. However, Scripture itself refutes this.

 

 

 

It is so reassuring, therefore, in knowing that there is a saint, and our dearly beloved Pope Benedict, that holds this to be true. There have been many testimonies, as to the power of this “Seal”. By possessing it, and praying the prayer that goes with it, we are marked spiritually with an indelible mark that sets us aside.

Book of Truth On “the Seal” (extracts from messages)

“My promise is this, children. I will protect all of My children who have the seal of My love embedded in their souls. You will be spared the persecution so that you remain strong to pray with all your might for these wicked people. (God of The Most High, February 14, 2012)

I desire to take all of you, loving children, who know and understand My Love for you, into My beautiful New Paradise on earth. I promise you, that the persecution will be swift, and that you will be protected. For I now bequeath the Seal of My Love and Protection. With this, you will escape the notice of those who will cause hardship in your countries. My Seal is My promise of Salvation. My Power will surge through you, with this Seal, and no harm will come to you. This is a miracle, children, and only those who bow before Me, their Lord and Creator of all things, as little children with love in their hearts for Me, can be blessed with this Divine Gift. (God of The Most High, February 20, 2012)

My daughter the time has come for the first of the seals to be broken and how this saddens Me. I have promised that before this happens I will offer My Seal of Protection on the foreheads of all those who believe in Me. Now I give you, children, a last chance to stand up and decide. You are either for Me or against Me. The choice is yours. If you accept My Seal of Love you will be within My protection at all times. This protection will cover your families. This is My final call to offer you My Seal of Love. To those who know Me, and accept My Seal, know that you will have eternal life. (God of The Most High, February 21, 2012)

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For a more comprehensive list of excerpts, see our post at:

https://remnantdisciplesjtm.com/the-seal-of-the-living-god/

or see the menu item on our Home Page

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New readers might like to know also that the Book of Truth is fulfilment of Scripture:

Daniel 10:21
Bible: USCCB – U .S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
“ but I shall tell you what is written in the book of truth. No one supports me against these except Michael, your prince,”

In this final battle of Good against Evil, God would not forsake His people.

The Seal of the Living God described in the Book of Revelation  and the Book of Truth is the fulfilment of that promise!!!

The Eucharist, Priests and Prayers given by Heaven

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The messages about the Eucharist are for TODAY.

Priests, in particular, have a lot to suffer in these times.

Prayers given to us at Fatima:

“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You”

“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.
I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world,
in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. And through the infinite merit of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.”

Messages (and Prayers) about the Eucharist from Book of Truth:

Prayers for priests:

  • Excerpt from:  message of 30 July 2012

“… Many of My sacred servants are being misled and don’t know it. Yet many such servants, if they are honest with themselves, are confused.

Then there are those who pose as My sacred servants but come from the other side. Slaves to the beast they deliberately present themselves as my anointed priests.

They cause Me such terrible anguish. Not only do they corrupt souls they have knowingly created a pact with Satan who will devour them.

They perform vile acts on My altars, before the Holy Eucharist but few know that they commit such acts. Yet I yearn for their souls.

My Catholic Church has been torn into shreds, yet the soul of My Church will never be taken or consumed by Satan. But the servants of My Church can be seduced and destroyed by the beast.

This is the time for Me to intervene to help them rise above these terrible torments.

I need you, My followers, and those sacred servants among you who understand what is happening amongst you to say this:

Crusade Prayer (70) Prayer for Clergy to remain firm and true to the Holy Word of God

‘O dear Jesus, help Your sacred servants to recognise the schism within Your Church as it unfolds. Help Your sacred servants to remain firm and true to Your Holy Word. Never let worldly ambitions cloud their pure love for You. Give them the graces to remain pure and humble before You and to honour Your Most Holy Presence in the Eucharist. Help and guide all those sacred servants who may be lukewarm in their love for You and re-kindle the fire of the Holy Spirit in their souls. Help them to recognize temptation placed before them to distract them. Open their eyes so they can see the Truth at all times. Bless them Dear Jesus at this time and cover them with Your Precious Blood to keep them safe from harm. Give them the strength to resist the seduction of Satan, should they be distracted by the allure of denying the existence of sin.  Amen.’  …”

Read the complete message here: https://missionofsalvation.com/Message-0503/

  • Excerpt from:  message of 6 Feb. 2014

” My child, when the time comes, when my Son’s priests will face terrible anguish and miscarriages of justice, they must call on me. I have been given the Grace to be able to give them the courage they will need to continue to serve my Son. I refer, in particular, to priests in the Catholic Church, for they will suffer more than any other servants of God.

When the day comes and when they are called to swear an oath, which will deny the Divinity of my beloved Son, Jesus Christ, they must never doubt the real intentions of those who demand this of them. When they are asked to renounce the meaning of the Holy Eucharist and accept a new interpretation, they will know then that the hour has come. That will be the day when the rot will set in and the crumbling of the walls will be witnessed under the roofs of churches everywhere. 

I desire that all priests, who will have to face these sorrowful trials, recite this:

Crusade Prayer (135) To defend the Truth

‘O beloved Mother of Salvation, help me in my moment of need. Pray that I am blessed with the Gifts poured down upon my unworthy soul, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, to defend the Truth at all times. Sustain me in every incident, where I am asked to deny the Truth, the Word of God, the Holy Sacraments and the Most Holy Eucharist. Help me to use the Graces I receive to stand firm against the wickedness of Satan and all those poor souls he uses to defile your Son, Jesus Christ.  Help me in my hour of need. For the sake of souls, give me the courage to provide the Sacraments to each child of God, when I may be forbidden by the enemies of God to do so. Amen.’

When these times commence, you must be prepared to continue to carry on the Work of God and carry His Cross with resilience and dignity, for the sake of your own souls and those of all God’s children.”

Your beloved Mother

Mother of Salvation

( 56) Priests seeking protection for Holy Eucharist

Taken from  message on Saturday, May 26th, 2012 @ 16:00.

See the complete message here : https://missionofsalvation.com/crusade-prayers/

“…You must ask for My Help now through this Crusade Prayer. It is for Priests seeking Protection for the Holy Eucharist. …”

‘O dear Father, in the name of your precious Son, who sacrificed himself on the cross for the whole of mankind, help me to stay true to the truth. Cover me with the Precious Blood of your Son and give me the graces to continue to serve you in faith, trust, and honour for the rest of my ministry. Never let me stray from the true meaning of the sacrifice of the Holy Mass or the presentation of the Holy Eucharist to your children. Give me the strength to represent you and feed your flock, the way in which they must be fed with the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of your Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of Mankind.  Amen.’

(Crusade Prayer 66) For clergy – help me to remain true to your most Holy Word

Taken from message of Monday, July 16th, 2012 @ 15:15

“…I love you and I will be with you now as you walk with Me the thorny road to Calvary so that salvation can be achieved once more for all souls. …”

‘O dear Jesus, help me to remain true to your most Holy Word at all times. Give me the strength to uphold the truth of your church in the face of adversity. Fill me with the grace to administer the Holy Sacraments in the way in which you taught us.  Help me to feed your church with the bread of life and remain loyal to you, even when I am prohibited from doing so.  Free me from the chain of deceit I may face, in order to proclaim the true Word of God.  Cover all your sacred servants with your Precious Blood at this time, so that we will remain courageous, loyal and steadfast, in our allegiance to you our beloved Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.’

++++++++++++++++++++The following is a beautiful prayer for all, which can be said before Holy Communion or at any time as a Spiritual Communion.

(Crusade Prayer 81) For the gift of the Holy Communion

Taken from the message of Friday, October 19th, 2012 @ 09:06

“…The Holy Mass, which offers the real Body of my Son in honour of My Father, brings with it, also, great benefits. The more daily Masses you attend and the more you receive the Body and Blood of my Son, in the Holy Eucharist, you will be granted immunity from the purification in the fire of purgatory.

O Heavenly Host, fill my body with the nourishment it needs. Fill my soul with the Divine presence of Jesus Christ. Give me the graces to fulfil the Holy will of God. Fill me with the peace and calm, which comes from your Holy Presence. Never let me doubt your Presence. Help me to accept you in body and soul, and that by the Holy Eucharist, the graces bestowed upon me will help me to proclaim the glory of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Purify my heart. Open my soul and sanctify me when I receive the great gift of the Holy Eucharist.  Grant me the graces and the favours it bestows upon all God’s children and grant me immunity from the fires of purgatory.  Amen.

Other Prayers:

Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas:
“Ad Sacrosanctum Sacramentum”

O sacred banquet at which
Christ is consumed,
The memory of His Passion recalled,
our soul filled with grace,
and our pledge of future glory received:

How delightful, Lord, is Your spirit,
which shows Your sweetness to men,
offers the precious bread of heaven,
fills the hungry with good things,
and sends away empty the scornful rich.

V. You have given them bread from heaven.
R. A bread having all sweetness within it.

Let us pray:

God, Who left for us a memorial of Your Passion in this miraculous sacrament, Grant we implore You, that we may venerate the holy mystery of Your Body and Blood, so that we may ever experience in ourselves the fruitfulness of Your redemption. You who life and reign, world without end. Amen.

 St. Catherine of Siena – A Prayer to Jesus in the Eucharist

O boundless charity!
Just as you gave us yourself,
wholly God and wholly man,
so you left us all of yourself as food
so that while we are pilgrims in this life
we might not collapse in our weariness
but be strengthened by you, heavenly food.

O mercenary people!
And what has your God left you?
He has left you himself,
wholly God and wholly man,
hidden under the whiteness of this bread.

O fire of love!
Was it not enough to gift us
with creation in your image and likeness,
and to create us anew to grace in your Son’s blood,
without giving us yourself as food,
the whole of divine being,
the whole of God?

What drove you?
Nothing but your charity,
mad with love as you are!

 

The following 2 prayers are amongst  my personal favourites:

St. Bonaventure – Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, mine inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for Thee, that it may yearn for Thee and faint for Thy courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.

Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste.

Let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, whom the angels desire to look upon, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor.

May it ever thirst after Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the richness of the house of God.

May it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, attain to Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee, and do all things to the praise and glory of Thy Holy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with readiness and affection, and with perseverance unto the end.

Be Thou alone ever my hope and my whole confidence, my riches, my delight, my pleasure and my joy; my rest and tranquility; my peace, my sweetness and my fragrance; my sweet savor, my food and refreshment; my refuge and my help; my wisdom, my portion, my possession and my treasure, in whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed and firm, and rooted immovably. Amen.

 St. Padre Pio – Prayer After Holy Communion

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life and without You I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light and without You I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close and life passes, death, judgment and eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches, I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen.

 

Postscript: All messages and prayers (from Book of Truth) can be found at missionofsalvation.com

Thoughts for the 7th Day of Christmas: St Francis’ devotion to Baby Jesus

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St. Francis of Assisi had a special devotion to the Child Jesus, and he is credited with creating the first nativity scene on Christmas Eve of the year 1223.

THE FIRST NATIVITY SCENE

St. Francis recreated the scene of Christ’s birth in a special ritual and Mass he held inside of a cave in Greccio, Italy, inviting both his fellow friars and the townspeople to join in the celebration.

Later he told a friend why he desired to create the first nativity scene in his town:

“I want to do something that will recall the memory of that Child who was born in Bethlehem, to see with bodily eyes the inconveniences of his infancy, how he lay in the manger, and how the ox and ass stood by.”

He set up an empty manger (the feeding trough of farm animals which served as Jesus’ crib) inside a cave, and even included a live ox and donkey beside the manger just as it was believed to have happened on that first Christmas night. Through these visual aids he wanted everyone to impress more deeply into their understanding how Christ came into the world in such poverty and simplicity. 

It is also said that St. Francis—who was radically devoted to the virtue of evangelical poverty—was inspired to recreate the original nativity scene to overcome the rampant greed and materialism prevalent at that time in Italy.

St. BONAVENTURE TELLS THE STORY

St. Bonaventure (1221 – 1274), a follower and contemporary of St. Francis, has given us a complete account of the night of the first live nativity scene:

“It happened in the third year before his death, that in order to excite the inhabitants of Grecio to commemorate the nativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion, [St. Francis] determined to keep it with all possible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness or novelty, he asked and obtained the permission of the sovereign Pontiff. Then he prepared a manger, and brought hay, and an ox and an ass to the place appointed.

The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise.”

St. Bonaventure goes on to talk about St. Francis of Assisi’s personal devotion to the Baby Jesus that sparked this event:

“The man of God [St. Francis] stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the Holy Gospel was chanted by Francis, the Levite of Christ. Then he preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called Him the Babe of Bethlehem.”

https://www.getfed.com/story-francis-assisi-first-navity-scene-5955/