Tag: St John Vianney

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

AM+DG

Catholic Mass images

Prayers from the Proper of TLM today:

“By the sign of the Cross, deliver us from our enemies, O Thou our God”. (Communion: verse)

“STAND by us, O Lord our God, and do Thou,who makest us rejoice in honor of the holy Cross, defend us evermore by its help”. (Post Communion verse)

Church of H.S. TRue crossThe feastday:

Today is a very special Feastday. Today we celebrate the triumph and the power of the Cross.

It was on the 14th September that we commemorate St Helena finding the true Cross in 4th century. 300 years later, after a part of it was taken by the Persians, a Christian king as a result of a battle, reclaimed it. He processed with it to the Church of the holy Sepulchre, to which it belonged. It was a great occasion and He was dressed in all his kingly splendour. But when he was nearly there, he stopped and could not move. He was stiff and Cross was too heavy. It was only after he had humbled himself by pitting on the robes of a poor person, that he was able to proceed and carry the cross into The place where it belonged. This day, also happened to be on the 14th September.

saint-john-vianney-cure-d-ars-venerated-catholic-church-as-patron-parish-priests-stained-glass-window-thi-nghe-249436488The  Curé d’Ars ( t(1786-1859) tells us in one of his homilies:

“…We need not be surprised, my dear brethren, at the honor which the Church pays to this holy wood, which obtains for us so many graces and so many benefits. We see that the Church makes the Sign of the Cross in all her ceremonies, in the administration of all the Sacraments.

Why is that? My friends, this is why. It is because all our prayers and all the Sacraments draw from the Cross their power and their virtue. During the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, … the priest makes the Sign of the Cross over and over again. God desires that we may never lose the memory of it as the surest means of our salvation and the most formidable instrument for repelling the Devil. …”

God’s Plan: Then and Now

The Cross was God’s Plan for our Salvation. He accepted his Son’s Sacrifice. To the world he seemed a loser, a criminal… The devil was out to get Him from the very beginning  of His Life. He thought He had won. The spiritual leaders of the time – the “elite” thought they had succeeded. He was a thorn in their side. But the Victory and the Triumph was Christ’s. He paid the price for our Salvation. 

The gates of Hell did not prevail then, and they will not prevail today, in these times.

The Cross is a sign of a Christian. We take up our crosses like our Saviour did. We must be humble and willing to do as our dear Lord and Saviour did.

The carrying of the Cross

Jesus stands by us today, as we carry the many crosses imposed on us by ungodly men, who are in collaboration with sacred servants of his who are Judases.

At the Offertory today we prayed:

“By the sign of the holy Cross, O Lord, protect Thy people from the wiles of all our enemies, that we may be able to do Thee worthy service, and that our sacrifice may be well-pleasing in Thy sight”

In the Gospel today  

(St. John, 12. 31-36) We read Jesus’ words :

“: Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself …  Yet a little while, the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light; that you may be the children of light.”

gates of hell will not prevail

Today – Good Shepherd Sunday

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Heard a great sermon today. I can’t remember it all, so I will just use the main ideas and embellish them with my own thoughts, as inspired by the sermon. (The parts that are definitely from the sermon I heard are in italics, but in my own words).

Shepherds in Jesus day were not well thought of – they did not have good reputations. Sometimes they were not even allowed to give testimony in court. Jesus said ‘I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know Me.…” He would even lay down His life for his sheep.

Shepherds make sure their flocks have good food, go and look for them when they stray and get lost, and bring them back to the fold. They stay with them day and night and keep them safe from predators and wolves. The crook is an aid to help rescue them when they are in trouble, or approaching trouble.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd appointed His apostles as bishops – to be shepherds of the flock of the faithful. We call them “pastors”. Jesus gave them 3 main functions – to sanctify, teach and govern – these are to  keep the flock safe from harm.

Sanctify – to make holy by offering the Sacrifice of the Mass and to confect and give the Sacraments;

teach –  the teachings of Jesus Christ laid down by Him and which cannot be changed – to enable the flock to stay safe and reach their eternal reward; 

govern – the structures laid down to enable all this to happen.

 

 

 

The Protestant Reformation of the 1500’s distanced itself from the role of the priest, and therefore of the “Good Shepherd”. They cannot offer up the Sacrifice of the Mass, or the Sacraments of Eucharist and Penance – keeping the flock safe from harm and evil and keeping holy. It is such that their ministry is a job – in which they must use their own personalities to emphasise their homilies and teachings. In doing so, they face the people. Their altar is just a table (without relics) – it is not used to offer up the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered up on the Cross. This has crept into our own Catholic Church since Vatican II. When the priest faces the people, they are the centre of attention.

The priest referred to modern shepherds who use “clown” antics to keep the people amused; who wear secular clothing, who are referred to by their Christian name only and  the title of  “Father” is not used.

I, myself, can think of many “clown” Masses – they seem to have been multiplied especially since 2013.

Remember Fr Scheier? He was in an horrific car accident and should have died. He says that his sentence was “hell” when Our Blessed Mother interceded for him. You might think  – what did he do that was so bad?

 See his whole story here: http://www.sign.org/articles/gods-merciful-judgement-a-priests-true-story 

Also see Youtube EWTN: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VFE8ToVatI

Many of our dear priests have let the spirit of the world infect them: they think that they have to be seen as accepting everything and everyone. Jesus and His teachings are no longer important unless they have been twisted to show that Jesus will show Mercy to every single person, regardless of whether they ask for forgiveness and express their sorrow.

Father told us that the devil once said to St John Vianney: “If there were three such priests as you, my kingdom would be ruined.”

WE MUST PRAY FOR GOOD SHEPHERDS – especially all the modernist cardinals and bishops who are leading the flock astray; and for good priests with courage to proclaim the Truth despite secular modernist and relativist opinions and persecutions.

Jesus does not want any of His beloved “Sacred Servants” to be lost. Remember Jesus’ exhortation to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day at 3 o’clock for all to be saved. We were just reminded of that in our prayer group meeting  a few days ago. See the post entitled “JtM Crusade Prayer meeting on Thursday 27th April, 2017”

PRAYER TO BE SAID BY THE LAITY:

Pope Pius XII  July 17, 1956

O Jesus, eternal High Priest, Good Shepherd, Font of Life, Who by a special favor of Thy most tender Heart hast given to us our priests in order to accomplish in us those holy ideals with which Thy grace inspires our hearts, let Thy mercy, we beseech Thee, come to the aid of our priests.

Grant them, O Jesus, lively faith in their works, unshakable hope in their trials and fervent charity in their intentions. May Thy word, radiant with eternal Wisdom, become through continual meditation, the never failing nourishment of their interior life; may the examples of Thy Life and Passion be renewed in their conduct and sufferings for our instruction and as a light and consolation in our sorrows.

  Grant, O Lord, that our priests, free from all earthly attachments and solicitous for Thy glory alone, may persevere to their last breath in the fulfillment of duty and in purity of conscience. And when in death they deliver into Thy hands a task well done may they have in Thee, Lord Jesus, their Master on earth, the eternal reward of the crown of justice in the glory of the Saints. Amen.