Bergoglio speaking well of his own again…
Bergoglio: There are bombs in here!! Yes, Bergoglio is absolutely correct! The worst bomb inside the Vatican! Threatens the life of the church, it “sows destruction” and “destroys the lives of others!!”
Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, ora pro nobis!
Pope Santa Marta: ‘Is it blasphemy when Jesus complains??
Is it blasphemy when Jesus complains – ‘Father, why have You forsaken me’? This is the mystery.’
Reflecting on the First Reading of the day, in which Job curses the day he was born, the Pope noted that his prayer at first appears to us like a curse. Pope Francis recalled how Job was “put to the test”, how he “lost his entire family, everything he possessed”, how he lost his health and “his body had become a plague, a disgusting plague”. The Pope said in that moment “he had lost all patience and he says these things. They are ugly! But he was always accustomed to speak the truth and this is the truth that he feels at that moment”. Pope Francis recalled how even Jeremiah, “uses almost the same words: ‘Cursed be the day I was born!'”, and then he asked: “But is this man blaspheming? This is my question: Is this man who is so very alone, blaspheming?”.
“Is it blasphemy when Jesus complains – ‘Father, why have You forsaken me’? This is the mystery. I have often listened to people who are experiencing difficult and painful situations, who have lost a great deal or feel lonely and abandoned and they come to complain and ask these questions: Why? Why? They rebel against God. And I say, ‘Continue to pray just like this, because this is a prayer’. It was a prayer when Jesus said to his father: ‘Why have You forsaken me!'”.
The Pope continued that what Job is doing in the First Reading is praying, because prayer means being truthful before God. This was the only way Job could pray. “We should pray with reality – he added – true prayer comes from the heart, from the moment that we are living in”. “It is prayer in times of darkness, in those moments of life that seem hopeless, where we cannot see the horizon”. “And so many people, so many today, are in the same situation as Job. So many good people, just like Job, do not understand what has happened to them, or why. Many brothers and sisters who have no hope. Just think of the tragedies, the great tragedies, for example, of these brothers and sisters of ours who because they are Christians were driven out of their homes and left with nothing: ‘But, Lord, I have believed in you. Why? Is believing in you a curse, Lord? ‘”.
“Just think of the elderly who are sidelined – he continued – think of the sick, of the many lonely people in hospitals”. The Pope assured that the Church prays for all of these people and for those of us when we walk in darkness. “The Church prays! She takes this pain upon herself and prays”. And those of us who “are not sick, or hungry, who have no pressing needs, when we suffer a little darkness of soul, act like martyrs and stop praying”.
The Pope continued that there are even those who say: “I am angry with God, I will not go to Mass”. “But why? Over some trifling thing” is the answer. Pope Francis recalled that St. Therese of the Child Jesus, in the last months of her life, “tried to think of heaven, but heard a voice within herself, telling her not to be silly, not to be led astray by fantasies. Do you know what awaits you? Nothing!”.
“We all go through this situation, we experience this situation. There are so many people who think it all ends in nothing. Yet Saint Teresa, prayed and asked for strength to persevere in the dark. This is calledentering into patience. Our life is too easy, our complaints are overdramatized. Faced with the complaints of so many people, of so many brothers and sisters who are in the dark, who have almost lost all memory, almost lost all hope – who are experiencing this exile from themselves, who are exiled, even from themselves – nothing! Jesus walked this path: from sunset on the Mount of Olives to the last word from the Cross: ‘Father, why have you forsaken me!”
Pope Francis concluded that there are two things that can help in such situations: “First, to prepare ourselves for when the darkness comes” which perhaps, will not be as hard as that of Job, “but which will come. Prepare your heart for that moment”. Second: “Pray, pray as the Church prays, pray with the Church for so many brothers and sisters who suffer exile from themselves, who are in darkness and suffering, without hope at hand.” It is the prayer of the Church for these ‘Suffering Jesus’ who are everywhere”.
(Emer McCarthy)
The protest of the bishop removed from Paraguay: the Pope will give an account before God!
1
Letter of Msgr. Livieres the cardia prefect of the Congregation for Bishops: “Persecution ideological.” Collegiality? Euphemism for “ideological uniformity”
“As an obedient son of the Church,” “I accept this decision although consider unfounded and arbitrary” and it “the Pope will have to render an account to God more than me.” And ‘the disgruntled reaction of the Bishop of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay’s second largest city, Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, removed yesterday from Papa Francesco “serious pastoral reasons” after an apostolic visitation entrusted, in recent months, the Spanish Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló.
In a letter to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, published on the website of the Paraguayan diocese, the bishop writes that “the Nuncio, almost simultaneously with the announcement that His Eminence was going to give me, held in Paraguay a press conference and is reaching the Diocese to take immediate control of the same. The public announcement by the Nuncio prior written notification of the decree is an irregularity in the most anomalous in this process. The lightning-fast action on the diocese you can think of due to fear of negative reaction of the majority of the faithful, as they have expressed their support to myself and my management during his Apostolic Visit. In this sense, I remember the parting words of Cardinal Santos Abril y: ‘I expect them to welcome the decisions of Rome with the same openness and docility with which they welcomed me’. Was he suggesting that the course of action was already decided before the final and informative examination of the Holy Father? In any case, there is no fear of rebellion. The faithful have been trained in the discipline of the Church and know how to obey the legitimate authority. “
“I think I have shown that the attacks and maneuvers aimed at the removal of which have been the subject have already started since my appointment as bishop, even before that ponessi foot in the diocese,” the bishop, a member of Opus Dei . “I had the grace that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, they supported me so that I could continue. I take it now Pope Francis has decided to revocarmi this support. ” According to the bishop, “in spite of all the talk of dialogue, compassion, openness, decentralization and respect for the authority of the local Churches, I have not even had the opportunity to speak with Pope Francis, at least for chiarirgli some doubts or concerns. Consequently, I could not get any fatherly correction – or fraternal as you prefer – on his part. “
“As an obedient son of the Church, nevertheless accept this decision although consider unfounded and arbitrary and that it considers the Pope will have to render an account to God more than me. Beyond the many human errors that I have committed, and for which already ask forgiveness from God and those who had suffered, I affirm once more to those who will listen that the substance of the case was an ideological opposition and persecution ” , writes the former bishop of Ciudad del Este. Also the apostolic visitor, Cardinal Santos Abril y, if “thought that the problem of the Church in Paraguay was a problem that was resolved by changing the vestry clerk, it would be tragic and profoundly wrong.”
Livieres claims the controversial seminar which he founded (“gave excellent fruits recognized by recent communications laudatorie of the Holy See in at least three occasions during the previous pontificate”) and alleges that the criterion of ecclesial unity is “coexistence between us based on uncritical ‘ uniformity of thought and action, which excludes dissent in defense of the truth, and the legitimate variety of gifts and charisms. This ideological uniformity is imposed by the euphemism of ‘collegiality’. “The former bishop of Ciudad del Este concludes his letter: “This people have openly and publicly expressed his support for the apostolic work that we have carried out. The people and I have been ignored and disregarded. “
In addition to the letter, not entirely unexpected in the Vatican, also yesterday was also published a note from the Apostolic Nuncio to Paraguay, Msgr. Aliseo Ariotti, which states that the rotation willing to Rome, and the replacement of Livieres with an apostolic administrator, “has become necessary due to lack of availability of the Bishop Livieres Plano to submit his own resignation as he had been asked by the ministry competent “.
VATICAN II ROTTEN FRUITS – KIERAN CONRY SCANDAL: Cardinal Nichols faces questions about a cover-up!!
By their fruits you shall know them…
Cardinal Nichols this morning faces his biggest crisis since he became Archbishop of Westminster in 2009. On Saturday Bishop Kieran Conry – head of evangelisation for England and Wales – resigned as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton after (at least) two affairs with women became public. Now Conry has told the Mail:
In some respects I feel very calm. It is liberating. It is a relief. I have been very careful not to make sexual morality a priority [in his sermons]. I don’t think it got in the way of my job, I don’t think people would say I have been a bad bishop.
Conry goes on to say that ‘I can’t defend myself. I did wrong. Full stop.’ But he has just defended himself by saying that his womanizing didn’t get in the way of his job, that he didn’t preach about sex, and that he was a good bishop.
This is called rubbing the noses of your flock in the sex scandal you’ve just landed on them. As I blogged on Saturday, lots of people – especially including his priests – thought he was an awful bishop, because he treated anyone who disagreed with him with cold arrogance, because he slagged off Benedict XVI and because they knew, but were too polite to say, that he was a womaniser.
Conry also ‘denied to the Mail that Church leaders had known about his affair’. And this is where Cardinal Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has questions to answer.
It’s likely that Nichols and his fellow bishops didn’t know about this affair – i.e. the one that, according to an unnamed furious husband, broke up a marriage. Possibly they didn’t know about the other love affair Conry has admitted to: bizarrely, when the Mail doorstepped him about the married woman on Saturday he said he was resigning over an earlier relationship.
I don’t know how many Mrs Conrys there have been over the years: the rumors date back decades. But I have it on good authority that (a) several English bishops, (b) a former papal nuncio to Britain and (c) the Congregation for Bishops in Rome were concerned about the stories. When Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor wanted to make his protégé a bishop, Conry was asked about them. And lied.
So the idiots in the Church either took him at his word, which implies an incredible level of naivety, or decided to bend the rules. According to one source, ‘the priest [now a bishop] who reported Kieran to the authorities was told that since the Congregation for Bishops was satisfied, there was nothing he could do about it’.
All of which makes Cardinal Nichols’s bland initial response to Conry’s disgrace – ‘This is a sad and painful moment. All involved in this situation are much in my prayers today’ – seem inadequate. Meanwhile, his famously incompetent press office last night ‘declined to respond to allegations of a cover-up about the bishop’s love life’.
Let’s be clear about one thing. Vincent Nichols is himself a faithful bishop who upholds Catholic teaching on sexual morality. He’s also never been Kieran Conry’s biggest fan. He could be forgiven for laying much of the blame for this outrage on his predecessor, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, who packed the episcopacy with ‘the boys’ – opportunistic liberals in his own mould, of whom Kieran was the most colourful example.
But there was some sort of cover-up, and it continued under the Nichols regime. And many, many Catholics, who are extremely angry at being betrayed by a senior bishop who doesn’t give a stuff what they think, are demanding to know the shape and extent of that cover-up. To quote the senior cleric who rang me yesterday, ‘Conry was not an abuser, but it needs to be said that this is the mentality that protected the paedophiles. One rule for us, another for the poor folk in the pews.’
Bergoglio: New ‘interconfessional’ Bibles are so much more understandable to the ‘simple’ people than literal translation!?
Bergoglio: We always went to the Biblical Society to purchase these translations. They gave me a good discount! We gave the Bible to the people, and the people understood it. They understood! It was a beautiful effort, and I am pleased that it is now available in Italian, because in this way the people can understand stories and expressions that, if translated literally, cannot be understood.
Pope’s Address at Presentation of Interconfessional Italian Bible
“The sacred text is the food of the soul and the pure and everlasting source of the spiritual life of us all”
Translation of the address – To members of the United Bible Societies for the presentation of the Bible in Italian “Word of the Lord – The Interconfessional Bible in Current Language.”
Dear Brothers in Christ,
I thank you for coming here to present to me the new Italian version of the “Bible Word of God, Inter-Confessional Translation in Current Language,” fruit of the collaboration between the United Bible Societies-Biblical Society in Italy and ELLEDICI Publishing House.
I will tell you something of my experience. The translation of the Bible prepared by Evangelicals and Catholics in current Argentine language has done so much good and does so much good!?? It is a good idea, because simple people can understand it, because it is a true language, proper, but close to the people. In the missions we did in the parishes of Buenos Aires, we always went to the Biblical Society to purchase these translations. They gave me a good discount! We gave the Bible to the people, and the people understood it. They understood! It was a beautiful effort, and I am pleased that it is now available in Italian, because in this way the people can understand stories and expressions that, if translated literally, cannot be understood.
Resist Bergoglio!!
The preparation of an inter-confessional version is a particularly significant effort, if one thinks how much the debates on Scripture influenced the divisions, especially in the West. This inter-confessional project, which has given you the possibility to undertake a common path for some decades, has enabled you to entrust your heart to your other companions on the way, overcoming suspicions and diffidence, with the confidence that it flows from common for the Word of God.
Yours is the fruit of patient, careful, fraternal, competent and, above all, believing work. If you did not believe, you would not understand; “if you did not believe, you would not remain firm; if you will not believe, surely you will not be established,” says Isaiah. I hope that this text, which is presented with the approval of the CEI [Italian Episcopal Conference] and of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, will push all Italian-speaking Christians to meditate, to live, to witness and to celebrate God’s message.(!!!)
I would so like it if all Christians could learn “the sublime science of Jesus Christ” (cf.Philippians 3:8) through the assiduous reading of the Word of God, because the sacred text is the food of the soul and the pure and everlasting source of the spiritual life of us all. Therefore, we must make every effort so that every member of the faithful reads the Word of God, because “ignorance of Scriptures in fact, is ignorance of Christ,” as Saint Jerome says (Comm. In Is.,: PL 24,17).
My heartfelt thanks to you all, because what you have achieved together is in fact valuable to reach this objective, and I encourage you to continue on the path undertaken, to have the Word of God known ever better and understood ever more profoundly.
My blessing also accompanies you, which I give you from my heart and I invite you to ask for it together, as brothers, praying the Our Father.
Recitation of the Our Father
Thank you.
[Original text: Italian]
[Translation by ZENIT]
Feast of Saint Jerome, Confessor and Doctor – Mass Propers
Saint Jerome was born in Dalmatia in 329. Even during his life he was renowned as a Doctor and interpreter of Holy Scripture. He defended Catholic teaching against many heresies; his chief aim was to be a perfect monk and before he would consent to be raised to the priesthood he exacted a promise from Paulinus, Bishop of Antioch that this new dignity should in no wise interfere with his monastic vocation.
To him we owe the translation of the Holy Scriptures, the introduction of the alleluia chant into the Sunday Mass, the spread of monastic life among the aristocracy, and lastly the daily recital of the Divine Office.
After important services to the Pope of his time, St. Jerome retired to Bethlehem, where he died September 30, 420.
Feast of Saint Jerome, Confessor and Doctor of the Church
Tuesday in the Sixteenth Week after Pentecost
Double / White Vestments
Missa “In medio Ecclesiae”
INTROIT: Ps. 36: 30, 31
In the midst of the Church the Lord opened his mouth: and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding: He clothed him with a robe of glory.
Ps. 91: 2
It is good to give praise to the Lord: and to sing to Thy Name, O Most High.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
In the midst of the Church…
In medio Ecclesiae aperuit os ejus: et implevit eum Dominus epiritu sapientiae, et intellectus: stolam gloriae induit eum.
Ps. 91: 2
Bonum est confiteri Domino: et psallere nomini tuo, Altissime.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancti sicut erat in principio et nunc, et semper, et saecula saeculorum. Amen.
In medio Ecclesiae…
COLLECT
O God, Who didst vouchsafe to provide for Thy Church blessed Jerome, Thy confessor, a great Doctor for the expounding of the Sacred Scriptures, grant, we beseech Thee, that through his merits we may be enabled, by Thine assistance, to practise what both by word and deed he hath taught us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
EPISTLE: 2 Timothy 4: 1-8
Lesson from the Epistle of blessed Paul the Apostle to Timothy
Dearly beloved, I charge thee before God and Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the living and the dead, by His coming, and His Kingdom. Preach the word: be instant in season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience, and doctrine. For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own desires they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labor in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry. Be sober. For I am even now ready to be sacrificed; and the time of my dissolution is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the Faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just Judge, will render to me in that day; and not only to me, but to them also that love His coming.
Jerome in the desert, tormented by his memories of the dancing girls of Rome – Francisco de Zurbarán
GRADUAL: Psalm 36: 30-31
The mouth of the just man shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment.
The law of his God is in his heart; and his steps shall not be supplanted.
ALLELUIA:
Alleluia, alleluia – Ecclus. 45: 9
The Lord loved him and adorned him: he clothed with a robe of glory. Alleluia.
GOSPEL: Matthew 5: 13-19
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples,“You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt lose its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden by men. You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain can not be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house; so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven. Do not think that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For, amen I say unto you, till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall not pass of the law till all be fulfilled. He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven: but he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.”
OFFERTORY: Psalm 88: 25
My truth and My mercy shall be with him: and in My name shall his horn be exalted.
SECRET
By Thy heavenly gifts, O Lord, grant us, we pray, to serve Thee with untrammeled minds, that the offerings we bring may, by the intercession of blessed Jerome, Thy confessor, effect our healing and our glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God…
PREFACE Common Preface
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: through Christ our Lord. Through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise:
SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria Tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.
Last Communion of St. Jerome – Sandro-Botticelli
COMMUNION: Luke 12: 42
A faithful and wise steward, whom the Lord set over His family; to give them their measure of wheat in due season.
POSTCOMMUNION
Filled with Heavenly nourishment, we pray Thee, O Lord, that by the intercession of blessed Jerome, Thy confessor, we may be found worthy to obtain the favor of Thy mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God…
The Virgin and the Child with St Lawrence and St Jerome.
Saint Jerome – Father of the Mother Tongue
St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church was the wise and talented translator of the Holy Bible into the Latin Vulgate. Born of wealthy parents anywhere from 329 to 342 in Dalmatia, which is today the former Yugoslavia, Eusebius Hieronymus Sophronius had the benefit and opportunity to study at the great universities. We know him by his Christian name Saint Jerome. He chose Rome, studying the languages under the great pagan grammarian Donatus. Through his intellectual curiosity towards literature, Christian writings and Scripture, he came to realize the Truth and was baptized in 360 by Pope Liberius himself.
Jerome, yearning for more, gave up the pagan culture and the social trappings and sought the life of a hermit for four years where he studied Hebrew which he later called “the language of hissing and broken-winded words.” At the conclusion of this seclusion, he became a priest around 379 and journeyed to Constantinople where he studied Scripture with St. Gregory Nazianzen as his tutor. When Gregory retired as Bishop of Constantinople and left for Asia Minor, Jerome was drawn to Rome where, accompanied by Bishop Paulinus, he was introduced to Pope Saint Damasus I. So taken was the pontiff that he appointed Jerome as his secretary and commissioned him to undertake his greatest contribution: translating the Greek and Hebrew texts of Sacred Scripture into Latin.
At that time the language of the common people of the empire in the west was Latin, yet most of the writings had been in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic and thus understandable only to the learned. Urged on by Pope Damasus, Jerome accepted the tremendous task of translating the entire bible into Latin to which we are all grateful for the Latin Vulgate Edition of St. Jerome. It took great skill and discernment to express the meaning of the Word of God in Latin and to know which words to choose.
Jerome was given another gift, that of being able to express the Word in the simplest and most meaningful way and honing in even more on the true essence of all that was written by the prophets and evangelists. Within a short time the people were able to read and understand the “Good News” of the New Testament. This played a major role in the people rejecting the heresy of Arianism in the West for they could now read first hand the truth.
While he was working on this massive project, Jerome had also become spiritual director to three holy women who had come from nobility but wanted more than the world offered. Many believe these ladies – Marcella, Paula and Eustochia were the first religious nuns. Because of her wealth and strong faith, Paula built a monastery in Bethlehem for the women to live and when Damasus died in 384 Jerome graciously declined Pope Saint Siricus’ offer to stay on as secretary, opting instead to become full time spiritual director at the Bethlehem monastery where he could also devote more time to translating the greater part of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin.
For nine years from 393 to 404 many Arian clergymen sought to discredit him and cast scandal on Jerome, the sisters, and the Church just as is happening today with the post-conciliar Modernists who are discrediting the Church by their cover-ups and embracing heresies. Jerome, through his faithfulness and the grace of God, withstood these attacks and staunchly defended the orthodox doctrine of his faith just as faithful Roman Catholics are seeking the Truths and Traditions of Holy Mother Church today in the face of fierce subterfuge and open opposition.
St. Jerome had intended to return to Rome at the urging of Pope Saint Innocent I who was elected the 40th successor to Peter on December 22, 401 but in 404 two events occurred. First, Sister Paula died, saddening Jerome and, after much prayer, decided to stay on at the monastery; and secondly, he received the terrible news that Rome was being sacked by the Goth Alaric and he prayed intensely for the Holy Father’s safety and all of the Roman people, some of whom, in 410, had sought shelter at the monastery when the Saracens invaded Palestine. Jerome interrupted his work on Ezekiel to take the Roman refugees in, taking the opportunity to teach them all he knew during the decade they were together.
It’s also interesting to know that Jerome began in 405 a series of scriptural commentaries which helped explain some of his discernment of the Latin Vulgate. Ten years later, he soundly denounced Pelagianism in his work Dialogi contra Pelagianos and faced the wrath of the heretics when a band of armed Pelagian monks bearing torches burned down several monasteries in Bethlehem. Through the grace of God Jerome escaped and the Pelagians were left to fight amongst themselves in abject poverty for in their fury they destroyed all means for survival as well.
Shortly after they departed Bethlehem in failure, Jerome returned and began helping to rebuild the monastery. In 420 he died near the age of 90 on what is believed to be September 30th which remains the day of his feast in the universal Church. He was buried in the monastery which had now also become a hospice for many and would soon be the site for the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the same site that was under an intense five-week siege that thankfully ended in early May.
Throughout his priestly life Jerome wrote countless theses and letters exhibiting a tremendous knowledge of history, sociology and geography, not to mention prose. Many call him the “Father of the Mother Tongue” for he promoted Latin more enthusiastically than anyone before him. Jerome is also renowned for his bibliography of ecclesiastical writers, chronicled in his work De viris illustribus.
Jerome’s masterful translation of the Latin Vulgate, passed down by the monks and Fathers of the Church served as the Word in all of Christendom until the Faith was fractured with the Protestant Revolution in the 16th century. That same century saw the Counter-Reformation and the Council of Trent which made the Latin Vulgate the official Bible of Holy Mother Church. This stood for nearly 500 years until 1979 when that, too, was shelved by the newChurch in the takeover and auto-demolition of all that was held sacred and holy for so many centuries with the “New Vulgate” – the translation of which is more vulgar than Vulgate.
It’s interesting to note that during this period in history when Jerome translated the bible into Latin, Ufila, the Bishop of the Western Goths, was doing the same into Gothic, but it was the Latin version that would last the test of time and become the standard for all of Christendom until man decided he knew the Word better than those inspired by the Holy Ghost. Thanks to God’s Providence we have the essence of what the Advocate truly handed down and infused in this exceptional priest and outstanding Doctor of the Church – St. Jerome.
Source: Daily Catholic.org
St. Jerome ora pro nobis!
Feast of the Dedication of Saint Michael the Archangel – Mass Propers
St. Michael – Feast of Michaelmas
This is the original feast of the leader of the Heavenly armies, Saint Michael. The captain of the heavenly armies, the angel named in the Canon of the Mass, held from early times the first place in the Liturgy among the other angels; wherefore many churches dedicated to St. Michael in the Middle Ages were simply known as churches “of the holy angel.” St. Michael, whose name signifies “who is like unto God” cast the evil spirit out of Heaven, and overcame Satan in the struggle for possession of the body of Moses. God has entrusted our defense, in the combat with the devil, to the angels. The reason of this is easily understood. The devil is a spirit who has lost none of the powers inherent to his nature. In order, therefore, that the struggle should not be unequal, God has placed at our side defenders of the same nature as Lucifer, that is to say pure spirits, who are, however, greater and more powerful than he is.
Glorious St. Michael, Defend us in battle…
There are several feasts of St. Michael in the Liturgy. Very ancient is the commemoration of the dedication of the celebrated Lombard sanctuary on Sant’ Angelo on Monte Gargano in Apulia, near the ancient Sipontum. There is a tradition that St. Michael appeared on this mountain and requested that a church be erected to him and all the angels. In the Old and the New Testament St. Michael, in the struggle against the Evil One, is always depicted as the invincible champion of God. The mystery of iniquity which, according to St. Paul, shall be boldly revealed in the last ages of the world and which has already begun its work of perversion, meets at present with an obstacle which hinders its full development. This obstacle is usually said to be the protection of St. Michael. St. Michael is appointed by God Himself to be the protector and defender of the Church.
After the protective duty conferred on St. Joseph, there is no work on earth of such great importance and sublimity as that entrusted to St. Michael.
The Epistle treats the charge to St. John by an Angel to write to the seven Churches in Asia. In the Gospel Christ teaches humility, to beware of scandal, and to flee the occasions of sin, for our Guardian Angels see the face of God.
Feast of the Dedication of Saint Michael the Archangel – Monday in the Sixteenth Week after Pentecost
Double / First Class / White
Missa “Benedicite Dominum” – MICHAELMAS DAY
INTROIT: Psalm 102: 20
Bless the Lord, all ye His angels: you that are mighty in strength, and execute His word, harkening to the voice of His orders.
Ps. 102:
1Bless the Lord, O my soul: and let all that is within me bless His holy name. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Bless the Lord…
Benedícite Dóminum, omnes Angeli ejus: poténtes virtúte, qui fácitis verbum ejus, ad audiéndam vocem sermónem ejus.
Ps.102: 1
Bénedic, ánima mea, Dómino: et ómnia, quæ intra me sunt, nómini sancto ejus. v. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancti sicut erat in principio et nunc, et semper, et saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Benedicite Dominum…
COLLECT
O God, Who dost in wonderful order dispose the ministries of angels and men, mercifully grant that our lives be fortified by those who continually stand in Thy presence and minister before Thee in heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God…
EPISTLE: Apocalypse 1: 1-15
Lesson from the Book of the Apocalypse of blessed John the Apostle
In those days: God signified the things which must shortly come to pass, sending by His angel to His servant John, who hath given testimony to the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, what things soever he hath seen. Blessed is he that readeth and heareth the words of this prophecy, and keepeth those things which are written in it; for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you and peace from Him that is, and that was, and that is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth Who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.
GRADUAL: Psalm 102: 20, 1
Bless the Lord all ye His angels: you that are mighty in strength, that do His will.
O my soul, bless thou the Lord: and all that is within me praise His holy name.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia, alleluia. Holy archangel Michael, defend us in battle, that we perish not in the dreadful judgment. Alleluia. The sea was shaken, and the earth trembled, when the archangel Michael descended from Heaven. Alleluia.
GOSPEL: Matthew 18: 1-10
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who, thinkest Thou, is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven? And Jesus calling unto Him a little child, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child he is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven: and he that shall receive one such little child in My name, receiveth Me; but he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals: for it must needs be that scandals come; but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. And if thy hand, or thy foot, scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. See that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you, that their angels in Heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in Heaven.”
OFFERTORY: Apocalypse 8: 3-4
An angel stood near the altar of the temple, having a golden censer in his hand: and there was given to him much incense: and the smoke of the perfumes ascended before God, alleluia.
SECRET
We offer Thee sacrifices of praise, O Lord, humbly praying that Thou be pleased to receive them, through the angelic intercession in our behalf, and grant that they may avail for, our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.
PREFACE Common Preface
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: through Christ our Lord. Through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise:
SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria Tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.
COMMUNION: Daniel 3: 58
All ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: sing a hymn, and exalt Him above all forever, alleluia.
POSTCOMMUNION
Relying upon the intercession of blessed Michael, Thine archangel, O Lord, we Thy suppliants pray that what we perform with our lips we may attain with our hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God…
Prince of the heavenly hosts ora pro nobis.
Complete Prayer to Saint Michael
The following is the longer version of the vital prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 after his startling vision as to the future of the Church. This prayer was dedicated for the Feast of St. Michael 1448 years from the date of the election of the first Leo – Pope Saint Leo the Great. Everyone is familiar with the first prayer below which was mandated by His Holiness as part of the Leonine Prayers after Low Mass. After Vatican II, in legion with the devil Giovanni Montini outlawed this necessary prayer and then one wonders how “the smoke of satan” got into the sanctuary?
St. Michael the Archangel, Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
COMPLETE PRAYER
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do thou, O heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
O glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, be our defense in the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, spirits of evil. Come to the aid of man, whom God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Fight this day the battle of our Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in Heaven. That cruel, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay, and cast into eternal perdition, souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. That wicked dragon pours out. as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity. These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on Her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck the sheep may be scattered. Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious powers of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.
V: Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.
R: The Lion of the Tribe of Juda has conquered the root of David.
V: Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
R: As we have hoped in Thee.
V: O Lord hear my prayer.
R: And let my cry come unto Thee.
V: Let us pray. O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as suppliants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin, immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of our souls. Amen.
THE CHAPLET OF ST. MICHAEL
* I do not usually endorse or recommend EWTN, however I highly recommend the following Chaplet prayed by Mother Angelica.
The Chaplet of St. Michael is a wonderful way to honor this great Archangel along with the other nine Choirs of Angels. What do we mean by Choirs? It seems that God has created various orders of Angels. Sacred Scripture distinguishes nine such groupings: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels and Angels (Isa. 6:2; Gen. 3:24; Col. 1:16; Eph. 1:21; Rom. 8:38). There may be more groupings but these are the only ones that have been revealed to us. The Seraphim is believed to be the highest Choir, the most intimately united to God, while the Angelic Choir is the lowest.
The history of this Chaplet goes back to a devout Servant of God, Antonia d’Astonac, who had a vision of St. Michael. He told Antonia to honor him by nine salutations to the nine Choirs of Angels. St. Michael promised that whoever would practice this devotion in his honor would have, when approaching Holy Communion, an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for those who would recite the Chaplet daily, he promised his continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life.
The Chaplet of St. Michael
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, etc.
[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after each of the following nine salutations in honor of the nine Choirs of Angels]
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominations may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen.
Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and our Guardian Angel.
Concluding prayers:
O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day.
Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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