Sanctifying your Sunday

The third commandment tells us to keep holy the Lord's day by going to Mass, engaging in other spiritual exercises or reading, and by not engaging in servile work, other than what is necessary for our family, or required for the good of our neighbour or the honour of God.

That means no shopping, other than necessities like food or gas, according to my priest. I recently asked him if it's alright to stop at a certain store that I only pass by on my way to Mass every Sunday, to pick up a few (unnecessary but convenient) items. He said no, that it would be breaking the third commandment.

I have come to terms with the no shopping except food and gas rule, but I still struggle with how much work around the house I can get away with on Sunday. My hobby is gardening and landscaping. (Yes, I really do have a hobby outside of blogging!) Yesterday, after Mass, I did some spiritual reading (The Glories of Mary and Imitation of Christ), prayed the rosary and the chaplet, My God I love Thee, - so far so good- then I headed out to the yard and started planting a new garden for ornamental grasses. I ran short of plants, so I headed to the nursery for more. Not only did I engage in servile work, which really could have waited until today, but I went shopping for plants.

How much work is too much? If it's your hobby do you allow yourself to "work" on Sunday? I'd be interested to hear readers opinions on what is proper for keeping the Lord's day holy.

Hearing the cry

We've all heard about the tragedy in China. Today the priest at the Mass I attended said the magnitude of this catastrophe has caused many to question whether God exists. To me, it is glaringly obvious. God does exist. And he is angry. Angry at the loss of human life in the form of China's one-child policy. Angry at their forced abortions and mandatory sterilization rule for anyone who already has one child. Yes, the souls of the unborn are crying out to heaven for vengeance, and God is listening.

Genesis 4:10 10 And he said to him: What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth to me from the earth.

Contrition

Tears of St. Peter, 1647, by artist Guercino, shows St Peter crying before the Blessed Mother for his sin of denying Jesus three times during His Passion. Notice how the white cloth collecting the tears of sorrow stands out, and the sorrowful expressions of St. Peter and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to the Catechism, true contrition must have four qualities: it must be interior, meaning that our contrition is sincere; it must be supernatural, which means we are sorry because we offended God; it must be supreme, which means we hate sin above all other evils and are willing to endure any suffering rather than keep offending God by sin; and it must be universal. This last one means we must be sorry for at least all the mortal sins we have committed, including those in our past.

The Church teaches us that there is perfect contrition and imperfect contrition. Perfect contrition means that we are sorry for our sins because we love God above all things and are sorry for having offended Him. If we make an act of perfect contrition to God after committing a mortal sin, our sin is forgiven, but we still must go to confession as soon as possible, and before receiving Holy Communion.

Imperfect contrition occurs when we are sorry for having offended God because we are afraid of the punishments of Hell, or because our sins are hateful in themselves. Imperfect contrition is sufficient to receive forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance.

Like St. Peter, we can achieve perfect contrition if we only meditate on the goodness of God, and love Him because He is all good and worthy of all our love. We should make frequent and fervent acts of love to God every day. Here is a little prayer you can say anytime, anywhere:

"Oh, my God, I love thee with all my heart, all my soul, all my spirit and all my strength."

Busy, busy!

I have been delinquent about posting these last few days, but I have a very good reason. The weather has been great, and it's gardening season! I have been busy making up hanging baskets and flower pot displays. When they start to bloom, I will post pictures, as they should be very beautiful. I also bought a fuschia standard, which is a fuschia trained to be a small tree. It's the dark purple variety with red contrast. In the next few weeks, we are putting a pond and waterfall in the back yard. The climate here is quite temperate, so the backyard will host a banana tree (non edible) and a palm tree that will help to shade the pond. I have a statue of St. Anthony that is meant for a garden, and he will watch over things while they grow. Did I ever mention I love gardening?

The Miracle of Fatima

Above is a clip from the 1952 movie, Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima. Below are two eyewitness accounts of the miracle of Oct 13, 1917

O Seculo, October, 1917 (a pro-government, anti-clerical, Lisbon paper):

From the road, where the vehicles were parked and where hundreds of people who had not dared to brave the mud were congregated, one could see the immense multitude turn toward the sun, which appeared free from clouds and in its zenith. It looked like a plaque of dull silver, and it was possible to look at it without the least discomfort. It might have been an eclipse which was taking place. But at that moment a great shout went up, and one could hear the spectators nearest at hand shouting: "A miracle! A miracle!

Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose aspect was biblical as they stood bareheaded, eagerly searching the sky, the sun trembled, made sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws---the sun "danced" according to the typical expression of the people.

Standing at the step of an omnibus was an old man. With his face turned to the sun, he recited the Credo in a loud voice. I asked who he was and was told Senhor Joao da Cunha Vasconcelos. I saw him afterwards going up to those around him who still had their hats on, and vehemently imploring them to uncover before such an extraordinary demonstration of the existence of God.

Identical scenes were repeated elsewhere, and in one place a woman cried out: "How terrible! There are even men who do not uncover before such a stupendous miracle!"

People then began to ask each other what they had seen. The great majority admitted to having seen the trembling and the dancing of the sun; others affirmed that they saw the face of the Blessed Virgin; others, again, swore that the sun whirled on itself like a giant Catherine wheel and that it lowered itself to the earth as if to burn it in its rays. Some said they saw it change colors successively.

Fr. Ignacio Lorenco (Alburitel, 11 miles away):

I was only nine years old at this time, and I went to the local village school. At about midday we were surprised by the shouts and cries of some men and women who were passing in the street in front of the school. The teacher, a good, pious woman, though nervous and impressionable, was the first to run into the road, with the children after her.

Outside, the people were shouting and weeping and pointing to the sun, ignoring the agitated questions of the schoolmistress. It was the great Miracle, which one could see quite distinctly from the top of the hill where my village was situated---the Miracle of the sun, accompanied by all its extraordinary phenomena.

I feel incapable of describing what I saw and felt. I looked fixedly at the sun, which seemed pale and did not hurt the eyes. Looking like a ball of snow revolving on itself, it suddenly seemed to come down in a zigzag, menacing the earth. Terrified, I ran and hid myself among the people, who were weeping and expecting the end of the world at any moment.

Near us was an unbeliever who had spent the morning mocking at the simpletons who had gone off to Fátima just to see an ordinary girl. He now seemed to be paralyzed, his eyes fixed on the sun. Afterwards he trembled from head to foot and lifting up his arms fell on his knees in the mud, crying out to our Lady.

Meanwhile the people continued to cry out and to weep, asking God to pardon their sins. We all ran to the two chapels in the village, which were soon filled to overflowing. During those long moments of the solar prodigy, objects around us turned all the colors of the rainbow. We saw ourselves blue, yellow, red, etc. All these strange phenomena increased the fears of the people. After about ten minutes the sun, now dull and pallid, returned to its place. When the people realized that the danger was over, there was an explosion of joy, and everyone joined in thanksgiving and praise to our Lady.

A Tridentine Mass in Every Parish?

The pendulum is swinging, my friends - God bless Pope Benedict!

Pope wants Tridentine Masses in every parish, says Vatican official
By Ed West
9 May 2008

The pope wants the Latin Mass to be available in parishes "even if it is not specifically asked for, or requested", according to a senior Vatican official.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, said priests should make the extraordinary form available so that "everyone may have access to this treasure of the ancient liturgy of the Church".

In the latest sign that Pope Benedict XVI wants to make the Mass more widely available, the Cardinal made the comments in a Latin Mass DVD put together by the traditionalist group the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in cooperation with Catholic television station EWTN.

The cardinal added that the Pope wants the old rite to become normal in parishes, so that "young communities can also become familiar with this rite". The Ecclesia Dei Commission is tasked with the implementation of Pope Benedict's Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum on the 1962 Latin Mass.

It has been claimed that priests may not celebrate a traditional Mass publicly in their parish unless they have first received a petition from a "stable group". Some bishops have tried to limit the public celebrations of the Tridentine Mass by imposing a minimum number of people in such a group.

But Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos's announcement suggests that priests should use the 1962 Missale Romanum in their parishes without such a request. Copies of the instructional video on the 1962 Latin Mass will be available for free to any priest or seminarian who orders it.

It includes over three hours of footage on two DVD discs, giving a step-by-step explanation and demonstration of the Mass in the extraordinary form.

The production includes multiple appendices with instructions on the general principles of gesture and movement, as well as commonly encountered variations in the elements of the Mass.

Also featured is a real-time demonstration of the Mass, which can be viewed from multiple angles on demand. A spiritual commentary is included, as well as an explanation from an FSSP priest on the liturgical_principles of the extraordinary form. The cardinal provides an introduction for the DVD in which he explains that Pope Benedict XVI hoped to foster a "spiritual and theological richness"

Religious Art - Holy Orders by Poussin

In this painting by Nicholas Poussin, circa 1637, Christ is shown giving the keys to the kingdom of heaven to his apostle Peter, surrounded by the other apostles. At the extreme right is Judas, the apostle who will betray Christ. Notice how the face of Judas is in darkness; above him is a symbolically withered tree.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Humilty check

Luke 14:11 Because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.

Signs of a lack of humility, from the Furrow:

1. Thinking what you do or say is better than what others do or say
2. Always wanting to get your own way
3. Arguing when you are not right, or even when you are - insisting stubbornly with bad manners
4. Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand that you do so
5. Despising the point of view of others
6. Not being aware that all your gifts and qualities are on loan from God
7. Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour and esteem; even the ground you walk on or the things you own
8. Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation
9. Speaking badly about yourself, so that others may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you
10. Making excuses when rebuked
11. Hiding some humiliating faults from your spiritual director so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you
12. Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you
13. Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you
14. Refusing to carry out menial tasks
15. Seeking or wanting to be singled out
16. Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or your skill, your professional prestige...
17. Being ashamed of not having certain possessions

Why do Catholics do that?

I love it when little opportunities to defend the Catholic faith crop up in everyday situations at work. This usually happens when one of my co-workers discover I am a Catholic. One evening, while driving in the ambulance, the sky was a beautiful red, with the sun disappearing into a haze of amber clouds. I made the comment, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight." My work partner told me that was a comment from the bible. I responded yes, but many people were not aware of that. (see Matthew 16:2-3) He then told me he was a Christian who had grown up reading the bible, and I took the opportunity to let him know I was a Catholic. That piqued his curiosity, and he asked me if it was true that Catholics really do pray to Mary, since the only way to God was through Jesus. (see 1 Timothy 2:5)

What a wonderful opportunity to correct one of the most common misunderstandings that protestant Christians have about the Catholic faith!

I told him that just as Jesus in the mediator between God and man, so is Mary the mediator between man and Jesus. I started by telling him that we pray for Mary's intercession, that she, who is already in heaven, and very close to God, might beseech God to bestow graces and spiritual favours upon us, so that our prayers will have more merit through her asking.

He asked me why we don't just go directly to Jesus. I asked him if he ever gets his church community, family or friends to unite their prayers to his for a special intention. He replied, "Of course! All the time!"

I told him that is exactly what Catholics are doing when we pray for the intercession of the saints. I asked him to imagine the saints in heaven beseeching God for his own special prayer intentions, and how eager God would be to grant those graces, because the elect were uniting their prayers to his.

Jesus gave his mother to us at the foot of the cross, (John 19:26) and she will intercede for us if we only ask. He will most certainly hear the requests of His holy mother, and just as God will deny nothing to Jesus, so Jesus will deny nothing to Mary, because her will is always in perfect conformity to the holy will of God.

We had a great conversation over this topic. Now there is one more Bible Christian who understands why Catholics pray to Mary.

Super Find!

I just found a great website for cooks in a hurry! It's called supercook.com You just punch in the ingredients you have on hand, and it displays suggested recipes. Check it out! Here's a few things I can make tonight with what I already have in my kitchen: (no running to the store or looking up recipes!)

Easy Chicken in Wine Sauce
Missy's Lazy Day Pasta
Pasta with Sweet Peppers

That's all. I'm off to cook supper now...

A Miraculous Staircase

Here is a fascinating story about a miracle of St. Joseph, that I received in my email some time ago from a friend. It was in Power Point, and since Blogger does not upload PP, I asked my brother-in-law to format it into JPEG so I could share it with you. Enjoy!

She sold her soul for a fairytale

From my inbox...

Would you renounce your Catholic faith to become a princess? Autumn Kelly did. And her Catholic mother approves:

“I think attitudes to things like that have changed,” she said. “Autumn is a very serious and intelligent young woman. She may be young, but she knows the world. And he’s a great guy. Isn’t that what counts?”

Uh, no, Mrs Kelly. What counts is eternal salvation.

(Kings and queens in England have to be Protestant in order to ascend to the throne, ever since the Act of Settlement of 1701)

Traditional Mass Explained

The FSSP, with the help of EWTN, has produced an instructional video for priests who want to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. It takes the priest step by step through each part of the Latin Mass, and would make a wonderful teaching tool for lay Catholics as well. Here is the link. It is free for priests in North America, and others can purchase it for just $19.99 plus shipping. I've already reserved my copy.

What a great way to fully understand the Sacred Mysteries of the Holy Mass!

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Spring is a great time to make this light, refreshing, and very tasty salad. It's a mixture of spinach, strawberries and kiwi, with a raspberry vinegar-poppy seed dressing. I first tried this salad at a camp last year, and like all recipes I take a liking to, I went home and duplicated it. It's so quick and easy, anyone can make it!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 nine oz (225 grams) bag of spinach leaves, ready to use
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 kiwi fruit, peeled, halved and sliced

Dressing
1/4 cup oil
2 TBSP raspberry vinegar
pinch of salt
2 tsp sugar
scant tablespoon poppy seeds

Toss salad ingredients gently together in a large bowl. Mix dressing separately, and just before serving, toss dressing over salad. Serves 6-8

From the mail - a little humour

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion. I kept staring at a drunken woman swigging her drink, as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife asked, 'Do you know her?'

'Yes,' I sighed. 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she started drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.'

'You're kidding!' said my wife. 'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'

So you see, there really are two ways to look at everything.

Hail Mary

Mary, our Mother

Praying to Mary comes naturally for most Catholics, but it can be hard to explain to our non-Catholics friends. We see Mary as a means to Jesus. Protestants want to go directly to Jesus, bypassing Mary altogether. St Alhonsus, in his book, The Glories of Mary, tells a little story that really sheds light on why Jesus never denies anything His most Holy Mother asks of Him:

St Bridget, who often had revelations, one day heard Jesus talking to Mary. Jesus told Mary that she could ask anything of Him, and that no petition of hers would be void. "Mother, thou knows how much I love thee, therefore ask anything of Me, for it is not possible that I would refuse you anything." St Bridget then heard Jesus express the reason for this statement:

"Because thou never did deny me anything on earth, I will deny thee nothing in heaven. My Mother, when you were in the world, you never refused to do anything for the love of Me, and now that I am in heaven, it is right that I should deny thee nothing that thou asks.

Since Mary only asks for what is compatible to the will of God, and always obtains God's mercy for us through her prayers, that makes her a powerful intercessor before God. How much we miss out on then, if we neglect to cultivate a devotion to Mary!

Shouting out on April 25; my thought for the day

By promoting homosexuality as an acceptable and normal lifestyle, our schools are handing our children a death sentence. Would we allow them to give our children a crack pipe, take them to a gay bar, let them sell themselves on a street corner, or advocate incest as an alternate lifestyle? There is really no difference between any of these things. They all sell the child short, cause much physical, social and emotional harm, and endanger what is most important - the soul. It's an incredible price to pay to appease the gay movement.

Words to live by

I haven't had much time to post the last few weeks, so I shamelessly ripped this most excellent post from the blog, Seeking Jesus. These words of Padre Pio's are something that everyone should take to heart. The more people who read these words, the better! Here is a portion of it:

In order to avoid irreverence and imperfections in the house of God, in church - which the divine Master calls the house of prayer - I exhort you in the Lord to practice the following.

Enter the church in silence and with great respect, considering yourself unworthy to appear before the Lord's Majesty. Amongst other pious considerations, remember that our soul is the temple of God and, as such, we must keep it pure and spotless before God and his angels. Let us blush for having given access to the devil and his snares many times (with his enticements to the world, his pomp, his calling to the flesh) by not being able to keep our hearts pure and our bodies chaste; for having allowed our enemies to insinuate themselves into our hearts, thus desecrating the temple of God which we became through holy Baptism.

Then take holy water and make the sign of the cross carefully and slowly.
As soon as you are before God in the Blessed Sacrament, devoutly genuflect. Once you have found your place, kneel down and render the tribute of your presence and devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Confide all your needs to him along with those of others. Speak to him with filial abandonment, give free rein to your heart and give him complete freedom to work in you as he thinks best.

When assisting at Holy Mass and the sacred functions, be very composed when standing up, kneeling down, and sitting, and carry out every religious act with the greatest devotion. Be modest in your glances; don't turn your head here and there to see who enters and leaves. Don't laugh, out of reverence for this holy place and also out of respect for those who are near you. Try not to speak to anybody, except when charity or strict necessity requests this.

If you pray with others, say the words of the prayer distinctly, observe the pauses well and never hurry.

In short, behave in such a way that all present are edified by it and, through you, are urged to glorify and love the heavenly Father.

On leaving the church, you should be recollected and calm. Firstly take your leave of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament; ask his forgiveness for the shortcomings committed in his divine presence and do not leave him without asking for and having received his paternal blessing.

There are more sage words of advice from this great saint, so check out the rest of the post at Shirley's blog.

Call no man Father

I work with several born-again Christians, but sadly, no Catholics. Not any who are practicing their faith, anyway. Born-agains are on fire for their faith, but they have so many misconceptions about the Catholic faith. It's like they've been poisoned against it. One fellow I worked with "found out" I was Catholic when my phone rang, and the person calling me asked about the practice of making sacrifices for Lent, and why some Catholics allow themselves, on Sundays of Lent, to have what they gave up. After the phone call, he said to me, "So you're Catholic, then?" (I knew all along he was a non-Catholic Christian by the plain cross on his lapel).

I told him I was a traditional Catholic, and later, during lunch, he pulled out a little King James bible from his jacket pocket, flipped to Matthew 23:9 "And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven", and asked me what the meaning of that passage was, and why we call our priests Father. I noticed as he flipped through his Bible that he had many passages such as this one highlighted.

The next part of that passage is "Neither be ye called masters; for one is your master, Christ". The meaning, as far as I understand it, is that our Father in heaven is to be regarded higher than any father upon earth, and we are not to follow any master who would lead us away from Christ. But this doesn't mean that we can't respect our parents, spiritual fathers and teachers, because the fourth commandment expressly commands that we should.

There are also many other places in Scripture that support the Catholic use of Father for our priests. Take a look at Acts 7:2 where St. Stephen calls Jewish leaders father: Who said: Ye men, brethren, and fathers, hear. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charan. And again in Acts 21:40 and 22:1, St Paul also refers to Jerusalem Jews as fathers: Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye the account which I now give unto you.

Abraham is called the father of us all in Romans 4:16-17: Therefore is it of faith, that according to grace the promise might be firm to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written: I have made thee a father of many nations,)

And what about 1 Corinthians 4:14-15 where St Paul calls himself 'father': For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Surely this is strong evidence of why we call our priests Father. In the first epistle of St John, I John 2: 13, he says, I write unto you, fathers, because you have known him, who is from the beginning. Finally, and once again, in Philomen 1" 9-10, St Paul gives a perfect example of our tradition of calling priests father, where he says this: I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus -- [10] I appeal to you for my child, Ones'imus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment.

I wish I had all of these references available to me that day when my co-worker was demanding to know how we dare to call our priests by the term father. At least now, I will be better armed if the subject comes up again.