WHAT WE HAVE TAKEN WITH OUR MOUTH

Quod ore sumpsimus Comine, pura mente capiamus: et de munere temporali fiat nobis remedium sempiternum.

(Grant, O Lord, WHAT WE HAVE TAKEN WITH OUR MOUTH, we may receive with a pure mind; and that from a temporal gift it may become for us an everlasting remedy.)

Excerpts taken from The Holy Mass: 

The Communion of the Faithful

THE THANKSGIVING

The Ablutions

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Communion In The Hand Or On The Tongue? Simply Read Your Bible...

 

Saint Padre Pio receiving Communion

“But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” And he said unto me, "Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee." Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.   So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. He said to me, “Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.

Ezekiel 2:8-9, 3:2-3

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Dilati Et Implebo Illud

 

"Open wide your mouth and I will fill it."

Psalm 81:10

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Gaze At The Altar

 

Here is the quote for this week: “When St. Margaret Mary Alacoque attended Holy Mass and would gaze at the altar, she would never fail to glance at the crucifix and the lighted candles. Why? It was to impress on her mind and heart two things: that the crucifix would remind her of what Jesus had done for her; that the lighted candles recall what she must do for Jesus --- that is, sacrifice herself and be consumed for Him and for souls.” 

JESUS OUR EUCHARISTIC LOVE by Fr. Stefano Manelli

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I Am Nothing But A Cracked, Filthy Jar

I am nothing but an old, cracked, filthy, jar. How can you possibly use me, Lord? Of what value can I be to you or to anyone? I watch as Jesus dumps his life-giving water into me. Immediately all my dirt and filth is washed away. I am being purified. As the water flows like torrents into me, and although my cracks are large and leaking, the amount of water flowing into me is far greater than the amount I lose. Then just as I am completely filled, the dirt and filth flows up over the top and down into the drain. Still the water is poured...more and more. More than I can stand. An overflowing flood. It begins to pour out over me and toward God's people. They come to drink and they too become filled and they begin to overflow. They too are cracked, broken, filthy. Yet they overflow as well. They are cleansed as well. Their dirt flows over the sides and down the drain. More and more people come to drink of your sweet tasting water, Lord. We all share your life-giving water with those whom you love - those who are dying of thirst. You quench us all. O sweet, magnificent water. Refreshed. Come Holy Spirit, come!

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As Christians, We Are All To Be Crucified With Christ

 

In a vision, the soldiers gathered us all up into a large group. There was no escape. We watched in horror as one-by-one we were taken to a cross and nailed. Most of us were dressed in filthy, tattered, gray robes. A few of us were adorned in pure white robes.

Those in pure white robes began to call out, “Me! Take me! Take me next!”

Those in filthy gray robes cowered in horror at our feet. They screamed, they cried, they flailed. They did everything they could to break away from our captors.

But there was no escape for anyone. We all had to go through the crucifixion.

I wondered what my reaction was going to be. Will I be brave? Will I run up and beg them to allow me to embrace this horror or will I cower and shriek in terror?

Suddenly I looked around and we were all nailed to our crosses, both those in gray robes and those in white. I could see everyone's faces. Everyone was in agony. For some, the agony was unbearable. For others, they embraced the pain and suffering with longing and ecstatic pleasure.

Then from above, Jesus reached down to those dressed in white robes, grabbed one by one by the hand and pulled them up into heaven.The others, those who were dressed in filthy gray rags, were left hanging on their crosses until the flesh rotted off their bones. The stench of rotting flesh was overwhelming!

How can I not embrace suffering and death? How can I not long to be with my Brother, Jesus?

“Me! Take me! Take me next!”

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Hallealujah Sung By Levites

 

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FBI Retracts Anti-Catholic Surveilance Memo, but what about FBI policy? End the Trad Wars!

 

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Set Me Aflame, Lord!

 

While sitting in front of a fireplace my mind was completely absorbed by the vision of one of the burning logs. I became the log, a completely worthless hunk of wood having been thrown into the fireplace. As I was consumed by the fire, the words of St. John of the Cross came racing into my mind:

“Let's look at this loving knowledge and divine light like a fire. Fire transforms wood into fire. When fire touches wood, the first thing it does is that it begins to dry the wood out. It drives away moisture, causing the wood to shed the tears it has held inside itself. Then the wood blackens, turning dark and ugly; it may even give off a bad odor. Little by little, the fire desiccates the wood, bringing out and driving away all those dark and unsavory accidents that are contrary to the nature of fire. Finally, heating up and enkindling the wood from outside, the fire transforms the wood into itself, rendering the wood as beautiful as the fire is.”

It is only after being stripped of all that I am inside that I am finally able to be completely consumed with Your fire, O Lord. Then I am made perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect. Only then am I able to be transformed from a worthless piece of wood into a magnificent, glorious, all-consuming fire. Only then can I radiate Your light for Your people to see. Only then can I radiate the warmth of Your presence.

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The Portiuncula Hermitage And Retreat Center In Jerusalem, Ohio

 

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Jesus Is Waiting For Us To Return To Him

 

As I enter the tiny, darkened church, I can see the Tabernacle on the Altar. The church is my body and the tabernacle my soul. Drawing nearer to the Tabernacle, I take the key and open it.

As your Eucharistic Body is exposed, your presence being brighter than the sun, plunges me into pitch-black darkness. I know you're there, somewhere in that black night within my soul. I find you! We throw our arms around each other in a tight embrace!

But what is this? My chest is covered with warm dampness. You're bleeding, my Lord! Your chest is covered in blood and now I am covered in your blood as well. I did this to you, Jesus. That spear pierced your precious and holy heart because of my sins.

You weep.

You weep tears of sorrow because you and I have been separated for so long because of my sins. You also weep tears of joy because I have returned to you and we grip to each other in a locked embrace.

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Should Women Veil At Mass?

 

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Should I Mantilla?

 

The 1983 Code of Canon Law, currently in force, does not contain a requirement that women cover their head in church. As Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Apostolic Signatura, stated in a private letter: "The wearing of a chapel veil for women is not required when women assist at the Holy Mass according to the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. It is, however, the expectation that women who assist at the Mass according to the Extraordinary Form cover their heads, as was the practice at the time that the 1962 Missale Romanum was in force. It is not, however, a sin to participate in the Holy Mass according to the Extraordinary Form without a veil."

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Why Do Catholic Women Wear The Mantilla?

 

Rejecting the “culture of cool”

On any given Sunday at any Catholic church in the US, UK, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, one is likely to see women and girls dressed in halter-necks, strapless dresses, shorts, super-tight jeans, and mini-skirts. Depending on the weather, one might also find flip-flops or ugg boots. In our parish, the extraordinary ministers sometimes choose to hand out communion in their sneakers, velour tracksuits and the occasional fanny-pack.

What does this say about the church? What does this say about our faith?

The reason we no longer dress well for mass is the same reason that 90% of US Catholics don’t bother to show up for mass at all: it just isn’t that important to us anymore.

Making an effort for love of God

Dressing well for mass is an external manifestation of the belief that what we are doing is important: its says that we care. It is representative of the respect we have for the other members of our parish. More importantly, however, it is also a sign of our respect for God in the Blessed Sacrament.

The same reasoning applies to the mantilla. It isn’t mandatory for us to veil. But we can if we want to. This applies to the novus ordo as much as it does to the extraordinary form. And if we truly believe that Christ is actually present before us in the Eucharist, then why wouldn’t we?

The importance of external acts of faith

External acts can orient as well as express our inner thoughts and disposition. This is why our Mass (in both forms) is so rich in ritual and posture. These “externals” help keep our minds where they should be - on the mass and on Our Lord in the Eucharist. Veiling can do the same.

Ask yourself, why it is that brides still wear veils on their wedding day? One reason is that the veil indicates the solemnity of the occasion. It is a reminder that - for her - this day is unlike any other. It is also a physical sign of the gift of self that she intends to make through the Sacrament of Marriage. Both of these reasons (whether conscious or not) transform the bride’s veiling from being purely about the aesthetics into something else. Although she is the center of attention, her choice of garment, color and veil sends a message to those around her: “when you look at me and see my veil, remember that I am here to participate in something greater and bigger than myself.”

Some women choose to veil in church for the same reasons. The veil is a reminder that this place and moment in time is unlike any other and should be observed as such. It is also a sign of the spiritual gift of self that the woman intends to make to Our Lord during the mass and as she prays before the tabernacle.

In imitation of Mary

Other women choose to veil in imitation of the Blessed Virgin. They seek to follow her example of humility, modesty and purity - as well as the Jewish custom of covering one’s head - when they are near our Lord in the Tabernacle.

Why do I veil?

I veil because it matters to me that I am before God. I veil as an external manifestation of my belief that Christ is really present in the Eucharist. I veil because it helps me to be more reverent. I veil as an act of humility before God. I veil because I believe. I veil because I care.

 

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Modesty Is An Ornament Of All Ages

 

Modesty is an ornament of all ages, the witness of innocence, the sign of a virtuous mind, and the badge of all uprightness.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
Chapter VI

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St. Francis Of Assisi Regarding Ezekiel 3:18

 

"I would take it to mean that you should be so on fire with life and holiness that the light of your example and the manner of your speaking would be a reproach to the wicked. So, as I understand it, your life shining and your goodness spreading like a sweet odor will proclaim to the wicked their own wickedness."

Celano - Second Life

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The History Of The Franciscan Tau

 

The first recorded reference to the TAU is from Ezekiel 9:4, "Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a TAU on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." The TAU is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet and looks very much like the letter "T". 

 

At the Fourth Lateran Council, on November 11, 1215, Pope Innocent made reference to the TAU and quoted the above verse in reference to the profaning of the Holy Places by the Saracens. It is widely accepted that St. Francis was present at the Fourth Lateran Council and that he heard the words of Pope Innocent III when he said, "The TAU has exactly the same form as the Cross on which our Lord was crucified on Calvary, and only those will be marked with this sign and will obtain mercy who have mortified their flesh and conformed their life to that of the Crucified Savior. From then on, the TAU became Francis' own coat of arms. 

Francis used the TAU in his writings, painted in on the walls and doors of the places where he stayed, and used it as his only signature on his writings. 

 

St. Bonaventure said, "This TAU symbol had all the veneration and all the devotion of the saint: he spoke of it often in order to recommend it, and he traced it on himself before beginning each of his actions." 

Thomas of Celano, another Franciscan historian writes, "Francis preferred the Tau above all other symbols: he utilized it as his only signature for his letters, and he painted the image of it on the walls of all the places in which he stayed." 

 

In the famous blessing of Brother Leo, Francis wrote on parchment, "May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord show His face to you and be merciful to you! May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace! God bless you Brother Leo!" Francis sketched a head (of Brother Leo) and then drew the TAU over this portrait.

THE TAU AS OUR FRANCISCAN SYMBOL

Where did the TAU come from and what does it mean? (Rhymes with "How") Simply and basically, the TAU represents the Cross. It is also the last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. However, the two major influences on Francis concerning the TAU were the Antonians and the Fourth Lateran Council. 

St. Francis borrowed the TAU and what it meant to him from the Antonians. They were a religious community of men founded in 1095 whose sole function was to care for lepers. They were disbanded as an Order by the Church in the 1500's because leprosy was no longer a problem and many of the religious orders had fallen into Theological problems. On their habit was painted a great TAU cross. Francis was very familiar with these men because they staffed the leper house in Assisi and the hospital of St. Blase in Rome where Francis went to stay. This is now the church of San Francisco A Ripa. 

Every time you see St. Anthony, "the Abbot or Hermit" in art, he is portrayed with the TAU. 

St. Francis was exposed to the TAU through the direct influence of the Antonians, but the greatest influence of all that made the TAU so dear to Francis, whereby it became his signature, was the Fourth Lateran Council. 

Pope Innocent III opened the Council on November 11, 1215, with these words: "I have desired with great desire to eat this Passover with you." (Luke 22-15.) Innocent announced that for him, for the Church, and for every Catholic at the time, the symbol they were to take as the sign of their Passover was the TAU Cross. 

He incorporated into his homily the statement from Ezekiel (9:4) that the elect, the chosen, those who are concerned will be marked with the sign of the TAU. He explained that this Passover is a three-fold Passover. 

Every Catholic must be involved in this triple Passover: A Corporal Passover, a Spiritual Passover and an Eternal Passover. 

These became some of the most precious themes of Francis' preaching. He must have taken them so deeply to heart that when Pope Innocent III ended his homily with "BE CHAMPIONS OF THE TAU", Francis evidently took that as a personal statement and made the TAU his own symbol: a symbol for his order, his signature, painted it everywhere, and had great devotion to it for the rest of his life. 

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The Dark Night Of Contemplation

 

The soul is singing about the fire of love. In this night of painful contemplation, the soul is ignited! Although the burning in some ways resembles what unfolded in the sensory part of the soul, in other ways it is as different as the soul is from the body. This is the love that blazes in the spirit! In the middle of her dark predicament, the soul feels herself vividly wounded by the flaming blade of divine love!

St. John of the Cross
Dark Night of the Soul

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Deep Union

 

In the inner wine cellar
I drank of my Beloved, when I went abroad
Through all this valley
I no longer know anything,
And lost the herd that I was following.

Now I occupy my soul
And all my energy in his service;
I no longer tend to the herd,
Nor have I any work
Now that my every act is LOVE.

Saint John of the Cross
Spiritual Canticle

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Ascending The Ladder Of Monks

 

St. Francis ascending the "Ladder" of Monks

A thief climbs a ladder to break into the vault where treasures are stored. The soul, too, ascends the secret contemplation to plunder the riches of heaven.

St. John of the Cross
Dark Night of the Soul

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"Listen" And "Silent" Are Spelled With The Same Letters

 

We enter the land of silence by the silence of surrender. COMPLETE SURRENDER.

The only language God hears is the silent language of love. Silence is necessary if we are to hear God speaking in eternal silence. Our own silence is necessary if God is to hear us.

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We Are All Lepers

 

Even if we hide our sores under the finest clothes and lie to each other to convince ourselves that we are healthy and happy, forgetting the only real reason we should be happy; that God loves us despite the sores we hide.

God loves us so much that He became one of us and was nailed naked to the cross, showing his sores to the world.

Saint Francis of Assisi

CLARE AND FRANCIS

BY

Luca Bernabei

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Penitents Should Be Temperate In Eating And Drinking

 

 Two Portiuncula Penitents 
busily preparing evening chow

"For Penitents, all Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are days of abstinence (that is, meatless days) unless directed otherwise by a physician. Meat is allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. At all times, Penitents should be temperate in eating and drinking."

Saint Francis of Assisi
First Rule of the Third Order of 1221
Chapter II: Abstinence

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