"CUM GRANDE HUMILITATE!"

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."

A special "Thank you!"
Goes out to
John Michael Talbot
for giving us permission
to use his song on our
"Come to the Quiet"
You Tube Video
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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Escape

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Francis learned how to distribute the time in which he could gain merit wisely, devoting part of it to his neighbor by doing good, and part to the restful ecstasy of contemplation. According to the demands of time and circumstances he would devote himself fully to the salvation of his neighbor, but when he was finished, he would escape from the distracting crowds and go into solitude and peace. There he was free to attend exclusively to God and he would cleanse any stain he had contracted while living in the midst of the world.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER XIII



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Virtue And Vice

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Where there is Love and Wisdom,
there is neither Fear not Ignorance.

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here there is Patience and Humility,
there is neither Anger nor Annoyance.

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here there is Poverty and Joy,
there is neither Cupidity or Avarice.

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here there is Peace and Contemplation,
there is neither Care nor Restlessness.

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here there is Fear of God to guard the dwelling,
there no enemy can enter.

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here there is Mercy and Prudence,
there is neither Excess nor Harshness.


Saint Francis of Assisi
The Admonitions
Admonition XXVII




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Monday, March 16, 2020

Overview Of Jerusalem Ohio As Reported by Chris Dickson

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Emery and Lizzie cruisin' through beautiful downtown Jerusalem, Ohio


As of 2009, Jerusalem's population is 147 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of -1.32 percent.
The median home cost in Jerusalem is $58,790. Home appreciation the last year has been -4.50 percent.
Compared to the rest of the country, Jerusalem's cost of living is 21.27% Lower than the U.S. average.
Jerusalem public schools spend $5,615 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 19 students per teacher in Jerusalem.

The unemployment rate in Monroe County, Ohio is 16.90 percent (U.S. avg. is 9.50%).

Residents with income below the poverty level in 2007:
This township: 17.2%
Whole state: 10.6%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2007:
This township: 6.1%
Whole state: 4.8%

Cities in this township include: Beallsville.

Religion
53.19% of the people in Jerusalem, OH are religious
(meaning they affiliate with a religion);
6.13% are Catholic;
19.62% are Protestant;
0.00% are LDS;
27.44% are another Christian faith (including Amish);
0.00% in Jerusalem, OH are Jewish;
0.00% are an eastern faith;
0.00% affiliates with Islam.


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Exposition Of The Blessed Sacrament At The University Of Steubenville Youth Conference

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Only A Small Piece Of Bread

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O wonderful ascent, O stupendous descent! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity, that the Lord of the Universe, God and Son of God, should so humbly hide himself, for our salvation, in what seems to be only a small piece of bread! Look, then, upon the humility of God! And pour out your hearts before him. Humble yourselves that he might exalt you. Hold back nothing of yourselves, that he may receive your all who gave his all to you.


Saint Francis of Assisi
Letter to the Whole Order



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Let Humanity Kneel In Fear

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Let humanity kneel in fear, let the whole universe tremble, and let heaven rejoice when Christ the Son of the Living God is on the altar in the hands of the priest.


Saint Francis of Assisi
Letter to the Whole Order



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O God, My Flesh Faints For You (Psalm 63)

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Once when Brother John was staying in the Place of Mogliano of the Custody of Fermo in the Province of the Marches...when he had proceeded as far as the Preface of the Blessed Virgin, the supernatural illumination and sweet consolation of God's love increased so much within him that when he reached the Qui pridie he could hardly endure such overwhelming sweetness. Finally, when he came to the Consecration itself and began to pronounce the words of the Consecration over the Host, he kept repeating the first of the formula - Hoc est - Hoc est - very often, and he was unable to go any further. And the reason why he could not go on was that e felt and saw the presence of Christ and of a throng of angels and saints, so that he almost fainted because of their grandeur which he felt in his soul.

St. Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis - 53



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Sunday, March 15, 2020

Mike Pence: Mr. President, Whose Side Are You On?

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The Prayer "Absorbeat"

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"May the power of your love, O Lord, fiery and sweet as honey, wean my heart form all that is under heaven, so that I may die for love of your love, you who were so good as to die for love of my love." ~ Saint Francis of Assisi

Attributed to St. Francis by Thomas of Celano in his Second Life of St. Francis
(II Cel., 196: "The love of him," he said, "who loved us so much is to be loved.")



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FLASHBACK: July 22, 2009 "The Pence Amendment" To Defund Abortions

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Congressman Mike Pence presenting "The Pence Amendment" in 
the United States Congress to defund abortions

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Holy Simplicity

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Saint Francis was zealous with more than usual care to show forth in himself, and he loved in others, holy simplicity, the daughter of grace, the sister of wisdom, the mother of justice.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter CXLII



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Saturday, March 14, 2020

A Quiet And Secret Place Of Solitude

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Photo of Death Fork on the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio


At certain times the blessed and venerable father Francis left behind the crowds of the world that were coming together daily with the greatest devotion to hear and see him, and he sought out a quiet and secret place of solitude, desiring to spend his time there with God and to cleanse himself of any dust that may have clung to him from his association with men.


Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
CHAPTER II

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Prayer Is The Chief Comfort In This Life Of Contemplation

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Prayer was the chief comfort in this life of contemplation in which Francis became a fellow-citizen of the angels, as he penetrated the dwelling places of heaven in his eager search for his Beloved, from whom he was separated only by a partition of flesh.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER X


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St. Clare Of Assisi

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St. Clare's Tunic and Mantle on display at the Portiuncula in Assisi, Italy


On Palm Sunday, March 18, 1212, a young noblewoman of Assisi, Clare, di Favarone, attended Mass at the cathedral of San Rufino where she received her palm from the bishop himself. It was a signal to her. That night she left home secretly and went to the chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, the Portiuncula. There St. Francis himself witnessed her vows to live the Gospel life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. From that moment until her death she was a true Bride of the Poor Christ, the most faithful daughter of Francis.



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Friday, March 13, 2020

The Portiuncula Hermitage Considering Hosting A Chapter Of Mats In 2021

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Once the faithful servant of Christ, St. Francis, held a General Chapter on the plain of St. Mary of the Angels, where more than five thousand friars gathered together.

And in that camp each group had made tents covered on top and round about with rushes and mats; accordingly this Chapter was called the Chapter of Mats. They slept on the bare ground or on some straw, and their pillows were stones or pieces of wood.

As a result, everyone who saw or heard them had such devotion for them, and the fame of their holiness was so great, that many people came to see them from the Pope's Court, which was then nearby Perugia, and from other parts of the Valley of Spoleto. Many counts and barons and knights and other noblemen and many plain people, and cardinals and bishops and abbots with other members of the clergy, flocked to see this very holy and large and humble gathering of so saintly men, such as the world had never seen.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis


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Sister Briege McKenna's Message For Priests

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I talk about personal holiness. The crisis in the priesthood is not celibacy; it is faith in Jesus Christ. People who have a relationship with Jesus Christ can't live with sin in their lives. So I pray that they have a living faith in Jesus Christ with the Eucharist in the center of their lives. The tragedy in Ireland is that there is so much negativity and they get so discouraged.

The greatest need is to be a personal witness to Jesus Christ. If their message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it will bear fruit. The people are hungry. If you look at any list of retreats, sometimes the person of Jesus isn't even mentioned, but there is nothing like spending time with the Eucharist. It is so easy to be attracted by good things, but leave out the most important thing, which is our prayer life.



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Thursday, March 12, 2020

Singing Praises

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When the sweetest melody of spirit would flame up in his heart, St. Francis would release it by singing in French, and the trickle of divine inspiration which his inner ear had caught would begin to overflow like a minstrel's song.

At times, as I have seen with my own eyes, he would pick up a stick from the ground and, holding it in his left arm, would draw across it another stick bent by means of a string, as if he were playing a violin. Then pretending to play, he would sing in French the praises of the Lord.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER XC



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Tuesday, March 10, 2020

A Lukewarm Spirit

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"When the spirit becomes lukewarm and inward grace grows cold, it follows that flesh and blood seek their own pleasures."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection 



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Despising And Disregarding The Principle Foundations Of Our Order

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"Many [brothers and sisters] have become so blind as to imagine that people will be edified and turned to devotion by their present ways rather then by the former, and they imagine that they are living more sensibly this way. They despise and disregard the way of holy simplicity and poverty, which is the first principle and foundation of the Order." ~ St. Francis of Assisi


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Proper Behavior Of A Franciscan

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I advise, admonish, and exhort you in the Lord Jesus Christ that when you travel through the world you do not quarrel or argue or judge others; rather, be meek, peaceful and modest, courteous and humble, speaking honorably to everyone.

St. Francis of Assisi
The Rule of 1223
Chapter III


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Monday, March 09, 2020

Suffer To Be Ruled

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While on leave from Vietnam and preparing to leave for Germany, Chris Dickson is seen here riding his father's horse, "Charm," the State Champion Quarter Horse of Ohio. Circa 1969:


"The horse is a noble and useful creature; for in his swiftest course he suffers himself to be ruled, and turned hither and thither, backwards and forwards, according to the will of the rider; so likewise should it be with the servant of God, who should suffer himself to be ruled, guided, turned and bent, according to the will of his superior; nay, of all others, for the love of Christ.

Little Flowers of St. Francis
PART FOUR
Chapter V
Of Holy Patience


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Passing Easily Into Eternal Life

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St Francis being once grievously ill, Brother Leo, as he was in prayer by his bedside, was rapt in ecstasy, and carried in spirit to a great, wide and rapid river; and watching those who crossed it, he saw some brothers enter the river heavily laden, who were carried away by the current and were drowned; some contrived to reach one third of the way; others arrived as far as the middle of the stream; yet none could resist the rapidity of the waters, but fell down and were drowned.

Presently he saw other brothers arrive; these carried nothing on their backs, but all bore upon the marks of holy poverty. They entered the river, and passed over to the other side without any danger to themselves. Having seen this, Brother Leo came to himself; and St Francis knowing in spirit that he had had a vision, called him to him, and asked what he had seen. When Brother Leo had related to him the vision, St Francis said: "What thou hast seen is indeed true. The great river is the world; the brothers who were drowned are those who do not follow their evangelical profession, or practice the great virtue of poverty; but they who passed the river are those who neither seek nor possess in this world any earthly riches, who having food and raiment are therewith content, and follow Christ naked on the cross, bearing joyfully and willingly his sweet and easy yoke and loving holy obedience: these pass easily from this earthly life to life eternal."

The Little Flowers of St. Francis



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Sunday, March 08, 2020

Second Sunday Of Lent

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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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A Vision Of Crucifixion

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Francis spent the remaining few days before his death in praise, teaching his much-beloved companions to praise Christ with him. He also asked all creatures to praise God and, using the words he had composed earlier, exhorted them to love God. He even exhorted death itself, terrible and hated by all, to give praise; and joyfully going to meet it, he invited death to be his lodger. “Welcome,” he said, “my sister Death.” ~ Celano, Second Life 127



Someone I know had this 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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Thursday, March 05, 2020

BISHOPS, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! SHAME ON YOU!

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Image result for protecting abortion access is a catholic value chuck schumer


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St. Francis Of Assisi And The Vase

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One Lent St. Francis made a little vase, using just the little time he had to spare, so that he would not be completely taken up with it. One day, while he was devoutly saying Tierce, his eyes turned to look at the vessel, and he felt that the interior man was thereby impeded in its fervor. Sorrowful therefore that the voice of his heart had been interrupted in its speaking to the ears of God, when Tierce was finished he said before the listening brothers: "Alas, what a worthless work that has such power over me that it can twist my mind to itself! I will sacrifice it to the Lord, whose sacrifice it has impeded." When he said these words, he took the little vase and threw it into the fire to be burned. "Let us be ashamed," he said, "to be caught up by worthless imaginings, for at the time of prayer we speak to the great King."


Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter LXIII


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The Tongue That Pours Out The Poison Of Anger

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It happened that a certain brother named Barbaro once hurled an abusive word against another brother in the presence of a certain nobleman from the island of Cyprus. When he saw that brother somewhat hurt by the conflict of words, he took some asses' dung and put it into his mouth to be eaten as vengeance upon himself; and he said: "Let the tongue that poured out the poison of anger upon my brother eat dung." Seeing this, the knight was struck with astonishment and departed greatly edified...

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter CXV


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