MLKJ Day.

Source:www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/reverend-martin-luther-king-jr-4728.htm

In 1966, Planned Parenthood Federation of America inaugurated the PPFA Margaret Sanger Award to honor the woman who founded America's family planning movement. My words will be in red.

Dr. King's award was presented on May 5, 1966. The citation read

"This award is presented to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., for his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice and human dignity.

OK. I get the "social justice" part. But their definition of "human dignity" is horribly mistaken.

to win freedom for the Negro people parallel closely Mrs. Sanger's fight over the last half-century for the emancipation of women from the burdens of perpetual child-bearing and the emancipation of children from a future of poverty and hopelessness.

http://blackgenocide.org/sanger.html

Neither Mrs. Sanger nor Dr. King has hesitated to challenge unjust laws, cruel social customs and blind prejudice that hold people in ignorance and degradation.

Abortion is an unjust "law" period.

Dr. King has lent his eloquent voice to the cause of world-wide voluntary family planning.

Artificial Birth Control/ Abortions/ Things that Humanae Vitae was written AGAINST.

For Martin Luther King's unique qualities of understanding, compassion and bravery, and for his wise and unwavering leadership in securing for all people their basic human right to knowledge, dignity and opportunity what about life? that are the fount and principle of Margaret Sanger's life, this award is presented."

Oh, and Margaret Sanger was anti-Catholic, too!

______________

Dr. King say's

"Family planning, to relate population to world resources, is possible, practical and necessary. Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered abortions and with resources we possess. Knives and skull-crushers.

There is a striking kinship between our movement and Margaret Sanger's early efforts.

She published such articles as "Some Moral Aspects of Eugenics" (June 1920), "The Eugenic Conscience" (February 1921), "The purpose of Eugenics" (December 1924), "Birth Control and Positive Eugenics" (July 1925), "Birth Control: The True Eugenics" (August 1928),

Like we, she was a direct actionist — a nonviolent resister. Abortion is violence!

...she went into the slums and set up a birth control clinic, and for this deed she went to jail because she was violating an unjust law. That you cannot kill innocent babies?

Margaret Sanger had to commit what was then called a crime in order to enrich humanity by decreasing the negro population, Mr. King?

The size of family that may have been appropriate and tolerable on a manually cultivated farm was carried over to the jammed streets of the ghetto. Your address determines how many kids God sees fit for you to have.

Negro folkways in family size persisted. Letting God determine how many kids you have.

For the Negro, therefore, intelligent guides of family planning are a profoundly important ingredient in his quest for security and a decent life. Who's to say what a decent life is.

Like all poor, Negro and white, they have many unwanted children. Oh, when children are burdens... that is the definition of a "decent life."

This is a cruel evil they urgently need to control. Unwanted children are an evil to Dr. King! Not the concupiscence of the flesh.

There is scarcely anything more tragic in human life than a child who is not wanted. So what would you have Margaret Sanger do to your concieved child not yet born?

That which should be a blessing becomes a curse for parent and child. Life is a curse, now? Children with diseases are blessings, children born healthy are blessings. A baptized soul is a blessing to this world.

There is nothing inherent in the Negro mentality which creates this condition. Their poverty causes it. When Negroes have been able to ascend economically, statistics reveal they plan their families with even greater care than whites. Negroes of higher economic and educational status actually have fewer children than white families in the same circumstances. He is saying "Poverty= litters of kids."
"wealth and education = 'smart numbers'."

For these reasons we are natural allies of those who seek to inject any form of planning in our society that enriches life and guarantees the right to exist in freedom and dignity.
He is accepting an award from a group that aborts children right and left. They don't give a hoot whether a conceived child has a right to exist.

Swear Words

Today I will type up the Commentary of Cornelius A Lapide on S. Matthew 5:33-37

33. Again you have heard that it was said to them of old, Thou shalt not forswear thyself: but thou shalt perform thy oaths to the Lord.
34. But I say to you not to swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God:
35. Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king:
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37. But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil.

But I say to you not to swear at all. "From this passage the Pelagians taught that no oath was lawful for Christians, as we see from the Council of Constance, and the Anabaptists of the present day hold the same opinion, who will not swear in a trial at the bidding of a judge. But this is an error of faith, which the ...example of God Himself , of S. Paul, and the saints condemn as is plain from Psalms 109:4, Rom 1:9, etc. ...An oath is an honor to God as the prime Verity, because he who swears appeals to God, who is infallible Truth, as his Witness. Therefore an oath is an act of religion, and the highest worship, provided that it be done in truth.
You will ask, Why then does Christ say, swear not at all? S. Bernard says that this is not a precept, but only of counsel...So as not to fall into perjury through the habit of swearing, as often happens.
...[Another reason is] Because the trustworthiness and honesty of men, especially of believers and Christians, ought to be such, that things not sworn to can be believed.
...S. Augustine says "False swearing is destructive, true swearing is perilous, swearing not at all is safe." ... Just as it is a moral evil, per se, to kill any one, there are circumstances in which it is permissible, dutiful, and even laudable So it is with an oath.

Neither by heaven for it is the throne of God,: Nor by the earth for it is his footstool: Nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. Christ here teaches that he who swears by heaven or earth, swears by God their creator... [by Jerusalem] The meaning is; Do not swear by the saints, the holy city of Jerusalem, nor by other sacred things, nor by your own possessions, or by any other creature, for they all belong to God, who is present in them all and who alone has complete power over them. In like manner, he who swears by creatures swears by God...
Wrongly, do the modern heretics, specifically Augustine Marloratus, say "Just as of old anyone who swore by another idol, detracted to the extent from God's rights, because they put something else in the place of Him who knows hearts and judges souls, so today, those who swear by angels and by dead saints, vainly attach to them the Divinity of which they have deprived from God." But this is an error and a heresy... Paul (1 Cor. 15:31) swears by the glory of the Corinthians, as is plain from the Greek text. The honor of the saints is the honor of God. For God made them saints; therefore one who swears by the saints swears by their God and Sanctifier.

Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. This means: Do not think that you are allowed to swear by your head because it is yours, and subject to you and your full control to use as you wish, for any purpose, even to bring down curses upon it by an oath if you perjure yourself; because in fact, your head is not your own, but God's. So you cannot make even one hair of your head white or black; that is for God alone to do. Therefore anyone who swears by their head, swears by God who made it; moreover-horrible thought-such a man is asking God to accept his very herd and life as a pledge, so that if he commits perjury, God will punish him by demanding his head and his life.

But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: (simple affirmation or negation) and that which is over and above these (Greek "excessive": the Syrian version "what is added beyond these") is of evil. The Hebrew translated is "truly; truly, no, no."...
Hence S. Bernard praises Theobald for his simple truthfulness. "for him, as it is said, speaking simply is as good as swearing, and a trifling lie is accounted grave perjury..."
Is of evil- The Greek has "is from the evil one." Evil here may be taken in the masculine or the neuter gender. If masculine, of evil means "from the devil," who, as a ringleader of all iniquity, incites thee to swear falsely, which is the sin of perjury. If of evil is neuter, it means "cometh of vice." The custom of wearing arises from your own vice of levity or irreverence. Franz Lucas admits this: of evil, he says, means from a habit of swearing needlessly and lightly, or falsely and deceitfully. Again, of evil means from a habit of swearing that originates in human mistrust. Since it seemed that men would not believe one another unless they swore.

Why Devotion to the Heart of Our Mother in Her Sorrows?

"My daughter, tears shed for My Passion are dear to Me; but as I loved My Mother Mary with an immense love the Meditation on the torments which she endured at My death is even more agreeable to Me." -Jesus to Blessed Veronica of Binasco.

"I look around at all who are on earth, to see if by chance there are any who pity me, and meditate upon my sorrows; and I find there are very few..." Mary to St. Bridget

St. Albert the Great, O.P. (who's feast is was two days ago) said "that as we are under great obligations to Jesus for His Passion endured for our love, so also are we under great obligations to Mary for the martyrdom which she voluntarily suffered for our salvation in the death of her Son. Voluntarily since, as St. Agnes revealed to St. Bridget, 'our compassionate and benign Mother was satisfied rather to endure any torment than that our souls should not be redeemed."

We begin to understand why Mary, Mother of God, is Mary, Mother of all! Only to mothers does this innate, unconditional love come as natural. I would say for men and fathers, it is second nature. But to women! First!

"The grief of Mary was so great that, were it divided amongst all men, it would suffice to cause their immediate death."1

After meditating on this one line, we can begin to appreciate why she is so important. Why she has earned the title Co-Redemptix.

"While other martyrs suffered by sacrificing their own lives, the Blessed Virgin suffered by sacrificing her Son's life - a life that She loved far more than Her own; so that she not only suffered in her soul all that her Son endured in His body, but moreover the sight of her Son's torments brought more grief to her heart than if she had endured them all in her own person."2

OK, that was a little weird. What does that say on the surface? Shouldn't a mother rather give herself up than her Child? After meditating and contemplating on how could someone be selfless by giving up someone she loved, we find why she is so worthy of our compassion and our gratitude. Why? because her martyrdom started when Christ was born to die! Her soul was martyred for 33 consecutive years. Her soul, which is not the body. The martyred saints gave their body up for a brief period. We all know pains in the soul hurt much worse.

The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady
The First Sword- St. Simeon's Prophecy- "Behold, this Child is a sign of contradiction. And Thine own soul shall be pierced by a sword."

The Second Sword- The Flight of Jesus into Egypt- Three hundred miles on donkey with a delicate newborn child to feed and protect. What shelter could she offer her Child when they entered Egypt as strangers?

The Third Sword- The Loss of Jesus in the Temple- O! The desolation our Mother Mary must have felt as she lost the Divine Presence for three days. Job was tormented by losing all God had given him, but he did not lose God Himself.

The Forth Sword- The Meeting on the Way to Calvary- She hardly could recognized the bloody face of the man who met her in the streets. And when Jesus wiped away the clotted blood from His eyes, Their looks became as so many arrows to pierce the hearts which loved each other so tenderly.

The Fifth Sword- The Crucifixion and Death of Christ- When so many would faint at the deplorable sight of their naked son executed as a criminal, Our Lady stood.

The Sixth Sword- After being lanced in the side, Jesus is placed in the arms of Our Lady- Our Lord's body received the lance but he was dead. Our Lady's heart felt the pain that was doubled as she first touched her dead Son.

The Seventh Sword- The Burial of Jesus- Who had to tell Mary it was time to seal the tomb? After Our Mother told her son the last good bye she left her heart in the tomb to be sealed as well. Mary was so sad that while she returned home all who encountered her was moved to tears.

1- St. Bernadine of Sienna
2- St. Antoninus, O.P.

Today is the Order of the Servants of Mary's All Souls day.

May those souls, and all souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in Peace.

Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for us.
St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Pray for us.

Assisi v. Assisi

Assisi (null hypothesis)

















Assisi I, II, et III.

The Roman Rite

There are, of course, many rites of Holy Mass. They are all considered Catholic. According to the new canon law of 1983, strictly speaking, you may fulfill your Sunday obligation by participating in any of the following (and a few more.)The Byzatine Rite is called Liturgy, and that is for the East. The Coptic Rite is more Egyptian. The Syriach Rite for the Palestinians and in the native tongue of Jesus. The Maronite Rite is glory of Lebanon, also in Aramaic.

Then, we look at the Latin Rites. Milan can use the Ambrosian Rite. The Carmamelites, the Dominicans, and the Carthusians are religious orders that have their own Rite. However, it was the champions known as the Franciscans that spread the Rite of Rome to the world. These all have the unification of being offered in the same language: Latin.

The Roman Rite is found in 99% of the parishes around town. A little known fact is that Vatican II focused only on the Roman Rite, and any rite that changed after Vatican II did not change by promulgation, but by adapting the Spirit of Vatican II. This blog entry will focus on the Roman Rite only.

The Holy Father says there are two forms of the Roman Rite. One is the "ordinary form," from the Missal of Paul VI, the other is the "extraordinary form," the Mass of John XXIII. Both are written in Latin. The Mass that 99% of parishioners hear is an English translation of the Latin Mass. There is no argument that the first attempt of turning it into English was not so much of a "translation" as it was an attempt to communicate the ideas from Latin to English. This is being corrected with the new translation. So, this year, we will have the Mass of Paul VI in English.

On to the Mass of John the XXIII. This Mass was never popularized in the vernacular. It does have an vernacular translation, and that is found in a thousands of hand missals all over the world. Latin on one side, English, Portuguese, French, Chinese, (you name it) on the other. This is to help people around the world worship God, all in a unified way. The Mass in Italy is the Mass in China is the Mass in Mexico is the Mass in the Philippines. While having Holy Mass in your own language might be nice, especially convienient if you cant read, one can make a case that there is still a language barrier. There are a lot of Polls in my diocese. I would be so lost if I went to a Polish Mass. Even Spanish Mass would be too much for me. So, it can be said that Mass in the vernacular has to, by language's very nature, exclude some people. I.e. there can not be one language that will please everyone. However, there is one language... in a very Lord of the Rings way... to rule them all (and in the darkness bind them?)

Latin is the official Language of our Church.

" The Latin language can be called truly catholic. It has been consecrated through constant use by the Apostolic See, the mother and teacher of all Churches, and must be esteemed "a treasure ... A most efficacious bond which unites in an admirable an unalterable continuity the Church of today with that of yesterday and of tomorrow."

-Pope John XXIII. Veterum Sapientia

Not only is it beautiful, but it is dead. Not being a living language that changes meaning over time is exactly what we need to mean the exact same things Catholics meant 1900 years ago, and what us Catholics will mean in 1900 years.. What else does the Church say about Latin?

"Care must be taken to ensure that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them."- Vatican II. Sacrosanctum Concillium.

So, technically, we should have been taught by our parish priests the responses to the Latin Mass, but many of us have not. What to do now?

My suggestion would be to go to the "extraordinary form." The first time you go it will be confusing. No doubt about it. Sit in the pew second from the front. You can see the sanctuary better, and there will be someone in front of you who knows when to stand, sit, and kneel. You may not know whats being said, but don't worry. The prayers are magnificent. Try to read them ahead of time. If you try to follow along because the person next to you hands you a missalette, you are still going to get lost. The first time it may be best just to observe. If the priest doesn't say anything out loud for a while, enjoy the sacred silence in prayer (he's busy talking to God, not you.) If you feel offended his back is facing you, just think, he is leading you on a march to Calvary. After Holy Mass is over, you may not like it one bit OR you may like it very much. I would ask that you give it a second try regardless. The Latin doesn't bother you as much the second time, and you know what to expect which is half the battle.

While we're learning "where is the bathroom" in 50 languages, my opinion is we should learn the Pater Noster, the Ave Maria, and the Gloria Patri. Also, these two responses should get you started...

Et cum spiritu tuo "eht coom spee-ree-too too-oh" (And with thy spirit.) The response to "Dominus Vobiscum."

Amen "Ah-men" (after prayers. Often the answer to "Per omnia saecula saeculorum.")

There are a few more, but just learn a couple at a time. This way, when we are around people who don't know English, we could be eager to say, "Celebremus in Latinum"(lets celebrate in Latin) and the might respond "Nunc dices es" (now youre talking!) How unifying!

Two sides to every story?

Dear (lay-person wondering if they can go to a Non-Diocesan Catholic Church) ,

I passed your email on to Fr. ______, the chancellor for our diocese, requesting him to explain where Fr. (in question) stands regarding his position in the Catholic Church.

I’m sending you his response so that you have the full picture. A “celebret” is a document (The Latin means “He may celebrate [the Mass]”) that is valid only for one year as Fr. [chancellor] explains.

I hope this helps.

Bishop _____

----------------------------------------------

Bishop,

At [the vocation director's] request, because of the prospective seminarian from UNF who attends [the chapel in question,] only last week I checked with the Diocese of Scranton where Fr [in question] is incardinated.*1 I was told that he holds a celebret directly from the Ecclesia Dei Commission, and that, by decree of that Commission he is incardinated into the Diocese of Scranton. The date of that celebret would apparently be sometime in 2001 or 2002.

From the chancellor of the Scranton diocese I have the following information -

1. His incardination into the Scranton diocese was, indeed, directed by the Ecclesia Dei Commission

2. He does hold a celebret from that commission, but as celebrets are supposedly good only for about 1 year*2 (according to the Code), it would be out of date now

3. Fr [In question] does NOT have any faculties from the Diocese of Scranton. He was described by the chancellor there as very disobedient.*3

4. ...Unless there is some sort of papal decree placing that parish directly under the Holy See, or within some other ecclesiastical conscription,*4 it is not possible to be in communion with the Bishop of Rome (who they may say they recognize), but not in communion with the Bishop of (our diocese)!

As I understand it, if someone knows of the situation (and I understand that a few there do not) it would be gravely sinful to satisfy their Sunday obligation *5 by attending Mass at [the chapel in question.]

Fr. Chancellor
----------------------------------------------------

okay...

This looks pretty scary at first. Lets take it step by step.

#1 The priest in question is under another bishop of another diocese.

#2 I know that local sees update their priests' celebrets every year. However, The priest in question got one from Rome in 2001 and did not get another from Rome for 3 years when he was incardinated. All while he was in "good standing." If all celebrets are only good for a year, he was saying Mass illicitly for two years under the care of Ecclesia Dei. And they didn't seem to mind.

#3 That is correct. The priest in question does not have all of his faculties. He claims they were taken away unjustly and appeals to the law "ecclesia suppelit" He is seen as disobedient , however has never been suspended. (I asked him once if his bishop called him to return home for a meeting, would he go. He said he would out of obedience. But I have a feeling at that time, there would be a line drawn in the sand, and he would be suspended, and be in the boat of all the other Society priests.

#4 Speaking of Society priests, he has "friends" status with the society. He is not independent, he is under the wing of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X. Although,the SSPX may not officially be a "ecclesiastical conscription," Rome sure does deal with them like they are.
"The situation of the members of this Society is an internal matter of the Catholic Church. The Society is not another Church or Ecclasial Community in the meaning used in the Directory." -Cardinal Edward Cassidy on May 3, 1994.

#5 The official word from this diocese must be readdressed. "As he understands it", the Lord Chancellor does not have all the information needed to make this judgement.
"You may fulfill your Sunday obligation by attending a Mass celebrated by a priest of the Society of St. Pius X" (letter, January 18, 2003.) (one of many found on the internet.)

Because Christ set up the Church, we should have recourse to her. I am about to print my own letter to Card. Leveda, president of Ecclesia Dei. I hope this matter will be put at rest when Rome herself makes judges my case. I will update this post in 4 or so months, depending on how fast Rome operates nowadays.

Let the Dead bury the Dead

Closure isn't everything. Our Lord tells that to a disciple who wants to follow Him to Jerusalem, but first bury his dead father. Christ responds by saying... "Follow Me, let the dead bury the dead." And "preach the kingdom of Heaven." This must have been hard to hear.

A man sees it as his duty to bury people, most of all, his father. Its a corporal work of mercy, even. However, Our Lord knows this man's heart. He knows he is sad. He knows he wants to have peace. He knows he wants this chapter in his life to end "And my father died, and like a good son I buried him, and like a good father, he left me my inheritance." But sometimes God doesn't want that. God wants Himself to be only what we inherit. We might say we are ready to follow God with our voice, but in our heart, we don't want to forfeit the goods that shoulda, woulda, coulda been.

God may ask us to have chapters end in the middle of a sentence, right as things were getting juicy. We can't look back or hope and wish there was more! He wants us to trust in Him more than anyone or anything. He wants us to know that while we can grieve for losses, we have to get up immediately and move on, looking forward only, because there is precious little time. He knows we want peace of mind, but we will not have it until God's will is done.

Let the dead bury the dead is not practical. It cannot even happen, I'm pretty sure. So when Jesus says this to us, we have to hold back that thought "Really, Jesus? Are You really going to expect me to just be miserable. Are You really going to let these loose ends be left untide? Instead, replace these thoughts with the prayer "My Dear Lord, I might be a wreck. Vivify me, self pity and moping is not for me. You know what I want. You know what I need. If what I want is not what You want, allow me to accept that. Please let chapters in my life close when they need to. Only the spiritually dead are concerned about everything ending with a pretty pink bow. Please, don't let me be one of them. Amen.

Obviously the question isn't whether the father gets in the ground! Let the dead bury the dead. It might be the hardest thing that we have to do, but we don't have to do it alone!

Through the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
St. Mary Margaret Alacoque, pray for us!