All things considered.

The priest.

"If the priest does not preach, does not consecrate, does not work, souls die of starvation.  Where he is absent, faith disappears.  Let a parish remain twenty years without a priest, said the Cure of Ars, and its people will be adoring beasts.  On the other hand, where the priest is active, zealous and holy, the Christian life develops and sanctity appears." - Pere Eugene-Marie, OCD, I Want To See God, Chapter V - Silence
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Photo: Pere Eugene-Marie, OCD

First Saturday Stuff.

Note:  I first want to mention that Cathy's dad is in the hospital - so please pray for him and Cathy, whose birthday it is today.  Thanks.
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How bad was it in 1917?
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Since it is the First Saturday of Our Lady in the month of May, just days before the anniversary of the apparition and feast of Our Lady of Fatima, I was wondering this morning; 'how much worse was the world in 1917 than it is today?'
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Think about it.  How much worse could it have been that as Our Lady said, "war is a punishment for sin"?  There were two world wars in fact.  Yet in 1917 there was no such thing as legalized contraception or abortion.  Divorce was a huge shame and quite rare.  Homosexuality, a psychological term developed in the previous century, was rarely even mentioned, let alone tolerated.  Fashions remained modest - to a degree - even after Coco Chanel.  Of course there were prostitutes and men who used them, and Vaudeville was the racy entertainment of the day, but nearly fully clothed women were the dirty pictures of the day - not even coming close to the soft porn of Victoria's Secret models.  It all seems fairly innocent compared to today's standards - or lack thereof.  
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Marxism was taking hold of course, and those 'degenerate moderns' of the arts were emerging, along with the occult, yet these influences and their effects never took hold on a global scale - until now.  Now days - without any doubt - things are so much worse than they have ever been in history.  Amazing, isn't it.
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So pray your rosary.  Every day.  Make everything you do a sacrifice.  Take the Immaculate Heart of Mary for your refuge - and she will lead you to God.
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You don't have to join a group of fanatics or wear blue berets, strange costumes, nor avoid modern life.  (Wearing the brown scapular under your clothing may be the only exception.)  You don't have to pray in Latin or attend the Extraordinary Form of Mass:  The message of Fatima is ordinary spirituality, ordinary Catholicism.  Ordinary, ordinary, ordinary.  The penance Our Lord asked is to renounce all that is contrary to the teachings of the Church, to fulfill the duties of your state in life - your daily duty, fidelity to prayer and the Church joined to the daily recitation of the rosary, and of course, the First Saturday devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
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"If you know how to accept the trials, worries, sufferings, and fatigue arranged by God throughout the days and hours of life, you will practice a lot of asceticism, and you will not have to look for more of it." - Pere Eugene-Marie, OCD
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Art:  Mosaic from new basilica at Fatima. 

What up with that?

Money talk.
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This is so trivial it is not deserving of attention - I know!  But I can't resist asking:
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What's the deal with Fr. Z soliciting donations - apparently for himself - in protest against National Catholic Reporter? 
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"I think a good way to show what you think of the NCR would be, first, to talk someone out of a subscription and, then, a spiffy donation to WDTPRS using the donation button below.  If every reader here would pitch in $5, that would make a statement, given the number of readers we have." - WDTPRS

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I don't get it.  It's his business how and why he asks for donations, but this new angle mystifies me.  Is there an indulgence attached or something?
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Whatever.  It doesn't matter.

I ask you: "How many gays must God create before we accept that he wants them around?”

"How many gays must God create before we accept that he wants them around?”
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Minnesota State Rep. Steve Simon asked that question during a debate over a proposed vote on a same-sex marriage amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution, warning, “If this becomes part of our Constitution, history will judge us all very, very harshly,” he says.
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To his credit Rep. Simon was calm and civil in his comments, refraining from any invective or accusations of bigotry often heard in response to religious leaders asking the state to refrain from legalizing same sex marriage.  Likewise, Minnesota's religious leaders were just as calm and civil in their appeal.  They were not banner waving scare mongers railing against homosexuality.  To the contrary, one of Minnesota's best Catholic bishops addressed the issue calmly, reasonably and compassionately in his testimony before the Committee in the Minnesota Legislature.  From the Catholic Spirit:
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Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth testified May 2 before the House Civil Law Committee in support of a bill (HF 1613) that would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2012 to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. 
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“Based on God’s Word given in divine revelation, we believe that marriage creates a sacred bond between spouses,” said Bishop Sirba, speaking for the Catholic bishops of Minnesota. “We hold this to be true not only for ourselves, but for all humanity.”
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The church’s convictions about marriage “find ample support in principles which can be discovered by human reason and which have been reflected throughout human history,” he said.
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Bishop Sirba said “the committed relationship between one man and one woman calls forth the best of the spouses, not only for their own sake, but also for the well-being of their children and for the advancement of the common good.”
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In defending the institution of marriage, he emphasized that “persons with same-sex attractions are our sisters and brothers, and should not be deprived of their authentic human rights, including the most fundamental rights of all — the right to life and the right to love.”
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The Catholic Church opposes discrimination against any person based on a same-sex attraction, he said. “At the same time,” he added, “meeting authentic human needs does not require changing society’s definition of marriage.”
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Bishop Sirba said the bishops believe the amendment is needed because several legislative proposals in the past few years have sought to “transform marriage from an institution focused on the needs of children into a totally new legal entity centered on the happiness of adults.” - Catholic Spirit
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God created them, male and female...
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Rep. Simon's comments went 'viral' as they say, news desks around the world picked up on it.  Why?  Because many people are convinced God created human beings to be gay.  There are well meaning religious people and homosexual persons who insist that is true.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church doesn't pretend to know the cause of homosexuality, rather it asserts:
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2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
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Neither does the Church condemn homosexual persons:
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2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
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2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
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However, the Church must proclaim the truth about sexuality and marriage and teaches:
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2360 Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman. In marriage the physical intimacy of the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. Marriage bonds between baptized persons are sanctified by the sacrament. - CCC
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The attempt to redefine nature.
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The debate and campaign to legalize same sex marriage will go on.  In the meantime, legislators in favor of legalizing same sex marriage have been throwing out subtle challenges to religious leaders who stand in defense of traditional marriage.  The challengers seek to denigrate traditional religious teaching, marginalizing it as out of touch with contemporary social needs.  I believe that is what was behind Rep. Simon's remark, which plays to a secularized audience accustomed to dismissing religious conviction to private practice and whose moral standards are based upon popular cultural sentimentality and moral relativism.  It is part of the cultural morass Benedict XVI warned about, “Today these basic human rights (religious freedom) are again under threat from attitudes and ideologies which would impede free religious expression.”
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"Religious freedom goes to the very heart of what it means to be human."
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As Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon explained at the conclusion of the recent conference in Rome on religious freedom by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences:
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(Glendon) said there is a "critical challenge for religious liberty" today. "Even in countries where religious liberty has a long and apparently secure constitutional foundation, the suspicion of those religious believers who claim to know truths about the human person leads to marginalization and even outright discrimination."
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Even in countries with few restrictions, Glendon added, "the academy and public life often portray religion as a source of social division, and treat religious freedom as a second-class right to be trumped by a range of other claims and interests."
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(O)ne of the principal ways in which religious liberty is violated is by construing it so narrowly as to confine it to the private sphere." - Zenit 
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My comment:
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I was watching the local news with a friend when the video with Rep. Simon was aired, and my friend who doesn't understand the big deal about same sex marriage said to me, "How would they like it if we banned religion?  Why don't we just ban religion and religious people?"
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I laughed and said, "Yeah.  Because that worked out so well for the Soviet Union."
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Religious freedom is the big issue - and don't kid yourself, same sex marriage threatens that.
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“We see before our eyes the evil fruits of life in a society which pretends to take the place of God in making its laws and in giving its judgments, in a society in which those in power decide what is right and just, according to their desires and convenience, even at the cost of perpetrating the gravest harm upon their neighbour.” - Cardinal Burke

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Photo: Rep. Steve Simon.  He's a nice guy.

Benedict XVI on 'religious freedom.'

Vatican City, May 5, 2011 / 03:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI warned members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences that religious freedom is coming under a renewed attack, from forces he compared to the totalitarian powers of the twentieth century.

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The Pope observed that religious freedom was among the rights that underwent a “systematic denial by atheistic regimes of the twentieth century” such as Communism and Nazism.
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“Today,” he warned in an address made public May 4, “these basic human rights are again under threat from attitudes and ideologies which would impede free religious expression.”
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“Consequently,” he told the social scientists, “the challenge to defend and promote the right to freedom of religion and freedom of worship must be taken up once more in our days.” The pontifical academy's most recent gathering, held in Rome from April 29 to May 3, took up the theme of “Universal Rights in a World of Diversity: The Case of Religious Freedom.” - CNA

Blogging Like Howard Beale

What up with that?
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I think it all started with the Corapi affair.  The blog-o-sterium taking issue with anyone who may have questioned the veracity of the stories, not to mention the character of the person involved, circulating after the announcement Corapi was under investigation for dyeing his beard.  (JK)  Then came the Michael Voris orthodoxy litmus test.  Afterwards, the sometimes heated - nay, mean-spirited attacks upon the pontificate of Blessed John Paul II - the trad holy office of inquisition ruling he should not be beatified, while others declaring he should be - as if we bloggers are popes.  Yet perhaps the last straw has been the folderol that followed the Osama bin Laden execution.  Although before that, I was already annoyed with how the holier than thou found it necessary to make pronouncements on the Royal Wedding and how scandalous it was for a couple of non-Catholics, who had been living together, deciding to validate their union in Holy Matrimony.
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How sanctimonious can you get?  Considering that most people passing judgement screwed around themselves in their youth - and not a few of us most likely still do.  We walk that plank in our own eye to take out the speck in one anothers eye.  We all do it.  No wonder people do not want to get involved with organized religion.  The Vatican can call all the blog conventions they want, nevertheless the medium is frequently about as meaningful as a supermarket tabloid or the graffiti on a warehouse wall.  'The blog' is about as effective as a letter to the editor of the NYT or some other newspaper, while the combox discussions rarely rise above the level of pre-brawl conversation in a corner bar.
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One of the most admired Catholic bloggers on line is a priest without an assignment, an exile from his diocese.  No parish, no teaching position, no accountability, and yet he is esteemed by not a few as the authority on Church teaching.  He and his followers, not unlike other trad and liberal bloggers decree who is Catholic and who is not.  What politician a good Catholic should vote for and which one we should not.  For them it is a very black and white world wherein you can't do this, you can't do that; you can't think like that and if you do you are a bad Catholic, a Marxist, a Communist, a war-monger - whatever your side of the fence judges right or wrong.  If these people are so holy and teach with such authority, why aren't they saints yet?  Why aren't they bishops?  Why aren't they teaching at the best universities and seminaries?  In some cases, why don't they even have a job?
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The online Catholic world can be a very negative culture, and hypocrisy is a temptation just a few stats away from each of us.  We spend an astonishing amount of time focused upon the blog; composing, researching, copying news stories already published, fomenting contentious discussions and arguments.  We cater to our readers, seeking to win one another's approval, often in an effort to prove to ourselves and others how good and righteous we are, just how smart we are.  The reward?  Well if you don't panhandle and advertise, just vain praise, respect and validation.  Many spout platitudes about the truth and liturgical/theological correctness but they can't handle the truth when it jumps up and bites them in the ass.
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I trust most people who live their lives online aspire to what is good and are well intentioned, but most of us aren't there yet - not even close.  That's not a bad thing until we start dictating to people how to live their lives - despite the fact we ourselves do not meet the same high standards we set for others.  Some of the blogging/commenting faithful can't make it through the week without getting drunk, satisfying some guilty pleasure, overeating, skipping Mass, in other words - not practicing what they preach.  Nevertheless so many of us set ourselves up as arbiters of justice, acting as judge and jury as to who is Catholic and who is not, who is good and who is bad.  And when our authority is challenged, we are experts at spinning our  defense and right to do so with more pious platitudes, dogmatic pronouncements and quotes from whatever authority suits our agenda.
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What?     

Another reason Sarah Palin should not be taken seriously.

Reckless wanna-be obsessed by conspiracy theories.
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"The decision not to release the Bin Laden pictures has been criticised by former Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.


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She has compared it to the President's attempts to hold back his birth certificate, and wrote on Twitter: 'Show the photos as a warning to others seeking America's destruction.


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'No pussy-footing around, no politicking, no drama; it's part of the mission.'" - Source
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She said what?

The Discomfort of Archbishop Rowan Williams...

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You know what makes me uncomfortable?  He does.
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Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says the US killing of unarmed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has left "a very uncomfortable feeling".
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Dr Williams, asked about the death during a press briefing on Thursday, said: "I think the killing of an unarmed man is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling because it doesn't look as if justice is seen to be done. - Source

Italian Bishop Turns Heads: Wearing Armani

The very chic...
Bishop Domenico Mogavero drew compliments from churchgoers at Mass on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria in green silk vestments designed by Armani and decorated with symbols of vines, wheat, shells and starfish.  Bishop Mogavero said the vestments had turned heads, particularly among female parishioners, but warned he had no intention of turning the aisle into a catwalk. - No, no, no... Full Story

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Turn to the left... now turn to the right... give a twirl!

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Photos:
Top photo:  How'd that get in here?
Lower photo:  Bishop Mogavero 

Devotion to the Holy Rosary.

Not just for saints...
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Thank God!
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"Biden spokesman Elizabeth Alexander also tells Sneed her boss “was holding his rosary ring (which represents one decade of the rosary) at times while in the situation room on Sunday,” and he keeps it with him at all times. “The vice president is devoted to the rosary and recites it daily,” the source said. On one occasion in Chicago, when he was visiting the popular Firehouse restaurant, Biden told Dorothy O’Malley, a family friend, he never goes anywhere without it." -  Joe Biden prays the rosary.

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Promises of Our Lady for those who pray the Holy Rosary.
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1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.


Signal Graces are those special and unique Graces to help sanctify us in our state in life. See the remaining promises for an explanation for which these will consist. St. Louis de Montfort states emphatically that the best and fastest way to union with Our Lord is via Our Lady [True Devotion to Mary, chapter four].



2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

Our Lady is our Advocate and the channel of all God's Grace to us. Our Lady is simply highlighting that She will watch especially over us who pray the Rosary. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62) [a great more detail is available on this topic in True Devotion to Mary, chapter four, by St. Louis de Montfort]



3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.

This promise, along with the next, is simply the reminder on how fervent prayer will help us all grow in holiness by avoiding sin, especially a prayer with the excellence of the Rosary. An increase in holiness necessarily requires a reduction in sin, vice, and doctrinal errors (heresies). If only the Modernists could be convinced to pray the Rosary! (see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42) St. Louis de Montfort states "Since Mary alone crushed all heresies, as we are told by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary)..." [True Devotion to Mary #167]



4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

This promise, along with the previous, is the positive part, that being to live in virtue. Becoming holy is not only avoiding sin, but also growing in virtue. (see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42)



5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.

Since Our Lady is our Mother and Advocate, She always assists those who call on Her implicitly by praying the Rosary. The Church reminds us of this in the Memorare prayer, "... never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided ..."



6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.

This promise highlights the magnitude of Graces that the Rosary brings to whomever prays it. One will draw down God's Mercy rather than His Justice and will have a final chance to repent (see promise #7). One will not be conquered by misfortune means that Our Lady will obtain for the person sufficient Graces to handle said misfortune (i.e. carry the Crosses allowed by God) without falling into despair. As Sacred Scripture tells us, "For my yoke is sweet and my burden light." (Matthew 11:30)



7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

This promise highlights the benefits of obtaining the most possible Graces at the hour of death via the Sacraments of Confession, Eucharist, and Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick). Being properly disposed while receiving these Sacraments near death ensures one's salvation (although perhaps with a detour through Purgatory) since a final repentance is possible.



8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.

Our Lady highlights the great quantity of Graces obtain through praying the Rosary, which assist us during life and at the moment of death. The merits of the Saints are the gift of God's rewards to those persons who responded to His Grace that they obtained during life, and so Our Lady indicates that She will provide a share of that to us at death. With this promise and #7 above, Our Lady is providing the means for the person to have a very holy death.



9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

Should one require Purgatorial cleansing after death, Our Lady will make a special effort to obtain our release from Purgatory through Her intercession as Advocate.



10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.

This promise is a logical consequence of promises #3 and #4 since anyone who truly lives a holier life on earth will obtain a higher place in Heaven. The closer one is to God while living on earth, the close that person is to Him also in Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states "Spiritual progress tends toward ever more union with Christ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2014)



11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.

This promise emphasizes Our Lady's role as our Advocate and Mediatrix of all Graces. Of course, all requests are subject to God's Most Perfect Will. God will always grant our request if it is beneficial for our soul, and Our Lady will only intercede for us when our request is good for our salvation. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)



12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

If one promotes the praying of the Rosary, Our Lady emphasizes Her Maternal care for us by obtaining many Graces (i.e. spiritual necessities) and also material necessities (neither excess nor luxury), all subject to the Will of God of course.



13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

Since Our Lady is our Advocate, She brings us additional assistance during our life and at our death from all the saints in Heaven (the Communion of Saints). See paragraphs 954 through 959 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.



14. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.

Since the Rosary is a most excellent prayer focused on Jesus and His Life and activities in salvation history, it brings us closer to Our Lord and Our Lady. Doctrinally, Our Lady is our Mother and Jesus is our Eldest Brother, besides being our God. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)



15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Predestination in this context means that, by the sign which is present to a person from the action of devoutly praying the Rosary, God has pre-ordained your salvation. Absolute certainty of salvation can only be truly known if God reveals it to a person because, although we are given sufficient Grace during life, our salvation depends upon our response to said Grace. (See Summa Theologica, Question 23 for a detailed theological explanation). Said another way, if God has guaranteed a person's salvation but has not revealed it to Him, God would want that person to pray the Rosary because of all the benefits and Graces obtained. Therefore the person gets a hint by devotion to the Rosary. This is not to say that praying the Rosary guarantees salvation - by no means. In looking at promises #3 and #4 above, praying the Rosary helps one to live a holy life, which is itself a great sign that a soul is on the road to salvation. (See also paragraphs 381, 488, 600, 2782 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.) In fact, St. Louis de Montfort says even more strongly that "an infallible and unmistakable sign by which we can distinguish a heretic, a man of false doctrine, an enemy of God, from one of God's true friends is that the hardened sinner and heretic show nothing but contempt and indifference to Our Lady..." [True Devotion to Mary, #30] - Source
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I know!

Faces in the war room.

"Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."

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I came across a post on the Deacon's Bench pertaining to the President and his staff apparently watching the operation which took down Osama bin Laden.  I know many practicing Catholics 'hate' Obama and have demonized most of the Catholics on his staff, but I was personally impressed by the NYT account of the death of bin Laden Deacon Kandra reprinted, specifically,   "Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. fingered his rosary beads."  Judge the man as you like, I'd say that was pretty Catholic.  A commenter to the post, noting the Catholics in the 'war room', had this to say:
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2 HMS

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Before the 2008 election, I read in Obama’s autobiography that as community organizer in Chicago, he worked with Catholic priests and lay people. In fact, he was hired for the community organizer job by a Catholic priest, Fr. Thomas Kaminski, who died recently. Ever since, I have been interested in his relationship with Catholicism.
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In addition to his choice of Joe Biden as VP, one-third of his Cabinet is Catholic. (Latest statistics are that Catholics are 22% of the population in the U.S.)
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In the photo of Obama and his National Security team in the Situation Room on Sunday evening, I can identify 6 Catholics in the group of 12 people. Not pictured but certainly a key adviser, is Leon Panetta. In an interview yesterday, Chuck Schumer said that Panetta is one of the most moral people he knows. He and Panetta were in Congress together. Schumer mentioned that Panetta went to Mass every day.) - Biden's Beads
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"Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer." 1 John 3:15 

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2302 By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill,"94 our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral.
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Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice."95 If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."96
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2303 Deliberate hatred is contrary to charity. Hatred of the neighbor is a sin when one deliberately wishes him evil. Hatred of the neighbor is a grave sin when one deliberately desires him grave harm. "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."97 - CCC
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Talk amongst yourselves.
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Osama's Last Facebook Message.

This is so poignant.
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What?
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Anyway.  I had a dream about Osama last night.  He lived in an apartment with my parents next door.  I thought he was really nice and pleasant and couldn't imagine why people said he was a terrorist, although something about him scared me.  It was my duty to call the police on him and as I did so he came up behind me and I turned and shot him in the face.  I felt bad because he had always been so nice to me, but I had to defend myself.
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H/T Gem of the Ocean

My new favorite artist: Martin Wittfooth

Webpage

Pakistan veddy, veddy bad.

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Gotta love 'em though.  As a Christians I love Osama too.
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I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.I love Osama.

Dead Rabbit

Not just road kill.

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I looked outside this morning and there was my rabbit.  Dead on the street.  I felt sad.  Obviously he was crossing my street and I suspect a car was going too fast and hit him.  Although, some people try to hit animals - they deliberately run them over.  That said, the neighborhood hawk may have gotten him as well.  I realized I felt more sorrow over the death of my rabbit than I did over the death of a predator who killed thousands of people out of hatred. 

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I fed this rabbit all winter - really good stuff too - the same things I eat - walnuts, almonds, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, hemp bread crumbs, granola, you name it.  I watched him eat my hedge, which I had to severely trim back this spring because so much died off.  I cared about the rabbit.  Rabbits don't kill people or other animals. They are kind little creatures - very shy, very hidden.

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The mass murderer who sought to exterminate innocent men, women and children was also very hidden - and he was found and killed.

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I feel more pity for my rabbit than that man.

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But you see, it's just a feeling.  I didn't commend my rabbit to God - rather I thanked God for the time I had with the rabbit.  On the other hand, I did commend the dead man to God, and I thanked him that he was no longer around to kill and maim and terrorize.  I am at peace that the man is no longer on earth to terrorize and murder.  Outside of that, there is nothing I can do or feel - except to leave the dead to bury their dead.

My response to all of that.

Minnesota Terror Alert Raised to "High" Says Governor Mark Dayton.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton says state public safety officials are being extra watchful after an American force killed Osama bin Laden.  Dayton said Monday he has directed Public Safety Commissioner Ramona Dohman to “redouble our vigilance” in the next weeks to protect Minnesotans from any terrorist backlash. - CBS
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Mark Dayton, D-Minnesota, closed his Capitol Hill office Tuesday, fearing a possible terrorist attack that could harm his staff or visitors. - CNN

Osama bin Laden buried at sea.

Who even believes that?
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In this day when CSI happens to be one of the most popular prime time shows on network TV,  doesn't this burgeoning national obsession with how dead people died suggest a more likely scenario that the master terrorist's remains would be transferred to a secret military base for further medical examination?   Doesn't it make more sense that his body (parts) would be shipped back here to be dissected, tested and analyzed to find out if he really had kidney problems?  If he smoked opium?  If he took viagra?  What have you?  The U.S. would not just dump his body in the ocean - we're not the mafia.  I think 'they' are lying to the world so they can't be accused of disrespecting the body and Islam.
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Just remember you got it here first.
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(I just heard Sarah Palin thinks the same thing.  Oh yeah!)

Committee for the Re-Election of the President

Now maybe we can get out of Afghanistan.

Where were you? What were you doing?

When you found out?
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I was minding everyone but my own business online looking for something to post about for today when I got an email (9:44PM) from my friend Paula informing me that the President was scheduled to address the nation late Sunday night.  No one knew about what or the exact time.  I thought, "We're going to nuke Libya!"  So I googled, "Breaking News" and up came the crawlers: "President to speak..." "Osama bin Laden dead..."  I immediately sent the information back to Paula, turned on TV and then nothing - no "Breaking News" - nothing.  I checked the AP and Drudge - nothing.  I flipped channels - and finally "Special Report".
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My hair stood on end.  My heart swelled.  I felt immense - no deep, patriotic pride?  I don't know if pride is the right word.  I felt deep emotion and I thought and prayed - mostly for our military and those who defend our country, and for those who lost loved ones during the attacks of 9/11.  I kept flipping channels, and then the President finally walked down that red carpet to speak.  And I applauded President Obama.
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I actually stood and applauded President Obama!
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And then I said a prayer for all the dead:  "May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace." 
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God alone is the Judge of who is faithful.

Fooled for a time...

But can't be fooled again.
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Not long ago, I mentioned the fraudulent case of Leo Taxil and Diana Vaughan in a post referencing impostors and deceit, and how even holy people can sometimes be fooled - if only for awhile.  During the novena to the Divine Mercy while reading the testimony for the canonization of  St. Therese, I came across the following in the witness of Mother Agnes of Jesus:
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"About 1894 there appeared in France a series of self-styled revelations of the secrets of Freemasonry, published by a certain Dr. Bataille (Leon Taxil) and a woman called Diana Vaughan.  These accounts gripped the imagination of the French public for a while.  Later they were found to be false.  The Servant of God took a certain interest in them at first, but long before there was any official denial of them she told us that they were not to be believed.  Her only reason for rejecting them was the fact that Diana Vaughan once spoke against episcopal authority. 'That kind of thing cannot come from God, ' she said." - St. Therese By Those Who Knew Her
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As I said before...
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Needless to say, the deception neither did harm to the Carmel or the Catholic Church, although in a way, it demonstrates to some extent how even the elect can be fooled - if possible, but only for a time. One thinks of the founder of the Legion, Marcel Maciel, and his double life; an elaborate pretense which fooled even Blessed Pope John Paul. Unlike Taxil, it doesn't appear that Maciel was attempting to mock or destroy the Church, nor did he ever declare himself an enemy of the Church; despite that, his motivation and actions remain somewhat unexplainable - only on a natural level of course.
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Even the popes and the greatest saints are not omniscient - only God.  We often judge things as man judges, not as God.  God alone sees the soul.
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Blessed Pope John Paul II, pray for us.

Mass Chat

Today was Poodle Day at my parish.
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Yes it was.  The family shown above brought up the gifts.  Yes they did Larry!
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So is everybody crabby enough today?  So many bloggers seem to be in moods lately.  Well kiss my -  Jus' kiddin'!
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So anyway, Kat is in Rome - big deal, huh?  I know!  She's been giving the street-gypsies a run for their money.  "Hi, I'm an American and I need money to get back to the States, could you get me a first class ticket to London?"  What? 
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Just kidding - I need a laugh and to break up the seriousness on this blog.  There are terribly sensitive people out there and I need them to remember, I'm a jerk too!  And I always will be.
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Have a nice day Poodles!
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Disclaimer:  None of the insults were intentional in this post.  No priests were harmed by this post.  No converts were harmed by this post or any others.  Homosexuals and unwed lesbians were not harmed in this post either.  Old people and church ladies and trads will be insulted in subsequent posts.  Wait your turn.  This post may be removed without notice.  The editors and publishers of this post are not responsible for its content.  Anyone taking steroids or a-hole inhibitors should consult a therapist before using.

Blessed Pope John Paul II

"Look at the light coming into the Church."
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What a grace it is for the Church and the world to have this Holy Pope declared Blessed on this Holy Day!
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“He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had in some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress. He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an ‘Advent’ spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace.” - Benedict XVI
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Te Deum

We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.


All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.

To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens and all the powers therein.

To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth;

Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy Glory.

The glorious company of the Apostles praise Thee.

The godly fellowship of the Prophets praise Thee.

The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee.

The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee;

The Father of an infinite Majesty;

Thine honourable, true, and only Son;

Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.

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Sadly, there are those pundits and self-appointed experts who have set their mouths in heaven to dictate to the world (Ps. 73: 9) their pronouncements against Blessed John Paul II, his papacy and his legacy.  Imagine attempting to separate his sanctity from his papacy - err, vocation performance. 

Divine Mercy Sunday.

I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. (Diary 1109)

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It doesn't matter if your parish holds special devotions for the feast day or not, nor does it matter if your parish priest is into the devotion or not. Either way, the feast has been established for the Second Sunday of Easter, which began Saturday evening with vespers and the vigil Mass. In establishing the feast, the Church has decreed that a plenary indulgence can be received under the usual conditions; confession, communion, prayers for the Holy Father: Pater, Ave, Creed, and detachment from sin, etc. Click here for details.

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In the revelations to St. Faustina, our Lord said this:

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On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will I contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary 699) - Source

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It is generally understood that the confession of sin may take place any time during Lent, or as in the requirements for gaining a plenary indulgence, 8 days before or after the feast. Many people make a big deal about such "toties quoties" indulgences claiming that one has to be completely free of the least attachment to even venial sin in order to gain the indulgence or pardon. Good enough - but if that is the case, then you are probably already dead - so don't get too scrupulous over it. Trust in the Divine Mercy and never place limits upon God.

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In other words - do not let anything stop you from running to the Divine Mercy with confidence and love. Our Lord himself established the feast to attract the greatest sinners, and even the not so great - the lukewarm, the fallen away, the sanctimonious, the cino, the poor, the rich. Trust is the key. One does not have to be perfect - far from it.

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"The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy." - Source

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Image: Icon by George Bogdanopoulos 1986.