Three big Feasts this week in the Old Rite. Two of them Marian. Tie First of them on Monday the 12th is the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. This feast was instituted in thanksgiving for the miraculous victory of the Christian forces at the Siege of Vienna in 1683. It reminds me that some of the angels in heaven, like some of the saints are given a special role in Mary's 'House'. In the service of the Queen. I am fond of praying that in heaven I will be allowed into Mary's House. I think one of the great signs that in heaven we will be allowed a special place in heaven in the home of Mary is that we have had a devotion to her here on Earth. Mary appears to have a very special role in combatting the False Religion of Islam and all heresies everywhere.
Thursday, 15 September, is the feast of the Seven Sorrows of our Lady. It is said of Mary that the thought of the Passion of her Son was never out of her heart whilst here on Earth. Indeed even from heaven Mary is said to be present at every Mass said here on Earth, once again standing at the Foot of the Cross at the Eternal Sacrifice. I read a lovely story from the USA last week. After Mass a lady called over to pray at a statue or Our Lady of Sorrows, to whom she had a great devotion. On lighting a candle she discovered that the statue had recent stains of tears. She called the priests and others over to see and they confirmed this. It made me wonder how many statues of Our Lady of Sorrows all over the world have similar tear stains but nobody noticed?
Wednesday, 14 September, is the feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross. This feast was instituted in thanksgiving for the victory of the Christian forces over the pagan Persians in 630 AD. After this military victory, the Christian Emperor Heraclius was able to recover the relics of the Holy Cross (which the Persians had taken earlier in the war) and bring them back to Jerusalem. This gave me a start as I have just begun to reread for the umteenth time this wonderful book by Evelyn Waugh.
This week in the Diocese of Atlanta many of the priests have been summoned to participate in some sort of meeting. We have no daily masses being said in our parish. No communion services either. I feel abandoned for the week.
I never heard of such a thing. It's best as Padre Pio said not to worry but who knows what they are cooking up in the background now? But may God's Holy Will be done. Amen. No matter how awful and powerful some of these people may be they can do nothing at all without the permission of God. Even the Devil's in Hell are simply Christ's Slaves. We know that all this horrible nonsense that is going on is to forward God's plan. The enemies of God were defeated even before they started to plot. Everything will work out for the best, with the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart. My heart goes out to good priests, Bishops and Cardinals who are caught up in all this and are helpless to stop it. It must be a million times worse than for us poor lay people. As to those poor good clergy working in the Vatican at this present time; I can't imagine. Prayers for all our good , Faithful clergy. I try not to think about it all nowadays, just to pray and leave it all in the Good God's Hands. It is all too upsetting. Our Holy Mother the Church in the Hands of Judas's whose one thought is to destroy her. But it is Christ's Church and He knows best how to save and heal her. One good thing about all this is it teaches you to appreciate all the good things we have and had from the Church such as Daily Mass. I know now not to take them for granted. A lot of Catholic Commentators are raking over and over and over again the awful things that are happening in the Church. But I think there comes a time when we know enough that we know everything. Too much focus on it may be unhealthy. I am more inclined now to turn to most positive ,spiritual things that cheer and uplift. I know how bad things, I just don;t want to beat myself and others up by focusing too much on it. It can be a little like standing at the scene of a car crash just to stare and stare and stare. Not good or healthy. If we are a policemen, or fire man or ambulance worker and are in a position to help , it is different. But if not...
What is happening in the Church now very ,very similar as to what happened at the First Passion. This now is the Passion of the Church. All we can do now at this present time is to stand, Prayerful, Faithful and Sorrowful at the Foot of His Cross and await the Resurrection with Faith. 675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.
Everything you said in these posts is true and resonates with me, Padraig. I haven't watched the video yet, though.
The present day in the Church reminds me of the part in the Book of the Apocalypse where the devil comes down to Earth in Great Wrath knowing that he has but a short time left. He seeks out the Woman with Child who flee to the Wilderness to escape. I think this is the part we are at. The fleeing to the wilderness part. This is very much the same as the immediate pre Pentecost period when they were all hiding . A kind of latter day rerun.
