This will ruffle some Protestant feathers! But St. Philip Neri could not be more right.
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More Information on Father Pierre De Smet’s Studliness
Below is an article that contains more information on the heroic Father De Smet. As you can recall, his statute was removed by St. Louis University leaders because it was “offensive” to some of the students. Those students need to read Father De Smet’s writings which are housed at the University to discover that the Indians had no better friend than the tough yet affable Father De Smet. What a Catholic, and American, Hero!
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http://nobility.org/2014/05/22/fr-pierre-jean-de-smet/
Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet
Missionary among the North American Indians, born at Termonde (Dendermonde), Belgium, 30 Jan., 1801; died at St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., 23 May, 1873. He emigrated to the United States in 1821 through a desire for missionary labours, and entered the Jesuit novitiate at Whitemarsh, Maryland. In 1823, however, at the suggestion of the United States Government a new Jesuit establishment was determined on and located at Florissant near St. Louis, Missouri, for work among the Indians. De Smet was among the pioneers and thus became one of the founders of the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus.
His first missionary tour among the red men was in 1838 when he founded St. Joseph’s Mission at Council Bluffs for the Pottawatomies. At this time also he visited the Sioux to arrange a peace between them and the Pottawatomies, the first of his peace missions. What may be called his life work did not begin, however, until 1840 when he set out for the Flathead country in the Far North-west. As early as 1831, some Rocky Mountain Indians, influenced by Iroquois descendants of converts of one hundred and fifty years before, had made a trip to St. Louis begging for a “black-robe”. Their request could not be complied with at the time. Curiously enough, the incident excited Protestant missionary enterprise, owing to the wide dissemination of a mythical speech of one of the delegation expressing the disappointment of the Indians at not finding the Bible in St. Louis. Four Indian delegations in succession were dispatched from the Rocky Mountains to St. Louis to beg for “black-robes” and the last one, in 1839, composed of some Iroquois who dwelt among the Flatheads and Nez Percês, was successful. Father De Smet was assigned to the task and found his life-work.
He set out for the Rocky Mountain country in 1840 and his reception by the Flatheads and the Pend d’Oreilles was an augury of the great power over the red men which was to characterize his career. Having imparted instruction, surveyed the field, and promised a permanent mission he returned to St. Louis; he visited the Crows, Gros Ventres, and other tribes on his way back, travelling in all 4814 miles. In the following year he returned to the Flatheads with Father Nicholas Point and established St. Mary’s Mission on the Bitterroot river, some thirty miles south of Missoula, visiting also the Coeur-d’Alênes. Realizing the magnitude of the task before him, De Smet went to Europe in 1843 to solicit funds and workers, and in 1844 with new labourers for the missions, among them being six Sisters of Notre-Dame de Namur, he returned, rounding Cape Horn and casting anchor in the mouth of the Columbia River at Astoria. Two days after, De Smet went by canoe to Fort Vancouver to confer with Bishop Blanchet, and on his return founded St. Ignatius Mission among the Kalispels of the Bay, who dwelt on Clark’s Fork of the Columbia river, forty miles above its mouth.
As the Blackfeet were a constant menace to other Indians for whom De Smet was labouring, he determined to influence them personally. This he accomplished in 1846 in the Yellowstone valley, where after a battle with the Crows, the Blackfeet respectfully listened to the “black-robe”. He accompanied them to Fort Lewis in their own country where he induced them to conclude peace with the other Indians to whom they were hostile, and he left Father Point to found a mission among this formidable tribe. His return to St. Louis after an absence of three years and six months marks the end of his residence among the Indians, not from his own choice but by the arrangement of his religious superiors who deputed him to other work at St. Louis University. He coadjutors in his mission labours, Fathers Point, Mangarini, Nobili, Ravalli, De Bos, Adrian and Christian Hoecken, Joset and others, made De Smet’s foundations permanent by dwelling among the converted tribes.
De Smet was now to enter upon a new phase of his career. Thus far his life might be called a private one, though crowded with stirring dangers from man and beast, from mountain and flood, and marked by the successful establishment of numerous stations over the Rocky Mountain region. But his almost inexplicable and seemingly instantaneous ascendancy over every tribe with which he came in contact, and his writings which had made him famous in both hemispheres, caused the United States Government to look to him for help in its difficulties with the red men, and to invest him with a public character. Henceforth he was to aid the Indians by pleading their cause before European nations and by becoming their intermediary at Washington. In 1851 owing to the influx of whites into California and Oregon, the Indians had grown restless and hostile. A general congress of tribes was determined on, and was held in the Creek Valley near Fort Laramie, and the Government requested De Smet’s presence as pacificator. He made the long journey and his presence soothed the ten thousand Indians at the council and brought about a satisfactory understanding.
In 1858 he accompanied General Harney as a chaplain in his expedition against the Utah Mormons, at the close of which campaign the Government requested him to accompany the same officer to Oregon and Washington Territories, where, it was feared, an uprising of the Indians would soon take place. Here again his presence had the desired effect, for the Indians loved him and trusted him implicitly. A visit to the Sioux country a the beginning of the Civil War convinced him that a serious situation confronted the Government. The Indians rose in rebellion in August, 1862, and at the request of the government De Smet made a tour of the North-west. When he found that a punitive expedition had been determined on, he refused to lend to it the sanction of his presence. The condition of affairs becoming more critical, the government again appealed to him in 1867 to go to the red men, who were enraged by white men’s perfidy and cruelty, and “endeavour to bring them back to peace and submission, and prevent as far as possible the destruction of property and the murder of the whites.” Accordingly he set out for the Upper Missouri, interviewing thousands of Indians on his way, and receiving delegations from the most hostile tribes, but before the Peace Commission could deal with them, he was obliged to return to St. Louis, where he was taken seriously ill.
In 1868, however, he again started on what Chittenden calls (Life, Letters and Travels of Pierre Jean De Smet, p. 92), “the most important mission of his whole career.” He travelled with the Peace Commissioners for some time, but later determined to penetrate alone into the very camp of the hostile Sioux. General Stanley says (ibid.): “Father De Smet alone of the entire white race could penetrate to these cruel savages and return safe and sound.” The missionary crossed the Bad Lands, and reached the main Sioux camp of some five thousand warriors under the leadership of Sitting Bull. He was received with extraordinary enthusiasm. His counsels were at once agreed to, and representatives sent to meet the Peace Commission. A treaty of peace was signed, 2 July, 1868, by all the chiefs. This result has been looked on as the most remarkable event in the history of the Indian wars. Once again, in 1870, he visited the Indians, to arrange for a mission among the Sioux. In such a crowded life allusion can be made only to the principal events. His strange adventures among the red men his conversions and plantings of missions, his explorations and scientific observations may be studied in detail in his writings. On behalf of the Indians he crossed the ocean nineteen times, visiting popes, kings, and presidents, and traversing almost every European land. By actual calculation he travelled 180,000 miles on his errands of charity.
His writings are numerous and vivid in descriptive power, rich in anecdote, and form an important contribution to our knowledge of Indian manners, customs, superstitions, and traditions. The general correctness of their geographical observations is testified to by later explorers, though scientific researches have since modified some minor details. Almost childlike in the cheerful bouyancy of his disposition, he preserved this characteristic to the end, though honoured by statesmen and made Chevalier of the Order of Leopold by the King of the Belgians. That he was not wanting in personal courage is evinced by many events in his wonderful career. Though he had frequent narrow escapes from death in his perilous travels, and often took his life in his hands when penetrating among hostile tribes, he never faltered. But his main title to fame is his extraordinary power over the Indians, a power not other man is said to have equalled. To give a list of the Indian tribes with whom he came in contact, and over whom he acquired an ascendancy, would be to enumerate almost all the tribes west of the Mississippi. Even Protestant writers declare him the sincerest friend the Indians ever had. The effects of his work for them were not permanent to the extent which he had planned, solely because the Indians have been swept away or engulfed by the white settlers of the North-west. If circumstances had allowed it, the reductions of Paraguay would have found a counterpart in North America. The archives of St. Louis University contain all the originals of De Smet’s writings known to be extant. Among these is the “Linton Album”, containing his itinerary from 1821 to the year of his death, also specimens of various Indian dialects, legends, poems, etc. The principal works of Father De Smet are: “Letters and Sketches, with a Narrative of a Year’s Residence among the Indian Tribes of the Rocky Mountains” (Philadelphia, 1843), translated into French, German, Dutch, and Italian; “Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains in 1845-46″ (New York, 1847), translated into French and Flemish; “Voyage au grand désert en 1851″ (Brussels, 1853); “Western Missions and Missionaries” (New York, 1863), translated into French; “New Indian Sketches” (New York, 1865).
CHITTENDEN AND RICHARDSON, Life, Letters and Travels of Pierre Jean De Smet, S.J. (New York, 1905). It contains many hitherto unpublished letters and a map of De Smet’s travels; DEYNOODT, P. J. De Smet, missionaire Belge aux Etas-Unis (Brussels, 1878); PALLANDINO, Indian and White in the North-west (Baltimore, 1894); U.S. CATH. HIST. SOC., Hist. Records and Studies (New York, 1907), VII.
WILLIAM H.W. FANNING (cfr. Catholic Encyclopedia)
A True Purgatory Story
A big thanks to Facebook friend Matthew Taylor for posting this moving story below!
HOW A GIRL FOUND HER MOTHER (True Purgatory Story)
A poor servant girl in France named Jeanne Marie once heard a sermon on the Holy Souls which made an indelible impression on her mind. She was deeply moved by the thought of the intense and unceasing sufferings the Poor Souls endure, and she was horrified to see how cruelly they are neglected and forgotten by their friends on Earth.
Among other things the preacher stressed was that many souls who are in reality near to their release — one Mass might suffice to set them free — are oftentimes long detained; it may be for years, just because the last needful suffrage has been withheld or forgotten or neglected!
With her simple faith, Jeanne Marie resolved that, cost what it might, she would have a Mass said for the Poor Souls every month, especially for the soul nearest to Heaven. She earned little, and it was sometimes difficult to keep her promise, but she never failed.
On one occasion she went to Paris with her mistress and there fell ill, so that she was obliged to go to the hospital. Unfortunately, the illness proved to be a long one, and her mistress had to return home, hoping that her maid would soon rejoin her. When at last the poor servant was able to leave the hospital, all she had left of her scanty earnings was one franc!
What was she to do? Where to turn? Suddenly, the thought flashed across her mind that she had not had her usual monthly Mass offered for the Holy Souls. But she had only one franc! That was little enough to buy her food. Yet her confidence that the Holy Souls would not fail her triumphed. She made her way into a church and asked a priest, just about to say Mass, if he would offer it for the Holy Souls. He consented to do so, never dreaming that the modest alms offered was the only money the poor girl possessed. At the conclusion of the Holy Sacrifice, our heroine left the church. A wave of sadness clouded her face; she felt utterly bewildered.
A young gentleman, touched by her evident distress, asked her if she was in trouble and if he could help her. She told her story briefly, and ended by saying how much she desired work.
Somehow she felt consoled at the kind way in which the young man listened to what she said, and she fully recovered her confidence.
“I am delighted beyond measure, ” he said, “to help you. I know a lady who is even now looking for a servant. Come with me. ” And so saying he led her to a house not far distant and bade her ring the bell, assuring her that she would find work.
In answer to her ring, the lady of the house herself opened the door and inquired what Jeanne Marie required. “Madam, ” she said, “I have been told that you are looking for a servant. I have no work and should be glad to get the position. ”
The lady was amazed and replied: “Who could have told you that I needed a servant? It was only a few minutes ago that I had to dismiss my maid, and that at a moment’s notice. You did not meet her?”
“No, Madam. The person who informed me that you required a servant was a young gentleman. ”
“Impossible!” exclaimed the lady. “No young man, in fact no one at all, could have known that I needed a servant. ”
“But Madam, ” the girl answered excitedly, pointing to a picture on the wall, “that is the young man who told me!”
“Why, child, that is my only son, who has been dead for more than a year!”
“Dead or not, ” asserted the girl with deep conviction in her voice, “it was he who told me to come to you, and he even led me to the door. See the scar over his eye; I would know him anywhere. ”
Then followed the full story of how, with her last franc, she had had Mass offered for the Holy Souls, especially for the one nearest to Heaven.
Convinced at last of the truth of what Jeanne Marie had told her, the lady received her with open arms. “Come, ” she said, “though not as my servant, but as my dear daughter. You have sent my darling boy to Heaven. I have no doubt that it was he who brought you to me.
Quote of the Day: The World is Rotten Because of Silence!
This is why we need to speak the Catholic truth to all that will and won’t listen. This is our duty in the Church Militant.
The Truth is Like a Lion
Thanks to ChurchMilitant.tv for putting together this great quote! ChurchMilitant.tv is certainly speaking the truth. Maybe the majority of Bishops and Priests will join the party soon!
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Father Pierre DeSmet is a Hero
The article by Donald McClary below highlights the sheer stupidity and ignorance of the left. Apparently because of a few complaints, the Jesuit Saint Louis University removed the Father Pierre DeSmet statue because it was offensive to certain groups. Bullroar!
The truth, which liberals (and many Jesuits apparently) generally aren’t interested in, was that there was NO GREATER friend to the Indians in the middle nineteenth century in Western America than Father DeSmet, who was actually Belgian. He loved them and actually protected them often from the strong arm tactics of the US Government, Protestant ministers, and from fellow Indian tribes. He was the most trusted man alive among many of the tribes. He was a large strong man with a gentle and caring demeanor. He was so strong in fact, when attacked by a large grey bear on horseback, while on one of his many treks through the Rocky Mountains, he choked the large animal to death. He even was the First Catholic Priest to offer the holy sacrifice of the mass in the Rocky Mountains.
The man is a legend. The man is a hero to be emulated and not hidden. We demand the return of this statue immediately.
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http://the-american-catholic.com/2015/05/28/jesuitical-18-saint-louis-university-and-father-de-smet/
Jesuitical 18: Saint Louis University and Father De Smet
Part 18 of my ongoing survey of the follies of many modern day Jesuits. This story symbolizes the childish Leftism that is at the heart of much of modern Jesuitism:
Saint Louis University has removed a statue on its campus depicting a famous Jesuit missionary priest praying over American Indians after a cohort of students and faculty continued to complain the sculpture symbolized white supremacy, racism and colonialism.
Formerly placed outside the university’s Fusz Hall in the center of the private Catholic university, the statue will go to the university’s art museum, a building just north of the bustling urban campus.
The statue features famous Jesuit Missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet S.J. praying over two American Indians dressed in traditional clothing. Last Monday, just two days after graduation, it was removed from the location it has called home on campus for decades.
A university spokesperson told St. Louis Magazine the statue will be placed within the “historical context of a collection that’s on permanent display in our SLU Museum of Art.” The statue is set for the museum’s “Collection of the Western Jesuit Missions.”
“In more recent years, there have been some faculty and staff who have raised questions about whether the sculpture is culturally sensitive,” SLU spokesman Clayton Berry said.
Berry did not respond to The College Fix’s request for comment.
The De Smet statue has long drawn the ire of progressive students and scholars at the Jesuit university who argue the statue was a symbol of racism and white supremacy, among other oppressions.
In a recent op-ed published in SLU’s University News, senior Ryan McKinley stated the sculpture sent a clear, unwelcoming message to American Indians at Saint Louis University.
Go here to read the rest. Obsessed with race? Check. White male bashing? Check. Ignorant of history? Check. Falling down before Leftist sacred cows? Check.
And who was this Father De Smet whose statue was removed?
Pierre-Jean De Smet first saw the light of day in Dendermonde in Belgium on January 30, 1801. His parents would have been astonished if they had been told that in his life their newborn would travel over 180,000 miles as a missionary, and most of it in the Wild West of the United States.
Emigrating to the US in 1821 as part of his desire to serve as a missionary, De Smet entered the Jesuit novitiate at Whitemarsh, Maryland. In a move that today would have secularists screaming “Separation of Church and State!” and conspiracy buffs increasing the tin foil content of their hats, the US government subsidized a Jesuit mission being established in the new state of Missouri among the Indians. At the time the US government often did this for missionaries of many Christian denominations among the Indians. So it was that in 1823 De Smet and other members of the order trekked west and established a mission to the Indians at Florissant, Missouri, near Saint Louis. Studying at the new Saint Regis Seminary in Florissant, Father De Smet was ordained on September 23, 1827. Now a prefect at the seminary, he studied Indian languages and customs. In 1833 he returned to Belgium for health problems and was unable to return to Missouri until 1837.
In 1838 he founded the St. Joseph Mission in Council Bluffs for the Potawatomi Indians. He also began his career as a peacemaker as he journeyed to the territory of the Sioux to work out a peace between them and the Potawatomi. It should be emphasized that Father De Smet was making these journeys at a time when he was often the only white man for hundreds of miles other than for a few mountain men and scattered traders. He quickly earned a reputation among the Indians as utterly fearless and a white man whose word they could trust.
In 1840 he journeyed to the Pacific Northwest to establish a mission among the Flathead and Nez Perces tribes, who had been begging for a decade for “Black Robes” to be sent to them and teach them about Christ. After visiting them, Father De Smet promised that he would go back to Saint Louis and return with another “Black Robe” to establish a permanent mission. On his way back he visited the Crow, the Gros Ventres and other tribes. In 1841 he returned to the Flatheads along with Father Nicholas Point and established St. Mary’s Mission on the Bitterroot River, thirty miles south of present day Missoula. The mission was quite successful as indicated by this event. One of the converted chiefs of the Flatheads, after baptism, chose the baptismal name of Victor. On one occasion Father De Smet was preaching to the Flatheads and mentioned how in Europe the Holy Father confronted many enemies of the Faith. Victor became indignant and said, “Should our Great Father, the Great chief of the Black robes, be in danger–you speak on paper–invite him in our names to our mountains. We will raise his lodge in our midst; we will hunt for him and keep his lodge provided, and we will guard him against the approach of his enemies!”
Father De Smet traveled to Europe to raise funds for the missions and to recruit missionaries. In 1844 he landed at Astoria after rounding Cape Horn with the missionaries he had recruited including six sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. A mission, Saint Ignatius, was quickly constructed in the area of the Kalispel tribe.
In 1846 Father De Smet made peace between the Crow and the Blackfeet, after a battle between them, in the Yellowstone Valley. Father De Smet so impressed the warlike Blackfeet that he was able to convince them to make peace with the other tribes they were at war with. Father De Smet left Father Nicholas Point to establish a mission with the Blackfeet.
Father De Smet was now called away from the mission field to teach at Saint Louis University. His fame was now immense as word of his travels and missions among the Indians of the far west spread. He was often called upon by tribes to plead their causes in Washington, and he was often consulted by the government who regarded him as the foremost expert on the Indians of the northern Plains, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific NorthWest.
In 1851 Father De Smet made peace between the Indians of California and Oregon and whites who were flowing into these areas as a result of the gold rush. During the US-Mormon War of 1858 he served as a chaplain with the US forces under General William Selby Harney. Father De Smet had earlier helped Harney make peace with the Sioux in the mid-Fifties. After the peaceful conclusion of the US-Mormon War, Father De Smet accompanied General Harney to California and Oregon where he was instrumental in preserving the peace between the Indians and the Whites. During this time Harney became a friend and admirer of Father De Smet, so much so that Harney eventually converted to Catholicism.
In 1862 he was asked by the government to go on a peace mission to the Sioux. Learning that a punitive expedition against the Sioux was planned, Father De Smet refused to go with it, believing that the Sioux had legitimate grievances. This is an example of why Father De Smet was so trusted by the Indians he encountered. He was tireless in denouncing actions by whites, especially the trading of whiskey to Indians and encroachment by whites on tribal territories guaranteed by treaty, that caused the Indians to go to war. In 1867, although his health was visibly beginning to fail, he set out at the request of the government for the territory of the Sioux on a peace mission. Thousands of Indians talked to the legendary Black Robe, laying their grievances at his feet. He had to return to Saint Louis after becoming seriously ill, but he returned in 1868, the only white man trusted by the Sioux chiefs. Alone he traveled across the Bad Lands to the Sioux encampment of 5,000 braves under Sitting Bull. He counseled the Indians and convinced them to meet with the peace negotiators from the government. On July 2, 1868 the treaty of peace was signed. Father De Smet died in Saint Louis on May 23, 1873.
Throughout his life Father De Smet was showered with honors for his work as a missionary, including being made a chevalier by the King of Belgium. His numerous writings still are an important source of information about Indian customs and languages. However to Father De Smet what was important about his career was spreading the Gospel among the Indians, and protecting them to the extent that he could from the ravages of war, both from the whites and from intertribal conflicts. It is a lasting testament to him that wherever he went he brought the Peace of Christ.
Now that I think of it, I agree with the removal of the statue of Father De Smet. Modern Jesuits, most of them, are simply not worthy of being in the presence of a statue of this great Jesuit of yesteryear.
Don’t Forget About Your Guardian Angel!
Philip Kosloski presents below some needed theology on how we can use our guardian angels to discern God’s will for us. A big thanks to Philip for this reminder.
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http://www.philipkosloski.com/can-our-guardian-angel-help-discern-gods-will/
Can Our Guardian Angel Help Discern God’s Will?
Discerning the will of God can often be a hard and laborious undertaking. However, one source for inspiration that we often overlook is our guardian angel.
The English word “angel” comes from the Latin angelus, meaning “messenger of God.” The Latin stems from Greek ἄγγελος ángelos, which is a translation of the Hebrew mal’ākh, meaning “messenger.”
This name we give to these celestial beings refers to their principal role. They are “messengers” of God’s divine plan and have continually relayed to men His holy and glorious will. From the very beginning of the Bible to the very end, angels are present and are commissioned to communicate God’s will to the His children.
It makes sense then how our guardian angels are meant to play a vital role in our personal lives. Their mission is to communicate to us God’s divine plan, yet we often never turn to them. It is interesting to think how often we pray special novenas and prayers to particular saints in Heaven, but never think of asking our guardian angel, who is right beside us!
In a very real sense our guardian angel is just waiting for us to ask his assistance and to reveal God’s plan.
So the next time you are discerning God’s will (especially your vocation), ask your guardian angel for help. Your angel is waiting patiently to relay a message of hope to you. All we need to do is ask.
Marital Advice from The Catholic Gentlemen
Pride will destroy everything you have and everything that you want out of life. It will even end up destroying your soul. Please read this great article by the Catholic Gentlemen on the best way to check your pride and save your marriage and all your relationships.
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http://www.catholicgentleman.net/2015/05/three-words-that-can-save-your-marriage/
Three Words That Can Save Your Marriage
Sam Guzman
Guys hate asking for directions. You know the stereotype: The family is on vacation, and they are hopelessly lost in an unfamiliar place. Dad is behind the wheel and he’s convinced he can find his way. The wife helpfully suggest stopping to ask a local for directions, but the husband snaps back that he is perfectly capable of navigating and he doesn’t need any help. And on it goes.
Now, where did this stereotype come from? Is this really about men’s desire to be good navigators? Of course not. The real problem is that we men hate to admit we were wrong.
What man wants to admit that he took the wrong exit? What man wants to admit his wife was right when she said turn right and not left? What man wants to admit he didn’t know what he was doing? I sure don’t!
Yes, admitting we were wrong is one of the hardest things for us men to do. The reason is simple: We all enter this world with defective and abnormally large egos. Without proper treatment, these egos manifest themselves in all manner of severe symptoms: Anger, impatience, unkindness, irritability, stubbornness, resentment, inconsiderateness, envy, etc. And guess what? All of those sins can place a great strain on our marriages.
You see, pride is the enemy of healthy relationships. It is the root sin behind a host of other toxic sins, all of which hurt those who are closest to us, especially our wives. Is your marriage struggling? It probably has something to do with pride. Believe me, unchecked pride can destroy a marriage faster than anything else. It is a disease that rots away the bonds of sacrificial, self-giving love that every marriage should be founded upon.
But not to worry, the Great Physician has a prescription for the deadly disease of pride, namely the three powerful but painful little words I referenced in the title of this post. What are they? “I am sorry.”
It really is so simple. Were you a jackass, were you a jerk? Did you really mess up? Apologize, and mean it!
Yet, truth be told, few things are quite so difficult for us men to do. Apologizing hurts—it deflates those enlarged egos I mentioned. It makes us feel small. It’s more than a bit humiliating. But what of it? Get over it. If you don’t learn to admit your faults and apologize for them, your marriage is going to suffer. Resentment will set in, anger will mount, hurts will fester. Before you know it, the smallest disagreements will become fodder for angry shouting matches.
Here’s the thing, as men, no matter how far we advance in holiness, we can never expect not to sin. We are going to hurt our wives with our words and actions. We are going to get angry and say things we regret. We are going to be knuckleheads. It’s inevitable. The question is, when it happens, what are we going to do about it?
I learned early on in my own marriage the power of asking for forgiveness. I have lost count of the times I have been selfish and insensitive toward my wife. Yet, as soon as I become aware of a sin I have committed toward her, I strive to apologize for it and make it right as soon as possible. The beautiful thing is, my wife always rushes to forgive me, and often, she apologizes for her own sins if she is at fault. Does it hurt to apologize? Yes, every single time. But it has kept our marriage healthy and happy.
You see, healthy relationships on this side of heaven are not about never sinning. Rather, they are about learning to repent and forgive seventy times seven. We are in a school of love, and our Lord wants to teach us to love like he does, all the way to the cross. Men, if you want a happy marriage, learn to say I’m sorry from the heart. Do it as many times as it takes (it will be thousands). You’ll be amazed at the results.
Chapel Veils: a re-emerging tradition
The Latin Mass Changes Us for the Better
Below, Father Heilman from Wisconsin, talks about his first upcoming Latin Mass. He has been a priest for 27 years and he has discovered the ancient liturgy! We have to save the liturgy to save the faith. Father Heilman gets it. Deo Gratias!
Please continue to pray for these priests that are discovering the traditions of the Church because they will be persecuted. Lets also pray more and more priests and laity have the veil lifted from their eyes and they see the light as well. We need strength in numbers.
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http://www.romancatholicman.com/lord-fill-us-with-the-light-of-your-grace/
Lord, Fill Us With the Light of Your Grace!
by Fr Richard Heilman
May 27, 2015
“God enters into our reality, and we can meet him; we can touch him. The liturgy is where he comes to us, and we are enlightened by him.” -Pope Benedict XVI
Today is my “golden” anniversary, as they say. Not because I have been a priest for 50 years, but that my anniversary and today’s date match: 27th Anniversary on May 27.
I spent the day preparing for my first Traditional Latin Mass, which will be this Sunday. And, I had my last run-through this afternoon, with the help of a couple of TLM veterans. Although I have practiced off and on for over a year, I have concentrated more intently on this over the past few weeks.
Even though I know God looks to refine me everyday to become the saint we are all called to be, I’ve become very aware that what I am about to do is really quite significant, and I will be changed forever.
Already I have incorporated many of the rubrics (allowed) into my Novus Ordo Masses. Things like custody of my forefingers and thumbs after touching the consecrated host or, the extra diligence I give in purifying the vessels or, the distinct and reverent way I speak the words of consecration. Why? Because learning this ancient Mass has helped me, immensely, to understand that all of this precision and reverence and care is due God. He is being made present to us, and it is simply absurd that we would ever take this miracle lightly.
More than anything else, I am becoming more immersed in what is happening at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This, to such an extent, that I find myself trembling in His presence, like never before. Like the centurion, I say in awe, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.” Yet I know, in spite of this, it is exactly what our Lord seeks to do.
“To be truly alive is to be transformed from within, open to the energy of God’s love. In accepting the power of the Holy Spirit you too can transform your families, communities and nations. Set free the gifts! Let wisdom, courage, awe and reverence be the marks of greatness!” -Pope Benedict XVI
Lord, fill us with the light of your grace!
Solutio Problematis Omnes (aka "The Catholic Linker") 