It seems right, in this month when we are called to pray for the holy souls in purgatory (as Iosephus reminds us), to think also of our own death. With St. Alphonsus, our fond patron, we contrast the deaths of the just, with those of worldly souls:

At the deathbed of the consummate sinner, from his A Preparation for Death:

The dying man who has neglected the salvation of his soul will find thorns in everything that is presented to him – thorns in the remembrance of past amusements, rivalries overcome and pomps displayed; thorns in the friends who will visit him, and in whatever their presence shall bring before his mind; thorns in the spiritual Fathers who assist in turn; thorns in the Sacraments of Penance, the Holy Eucharist and Extreme Unction, which he must receive; thorns even in the crucifix which is placed before him. In that sacred image he will read his want of correspondence to the love of a God who died for his salvation.
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My dear friends, we have come to the Kalends of November, anno salutis MMV, to November, the month dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Today, November 1st, we commemorate the saints of all time in their heavenly glory, yet I am sure that these same saints will not forget to pray for the holy souls in purgatory on this day. For indeed, holy mother Church, in her wisdom, has granted a plenary indulgence, to be applied to the holy souls, on the days of November 1 to November 8 inclusive. That is, if we take the time to visit a cemetery on each of these days, we may gain a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, upon the completion of each prayerful visit.

The conditions for gaining this indulgence are as follows:

On all the days from November 1 through November 8 inclusive, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed.

1. Only one plenary indulgence can be gained per day.
2. It is necessary to be in a state of grace, at least by completion of the work.
3. Freedom from attachment to sin, even venial sin, is necessary; otherwise, the indulgence is partial.
4. Holy Communion must be received each time the indulgence is sought.
5. Prayers must be recited for the intentions of the Holy Father on each day the indulgence is sought.
6. A sacramental confession must be made within a week of completion of the prescribed work. Thus, one confession made during the week, made with the intention of gaining all the indulgences, suffices.

(I copied these conditions from the FSSP October newsletter and I’m actually a little uncertain about condition #4; I was under the impression that, like sacramental confession, one need approach the Eucharistic table only once during a period of a week to gain a plenary indulgence, a suitable work having been performed, on each of the days of the week. Thoughts?)

Prayers for the living and the dead are among the principle spiritual works of mercy. Do the Holy Souls deserve our attention? I can only imagine that we will greatly desire the prayers and petitions of those who remain on earth after our own deaths, for purgatory is not an easy place.

About the pain of purgatory, St. Augustine says that “this fire of Purgatory will be more severe than any pain that can be felt, seen or conceived in this world.” The Angelic Doctor writes that the pain of purgatory is twofold, the first being a pain of loss coming from the delay in seeing God and the second being the pain of corporeal fire. With regard to both, the Angel of the Schools explains, “the least pain of Purgatory surpasses the greatest pain of this life.”

Let us, therefore, not be slow in working to release these souls who so greatly desire to see God; indeed, this is the one desire of the souls in purgatory: they only wish to see God. Would that we might live now with the fervor for the Beatific Vision which we will experience in purgatory!

Now as St. Thomas points out here, the souls in purgatory are greatly desirous of our prayers and often ask for them.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis; + requiescant in pace. Amen.

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The words of Sister Lucia, one of the Fatima seers, gives the Cornell Society for a Good Time a great impetus to pray the Rosary and never to cease to draw others to this prayer:

Coimbra, December 4, 1970

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This is now the third post on the blog related to the Feast of Christ the King; call this one a commemoration of the Second Vespers of this great feast. A quick examination of Pius XI’s Quas Primas will reveal, I think, why it is ever more important to commemorate this feast with the greatest care and attention. I say “care” because, as Pius XI himself remarks, they are the sumptuous and splendid feasts which elevate men’s hearts to the contemplation of heavenly realities, the attainment of virtue, and a knowledge of Christian doctrine. And I say “attention” because the political situation in the United States is a perfect example of the errors which Pius XI warned against in 1925.

In this post, I would like to comment upon several things which I noticed in Quas Primas as I reread it tonight. The first remark regards the role and importance of feasts in the Christian life. In Quas Primas #21, Pius XI wrote: Continue reading

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thine altar (outside a church or oratory say: in Thy presence). We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but, to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy most Sacred Heart.

Many indeed have never known Thee; many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to Thy Father’s house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.

Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: “Praise be to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor for ever.” Amen.

The faithful who on the Feast of our Lord Jesus Christ the King take part in an act of dedication of the human race to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, according to the above formula (See also the Encyclical Letter of Piux XI, “Quas Primas”, Dec 11, 1925), in any church, public or semi-public oratory (if they may lawfully use the latter), and in addition recite the Litany of the Sacred Heart in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament solemnly exposed, may gain:

A plenary indulgence on condition of Confession and Holy Communion.
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His Grace, the Archbishop of Birmingham, England, Vincent Nichols, has spent the past couple days visiting Oxford. Much like the Holy Father’s secretary, His Grace is a favorite among the fairer sex: “He is the Brad Pitt of the hierarchy with looks, charm and a Hollywood smile” said one recent news article. He makes me flustered also, but in a different way. He confirmed me at the Oxford Oratory two summers ago and gave me some memorable advice and in little conversations that day. He used to be regarded as a “liberal”, but he is now taking some things in the direction of tradition. During his tenure, he has returned the Tridentine Mass to Oxford, so that it is now not too difficult to go to the Traditional Latin Mass in Oxfordshire. This is really a big improvement as there used to be, when I first came here, no Tridentine Missae whatsoever in Oxford (except for the SSPX up in town). Now he appears as one obvious successor at Westminster and many people are openly talking about this possibility. He celebrated a beautiful sung Mass this morning at Blackfriars, the Dominican study house in Oxford, and the church was packed, even though the Mass was for a Colloquium of the Society of Saint Catherine of Siena. People follow and support him and enjoy being with him.

I think, for that reason, it’s great that we have his support for the more traditional devotions of the Church and for vocations to the priesthood. I especially like his comments on priesthood: “It’s a mistake to think that our priestly identity is something we put on, like a collar. It isn’t. Rather it’s something already written within us. It is who we are ‘from my mother’s womb’. Priestly identity is who we are, at the deepest level. It is both self-discovery and self-fulfilment.” Archbishop Nichols has been particularly emphasizing that “a renewed focus on the Blessed Sacrament” is most important, saying that those parishes with flourishing vocations have always had continual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He has concerns, however, that the young men who seek to pursue the priestly vocation are not supported by society or by their families. He continues, “I don’t see mothers promoting vocations in the same way. These young men are coming from a context of much less certainty. . mothers no longer want their sons to be priests.”

While other dioceses in England seem to be bending over backwards to encourage lay participation in the Church, Archbishop Nichols has been warmly welcomed by more traditional folk because he appears to be heading in the direction of tradition rather than towards a compromise with the bad elements of recent years. I, too, have high hopes for him.

Et mulierculae et puellae, haec legite et te pudice induere discite!

Hampered on Friday by things such as school work, meetings, and leading a section, I was a little slow in getting around to this one today, but oh! I was certainly going to get around to it.

Apparently, Walter Cardinal Kasper can’t get enough of the media limelight right now. He is everywhere: one moment, proclaiming progress with the Orthodox, the next, calling for Communion for those in adulterous relationships, and now, he reminds us the Church’s teaching about converting the Jews is in need of clarification. What doesn’t the good cardinal think to be in need of clarification these days?

The thing which I find most frustrating about this story is that it is, in reality, such a non-issue. Or, at the very least, theologically speaking, it is a non-issue. I understand that the Church is sensitive about covering its backside lest any charge of anti-Semitism appear remotely plausible. Further, certain prelates, including the late pontiff, think it necessary to apologize for every act of anti-Semitism committed throughout history by Catholics.

Thus far, though I have no strong feelings in this direction myself, I am fine. But how did it come about that . . . Continue reading

David Warren–a very good conservative columnist based in Canada and a recent convert–has some great news if it’s true. Standard provisos for rumorish sorts of things obtain, but this was published in a major Canadian newspaper this past Sunday, so it’s perhaps a bit more reliable than most:

“We learn, from some Vatican insider or other, that John Henry Newman may be beatified under the reign of the present Pope. This could be very significant, to Catholics, and beyond them, to the whole English-speaking world”

The rest can be found here

I was hoping that someone knows where to find out more about canonization miracles. I like reading about these miracles. I have not searched very thoroughly, but finding these miracles online or in print does not seem like a simple task. As an amateur (very amateur…..very very amateur) engineer, I always need some sort of evidence to back up equations that govern nature. If I read a fluid mechanics textbook that simply states that the Navier Stokes equations govern fluid flow in nature, I need more proof and must see the derivation of the equations from basic physics knowledge. The same is the case for me and the saints. If the church tells me that a person is in heaven offering my prayers to God, conforming them to God’s will, I need proof. You may call me a doubting Thomas on this (Jn 20:25), but there is loads of proof for me about Jesus doing the will of the Father in the bible. For instance, in John 8:29, he says “The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” Thus, if I pray to our Lord Jesus, he as the Son of God must conform them to the will of God for me (Rom 8:26). I am also very convinced that he is in heaven (Acts 1:11) and that he came from there (Jn 1:2).

Thus, I will pray to Jesus because I know he is in Heaven and his Holy Spirit will pray for me to the Father according to the will of the Father. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us in the Summa Theologica that the saints have obtained heavenly glory and offer our prayers in conformity with the will of God for us, if we pray to them. Thus, I can pray to these saints, if I am convinced they are in heaven. Here is where the canonization miracles come into play. If I know a saints life, I may judge that this guy or girl was holy and must be in heaven. But, it really helps if I know that through their intercession the will of God is being done through miracles. It is a greater proof for me that the person I am praying to is actually where I think he is (heaven) and is doing what I believe he is (praying to God for me).

So, this is why I am searching for canonization miracles. For proof, but also because they are really cool to read about. The other day I read that St. Juan Macias, a Dominican, interceded for a poor community in Peru by multiplying rice. That is good stuff. I want to hear more. Protestants need to hear this stuff.

Thanks,

Dominic Maria

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