Salvation "outside" the Catholic Church.

Just a quick post before I'm off to work.

I was just reading Father Z's blog, "What does the Prayer Really Say?", on the topic of

Pope Francis on the possibility of salvation for atheists

 I find analogies to be of great assistance in coming to understand and explain various concepts.  That's why I love Jesus' parables.  After Fr. Z's post I came across this comment by Father Martin Fox:

Suppose you stand at the threshold of a room. You know there is another door to the room–you must cross the room to the other door–that other door is “Salvation” and that room is “life.”
To be Catholic is to have the maximum light in the room. All the alternatives involve far less light–or, if you don’t mind a change in the metaphor, to have far fewer helps.
The point is, that even with the fullest light, there is no guarantee you will make it. On the other hand, even with a little light, you can make it. Yet having more light is a good thing.

One of the greatest advantages of being Catholic:  we have the maximum amount of light as we pass through this world.  Unfortunately most of us don't bother to turn the light up very brightly, or we sometimes turn away from what the light shows us.  That is called "sin".

Let's learn all we can about the Faith that has been passed down through Apostolic Succession and preserved by the Catholic Church.  Especially when we have the resources of the Internet and the ability to check things out with our priests and with priests with an online presence.

Dominus vobiscum, Reg.

The Season of Pentecost has begun ... Come Holy Ghost!

Veni Sancte Spiritus

VENI, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucis tuae radium. Veni, pater pauperum, veni, dator munerum veni, lumen cordium. Consolator optime, dulcis hospes animae, dulce refrigerium. In labore requies, in aestu temperies in fletu solatium. O lux beatissima, reple cordis intima tuorum fidelium. Sine tuo numine, nihil est in homine, nihil est innoxium. Lava quod est sordidum, riga quod est aridum, sana quod est saucium. Flecte quod est rigidum, fove quod est frigidum, rege quod est devium. Da tuis fidelibus, in te confidentibus, sacrum septenarium. Da virtutis meritum, da salutis exitum, da perenne gaudium, Amen, Alleluia.

COME, Holy Ghost, send down those beams, which sweetly flow in silent streams from Thy bright throne above. O come, Thou Father of the poor; O come, Thou source of all our store, come, fill our hearts with love. O Thou, of comforters the best, O Thou, the soul's delightful guest, the pilgrim's sweet relief. Rest art Thou in our toil, most sweet refreshment in the noonday heat; and solace in our grief. O blessed Light of life Thou art; fill with Thy light the inmost heart of those who hope in Thee. Without Thy Godhead nothing can, have any price or worth in man, nothing can harmless be. Lord, wash our sinful stains away, refresh from heaven our barren clay, our wounds and bruises heal. To Thy sweet yoke our stiff necks bow, warm with Thy fire our hearts of snow, our wandering feet recall. Grant to Thy faithful, dearest Lord, whose only hope is Thy sure word, the sevenfold gifts of grace. Grant us in life Thy grace that we, in peace may die and ever be, in joy before Thy face. Amen. Alleluia.

44 Years of State-approved Baby Killing in Canada!

May God have mercy on us.
We are becoming a very perverse and lost people.  Our lack of respect for, and value of, human life is horrendous.  Let us continually pray for the end of abortion around the globe.  Here in Canada occasionally there are a few glimmers of hope, but it seems hopeless.  There is no federal party that will respect ALL Canadians.  Our trust must be in the Lord our God.

Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/End_Abortion.htm

We Need A Law:

"And of course, Canada’s own Stephen Harper, recently referred to in the Ottawa Citizen as the “de facto leader of Canada’s pro-choice movement,” responded to the revelation that 491 babies had been born alive and subsequently died after abortion procedures in Canada between 2000 and 2009 by ignoring the issue entirely."

--Jonathon Van Maren

Why love God?

Why love God?  Because He loved us first and even became one of us to give all and die as a mortal.

Image from http://uploads0.wikipaintings.org/images/jacopo-bellini/the-crucifixion.jpg


I must say, the longer I am a Catholic the more I am "blown away" (as said 'back in the day'...) by what our Lord has done for us, especially through the Church He established.

Not only did he create the entire universe and time itself, he chose to become one of us for our salvation.  God has never been an angel.  He has never been any of the other heavenly hosts.  But he became a human being, and after his death his human body was glorified and ascended into heaven.  The Word of God has a human body in heaven.

Can you imagine that?  God himself thinks so highly of us, who he created in his image, that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity sits on his throne with his crucified then glorified human body!

God condescended to become a humble man, born of a virgin, and mixed with us sinners.

Although sinless, he took our sins upon him and suffered and died for us. He died for us sinners.  Wow.

In 1996, at the age of 38, I came home to the Catholic Church.  I grew up as an Anglican and in university I had a lot of contact with evangelical Christians.  What I began to realize was that Jesus did not leave us a bible.  He established a Church.  He left the deposit of faith with his Church.  
This Church is a Church that teaches with Divine Authority.  There is no 'wiggle room' in the Church established by God!
His Church wrote the books of the New Testament and eventually, through the Holy Spirit, compiled the Canon of Scripture.

The early Christians had the Jewish scriptures and the oral teachings of the Apostles.   The written teachings and the oral teachings/traditions are what the Holy Spirit uses to communicate Truth to the Body of Christ.  Never scripture alone.  That idea is a somewhat 'modern' invention, largely thanks to a former disobedient priest named Martin Luther.

Since we have both the Scriptures and Tradition the Holy Spirit has taught us more.
We now know that God crowned a mere human as the Queen of heaven.  
Oh how God loves us!!! 

Image from:  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmM7-6ffKfgmG7h-DF_wi_F0S7q-uko_D1iSfHN-phPQbRKabw0Yeoh6jBaix7nhk5wPDFbriVz0k0Gz48eb4ff4UJOCCrMFVUGopkiwcrkN-4xr8Cuv2y1bVk-DLYzsNzEFTmOPi0Ls/s1600/CoronationMary.jpg

Through Apostolic succession, this Church, the Body of Christ, has as its earthly head the successor of Peter, the Pope.  Jesus did not leave us alone.  Through the succession of his Apostles the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is still offered every day on all Catholic and Orthodox altars.  Jesus is still present in his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity here on earth.

God gave the power to his Apostles and their successors to forgive sins.

When I assist at Mass I witness a genuine miracle.  A time where God intervenes with nature.  Mere bread and wine, through the power of the Holy Spirit and by the actions and words of the successors of the Apostles, become the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Saviour.  We are "re-present" and the one sacrifice that Jesus made for us at Calvary.

Image from my computer; originally from somewhere on the Internet ...

We have so much to be thankful for.  So many reasons to love God with all our hearts, souls, and with all our actions.
The saints learned to hate sin ... to prefer death to committing even one mortal sin.

Let us remember daily to direct all our thoughts, words and actions heavenward.

To start your day you can use the 'morning offering' that I've been using for years:

Most Holy and adorable Trinity, One God in three Persons, I adore You with the most profound humility.  I praise you and give you thanks for the favours you have bestowed on me.
Your goodness has brought me safely to the beginning of this day.

Behold, O Lord, I offer you my whole being, together with such crosses and contradictions as I may meet with in the course of this day.
Give them, O Lord, Your blessing.  May Your Divine Love animate them, and may they tend to the greater honour and glory of your Holy Name.   

   [One of the things I love about this prayer is the line "May Your Divine Love animate them".]

God be with you!

Dominus vobiscum, Reg. 

Ascension Thursday

Image from:    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzNc1PRGQc2YnkfiA6S-ItRblc7LutJscOfewBbb0us7UvAm-Va-JnqB2f6IAnETzfUVs51uNGpq-J1Rp8wA1p9QkUhWBzgDwtvyp-6N0ziDx6FUrYhOskZcPtfd0xvmfev7ZBVb9wZeO/s1600/ascension_of_jesus.jpg

Scott P. Richert has a good overview of this great feast:

Ascension of Our Lord 

 

From Mr. Richert's post:

 The Ascension of Our Lord, which occurred 40 days after Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter, is the final act of our redemption that Christ began on Good Friday. On this day, the risen Christ, in the sight of His apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven (Luke 24:51; Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9-11).

 And:

History:

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 Christ's bodily Ascension foreshadows our own entrance into Heaven not simply as souls, after our death, but as glorified bodies, after the resurrection of the dead at the Final Judgment. In redeeming mankind, Christ not only offered salvation to our souls but began the restoration of the material world itself to the glory that God intended before Adam's fall.

Saint Joseph the Worker

May 1

Saint Joseph the Worker

Optional Memorial

Today is the optional memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. Through Joseph, we honor the dignity of work and strive to see work as a key theme in the Christian life. 

“Glorious Saint Joseph,
pattern of all who are devoted to toil,
obtain for me the grace to toil in the
spirit of penance, in order thereby to
atone for my many sins; to toil
conscientiously, putting devotion to
duty before my own inclinations;

to labour with thankfulness and joy,
deeming it an honour to employ and to
develop, by my labour, the gifts that I
have received from Almighty God;

to work with order, peace, moderation,
and patience, without ever shrinking
from weariness and difficulties;…”

~Prayer to Saint Joseph

Catholic Ejaculations or Aspirations

Short Ejaculations

These short "mini-prayers," also called "aspirations" or "invocations," are to be said throughout the day to keep our minds focused on Heavenly things and to consecrate our efforts. It is good to adopt one of these as your own so that in times of stress, words that can focus your attention back to the holy come easily. These are all indulgenced prayers.

• Domine Iesu Christe, Filius Dei, miserere me peccatorem! (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!) Variations: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner!"; "God, have mercy on me, a sinner!"; "O God, be merciful to me a sinner!". This prayer is known as the "Jesus Prayer." It is the cry of the publican of Luke 18:13.
• Sit nomen Dómini benedíctum! (Blessed be the Name of the Lord!) This prayer is a reparation for blasphemy. If one hears someone take the Name of the Lord in vain, it is good to say this prayer. The response to this prayer is "ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum!" ("from this time forth for evermore!") or "per ómnia saecula saeculórum" ("unto ages of ages").
• We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee; because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. (Roman Breviary)
• May the Holy Trinity be blessed. (Roman Missal)
• Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ commands!
• O Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love for Thee.
• O Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee.
• O Heart of Jesus, all for Thee.
• Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
• My God and my all.
• O God, have mercy on me, a sinner. (Luke 18:13)
• Grant that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies. (Roman Breviary)
• Teach me to do Thy will, because Thou art my God. (Psalm 142:10)
• O Lord, increase our faith. (Luke 17:5)
• O Lord, may we be of one mind in truth and of one heart in charity.
• O Lord, save us, we are perishing. (Matthew 8:25)
• My Lord and my God. (John 20:28)
• Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. (Roman Missal)
• Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
• Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, may I sleep and rest in peace with you. (Roman Ritual)
• May the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised and adored forever.
• Stay with us, O Lord. (Luke 24:29)
• Mother of Sorrows, pray for us.
• My Mother, my Hope.
• Send, O Lord, labourers into Thy harvest. (see Matthew 9:38)
• May the Virgin Mary together with her loving Child bless us. (Roman Breviary)
• Hail, O Cross, our only hope. (Roman Breviary)
• All you holy men and women of God, intercede for us. (Roman Ritual)
• Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. (Roman Ritual)
• Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit. (Luke. 23:46; Psalm 30:6)
• Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them everlasting rest. (Roman Missal)
• Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us. (Roman Ritual)
• Holy Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, intercede for us. (Roman Breviary)
• Holy Mary, pray for us. (Roman Ritual)
• Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16)
• Blessed be God!
• All for thee, Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
• Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine! (Roman Ritual)
• My Jesus, mercy!
• Thanks be to God! (Deo gratias!)
• O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
• Hail Mary! (Ave Maria!)
• Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee!
• Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come!
• Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love!
• Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us!
• From all sin deliver me, O Lord!
• As the Lord wills!
• Thy will be done! (Fiat voluntas tua!)