TUESDAY     May 1, 2001     volume 12, no. 121 Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker Spouse of the the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Church

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    Today is the joyful Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker who cared for the New Eve in the Blessed Virgin Mary and guided the New Adam his foster Son Jesus Christ in bringing Him to maturity and teaching Him the skill of carpentry. The toil of labor was imposed on mankind by the sins of the first Adam and Eve and Joseph was a conduit to help effect the mission of the Second Adam and Eve. Work, imposed on man as a penalty, is tranformed into a blessing through man's communion with the life and work and death of Our Lord, a communion effected by the active effect man takes in the Sacrifice and Communion of the Holy Mass - with St. Joseph as model and patron. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955. Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. For today and tomorrow's liturgies, see DAILY LITURGY

Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, our loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, we come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not our petitions, Foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.

   The Holy Father's General Intention for May 2001 are the The strength, support and respect women refugees need to better their lot. This addresses the slave/prostitute conditions many women are subjected to by those who do not respect God's laws and human dignity. His Missionary Intention is for The evangelization of urban culture which is largely minority. Yet in past generations it was these ethnic populations which built, by their own talents, the beautiful churches in the cities as a lasting tribute to their Faith. So much for lasting! Today the vast majority of them have been torn down or abandoned by bishops more intent on building modern monstrosities in the suburbs or condensing parishes with little regard for the spiritual needs of the faithful because most ordinaries pay more attention to the bottom line. Rather than the craftsmen and artisans of yesteryear we have money-grubbing architects and masonic-influenced constructionists who try to out-sterilize the latest gym erected in the guize of a church. Today there is little difference between the new Catholic churches and any Protestant denomination down the street. Often times the latter resemble more of a church than the former. How sad. Yes, we must pray for evangelization of urban culture and in most dioceses this includes the chanceries where these abominations are originating. Also, throughout the world the Prayer Intention for today's Mass is for His Holiness Pope John Paul II. This month, more than ever, pray for the Sovereign Pontiff as he begins a most grueling trek into the heartland of the Eastern Orthodox Church where there is great resentment and possible peril. There is also possible peril towards the end of this month in Rome when the cardinals will meet in a special consistory. Pray the Pope and his Papal Powers to teach and govern are not diminished, manipulated or compromised.

Saint Joseph opens the doorway to May which is devoted to his chaste spouse the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Oh Mary we crown Thee with blossoms today.
  Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May…"

   In her inspirational column today, Cyndi Cain waxes nostalgic for those times when parishes and schools honored the Mother of God with a fitting and reverent May Crowning that was flowery in many ways - from the floral wreaths placed on Our Lady's head to the individual flowers and bouquets that surrounded her statues to the hymns honoring her and the recitation of the Holy Rosary in calling on her to intercede to her Divine Son Jesus on our behalf. May was always that special month, highlighted by reverent rituals that were synonymous with being Catholic. Saint Joseph was given more prominence as to his role in the Holy Family and much of that is lost today, despite the fact he remains the Patron of the universal Church and we should not only emulate his example, but pray for more holy families to help keep the Faith in the face of so much confusion and loss of tradition. For her column Let us honor the Patron of the universal Church along with the holy Mother of the Church see SYMPHONY OF SUFFERING

Why so many don't have a GIRM of an idea how to correct abuses in the Novus Ordo

"The Mass should not have to depend upon anyone, including a bishop or a priest, for its beauty or efficacy. The Mass of our fathers was itself an act of worship to the Father through the Son in Spirit and in Truth which was - and remains - transcendently beautiful and glorious. The beauty and the efficacy of the Mass should not have to depend on a bishop or a priest but on its own inherent order, which is a reflection of the order found within the Divine Godhead Itself, something that is lacking in the Novus Ordo of its very nature."

    In today's issue Thomas A. Droleskey, Ph.D. brings us the fifteenth part of his fascinating, logical, factual and frank treatise on ferreting out the doublespeak and contradictions contained in the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) which has confused so many and, instead of clearing up abuses, only is a license to experiment some more, all contributing to the continuing deconstruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that sustained the Church and her faithful for some 1,500 years. For his column, The disorder of the New Order see CHRIST or chaos

Cardinal Francis George: We implore you to call Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez to task for his unyielding pro-abort stance.

   Today's "Herod's Hero" is the Democratic Representative in the United States House from Illinois' 4th District, the Honorable Luis V. Gutierrez. There's nothing honorable about how he, as a 'Catholic,' has promoted the culture of death. We call on him to repent and for his archbishop in Chicago Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. along with Gutierrez' shepherd in Washington D.C. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, to issue the ultimatum of the "Bell, Book, and Candle" if he will not hear even the Church. We beg of the Bishops, to stand up for the Roman Catholic Church, to exact the discipline all Catholics are expected to follow. By Gutierrez' merciless 100% pro-abortion record during his five terms in the House, he has turned away from God by showing a disdain for Catholic doctrine and being a willing accomplice to satan. We implore him to amend his ways, to turn away from embracing the pro-abort stance with no mercy for the lives of millions of unborn. For another betrayer who seeks to perpetuate the culture of death and slay the innocents, see HEROD'S HEROES

Papal Primacy not on the docket for upcoming consistory according to Italian newspaper

   The Holy See has sent out a docket of topics to be discussed when the College of Cardinals meets in Rome on May 21-24 for a special consistory called by Pope John Paul II. According to the Italian daily Il Messaggero the primacy of the papacy is not among the topics, nor is the much bandied-about ecumenism. What is being planned for the four-day discussions among the red-hats will be treating reform in the Curia as well as dealing with world poverty and the sexual moral crisis of abortion, pornography, sodomy and other sins of the flesh that have permeated every level of society. The general theme listed for the consistory is: "the relationship between universality and particularity in ecclesial communion." For more, see Upcoming consistory

The Death of a dynamic, holy Sovereign Pontiff

   On this day 429 years ago in 1572 Pope Saint Pius V, the 225th successor of Peter passed on to His Heavenly reward. Pius V was one of the most influential in Church history as he brought about renewal in the Church, carrying out many of the reforms that would reinstate the holiness and status of Holy Mother Church. Amidst the ruin of the Protestant Reformation, the corruption within the Church, and the threat of Turkish invasion, Pius carried out the teachings of the Council of Trent which had begun in 1545. The fruits of Trent are still evident today for Pius ordered the founding of seminaries and the meticulous training of priests. He published a new Missal, Breviary, Catechism and initiated the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) for the youth to learn the faith. In addition, he established the Tridentine Mass which he proclaimed would be said "in perpetuity" in his undeniable Papal Bull Quo Primum. Though some claim it was meant only for those times, that does not compute with "in perpetuity" and ergo, it trumps anything promulgated by the uninfallible Vatican II by virtue of the past infallible Papal pronouncements and councils which preceded the pastoral-only Second Vatican Council. St. Pius V's devotion to the Rosary and spreading the power of Our Lady's special weapon, proved victorious at Lepanto. For other Time Capsule events that happened Today in Church history, see TIME CAPSULES

The shallowness of "Let's do lunch...sometime!"

"Insincerity of a minor degree is that in which we constantly promise something that we never expect to fulfill. The 'Yes Man' is Exhibit A of that group, who is always afraid to assert his own mind and who identifies agreement with agreeableness. Another form is the invitation to dinner, 'Come up and have dinner with us sometime,' brings the equally agreeable and insincere answer, 'Yes, I will.' The insincerity is in the indefiniteness; 'sometime' can often mean, 'We are not expecting you,' and its answer sometimes means, 'Nor do I expect to go.'"

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