WEDNESDAY
February 20, 2002
 volume 13, no. 33
WEDNESDAY: Ember Week in Lent - Day of Fast and Partial Abstinence. Historical feast of Saint Eucherius, Bishop who died in 743 and Saint Amata, Religious who died in 1250. She was the niece of Saint Clare of Assisi.

                              
As page loads, we invite you to say as many Hail Mary's as necessary.
IN TODAY'S ISSUE:

 "Feed My sheep"
In Wednesday's issue we address the problems haunting the Church today from pedophilia to outward disregard for Catholic truths. As the Church goes, so also goes the world. We point out that when we point the finger at someone else in the 'blame game' we are basically pointing three fingers back at ourselves and rightly so, for we can no longer claim innocence or naivete to what is going on by hiding our heads in the sand. We allowed it to happen and must not only share in the blame, but strive to do something about correcting the situation by being ever more vigilant and that begins at home as we illustrate in The Finger of Blame

 Pro Life Prescriptions
Today Dr. Frank Joseph provides an outstanding platform which pro-life politicians can take to the polls and produce votes from those constituents who have a conscience. With the primaries getting underway in this pivotal year where the pro-life vote is paramount to beginning to overturn Roe vs. Wade and return America to a semblance of sanity in a world gone mad, Dr. Frank provides fail-safe ammo for speech writers of all those pro-life candidates who want to win. All they have to do is take off the gloves and be honest. Honesty will go a long way with the people and with God as he affirms in his column A Primary Primer for Pro-Life Politicians
 Exspectans exspectavimus Ecclesia Dei
Chris Ferrara points out the ridiculousness of the charges against Traditionalists who seek to uphold the Truths and Traditions of Holy Mother Church and recognize the Pope as the successor of Peter, while the accusers ignore the aberrations and outright rebellion of a schismatic group in China. Thanks to Michael J. Matt of The Remnant we share Chris Ferrara's excellent syllogisms which first appeared in a recent edition of The Remnant as we present part one of his article A Tale of Two Schisms
 Simply Sheen
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen continues in today's issue on his treatise on the very topic so greatly twisted and misunderstood today: Tolerance! He turns from the negative aspects of tolerance, which is what the word purports to, instead reflecting on the antithesis of the word - love - God's Love where the bishop shows that no matter who we are, there is always room for love for we can never escape the Light of His Truth as he concludes in They know not what they do.

COMING TOMORROW:

 Echoes of True Catholicism
In tomorrow's issue Dr. Marian Horvat will zero in on the bleak picture in Russia where Rome seems to be doing a high wire act in wooing the Russian Orthodox to cooperate while establishing four new dioceses there. All the while trying to convince the rest of the Catholic world that the Fatima prophecies have been fulfilled. The facts don't back that up as anyone can see by scanning the headlines of the neo-Catholic news services each day. She will cite various examples that point to a humanistic global agenda in her column The Myth of a Converted Russia Exposed

 Precious Gift of our Faith
Tomorrow we continue a beautiful catechetical apologetic series taken from The Glories and Triumphs of the Catholic Church on the true meaning of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The 260th installment continues an enthralling, truly inspiring and enlightening understanding of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass like you never realized before. After you read this, you will clamor for the return of the Mass of All Ages for only in the Tridentine Rite is its fullness realized. You will see the Mass as it was always intended and why the Council of Trent featured this week in Ecumenical Councils, in their infallible wisdom settled on this most perfect propitiatory sacrifice to uniquely and purposely represent every aspect of Christ as we present part three of The Perfect Plan of the Mass
 The Great Sacrilege
Father James F. Wathen, O.S.J. has granted permission to publish his entire work which was first published by Tan Books in 1972, and which we urge you to read for everything he wrote back then is backed by the solid depositum fidei - the Sacred Deposit of the Faith and still holds true. It takes up where the Ottaviani Intervention left off as you'll see in Thursday's issue when Father gets down to the serious violations perpetrated on the faithful, explaining in Part Nine of Chapter Four - the drastic changes caused by disregarding "Pro Multis"

LATER THIS WEEK:

 Christ or chaos
This coming Friday Dr. Thomas Droleskey continues his series on G.I.R.M. Warfare. He comments on paragraph 87 and 88 on the subtle but serious changes that alter the role of the alter Christus - the priest to merely a presider where, just through placement of rubrics elevates the people to the role of priest, an aberration which could be considered the antithesis of the True Sacrifice. This is aided and abetted by the noisy nuances of ruing silence and meditation during Communion as Tom explains in his 40th installment Subtraction has created distraction

 Traditional Insights
On Friday Mario Derksen continues his series on "Vatican II and the Gospel of Man" as he meticulously peels off the skin-deep layers of rhetoric, exposing the tightening muscles of modernism that seek to squeeze the bones of doctrine. This prevents the living organs of Truth and Tradition from fully being able to function, thus allowing the cancer of humanism to penetrate the pores of the Mystical Body of Christ. Mario will show how the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes took the smoke of satan and torched the Truths and Traditions upheld by previous pontiffs by diminishing man's dignity by elevating him to something he can never attain - divinity. Mario explains Friday in part two of his column Towards the Deification of Man
 The Fatima FILE
On Friday we present another excellent essay by Peter Miller of the Seattle Catholic which addresses the Third Secret of Fatima and what many, including the late Cardinal Silvio Oddi - truly believe that it pertains to the great apostasy in the Church, not to Perestroika as the Vatican has propagandized for the sake of compromise. Miller first wrote this article in August of 2001, citing the late Italian cardinal's own first-hand knowledge as a close friend of Pope John XXIII to highly doubt the propaganda released in May 2000 as Peter shows in his article The Third Secret of Fatima

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

 Traditional Thoughts
Tuesday we continued a special series on what Traditionalism truly is - Roman Catholicism. Peter Miller, editor of the www.Seattle Catholic.com, shares a simple, concise response to 'conservatives' who see their beloved Church collapsing everywhere but continue to keep their heads in the sand, refusing to see the obvious. Peter shows the distinctions between 'traditionalist' and 'conservative' and clears up misconceptions that hopefully will better alert neo-Catholics to the true path they need to follow and to dispell the many myths about Traditionalism as we presented the fourth and final part of his excellent article A Brief Defense of Traditionalism.

 FOCUS
In Tuesday's issue we focused on the controversial buzz about a Vatican document released in November that just recently came to the attention of the public on "The Jewish People and the Holy Scriptures in the Christian Bible." John Vennari weighed in on its repercussions first published in the February issue of Catholic Family News and has given us permission to reprint his commentary. We have also acquired the document in Italian and have passed it on to Atila Guimarães in order to truly know what is in this confusing document. We presented the condensed story with comments by Gary Morella within the New York Times article followed by John's commentary in Contradiction of Divine Revelation?
 White Smoke, Black Fire!
In the eighth episode of Chapter Six in Part II - "The Smoldering" Fasif gives Pat his marching orders as he prepares the American reporter for what he will encounter when he rendezvous in Rome with Fasif's niece Karel Shenneker in staving off the next suspected assault by the nefarious Legion of the Basilisk.

Council of Trent

  The greatest and longest of all the major ecumenical councils was convened by Pope Paul III on December 13, 1545 in the mouintain village of Trent in northern Italy. There were 25 major sessions that spanned eighteen years under five popes - Pope Julius III, Marcellus II, Paul IV and Pope Pius IV who closed the last session on December 4, 1563 with Pius IV issuing a Papal Bull on February 7, 1564 confirming all that was declared at Trent. Pope Saint Pius V completed the commission of Trent, reforming the Roman Missal with his De Defectibus and Quo Primum. The Council issued the most dogmatic and reformatory decrees ever, specifically on the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments plus reinstating traditions always held 'Catholic.' Trent was the ideal Counter-Reformation to the Protestant Reformation where Protestantism was condemned as anathema along with Martin Luther and other reformers who had bolted the Church. Moral discipline was emphasized and reinforced in order that Holy Mother Church regain the respect and authority intended for the Church Christ founded and passed down through His infallible, perennial Magisterium of the Church, preserving the Truths and Traditions of Holy Mother Church in the Sacred Deposit of the Faith. For an overview to the full documents of the nineteenth Ecumenical Council see COUNCIL OF TRENT

 Catholic PewPOINT
On Monday editor Michael Cain continued his series on the analogy of the Mystical Body of Christ with the sorrowful mysteries, staying with the second sorrowful mystery - the Scourging at the Pillar as he illustrated offenses that occurred just the past few weeks which clearly show the Mystical Body of Christ being thrashed unmercifully by those within the Church who would scandalize for the sake of political correctness or some other humanistic reason. In doing so they scandalize and contribute to the endless scourging as he powerfully explained in part three of the series on the Sorrowful Mysteries: The longer the scourging continues, the greater the consequences!
 Standing with the Church Militant On the BattleLine
In Monday's issue Atila Sinke Guimarães recalled an article he wrote a few years ago in which he expressed fears that the Vatican was caving to the liberal ideas of men like Cardinal Martini, Cardinal König and Archbishop John Quinn. In light of Martini's announced retirement on turning 75 last week, Atila revisited this issue about the possibility of another Council to further the progressivists' agenda. Even with the retirement of older cardinals, the possibility still remains very plausible considering the ecumenical advancements made by this regime as Atila explained in his column A New Council, an Old Yearning


"If anyone denies that the Body and Blood, together with the Soul and Divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained in the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, but says that Christ is present in the sacrament only as a symbol or figure, or by His power: let him be condemned."

The Council of Trent
Session 13.

"If anyone says that in the Mass a true and real sacrifice is not offered to God, or that the act of offering is nothing else than Christ being given to us to eat, let him be anathema."

The Council of Trent
Session 22

Today in Church History
Death of the Pope who bridged the Great Schism of the West and the Renaissance

On this date 571 years ago in 1431, Pope Martin V passed away after a fourteen year reign as the 206th successor as the keeper of the keys. He was the first acknowledged Pontiff after the great Schism of the West. Elected on November 21, 1417, his papacy was noted for the beginning of the period known as the Renaissance. He was also the first Pope to open a "Holy Door" at the Lateran Basilica.

In each issue we will feature a special prayer to enhance your Catholic devotions

Prayer over the Faithful for Ember Wednesday in Lent

Let us pray. Bow down your heads before God. Enlight our minds, we beseech Thee, O Lord, with the light of Thy brightness: that we may be able to see what we ought to do, and have strength to do what is right. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, One God world without end. Amen.

For prayers posted thus far, see Devotions and Reflections

For the Stations of the Cross, see Way of the Cross

Liturgy of the Saints

MONDAY, February 18:
Traditional Feast of Saint Simeon, Bishop and Patriarch of Jerusalem and first cousin of Christ. He was martyred in 112. Traditional Feast of Saint Bernardette Soubirous, Virgin and Visionary of Lourdes who died in 1879. Her body is still incorrupt. Historical feast of Saint Flavian, Bishop who was martyred in 449

TUESDAY, February 19:
Historical feast of Saint Gabinus, who died in 296. He was the brother of Pope Saint Caius, and nephew of the evil emperor Diocletian. Also the Historical feast of Saint Conrad of Piacenza, Hermit who died in 1351. He is the saint the faithful invoke for the cure from hernias.

WEDNESDAY, February 20:
Ember Wednesday in Lent - Day of Fast and Partial Abstinence. Historical feast of Saint Eucherius, Bishop who died in 743 and Saint Amata, Religious who died in 1250. She was the niece of Saint Clare of Assisi.

THURSDAY, February 21:
In the new liturgy the feast of Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church who died in 1072. Also the historical feast of Saint Peter Mavimenus who died in 743.

FRIDAY, February 22:
Ember Friday - Day of Fast and Abstinence. Feast of The Chair of Saint Peter

SATURDAY, February 23:
Ember Saturday - Day of Fast and Partial Abstinence. Traditional Feast of Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church who died in 1072. In the new it is the feast of Saint Polycarp, Bishop who was martyred in 166. He is the saint the faithful ask intercession for when they have earaches.

SUNDAY, February 24:
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. Traditional Feast of Saint Matthias, the Apostle who replaced judas iscariot and was martyred in 65 A.D. Also historical feast of Saint Ethelbert, king of Kent who died in 616. For reflections on the Second Sunday of Lent, see Fr. Cusick's reflections

The Rosary of Mary is our most powerful weapon. Click on the Rosary button to recite the full Rosary in either English or Latin.
                                                       
Copying and disseminating written material is permitted provided nothing is taken out of context and the URL and sources are credited.    For pertinent questions referring to this, contact the Editor