WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
March 27, 2002
 volume 13, no. 58
Traditional Feast of Saint John Damascene, Doctor of the Church who died in 749. Historical feast of Saint Rupert of Salzburg, Bishop who died in 720.

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

 "Feed My sheep"
In today's issue Dr. Edward Ciaccio addresses something almost everyone encounters in church and that is quirks and behavior that are not always in harmony with being considerate Catholics. In a serious, yet humorous way, Ed shares his perspectives and observations in his column Ecclesial Etiquette.

 Pro Life Prescriptions
Today Dr. Frank Joseph equates the blackballing of the Senate Judiciary Committee against Judge Charles Pickering in the same light as Jesus before Caiphas and the Sanhedrin where a small band of pompous deciders rule biasly against innocent men. Dr. Frank points out that most on this modern Sanhedrin court consist of Democrats - today's pharisees who on the outside might try to appear righteous but inwardly are rotting sepulchres. No Catholic can be associated with this kind of hypocrisy and still consider themselves Catholic as he explains in his column The Sanhedrin of Sin!
 "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do"
The Boston Archdiocese's official publication The Pilot opened a whole new can of worms with their challenging of the celibacy rule in trying to protect their beleagured prelate Cardinal Law and the coffers these modern bishops so treasure. In presenting the editorial from the editor of The Pilot we accompany it with sound comments by Gary Morella that put into perspective the progressive program Boston and many other dioceses are trying to ramrod through in totally Protestantizing the Roman Catholic Church. Though satan is trying, he will not prevail as Gary explains in Those reeling from the scandals are putting a false face on the reasons.
 Simply Sheen
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen shares the wisdom of Saint Thomas Aquinas, misunderstood as a 'dumb ox' who became one of the brightest lights to ever live and provide a most excellent example of the Fruits of Celibacy as he explains in The "Dumb Ox" and the Fruits of Celibacy.

COMING TOMORROW:

 Echoes of True Catholicism
On Maundy Thursday Dr. Marian Horvat will share a beautiful, inspirational and very thought-provoking essay on the seven last words pronounced from the Cross by our Lord and Savior and how, through her full co-redemptrix role His Blessed Mother ruled the demons, commanding them to stay and watch the victory of her Divine Son over death - giving them a taste of their final demise as well. Marian will show the analogy for our time in all of this in her special Holy Week column The Seven Last Words. For Dr. Marian's column last week, see 'Be Sober and Watch: Vigilance in Symbols

 Precious Gift of our Faith
On Holy Thursday we will complete a beautiful catechetical apologetic series on the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar on the true meaning of the Holy Sacrifice. The 265th installment concludes an enthralling, truly inspiring and enlightening understanding of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass gleaned from My Catholic Faith and presented as it was taught for centuries. We concentrate on the immeasurable benefits of worthily receiving Jesus, truly present Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity as we present Graces from the Holy Eucharist For last week's 264th installment, see Dispostions of Holy Communion.
 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 addresses the whole facade behind the over-exaggerated Rite of Peace that has become an excuse to elevate the social instead of the Immolated Lamb as Father will explain in the first section of Part Fourteen of Chapter Four The Rite of Peace. For part thirteen, see The Purpose of Archaism.

LATER THIS WEEK:

 Christ or chaos
This Good Friday Dr. Thomas Droleskey will present a special column of inspiration just for the day which we strongly urge all to read as meditation during the day and share it with all for Tom personalizes what we do to our Lord Jesus Christ. He illustrates how each and everyone of us need to take heart and resolve to do all we can to restore Christ to His throne in the Social Kingship of the King of kings with respect and reverence in the continuing plan for the Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart in his special Good Friday column "Into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit." Tom's fourth part of his four-part article on Merely a Matter of Preference will be carried in two weeks. For Tom's third part, see Merely a Matter of Preference?

 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. On Good Friday Mario will illustrate how the razzmatazz, 'bafflegab', and skimble-skamble of the post-conciliar church, and especially in the pronouncements by John Paul II leave the faithful gasping for air and flying blind in a snowstorm of ambiguity and humanism as Mario will explain Friday in part seven with his column The Skimble-Skamble of the Post-Conciliar Church: Razzmatazz III For part six of Mario's series, see The 'Bafflegab' of the Post-Conciliar Church: Razzmatazz II .
 The Fatima FILE
On Good Friday we continue a very interesting exposition by John Vennari on contradictions of Fatima and how it not only doesn't gel with what Sister Lucia previously had professed, but with the facts Russia was not consecrated as Our Lady specifically requested. That is obvious as the errors spread in the world and in the post-conciliar church. Through John's good graces and permission as editor of Catholic Family News we present on Friday the second part of his commentary It Doesn't Add Up! For part one, see It Doesn't Add Up!.

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

 Traditional Thoughts
In Tuesday's issue we focused on an excellent essay by Ervan Park, courtesy of Peter Miller, editor of www.Seattle Catholic.com, in an on-going series he is writing in "The Fruit Inspector Chronicles." Tuesday we brought you Park's take on one of the bad fruits of Vatican II - the documents and probably the worst one is Sacrosanctum Concilium which left it wide open for "time bombs" to be exploded everywhere in further evidence of the desire to destroy. Park pointed this out in his article we've titled Time Bombs in the Liturgy.

 FOCUS
Tuesday we continued focusing on a most recent, revealing article by Mark Fellows on the origins of the novelties of interreligious dialogue and how it contradicts what the Church had always taught. This article first ran in Catholic Family News, and we have received permission from editor John Vennari to reprint it here as we presented Mark Fellows' second part "Interreligious Utopianism?" from his article Man With A Mission.
 The Sanity of Sanctity
All the negative publicity and perversion coming to light today is just more evidence of the fallout of the "bad fruits" over the past 40 years whereby "grave scandal is caused", as the Holy Father affirmed in his Letter to the Priests for Holy Thursday, "with the result that a dark shadow of suspicion is cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice." One of those "fine priests" is Father Richard Perozich, pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in San Diego and leader of the Diocese's "Courage" & "Encourage" groups. He wrote an honest essay on the Clergy and Sexuality for his parish bulletin and, as balance against all the priest-bashing going on both in the Church and in the secular sector today, we shared his article A Simple Plea to Pray for Priests.
 White Smoke, Black Fire!
In episode five of Chapter Seven in Part II - "The Smoldering" - The Legion of the Basilisk has tasted blood once again. Now it is time to go after greater prey, none other than Fasif himself as Fr. Niki Andriopoulos arrives too late, watching in horror the devastation of Fasif's palatial estate and finding the dying Elias, he can do nothing but bless him and flee the holocaust with guerillas hot in pursuit.
 Exsurge Domine
We continued with pertinent Papal Decrees. The third was from the time of the Protestant Reformation by Pope Leo X, elevated to the throne of Peter on this day 489 years ago. Seven years into his pontificate, as the revolt grew, he issued on June 20, 1520 his strong Papal Bull condemning the errors of the rebelling Augustinian monk Martin Luther and his followers. For this Papal Bull condemning Protestantism and Martin Luther's errors, see Exsurge Domine
 Catholic PewPOINT
 Monday editor Michael Cain completed his series on the analogy of the Mystical Body of Christ with the sorrowful mysteries. The Jews cried out 'Crucify Him! Crucify Him!' Alas, in these times the world and post-conciliar church do it all over again as they seek to justify the Jews' rationalization, allow worldy error and satanic filth to seep into and saturate homes, parishes and chanceries, thus defiling so many souls as Our Lady foretold at LaSalette. So many seem oblivious to Christ's words in Matthew 18: 7, "Wo to that man by whom the scandal cometh." The Mystical Body of Christ thirsts for truths in saving souls and is given the vinegar of ecumenism and humanism as he explained in his commentary Today's shepherds do know what they do!.
 On the BattleLine
In Monday's issue Atila Sinke Guimarães weighed in on his perspective of the problems with returning the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan to the Russian "Orthodox" Church. He also equated the situation of the Campos compromise of the Fraternity of Saint Jean Marie Vianney with modern Rome as akin to the fox and the chicken making temporary peace. No matter how well-intentioned the chicken may think the fox may be, the latter is just waiting until his hunger moves him to change his mind and then dinner will be more readily available. So also the Campos contingent who could get fried by the concordat as Atila pointed out in his column A slap in the two-faces of Modern Rome

Wednesday in Holy Week




LITURGY OF SAINTS FOR HOLY WEEK

WEDNESDAY, March 27:
Wednesday in Holy Week. Traditional Feast of Saint John Damascene, Doctor of the Church who died in 749. Historical feast of Saint Rupert of Salzburg, Bishop who died in 720.


HOLY THURSDAY, March 28:
Traditional Feast of Saint John of Capistrano, Priest and Doctor of the Church who died in 1456. He is Patron Saint of Jurists. Historical feast of Saint Guntramnus, King who died in 592. He is Patron Saint of repentant murderers and those suffering a divorce.


GOOD FRIDAY, March 29:
Solemn Day of Fast and Abstinence. Historical feasts of Saint Joseph of Arimathea, Patron of Funeral Directors, and Saint Gladys, Mother of Saint Cadoc.


HOLY SATURDAY, March 30:
Easter Vigil. Historical feasts of Saint Quironus of Neus who was martyred in 117 and Saint John Climacus, Abbot who died in 605.


For reflections on Holy Week, see Fr. Cusick's reflections






In each issue we will feature a special prayer to enhance your Catholic devotions. This week we bring you one station a day to meditate on with the last seven being brought to you on Good Friday.









6. Veronica wipes the Holy Face of Jesus

We adore Thee, O Lord, and we praise Thee. Because by Thy holy cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

(genuflect or make the sign of the cross)

    MEDITATION: Lord Jesus, at times I am afraid to reach out to others. I do nothing when I should act; I say nothing when I should speak out. Give me a deeper and more courageous faith. Help me to trust that You are with me.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be




Meditation for Today

Today's meditation continues with Judas Iscariot and how, despite all His Master had taught, despite the love He showed to His disciple, the traitorous one gave it all up for the instant gratification of thirty pieces of silver. When we give in to the world's ways, when we blame everyone but ourselves we are contributing to the purse that betrayed Christ. We make ourselves no better than the Iscariot. Let us not be the ones whom like Judas said "Surely it is not I, Rabbi" and then hear the fateful words of Jesus confirming our worst fear: "It is you who have said it" (Matthew 26: 25). For the Meditation for Wednesday in Holy Week, see What price is it worth to jeopardize Eternal Life?


Today in Church History

Vespers for the Verdi Pope

   Today is the 717th commemoration of the death of French-born Pope Martin IV in 1285. He was the 189th successor of Peter, noted for the uprising of the Sicilian Vespers outbreak during his regime which prompted Giuseppe Verdi to compose an opera about the event. He was elected on February 22, 1281. During his four year pontificate he strove to unite in the bonds of charity the kings and lords of the time.










For prayers posted thus far, see Devotions and Reflections

For Stations of the Cross, see WAY OF THE CROSS

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