Today
Jan 27 2012
St. John Chrysostom
complete abstinence
In TIME AFTER EPIPHANY
The Feast of St. John Chrysostom
In January, the Twenty-seventh Day, the Fourth Friday.
The Third Day of the Moon.
Today, being a Friday, is a day of Complete Abstinence.
For those doing reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
A week from today is the First Friday of the month.
Fridays are dedicated to Christ's Passion and His Sacred Heart.
January is dedicated to the Holy Name and the Childhood of Jesus.
Maxims from Holy Scripture for the 27th Day of the Month
A good name is better than great riches.
He that soweth iniquity shall reap evils.
He that is inclined to mercy shall be blessed (Proverbs 22:9).
Honor thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother.
Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them: and make a return to them as they have done for thee.
With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence His priests.
With all thy strength love Him that made thee: and forsake not His ministers.
Honor God with all thy soul, and give honor to the priests, and purify thyself with thy alms.
And stretch out thy hand to the poor, that thy expiation and thy blessing may be perfected.
Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them that mourn.
Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love.
In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.
Strive not with a man that is full of tongue, and heap not wood upon his fire.
Despise not a man that turneth away from sin, nor reproach him therewith: remember that we are all worthy of reproof.
Despise not a man in his old age: for we also shall become old.
Rejoice not at the death of thine enemy: knowing that we all die, and are not willing that others should rejoice at our death.
Before thou inquire, blame no man: and when thou hast inquired, reprove justly.
Before thou hear, answer not a word, and interrupt not others in the midst of their discourse.
Strive not in a matter which doth not concern thee, and sit not in judgment with sinners.
Praise not a man for his beauty; neither despise a man for his look.
Praise not a man before he speaketh, for this is the trial of men.
Be not surety above thy power, and if thou be surety, think as if thou wert to pay it.
Open not thy heart to every man: lest he repay thee with an evil turn, and speak reproachfully to thee.
Pride is hateful before God and men: and all iniquity of nations is execrable.
For when a man shall die, he shall inherit serpents, and beasts, and worms.
The beginning of the pride of man is to fall off from God.
Because his heart is departed from Him that made him: for pride is the beginning of all sin; he that holdeth it shall be filled with maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end.
God hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath preserved the memory of them that are humble in mind.
Pride was not made for men: nor wrath for the race of women.
The fear of God is the glory of the rich, and of the honorable, and of the poor.
Despise not a just man that is poor, and do not magnify a sinful man that is rich.
The great man, and the judge, and the mighty is in honor: and there is none greater than he that feareth God.
Believe not every word. There is one that slippeth with the tongue, but not from his heart.
For who is there that hath not offended with his tongue?
Wine and women make wise men fall off.
How sufficient is a little wine for a man well taught (Ecclesiasticus).
The Five-Point Rule of St. Padre Pio
from Saint Padre Pio, by Rev. Father Jean, OFM., Cap.
I. Weekly Confession
“Confession is the soul’s bath. You must go at least once a week. I do not want souls to stay away from confession more than a week. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again!”
II. Daily Communion
To those who declare themselves unworthy to receive holy Communion, he answers: “It is quite true, we are not worthy of such a gift. However, to approach the Blessed Sacrament in a state of mortal sin is one thing, and to be unworthy is quite another. All of us are unworthy, but it is He who invites us. It is He who desires it. Let us humble ourselves and receive Him with a heart contrite and full of love.”
III. Examination of Conscience Every Evening
To another, who told him that the daily examination of conscience seemed useless, since his conscience showed him clearly at each action whether it was good or bad, he replied: “That is true enough. But every experienced merchant in this world not only keeps track throughout the day of whether he has lost or gained on each sale. In the evening, he does the bookkeeping for the day to determine what he should do on the morrow. It follows that it is indispensable to make a rigorous examination of conscience, brief but lucid, every night.”
IV. Daily Spiritual Reading
“The harm that comes to souls from the lack of reading holy books makes me shudder…. What power spiritual reading has to lead to a change of course, and to make even worldly people enter into the way of perfection.”
V. Mental Prayer Twice Daily
His counsels for mental prayer are simple: “If you do not succeed in meditating well, do not give up doing your duty. If the distractions are numerous, do not be discouraged; do the meditation of patience, and you will still profit. Decide upon the length of your meditation, and do not leave your place before finishing, even if you have to be crucified. Why do you worry so much because you do not know how to meditate as you would like? Meditation is a means to attaining God, but it is not a goal in itself. Meditation aims at the love of God and neighbor. Love God with all your soul without reserve, and love your neighbor as yourself, and you will have accomplished half of your meditation.”
On Assisting at Holy Mass
The same holds for assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: it is more concerned with making acts (of contrition, Faith, love, &c.) than with intellectual reflections or considerations. To someone asking whether it is necessary to follow the Mass in a missal, Padre Pio answered that only the priest needs a missal. According to him, the best way to attend the Holy Sacrifice is by uniting oneself to the Virgin of Sorrows at the foot of the cross, in compassion and love.
On Mary and the Rosary
“Love the Madonna and make her loved. Always recite her Rosary. That is an armor against the evils of the world today.”
“Satan wants to destroy this prayer, but in this he will never succeed. The Rosary is the prayer of those who triumph over everything and everyone. It was Our Lady who taught us this prayer, just as it was Jesus who taught us the Our Father.”
“When one achnowledges the importance of the Blessed Mother in Her Immaculate Conception, it is the first step on the path of salvation.”
Manna
Manna of the Soul
Meditations on Scripture for Every Day of the Year
by Fr. Paolo Segneri, S. J.
Meditation for the Twenty-seventh Day of January
Mass
Prayers & Readings from Holy Mass
with Goffine’s Instructions on the Epistle and Gospel of the Mass
for Sundays and select feast days throughout the Year
Mass for The Feast of St. John Chrysostom
Commentaries for Sundays, Holy Days, and several saints’ feasts, and images, are from Goffine’s Instructions on the Epistle and Gospel of the Mass, 1896 edition, originally published 1690.
Jesus
The Imitation of Christ
“He who follows Me, walks not in darkness.”
The Interior Life
Humility
Be not troubled about those who are with you or against you, but take care that God be with you in everything you do. Keep your conscience clear and God will protect you, for the malice of man cannot harm one whom God wishes to help. If you know how to suffer in silence, you will undoubtedly experience God’s help. He knows when and how to deliver you; therefore, place yourself in His hands, for it is a divine prerogative to help men and free them from all distress.
It is often good for us to have others know our faults and rebuke them, for it gives us greater humility. When a man humbles himself because of his faults, he easily placates those about him and readily appeases those who are angry with him.
It is the humble man whom God protects and liberates; it is the humble whom He loves and consoles. To the humble He turns and upon them bestows great grace, that after their humiliation He may raise them up to glory. He reveals His secrets to the humble, and with kind invitation bids them come to Him. Thus, the humble man enjoys peace in the midst of many vexations, because his trust is in God, not in the world.
Hence, you must not think that you have made any progress until you look upon yourself as inferior to all others.
THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By Thomas à Kempis. Translated from the Latin into modern English by Aloysius Croft and Harold Bolton.
María
The Admirable Secret of the Rosary
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
Twenty-third Rose
The Rosary is a Memorial of the Life and Death of Jesus
Jesus Christ, the divine spouse of our souls and our very dear friend, wishes us to remember his goodness to us and to prize his gifts above all else. Whenever we meditate devoutly and lovingly upon the sacred mysteries of the Rosary, he receives an added joy, as also do our Lady and all the saints in heaven. His gifts are the most outstanding results of his love for us and the richest presents he could possibly give us, and it is by virtue of such presents that the Blessed Virgin herself and all the saints are glorified in heaven.
One day Blessed Angela of Foligno begged our Lord to let her know by which religious exercise she could honor him best. He appeared to her nailed to his cross and said, “My daughter, look at my wounds.” She then realized that nothing pleases our dear Lord more than meditating upon his sufferings. Then he showed her the wounds on his head and revealed still other sufferings and said to her, “I have suffered all this for your salvation. What can you ever do to return my love for you?”
The holy sacrifice of the Mass gives infinite honor to the most Blessed Trinity because it represents the passion of Jesus Christ and because through the Mass we offer to God the merits of our Lord’s obedience, of his sufferings, and of his precious blood. All the heavenly court also receive an added joy from the Mass. Several doctors of the Church, including St. Thomas, tell us that, for the same reason, all the blessed in heaven rejoice in the communion of the faithful because the Blessed Sacrament is a memorial of the passion and death of Jesus Christ, and that by means of it men share in its fruits and work out their salvation.
Now the holy Rosary, recited with meditation on the sacred mysteries, is a sacrifice of praise to God for the great gift of our redemption and a holy reminder of the sufferings, death and glory of Jesus Christ. It is therefore true that the Rosary gives glory and added joy to our Lord, our Lady and all the blessed, because they cannot desire anything greater, for the sake of our eternal happiness, than to see us engaged in a practice which is so glorious for our Lord and so salutary for ourselves.
The Gospel teaches us that a sinner who is converted and who does penance gives joy to all the angels. If the repentance and conversion of one sinner is enough to make the angels rejoice, how great must be the happiness and jubilation of the whole heavenly court and what glory for our Blessed Lord himself to see us here on earth meditating devoutly and lovingly on his humiliations and torments and on his cruel and shameful death! Is there anything that could touch our hearts more surely and bring us to sincere repentance?
A Christian who does not meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary is very ungrateful to our Lord and shows how little he cares for all that our divine Savior has suffered to save the world. This attitude seems to show that he knows little or nothing of the life of Jesus Christ, and that he has never taken the trouble to find out what he has done and what he went through in order to save us. A Christian of that kind ought to fear that, not having known Jesus Christ or having put him out of his mind, Jesus will reject him on the day of judgement with the reproach, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.”
Let us meditate, then, on the life and sufferings of our Savior by means of the holy Rosary; let us learn to know him well and be grateful for all his blessings, so that, on the day of Judgement, he may number us among his children and his friends.
Saint
Pictorial Lives of the Saints
Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, Compiled from Butler’s Lives
Saint John Chrysostom
St. John was born at Antioch in 344. In order to break with a world which admired and courted him, he in 374 retired for six years to a neighboring mountain. Having thus acquired the art of Christian silence, he returned to Antioch, and there labored as priest, until he was ordained Bishop of Constantinople in 398. The effect of his sermons was everywhere marvellous. He was very urgent that his people should frequent the holy sacrifice, and in order to remove all excuse he abbreviated the long Liturgy until then in use. St. Nilus relates that St. John Chrysostom was wont to see, when the priest began the holy sacrifice, “many of the blessed ones coming down from heaven in shining garments, and with bare feet, eyes intent, and bowed heads, in utter stillness and silence, assisting at the consummation of the tremendous mystery.” Beloved as he was in Constantinople, his denunciations of vice made him numerous enemies. In 403 these procured his banishment; and although he was almost immediately recalled, it was not more than a reprieve. In 404 he was banished to Cucusus in the deserts of Taurus. In 407 he was wearing out, but his enemies were impatient. They hurried him off to Pytius on the Euxine, a rough journey of nigh 400 miles. He was assiduously exposed to every hardship, cold, wet, and semi-starvation, but nothing could overcome his cheerfulness and his consideration for others. On the journey his sickness increased, and he was warned that his end was nigh. Thereupon, exchanging his travel-stained clothes for white garments, he received Viaticum, and with his customary words, “Glory be to God for all things. Amen,” passed to Christ.
REFLECTION.—We should try to understand that the most productive work in the whole day, both for time and eternity, is that involved in hearing Mass. St. John Chrysostom felt this so keenly that he allowed no consideration of venerable usage to interfere with the easiness of hearing Mass.
LITTLE PICTORIAL LIVES OF THE SAINTS with Reflections for Every Day of the Year Compiled from “Butler’s Lives” and Other Approved Sources. Edited by John Gilmary Shea, LL.D.
IMPRIMATUR
John, Cardinal McCloskey
ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK
New York, June 3, 1878
IMPRIMATUR
Michael Augustine
ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK
New York, January 21, 1887
Rule
The Holy Rule of St. Benedict
Incline the ear of thy heart, and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father…
The 27th Day of January
Continuation of Chapter VII
Of Humility
The first degree of humility, then, is that a man always have the fear of God before his eyes (cf Psalm 35:2), shunning all forgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God hath commanded, that he always considereth in his mind how those who despise God will burn in hell for their sins, and that life everlasting is prepared for those who fear God. And whilst he guardeth himself evermore against sin and vices of thought, word, deed, and self-will, let him also hasten to cut off the desires of the flesh.
Let a man consider that God always seeth him from Heaven, that the eye of God beholdeth his works everywhere, and that the angels report them to Him every hour. The Prophet telleth us this when he showeth God thus ever present in our thoughts, saying: “The searcher of hearts and reins is God” (Psalm 7:10). And again: “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men” (Psalm 93:11) And he saith: “Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off” (Psalm 138:3). And: “The thoughts of man shall give praise to Thee” (Psalm 75:11). Therefore, in order that he may always be on his guard against evil thoughts, let the humble brother always say in his heart: “Then I shall be spotless before Him, if I shall keep myself from iniquity” (Psalm 17:24).
Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology
Read at the Hour of Prime, One Day in Advance
The Twenty-eighth Day of January
The Fourth Day of the Moon
Tomorrow Were Born into the Better Life...
At Rome, the second feast of St. Agnes.
In the same place, St. Flavian, martyr, who suffered under Diocletian.
At Apollonia, the holy martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius, and Callinicus, who were made to undergo various torments in the time of the emperor Decius. Thyrsus and Callinicus consummated their martyrdom by being beheaded; Leucius, being called by a heavenly voice, yielded his soul to God.
In Thebais, the holy martyrs Leonides and his companions, who obtained the palm of martyrdom in the time of Diocletian.
At Alexandria, the commemoration of many holy martyrs, who, whilst they were at Mass in the church on this day, were put to death in various manners by the followers of Syrian, an Arian general.
Also, St. Cyril, bishop of the same city, a most celebrated defender of the Catholic faith, who rested in peace with a great reputation for learning and sanctity. At Saragossa, St. Valerius, bishop.
At Cuenca, in Spain, the birthday of St. Julian, bishop, who went to his God with the reputation of working miracles, after bestowing the goods of the Church on the poor, and, like the Apostles, supporting himself by the work of his hands.
In the monastery of Rheims, the demise of a holy priest named John, a man of God.
In Palestine, St. James, a hermit, who hid himself a long time in a sepulchre to do penance for a fault he had committed, and being celebrated for miracles, departed for heaven.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.
THE ROMAN MARTYROLOGY. Published by Order of GREGORY XIII. Revised by the Authority of URBAN VIII, and CLEMENT X. Afterwards, in the year 1749, Augmented and Corrected by BENEDICT XIV. Last Edition, according to the Copy Printed at Rome in 1914.
IMPRIMATUR
James Cardinal Gibbons
Archbishop of Baltimore
Examen
Examination of Concience for Adults
A Comprehensive Examination of Conscience Based on Twelve Virtues
Focusing on One Virtue per Month
Rev. Donald F. Miller, C.SS.R.
It is recommended that once a week during each month, the examen for that month be read carefully and thoughtfully. On some occasions this would be best done before confession. The ejaculatory prayer of the month should be said frequently every day.
Virtue for January
Faith
Faith is the theological virtue, infused by God, by which we firmly assent to all the truths that God has revealed to mankind because God cannot deceive or be deceived. Faith is the foundation of all justification, the beginning of all supernatural virtue, the starting point of sanctification and perfection. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
While faith is infused as a free gift by God, it nevertheless is given in strict accordance with the nature of man, and after it has been given it requires intelligent cooperation lest it be weakened or lost. This cooperation means three things:
1) Every Catholic must pray for the preservation and increase of his faith. Ordinarily, prayer is necessary for the attainment of any grace from God; since faith is the greatest grace, one who has received it must pray throughout life for perseverance and strengthening in his faith
2) Every Catholic must strive to be faithful to the obligations imposed through faith. To offend God deliberately and repeatedly is to run the risk of some day finding that faith has been lost through failure to cooperate with God’s grace.
3) Every Catholic must use his mind both to understand the motives for believing God’s word, which are perfectly satisfactory to human reason, and to know the truths revealed by faith, in which nothing contradictory, nothing inconsistent, nothing intellectually incredible is to be found. On the negative side, this means that every Catholic is bound to preserve himself, in so far as possible, from every influence that would prove dangerous to his faith.
Therefore all sins against faith centre about either the denial of one’s faith, or the neglect of means to preserve and increase it, or the deliberate entrance into occasions that might destroy it.
I. Mortal Sins
A warning should be given to souls who are inclined to scrupulosity. Such souls are frequently disturbed by reading lists of sins, because they erroneously think themselves guilty where they are not guilty at all. They should have permission of their confessor before they undertake to make a minute examination of conscience, and in every doubt must obey their confessor blindly.…
It is to be remembered at all times that a mortal sin is not committed unless three conditions are present, viz:
- sufficient reflection,
- full consent of the will, and
- a violation of God’s law in a serious matter.
The mortal sins listed represent only objectively serious matter; if one or both of the other conditions necessary for the commission of a mortal sin be lacking in a particular case, the guilt would not be incurred. In prudent doubt, a confessor should be asked for a solution.
1. Have I denied that I was a Catholic, or openly expressed my disbelief in any doctrine of the Catholic faith?
2. Have I affiliated myself, even for a short time, with a non-Catholic sect or religious body?
3. Have I suggested or encouraged doubts about the Catholic faith in the minds of others?
4. Have I seriously expressed the opinion that all religions are equally good or equally true or equally pleasing to God?
5. Have I neglected to settle, by reading, studying, consulting, etc., serious doubts about my faith, when such neglect was evidently leading to a loss of faith?
6. Have I, without the necessary permission, read or kept or given to others forbidden books, such as Protestant Bibles, books on the Index of Prohibited Publications, books that pretend or profess to disprove the truth of the Catholic faith or that profess to prove the truth of a religion contrary to my faith?
7. Have I, without a serious reason, associated with persons who tried to destroy my faith?
8. Have I attended meetings or listened to speeches or sermons which I knew would destroy or seriously weaken my faith?
9. Have I joined a secret society forbidden by the laws of the Church, such as the Masons, the Odd fellows, etc?
10. Have I taken part in a Protestant church service?
11. Have I contributed to the advancement of a non-Catholic religious sect or movement as such?
12. Have I consulted a fortune-teller in the serious belief that I could learn something about the future, or made others think that I could tell their future when I knew that there was no adequate natural means of doing so?
13. Have I attended a spiritualistic séance?
14. Have I planned to marry, or actually pretended to enter the state of marriage, before a minister, or a judge, or a civil magistrate? Have I approved of other Catholics doing this or stood up for them when they did it?
15. Have I, without the necessary permission or reason, sent my children to a non-Catholic grade school, or approved of other Catholics doing so? Or without serious reason approved by the diocesan authorities, to a non-Catholic high school or university? Or have I done these things without making any provision to safeguard the faith of my children?
II. Venial Sins
1. Have I been irreverent in church and before the Blessed Sacrament?
2. Have I disturbed and distracted others in their prayers and devotions?
3. Have I kept others from prayer or devotions for some selfish reason?
4. Have I carefully avoided giving any sign that I was a Catholic because I might have been subjected to some ridicule if I did?
5. Have I read only such books and magazines as might be called dangerous, even though they are not strictly forbidden, e.g., books giving false and worldly views of life, novels that are frothy and barren of any principle?
6. Have I seldom, if ever, made an explicit act of faith?
7. Have I been slow in trying to banish or overcome doubts against faith?
8. Have I been careless and half-hearted in teaching my children to love their faith and to make acts of faith?
9. Have I deliberately passed up direct opportunities of informing others about the Catholic faith by going out of my way to avoid speaking of it?
10. Have I accepted the will of God and believed firmly in His providence in the sorrows of life?
11. Have I been irreverent in the use of sacramentals, such as holy water, the Sign of the Cross, etc.?
III. Helps and Counsels
1. Have I frequently thanked God for my faith?
2. Have I prayed for stronger faith every day?
3. Have I purchased or borrowed books that could enlighten me further about my faith?
4. Have I read any Catholic newspapers or magazines to gain a better knowledge of my faith?
5. Have I thought at all about the important truths of faith: death, judgment, heaven, hell?
6. Have I tipped my hat, or bowed my head, when passing a Catholic church?
7. Have I greeted a priest, as a representative of Christ, when meeting one on the street?
8. Have I visited the Blessed Sacrament when opportunities presented themselves?
9. Have I sacrificed any time or self-interest to attend devotions or sermons not commanded?
10. Have I invited non-Catholics to attend a Catholic service with me, or to read any Catholic literature?
11. Have I placed signs of my faith in my home, such as a crucifix, pictures of the Blessed Mother or the saints?
12. Have I carried a rosary, or worn a medal, or had anything on my person showing my faith?
13. Have I contributed prayers, services, or money to Catholic missionary organizations or labourers for the spread of the faith?
14. Have I tried to see in others, not their faults and sins, but the image of God and the souls for which He shed His Blood?
15. Have I tried every day to recall at set intervals the presence of God near me and within me?
16. Have I, after a serious sin, realized that so long as that sin remained on my soul I was an enemy of God and deserving of being condemned to hell?
Ejaculatory Prayer
Lord, increase our faith! (500 days indulgence.)
Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, he who followeth Thee walketh not in darkness. Remember that I am one of those to whom Thou hast said: “You are the light of the world.” Remember that I must no longer live of myself, but that Thou must live in me. This is impossible unless I first believe all that Thou hast revealed. Therefore permit not that human folly should ever obscure my mind and make me as the blind leading the blind. Grant me a strong faith that I may never cease to think and speak and act according to Thee and Thy holy Gospel. May I firmly believe with an explicit and perfect faith; may I recognize God’s presence everywhere; may I never forget, my Jesus, Thy love; may I be constantly mindful of the mystery of Thy Incarnation and life and sufferings, the ineffable grace of Thy Sacraments, the need I have of union with Thee, the necessity of the help of Mary my Mother, the importance of prayer, the value of humility, the strength and wisdom of Thy cross and the purpose of my life for time and eternity. Grant that my faith may be so firm as to be unmoved by the impulses of fallen human nature; so bright as not to be obscured by the fascination of worthless things; so simple that I may believe with a blind and obedient faith; so efficacious that I may think and speak according to what I believe; so strong that I may resist every temptation of the evil one. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all my patron saints grant these, my requests. Amen.
“If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
