Catholic England III - St. Edmund, Martyr

This is by far my favorite image of St. Edmund martyr from the famous "Wilton Diptych" This post will focus on this beautiful and moving piece of art. If you are a total nerd like me who loves the Catholic church and her saints, medieval English history and art - this post is for you! :)

From Wikipedia: "The Wilton Diptych (c.1395-1399) is a small portable altarpiece of two panels. It is an extremely rare survival within England of late Medieval religious painting.
The diptych was painted for King Richard II of England who is depicted kneeling before the Virgin and Child in what is known as a "votive portrait".
The painting is considered an outstanding example of the International Gothic style and possibly of English art. It belongs to the National Collection and is currently housed in the National Gallery, London."

Here is entire left side of the diptych:

"... the kneeling King Richard II is presented by the Saints John the Baptist, Edward the Confessor and Edmund the Martyr. In the right hand panel the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child in her arms is surrounded by eleven angels, against a golden background and field of delicately coloured flowers."

Interpretation: The identity of the kneeling king is known because the angels surrounding the Virgin are wearing the livery of Richard II, the White Hart, which also appears in the brocade of the left panel and the outside of the diptych. As Richard kneels, the Christ Child reaches towards him in benediction and also reaches towards the pennant held by an angel, and significantly placed between them. This pennant is the symbol of Richard's kingship and of the Kingdom of England as a whole, It bears the Cross of St. George, the symbol of England and furthermore surmounting the staff is an orb on which is tiny map of England.

All three saints who present the kneeling Richard to the Virgin and Child are believed to have been venerated by the king, as each has his own chapel in Westminster Abbey. Each saint holds the symbollic attribute by which they are recognised in art. Edmund the Martyr, who stands to the left, holds the arrow which killed him in 869, while Edward the Confessor, at the centre, holds the ring he gave to a pilgrim who transpired to be the disguised John the Evangelist. John the Baptist (right) holds his symbol, the Lamb of God.

The image on the left makes reference to King Richard's birth on 6th January. This is the feast day that Christians celebrate Epiphany, when Christ was adored by three kings and also the baptism of the adult Christ with John the Baptist shown touching Richard's shoulder.
John the Baptist was Richard's Patron Saint, and Saint Edward and Saint Edmund had both been English kings. Richard had a special devotion to Edmund, who with St. George is one of the patron saints of England.
The painting is indicative of both Richard's belief in his divine right to rule and his genuine Christian devotion. It also importantly symbolises (in the form of the Pennant), Richard II giving his kingdom into the hands of the Holy Virgin, thereby continuing a long tradition by which England was known as "Our Lady's Dowry" and was thought to be specially under her protection
(source)

Catholic England II - St. Edmund, Martyr

The Story of the martyrdom of King. St. Edmund:

In the year 869, the Danes who had wintered at York, marched through Mercia into East Anglia and took up their quarters at Thetford. Edmund engaged them fiercely in battle, but the Danes under their leaders Ubbe Ragnarsson and Ivar the Boneless had the victory.

According to Abbo of Fleury, Edmund's earliest biographer, the story came to Abbo by way of St Dunstan, who heard it from the lips of Edmund's own sword-bearer. In Abbo of Fleury's version of events Edmund refused to meet the Danes in battle himself, preferring to die a martyr's death, with conscious parallels to the Passion of Christ:

"King Edmund stood within his hall of the mindful Healer with Hinguar (Ivar), who then came, and discarded his weapons. He willed to imitate Christ's example, which forbade Peter to fight against the fierce Jews with weapons. Lo! to the dishonorable man Edmund then submitted and was scoffed at and beaten by cudgels. Thus the heathens led the faithful king to a tree firmly rooted in Earth, tightened him thereto with sturdy bonds, and again scourged him for a long time with straps. He always called between the blows with belief in truth to Christ the Saviour."

"The heathens then became brutally angry because of his beliefs, because he called Christ to himself to help. They shot then with missiles, as if to amuse themselves, until he was all covered with their missiles as with bristles of a hedgehog, just as Sebastian was. Then Hinguar, the dishonorable viking, saw that the noble king did not desire to renounce Christ, and with resolute faith always called to him; Hinguar then commanded to behead the king and the heathens thus did. While this was happening, Edmund called to Christ still. Then the heathens dragged the holy man to slaughter, and with a stroke struck the head from him. His soul set forth, blessed, to Christ."

The king's body was ultimately interred at Beadoriceworth, the modern Bury St Edmunds. The shrine of Edmund soon became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage locations in England and the reputation of the saint became universal.

(photo credit)

Shrine of St. Edmund prior to its desecration and destruction during the wicked and misguided Catholic persecution of Henry VIII in the 1500's.

The date of Edmund's canonization is unknown, although Hermann's Life of Edmund, written in the late eleventh century, states that it happened in the reign of Athelstan (924–939). Edmund's popularity among the English nobility was lasting. It is known that his banner was borne in the Irish expedition of the Anglo-Normans and also when Caerlaverock Castle was taken in 1300. A banner with Edmund's crest was also carried at the battle of Agincourt. Churches dedicated to his memory are found all over England, including St Edmund the King and Martyr in London. There are a number of colleges named after St Edmund. His shrine at Bury St Edmunds was destroyed in 1539, during the English Reformation. His feast day is 20 November.

This is an image of what remains today of the Shrine of St. Edmund. Here is the caption to this photo (photo credit):
The Abbey of St Edmund at Bury

"The remains of the once great Abbey of St Edmund at Bury, ruined following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, provide a striking contrast to the glories of Ely, which escaped destruction because it had become an episcopal cathedral in 1109. Today at Bury, bare, partly built-over ruins - mostly rubble cores from once great walls and supporting pillars - are all that is left of what was one of the richest Abbeys in England. Originally founded circa 633 by the first East Anglian martyr-king, Sigeberht (Liber Eliensis, I, 1), it later became the burial-place and shrine of the last East Anglian martyr-king, Edmund, one of the patron saints of England."

Next posts will be about the famous Wilton image and the fascinating "Legend of St. Edmund"

Catholic England I - St. Edmund, Martyr

Here is a medieval drawing of St. Edmund. Edmund was king of East Anglia before England was united as one sovereign country. At the time, the British isle was subject to frequent and devastating raids by Vikings from Scandinavia. Usually the British people would pay tribute, or rather simply pay the Vikings off to avoid being pillaged. Edmund died a martyr. Imagine, a King of England dying for his Catholic faith.


St. Edmund, Martyr ~ Icon. You can see here the instruments of his martyrdom, the arrows. Also you see a wolf cradling a severed head. See next post for this story.

King of East Anglia, born about 840; died at Hoxne, Suffolk, 20 November, 870. The earliest and most reliable accounts represent St. Edmund as descended from the Wuffling line of preceding kings of East Anglia. Though only about fifteen years old when crowned on Christmas Day 855 by Bishop Humbert of Elmham. Edmund showed himself a model ruler from the first, anxious to treat all with equal justice, and closing his ears to flatterers and untrustworthy informers. In his eagerness for prayer he retired for a year to his royal tower at Hunstanton and learned the whole Psalter by heart, in order that he might afterwards recite it regularly. In 870 he bravely repulsed the two Danish chiefs Hinguar and Hubba who had invaded his dominions. They soon returned with overwhelming numbers, and pressed terms upon him which as a Christian he felt bound to refuse. In his desire to avert a fruitless massacre, he disbanded his troops and himself retired towards Framlingham; on the way he fell into the hands of the invaders. Having loaded him with chains, his captors conducted him to Hinguar, whose impious demands he again regjected, declaring his religion dearer to him than his life. His martyrdom took place in 870 at Hoxne in Suffolk.

After beating him with cudgels, the Danes tied him to a tree, and cruelly tore his flesh with whips. Throughout these tortures Edmund continued to call upon the name of Jesus, until at last, exasperated by his constancy, his enemies began to discharge arrows at him. This cruel sport was continued until his body had the appearance of a porcupine, when Hinguar commanded his head to be struck off. From his first burial-place at Hoxne his relics were removed in the tenth century to Beodricsworth, since called St. Edmundsbury, where arose the famous abbey of that name. His feast is observed 20 November, and he is represented in Christian art with sword and arrow, the instruments of his torture.

St. Edmund's ~ Coat of Arms

St. Edmund -Ora Pro Nobis!

(Source)

Save Us From the Fires of Hell VIII

I originally posted this last year, I am very reluctant to write about myself, but in reading this again, I pray you may find this helpful. May Mary's prayers go with you always.

Fear of Hell is a Good Thing

Today it is common to hear messages assuaging our consciences. We often hear words such as these spoken: "God is love, He loves us as we are, what is there to fear?" Or "God loves me unconditionally, I'm certain He'll understand, He would never throw me/us/etc. into hell. Besides, is there really such a place?" Well, certainly you've heard similar things. I myself used to believe such nonsense. Years ago during my conversion, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother I came to know something of the nature of my soul and that I was most certainly on the path of perdition. Words cannot describe the dread and certainty of my own damnation, this drove me into the confessional. At that very confession, the priest told me the Mother of God had obtained this grace for me. I am quite sure Jesus was speaking to me through this holy priest - who became the physician of my soul for years. I was shocked to read some time later in the Diary of St. Faustina of Divine Mercy fame, Jesus tell her He is the one who hears the confession, it is He who speaks through the priest "The lips are his but the words are Mine." I have experienced this sort of phenomena several times since that day. I strive to the best of my wretched ability to confess my sins as to the Lord Himself. It is He who sits behind the screen, it is He who pronounces the words of absolution, it is He who imparts the blessing.

I normally do not speak of myself, but rather have chosen to stay in this blog's background and let the postings speak. I do not wish to showcase myself, but hope to showcase devotion to our Lady of Sorrows. For some reason I felt powerfully moved to write some about my own experiences today. I have been posting about hell the last several days because the reality of hell was the major factor in my turning to God. My conversion, like many others I've read about, started with a fear of hell. This fear led me to confess my sins with tears and sorrow. This imperfect contrition was enough for the Lord to move in with His merciful grace, which He poured into my wicked soul. He took my weak and shakey hand in His and led me into the amendment of my life. After He planted in my soul certain knowledge, faith and a great love for His mother, He placed me in a crucible of suffering which purged most of the unnecessary things from my life. This suffering was one of the greatest gifts the God of Creation bestowed upon me. I was plunged into isolation, poverty, overworked and overwhelmed with small children and full time school...all but one of my friends abandonned me. I walked around every day for months, as I recall, feeling as if I was on fire. The spiritual suffering was so great it seemed like my poor soul would break. To this day I can name no "cause" for this suffering, I only know it was there. I believe God was allowing me some form of spiritual or moral suffering because my wicked soul needed it. The only time I had some relief was in praying the rosary, which I would do several times a day. At one point, I would every afternoon sit at my table, make rosaries while praying the rosary, while watching the rosary on EWTN - like some kind of Catholic Trifecta. Had anyone known what I was doing they'd think I was losing my mind, and I guess I was.

One of the fruits of this agony was my senses were turned off to the world in all except that which was absolutely necessary - turning my soul wholly and completely to God. I was glad when friends stopped calling, I could pray more - so totally unlike me. I fasted for weeks on end, far too much it turns out but it seemed the only way to "combat" this suffering.

Oddly enough, dwelling in my soul right beside this horrific suffering was a joy and a peace that cannot be described. The one did not diminish the other at all, but this co-habitation allowed me to live and function. I remember one day at work, I had a moment alone in the operating room (working at the time as an OR nurse) where I was seized by a spiritual pain so acute I was nearly doubled over. I was dressed in sterile garb, what we called "scrubbed in", I could barely move without contaminating so I grasped my hands to my chest, bent my head and spiritually embraced the pain overtaking me. With my whole soul I raised myself to God, clasping the cross as if my very existence depended upon it, offering myself to He Who Is without holding a thing back. As the pain surged and threatened to desolate me, the joy also surged. How odd that such exquisite suffering can coincide with such exquisite joy and peace in one soul - at the same time. I marvel at it now as I write it down for the first time.

Ok, so why talk about all this? As I stated earlier - this life saving conversion was initiated by the fear of hell. Twas not the love of God, nor was it spontaneous love of neighbor, love of virtue, nor disgust with myself. No! I loved my sins! I had effectively murdered my conscience with sin and felt only a mild, transient jab of guilt on very rare occasions - easily dismissed. It was suffering that caused me to turn to the rosary, it was Mary's response - her obtaining for me the certainty of my own damnation that turned me to the sacraments of the church - which healed me. We ought to fear hell and think often of its pains. If we do not fear hell, then surely we are in mortal danger. The only true tragedy which exists in all of God's creation is the loss of a soul as it plunges headlong into hell.

Quote

"Jesus permits the spiritual combat as a purification, not as a punishment. The trial is not unto death but unto salvation. The Mother of Sorrows is my confidante, my teacher, my counselor, and my powerful advocate." ~St. Padre Pio Amen+

Save Us From the Fires of Hell VII

On the Company of Hell

(Source: The Last Four Things by Fr. Martin von Cochem. TAN Books)

We know the fate of those who are unfortunate enough to die in a state of mortal sin is hellfire. What of the torments that accompany the fire? The saints can tell us much of the plethora of sufferings that await the damned.

St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that the sins of each one will be fully known to all other inhabitants of hell. Our sins will be fully visible in our bodies - we can imagine how horrible this would be. Can you think of what things would be more painful in this life than to live in open shame? That all around you, everyone knew of all your "hidden" sins and shameful acts?

The evil one will brand each reprobate with a mark of shame on each portion of thier body with which they sinned. This is in order that all shameful deeds may be known to all. This is the everlasting disgrace which God foretells of through His prophet: "I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame which shall never be forgotten." (Jer. xxiii 40) No effort will erase the mark, nothing may be used with which to cover it. According to St. Ephrem: "This shame and infamy will be more insupportable than the hell-fire itself, because it will keep constantly before thier remembrance the sins whereby they defiled themselves on earth."

Dionysius the Carthusian writes about a mystical transportation which occured to his fellow religious. The monks pressed thier fellow for a detailed account of what he'd seen. This was dutifully recorded and ought to serve us well as a reminder of our need to avoid mortal sin: "I was conducted by my guide a long way until we came to a region of gloom and horror, where were a countless multitude of men and women, all suffering terrible torments. These were the persons who had sinned with thier bodies; they were plagued by huge fiery monsters, who sprang upon them, and, despite thier resistance, clasped them and hugged them with thier paws until they shrieked with pain. Amongst those who were tormented in this manner I saw a man whom I knew very well, and who had been much esteemed and respected in the world. Seeing me he cried aloud in piteous tones "Alas, alas! Woe is me that I sinned as I did in my lifetime, for now the pain I endure grows greater every day! But the worse of all , what I feel most acutely, is the shame and disgrace to which my sins expose me, for all know them, and all despise me and mock me on account of them."

Think a moment, would you rather not become ill with a terrible illness than become the object of public scorn, shame and ridicule? Would you rather not carry in your body a terrible suffering than be openly mocked and treated with derision on account of your sins?

Just as hell is only one mortal sin away, so is grace only one confession away. Do not delay one more day. If you are embarassed to confess some secret sin - confess it anyway! Do it and be healed by Jesus - ask for the grace and strength to not commit it again. Any brief moment of embarassment in confessing such a thing behind a screen is nothing compared with multitudes knowing every shame you've committed and mocking you for all eternity without respite! Go to a priest and be healed and delivered from such a fate!

"Death but not sin" ~St. Dominic Savio

Prayer of Reparation
O sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Thy altar eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Thy loving Heart is everywhere subject.

Amen+

Save Us From the Fires of Hell V

More Meditations on Hell

(Source: Inferno: La Divina Commedia In The Middle Ages Volume I, pp.326-327)

Inferno
"O Simon Magus! O disciples of his!

Miserable pimps and hucksters,

that have sold

The things of God,

troth-plight to the righteousness,

Into adultery for silver and gold;

For you the trump must sound now - you are come

To the bag: the third bowge (pit) has you in its hold..."

Think what it must be like for a lost soul to enter into eternal torment, eternal fire, suffering that will never, never end. The end of all hope.

We know that there really is fire in hell, "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew xxv: 41) The damned will burn eternally and with what intensity we cannot imagine - this is beyond human capacity to comprehend. Listen to this short excerpt from a book I recommend to all, it certainly changed my life and the way I look at everything:

"Now imagine that thou wert sentenced to be burned alive for thy sins and for the whole of the live long day thou didst stand amidst the flames, unable to die. How piteously thou wouldst weep and wail how loudly wouldst thou shriek and roar in thy agony....Now consider, O Christian, if the action of earthly fire causes such intolerable agony, what will be the torture of hellfire, the heat of which is incombarably more intense and more searching than that of any fire wherewith we are familiar....this fire is kindled by the breath of God. For the prophet Isaiah says: 'Behold, the wrath of the Lord burneth and is heavy to bear, His lips are filled with indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire. His breath as a torrent overflowing even to the midst of the neck, to destroy the nations unto nothing.' "(The Four Last Things by TAN Books)

And also: "Hell is prepared from yesterday, deep and wide. The nourishment thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord as a torrent of brimstone kindling it." (Isaiah xxx 30, 33)

Let us not deceive ourselves, nor be deceived by others who would have us think hell is something to which a soul becomes accustomed. "It can't be that bad...." Oh but it is...it is. Let us this Lent renew our faith, pray fervently for the help of the Mother of Sorrows, pray for the suffering souls in purgatory through her intercession. Think of Mary standing at the foot of the cross, shedding tears as her Divine Son dies in agony for your sins. Pray for all sinners, including yourself - that we can avoid the fires of hell.

Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen+

Save Us From the Fires of Hell IV

Meditations on Hell

(Source: The Way of Divine Love by TAN Books)

Sr. Josefa Menendez, a Spanish Nun of the Society of the Sacred Heart, lived from 1890-1923. Sr. Josefa was a holy religious and was blessed with frequent mystical experiences. She was a visionary of Our Lord and Our Lady. One of the series of phenomena occured in the form of mystical transportations to Hell and Purgatory.

The Catholic Church in her doctrine and dogma is perfect and kept in line by the Holy Spirit who guides it. However in the confusion of our society since the revolution of the last 40 or so years, sermons and clear teaching on the reality of hell is sadly lacking. It behooves each of us to think often on the consequences of serious sin. The consequence is the loss for all eternity of your soul to unending torment in the fires of hell.

"SISTER Josepha wrote with great reticence on this subject [hell]. She did it only to conform to Our Blessed Lord's wishes, Our Lady having told her on the 25th October 1922 "Everything that Jesus allows you to see and to suffer of the torments of hell, is.... that you may make it known to your Mothers. So forget yourself entirely, and think only of the glory of the Heart of Jesus and the salvation of souls."

Some extracts of her notes... She repeatedly dwelt on the greatest torment of hell, namely, the soul's inability to love. One of these damned souls cried out. "This is my torture...that I want to love and cannot; there is nothing left me but hatred and despair. If one of us could so much as make a single act of love... this would no longer be hell... we live on hatred and malevolence..'' (23 March 1922)

Another of these unfortunates said: "The greatest of our torments here is that we are not able to love Him whom we are bound to hate. Oh! how we hunger for love, we are consumed with desire of it, but it is too late...... You too will feel this same devouring hunger, but you will only be able to hate, to abhor, and to long for the loss of souls.... nothing else do we care for now! (26th March 1922)

The following passage was written by obedience, though it was extremely repugnant to Josefa's humility, "Every day now, when I am dragged down to hell and the devil orders them to torture me, they answer: "We cannot, for her members have undergone torture for Him....." (then they blasphemously name Our Blessed Lord)... then he orders them to give me a draught of sulphur... and again the reply is: "she has voluntarily deprived herself of drink..." "Try to find some part of her body to which she has given satisfaction and pleasure." I have also noted that when they shackle me to take me down to hell, they never can bind me where I have worn instruments of penance. I write all this simply out of obedience" (1st April 1922)"

Let us think of how we pamper ourselves, both physically and mentally, perhaps even spiritually. How often do we say "I just don't have time, I have so many important things to do, there's no time to pray, to offer sacrifices, etc" We are all busy, but try to take but a second to raise your mind and soul to Our Lord and offer Him your business and work as a prayer. Ask Him to make you holy so you will not suffer the fires of hell. Let us all pick up our crosses and follow Him on the narrow road which leads to Heaven.

Prayer

Mary, Mother of Sorrows, be for me and my family the narrow gate which leads Heaven. O Holy Mother of God be my salvation! Amen+

Save Us From the Fires of Hell VI

More Meditations on Hell

Why on earth is it a good idea to think about, let alone meditate on hell?? The answer is simple - in order to avoid it. If we open our minds to the reality of this horrible place, and that we are only one mortal sin away from hell, we are more highly motivated to avoid sin & practice virtue. In our little struggles and strivings toward God, He who is Holy and Immortal will kindly bend Himself to us and pour His gracious love into our souls and strengthen it against the powers of hell. He will grant us the ability to avoid hell if we seek Him. "Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you."
If we were perfect, we would love God for His own sake - this is the ideal we strive for. BUT - fear of hell is a good start on the spiritual path, so let us attempt to instill in our hearts a holy and reverent fear of hell. Seek God who we pray will kindle in us great faith and a lively hatred of all sin.

One of my favorite books, The Four Last Things (Fr. Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C. TAN Books) provides many excellent meditations on hell:

"According to St. Bridget 'The heat of hell-fire is so great that if the whole world were wrapped in flames, the heat of the conflagration would be as nothing in comparison with it.'...Remember this O sinner and lay it well to heart. When thou seest a fire, call to mind the fire of hell. And since thou couldst not endure to put thy hand for a single moment into that fire, think what the heat of hell-fire must be..if thou canst bear this, how will thou bear the other? The damned will one day be cast body and soul into the huge awful furnace of hell, into the immense lake of fire, where they will be surrounded by flames. There will be fire below them, fire above them, fire all around them. Every breath will be a scorching breath of a furnace. These infernal flames will penetrate every portion of the body, so that there will be no part or member, within or without, that is not steeped in fire.

How despairing will be the cries, how agonizing the shrieks that will ascend from this bed of torture! 'Woe to us miserable creatures! Woe to us a thousand times! We are tortured in this flame! The excruciating pain pervades every member of our body, the intolerable agony leaves us no rest! If only we could die, if only we could die so as to escape this horrible torture! Alas this wish is all in vain! Dead as far as the life of the soul is concerned, dead because we have forfieted grace, the mercy of God-we are condemned to live on, to live forever and ever!"

We must pray for God's mercy on that fateful last day of Judgement. We must pray and pray for the conversion of poor sinners whose fate lies in those awful flames. Have pity on your fellow man who knows not of the mercy and love of God - who is at such great risk of casting himself headlong into the flames of hell when he sees with the eyes of his soul how rotten with sin he is at his particular judgement. Invoke our Blessed Lady, entrust yourself to her - she saves more souls from hell than we can know is this life!

Prayer

Hail O Resurrection of mankind; Hail o Downfall of the demons! Hail O you who crushed the error of deceit; Hail O you who exposed the fraud of idols! Hail O Bride, and Maiden ever pure! O Thou who are Immaculate, destined before all time to be the Holy Tabernacle of the New Covenant - Ora Pro Nobis Maria!

Save Us From the Fires of Hell III

Bl. Mary of Agreda was a visionary of the Blessed Virgin Mary who had a great devotion to Our Lady's Sorrows. Our Sorrowful Mother often requested of the Servant of God her prayers for the dying, telling her of what torments and perils souls undergo just prior to death. "There are sinners in their last agony who have but a few moments in which to save their souls from eternal perdition." Many souls fight their last battle, trying to keep hold of the graces obtained in a devout and holy life, others are in great danger of losing their final battle. The evil one comes upon them, ladening upon them his rage, beseiging the soul with untold of temptations, especially the temptation to despair in reminding them of thier past sins and unworthiness of forgiveness. These things united with the suffering of death burden the soul greatly.

The person who has in thier life carried a devotion to the Mother of God, especially to her sorrows, will not be left to fight alone at this time of peril. The Queen of Souls has rescued an uncountable number of souls at the very last moment. St. Alphonsus says that: "whoever dies while loving God and pronouncing the name of Mary cannot be lost."

Let us strive to deepen and strengthen our devotion to Mary. Invoke your Sorrowful Mother on behalf of the dying they she may move in skillfully to save them!

Prayer

Be mindful, O Virgin Mother of God, when thou standest in the sight of the Lord, to speak good things for us, and to turn away His anger from us.

We offer unto Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, prayers and sacrifices, humbly entreating that we, who recall with prayer the piercing of the most sweet soul of Blessed Mary, Thy Mother, may, by the multiplied and most loving intercession of her and the Saints, gathered together with her beneath the Cross, and through the merits of Thy death, share reward with the Blessed. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen+

Save Us From the Fires of Hell II

St. Vincent Pallotti

(1798 - 1850)

Feast Day: 22 January

Born into Italian nobility and became a Priest, theological teacher and founder. He lived in constant danger working with the sick during a cholera epidemic. He was also a highly successful fund-raiser for charities for the poor. St. Vincent founded guilds for workers, agricultural schools, loan associations, orphanages and homes for the destitute. This saintly priest felt a strong calling to bring Christ to Muslims, and founded a program to incorporate lay people in the apostolate of priests. He founded the Pious Society of Missions (Pallottines) for urban mission work. He also started the special observance of the Octave of Epiphany for the reunion of the Eastern and Roman Churches, and the return of the Church in England. (Source: Catholic Forum Saints Index)

This great saint also had a great devotion to Our Lady's Sorrows. In the documentation for St. Vincent's beatification it is related: "The evil spirit once declared by the mouth of a possessed person that no one who had practiced devotion to Mary Sorrowful had yet been lost, and that evil spirits had been commanded by God not to assail with temptations in the hour of death those who had faithfully practiced this devotion." This servant of God was absolutely convinced of the truth of this message that he often spoke of it in order to honor Our Lady of Sorrows and to instruct the faithful. (Source Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother by TAN books)

We must all work earnestly to enkindle within our hearts a devotion to Our Mother's Sorrows, for it is we who cause them, and it is we who can compassionate them. In return, we are certain to recieve the Queen of Heaven's consolation at the hour of our death, the most important hour of our lives! Pray to be received into her arms and pressed to her Immaculate Heart as she did Our Lord's upon our deathbed!

Prayer to Our Lady for a Happy Death

O Mother of Sorrows, by the anguish and love with which thou didst stand by the Cross of Jesus, stand by me in my last agony. To thy maternal heart I commend the last three hours of my life. Offer these hours to the Eternal Father in union with the agony of our dearest Lord in atonement for my sins.

Offer to the Eternal Father the most Precious Blood of Jesus, mingled with thine tears on Calvary, that I may obtain the grace of receiving Holy Communion with the most perfect love and contrition before my death, and that I may breathe forth my soul in the adorable presence of Jesus.

Dearest Mother, when the moment of my death had at length come, present me as your child to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him for I know not what I did.

Beg Him to receive me into His Kingdom of glory to be united with Him forever.

Amen+

Save Us From the Fires of Hell...

Mother of the Dying

"He who is devoted to the Virgin Mother will certainly never be lost" ~St. Ignatius, Third Bishop of Antioch (50-107)

The bedroom of death is Our Lady's special arena, for all those who are in the throes of death are her beloved children. The Blessed Mother's special gift to the dying is perfect contrition for sin. This grace is granted particularly to those devoted to her during thier lifetime. Our sweet Mother does often comfort and assist the dying from the final struggle with the powers of darkness. Blessed is the soul assisted by the Queen of Heaven. This assistance is a specific promise made for those devoted to Mary's Seven Sorrows: "I will visibly help them at the moment of their death - they will see the face of their Mother."

Mary has rescured uncountable numbers of souls from Hell, unto the very last moment. How you have lived your life greatly influences the state of mind and soul at the time of death, but it is the moment of death - the disposition of the soul at that time that determines your "state" for all eternity. The moment of death is the most important moment of our lives. Let us all decide here and now to think frequently and kindly on our dear Mother's sorrows, for we need all the help of heaven to keep us from the flames of Hell.

The Offering of the Merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Appease Divine Justice

In order to appease Thy Divine Justice, we offer Thee, O Lord, the merits acquired by Mary, Thy Mother and ours, when she stood at the foot of the Cross.

If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord who can stand?

Amen+

Great Article

Great article here by Susan Tassone who is a "purgatory warrior" I highly recommend reading it, printing it out and re-reading it often if this helps you to offer sufferages on behalf of the souls who suffer so very much. Anything you do in assistance for the members of the Church Suffering will result in an increase of merit for you.

We must stand firm in hope.

"The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of our goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it… I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence."

—St. John Chrysostom, Liturgy of the Hours, Vol IV, p. 1377

On attacks against priests

(Source: The Pieta Prayer Book, available here.)

"THE PRIESTHOOD IS A MASTERPIECE OF CHRIST'S DIVINE LOVE, WISDOM AND POWER. NEVER ATTACK A PRIEST"

"One should NEVER attack a priest, even when he's in error, rather one should pray and do penance that I'll grant him My grace again. He alone fully represents Me, even when he doesn't live after My example!" (source: page 29, Mutter Vogel's Worldwide Love, St. Grignion Publishing House, Altoting, South Germany (29. 6. 1929).

"When a Priest falls we should extend him a helping hand THROUGH PRAYER AND NOT THROUGH ATTACKS! I myself will be his judge, NO ONE BUT I!" "Whoever voices judgment over a priest has voiced it over Me; child, never let a Priest be attacked, take up his defense." (Feast of Christ the King 1937)

"Child, Never judge your confessor, rather pray much for him and offer every Thursday, through the hands of My blessed Mother, Holy Communion (for Him) (18.6. 1939)

"Never again accept an out-of-the-way word about a Priest, and speak no unkind word (about them) EVEN IF IT WERE TRUE! Every Priest is My Vicar and My heart will be sickened and insulted because of it! If you hear a judgment (against a Priest) pray a Hail Mary." (28. 6. 1939)

"If you see a Priest who celebrates the Holy Mass unworthily then say nothing about him, rather tell it to Me alone! I stand beside him on the altar!" "Oh pray much for My priests, that they'll love purity above all, that they'll celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with pure hands and heart. Certainly the Holy Sacrifice is one and the same even when it is celebrated by an unworthy priest, but the graces called down upon the people is not the same!" (28. 2. 1938)

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord, Keep them, for they are Thine -
Thy priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.
Keep them, for they are in the world, Though from the world apart;
When earthly pleasures tempt, allure, - Shelter them in Thy heart.
Keep them, and comfort them in hours Of loneliness and pain,
When all their life of sacrifice For souls seems but in vain.
Keep them, and O remember, Lord, They have no one but Thee,
Yet they have only human hearts, With human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host. That daily they caress;
Their every thought and word and deed, Deign, dearest Lord, to bless.
Imprimatur: +D. Card. Dougherty, Arch. of Philadelphia

Mary Queen of the Clergy, pray for priests.

A perfect prayer

"Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"

I came across this prayer while reading through the comments at some website or another and it struck me - I think this may be in essence a perfect prayer, or as perfect as any sinner can come up with. I've heard this is various forms, but this in its entirety is simple and beautiful. The longer I pray and try to be a "good Catholic" the more I see what a wretched sinner I am. May this be my "cry from the heart" Amen+

Novena for Life

Please in your charity consider starting a novena today for an end to the culture of death - for the end to all forms of willful murder: abortion, child abuse, euthanasia, etc. We can do this simply by saying one Memorare for this intention for nine consecutive days from the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (today September 15) until September 23. Traditionally this novena is said from the Feast of our Lady's nativity, but if you missed it (uh...like me) its never too late to start!

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,

implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee,

O Virgin of virgins, my mother;

to thee do I come, before thee I stand,

sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,

but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

On this your holy feast day Mary Most Sorrowful, Mother of God and our mother...I entrust my poor soul, my family and the whole world to your intercession. I pray for the end of abortion, for an end to blasphemy, apostacy and all irreverence. I pray for the conversion of poor sinners, and the salvation of souls. I offer myself and all my insignificant prayers in payment of the debts of the holy souls in purgatory, please offer them to your Son covered with the tears of sorrow you shed at the foot of His cross. Amen+

We Must Repent

Humankind must recognize the evil of abortion for what it is, a work of Satan. We cover this "procedure" with medical terminology to make it more palatable, so that we may hide from the horror of blood and dismemberment.

America in particular is faced with a clear choice. In this election, we have held before us the choice of life or death. The battle lines have been drawn. I doubt very much if the issue of the murder of our unborn children has ever been so clearly in the forefront of our nation's thoughts. Child sacrifice is clearly the dividing line between us, we must choose. I do not see any real difference between ancient times of child sacrifice and today - except today the numbers are much greater. Also our knowledge of prenatal life and development causes our culpability to increase.

"The kings of Judah have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. They have built high places for Baal to immolate their sons in fire as holocausts to Baal: such a thing as I neither commanded nor spoke of, nor did it ever enter my mind." ~Jer 19:4-5.

And what, praytell, was the judgment the Lord righteously pronounced upon the kings of Judah?

"For thus says the LORD: Indeed, I will deliver you to terror, you and all your friends. Your own eyes shall see them fall by the sword of their enemies. All Judah I will deliver to the king of Babylon, who shall take them captive to Babylon or slay them with the sword." ~Jeremiah 20:4

Are we not being delivered to terror? Does any nation who legally condones the willfull murder of the most innocent deserve to exist? Who shall be America's Babylon? And what of Canada and Europe? We who have for the most part forsaken our Christian roots and beliefs, O where has the faith of our father's gone?

We must as a nation repent, or we shall pass through the door of Christ's judgment.

Heroic Virtue IX - Final

Temperance, which restrains us when passions urge us to what is wrong, comprises becoming deportment, modesty, abstinence, chastity, sobriety, and others. Instances of heroic temperance: St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist.

Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues. It may be defined as the righteous habit which makes a man govern his natural appetite for pleasures of the senses in accordance with the norm prescribed by reason. In one sense temperance may be regarded as a characteristic of all the moral virtues; the moderation it enjoins is central to each of them. It is also according to St. Thomas Aquinas a special virtue. Thus, it is the virtue which fights concupiscence or which controls the yearning for pleasures and delights which most powerfully attract the human heart. These fall mainly into three classes: some are associated with the preservation of the human individual; others with the perpetuation of the race, and others still with the well-being and comfort of human life.

Under this aspect temperance has for subordinate virtues, abstinence, chastity, and modesty. Abstinence prescribes the restraint to be employed in the partaking of foodand drink. Obviously the measure of this self-restraing is not constant and invariable. It is different for different persons as well as for different ends in view. The diet of an anchorite would not do for a farm labourer. Abstinence is opposed to the vices of gluttony and drunkenness. The disorder of these is that food and drink are made use of in such wise as to damage instead of benefit the bodily health. Hence gluttony and drunkenness are said to be intrinsically wrong. That does not mean, however, that they are always grievous sins. Gluttony is seldom such; drunkenness is so when it is complete, that is when it destroys the use of reason for the time being. Chastity as a part of temperance regulates the sensual satisfactions connected with the propagation of the human species. The contrary vice is lust. As these pleasures appeal with the special vehemence to human nature, it is the function of chastity to impose the norm of reason. Thus it will decide that they are altogether to be refrained from in obedience to a higher vocation or at any rate only availed of with reference to the purposes of marriage. Chastity is not fanaticism; much less is it insensibility. It is the carrying out of the mandate of temperance in a particular department where such a steadying power is acutely needed.

The virtue of modesty, as ranged under temperance, has as its task the holding in reasonable leash of the less violent human passions. It brings into service humility to set in order a man's interior. By transfusing his estimates with truth, and increasing his self-knowledge it guards him against the radical malice of pride. It is averse to pusillanimity, the product of low views and a mean-spirited will. In the government of the exterior of a man modesty aims to make it conform to the demands of decency and decorousness (honestas). In this way his whole outward tenor of conduct and method of life fall under its sway. Such things as his attire, manner of speech, habitual bearing, style of living, have to be made to square with its injunctions. To be sure the cannot always be settled by hard and fast rules. Convention will oftenhave a good deal to say in the case, but in turn will have its propriety determined by modesty. Other virtues are enumerated by St. Thomas as subordinate to temperance inasmuch as they imply moderation in the management of some passion. It ought to be noted, however, that in its primary and generally understood sense temperance is concerned with what is difficult for a man, not in so far as he is a rational being precisely, but rather in so far as he is an animal. The hardest duties for flesh and blood are self-restraint in the use of food and drink and of the venereal pleasures that go with the propagation of the race. That is why abstinence and chastity may be reckoned the chief and ordinary phases of this virtue. All that has been said receives additional force of we suppose that the self-control commanded by temperance is measured not only by the rule of reason but by the revealed law of God as well. It is called a cardinal virtue because the modration required for every righteous habit has in the practice of temperance a specially trying arena. The satisfactions upon which it imposes a check are at once supremely natural and necessary in the present order of human existence. It is not, however, the greatest of moral virtues. That rank is held by prudence; then come justice, fortitude, and finally temperance.

(source)

Heroic Virtue VIII

Fortitude, which urges us on when difficulty stands in the way of our duty, is itself the heroic element in the practice of virtue; it reaches its apex when it overcomes obstacles which to ordinary virtue are insurmountable.

Fortitude as one of the gifts from the Holy Ghost is a supernatural virtue. It is what, as Christians, we must always have in mind in order to make our actions acceptable for eternal life. But we still keep hold upon the natural principles of fortitude as those whereon grace has to build. "Natural fortitude" could be said to be had for instance by those who disply courage in battle, even unto death for what is seen as a cause worth dying for. Non-Christians can possess this sort of fortitude and as such is of the ordinary form of virtue.

Christian fortitude is mainly not in war strictly so-called, but in moral courage against the evil spirit of the times, against improper fashions, against human respect, against the common tendency to seek at least the comfortable, if not the voluptuous. We need courage also to be patient under poverty or privation, and to make laudable struggles to rise in the social scale. It requires fortitude to mount above the dead level of average Christianity into the region of magnanimity, and if opportunity allow it, of magnificence, which are the allied virtues of fortitude, while another is perseverance, which tolerates no occasional remissness, still less occasional bouts of dissipation to relieve the strain of high-toned morality and religion.

Therefore, fortitude is attainable to every Christian. Heroic levels of fortutide, with God's grace may be won by simple housewives and mothers in the seemingly ordinariness of life. There is heroism in putting on a smile and wiping that nose for the 100th time today, in choosing to be patient against the will the rebels and wants to do anything, be anywhere but home with toddlers all day. The same could be said for anyone who works - who does not deal day in and day out with those who bother, pester and outright offend you? This brings to mind the "little way" of St. Therese the Little Flower:

"Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing."

"For one pain endured with joy, we shall love the good God more forever."

~St. Therese of Lisieux

Confession Holy Card

French translation: "I shall penetrate your heart with a great abhorrence of sin."

Another great holy card from Micki at Holy Cards for Your Inspiration that I had to share with you. Frequent confession is truly key to achieving holiness in this life. Only through fastidious and frequent examination of conscience, contrition and absolution can we hope to have our souls cleansed and healed by God. Jesus told St. Faustina that He speaks directly to us through the priest in confession: "It is only the lips of the priest, but I who am speaking." (paraphrased) I love the way the Angel Guardian bends to whisper in the ear of the penitent woman - amazing.

Heroic Virtue VII

Painting of Lady Justice, Court of the Mercanzia in Florence, Author unknown: "With her large, gleaming sword and the celestial orb, over which, like any justice, she must reign forever."

Justice, which gives every one his due, is the pivot on which turn the virtues of religion, piety, obedience, gratitude, truthfulness, friendship, and many more. Jesus sacrificing His life to give God His due, Abraham willing to sacrifice his son in obedience to God's will, these are acts of heroic justice.

Justice is here taken in its ordinary and proper sense to signify the most important of the cardinal virtues. It is a moral quality or habit which perfects the will and inclines it to render to each and to all what belongs to them. Of the other cardinal virtues, prudence perfects the intellect and inclines the prudent man to act in all things according to right reason. Fortitude controls the irascible passions; and temperance moderates the appetites according as reason dictates. While fortitude and temperance are self-regarding virtues, justice has reference to others. Together with charity it regulates man's intercourse with his fellow men. But charity leads us to help our neighbour in his need out of our own stores, while justice teaches us to give to another what belongs to him.

Because man is a person, a free and intelligent being, created in the image of God, he has a dignity and a worth vastly superior to the material and animal world by which he is surrounded. Man can know, love, and worship his Creator; he was made for that end, which he can only attain perfectly in the future, immortal, and never-ending life to which he is destined. God gave him his faculties and his liberty in order that he might freely work for the accomplishment of his destiny. He is in duty bound to strive to fulfil the designs of his Creator, he must exercise his faculties and conduct his life according to the intentions of his Lord and Master. Because he is under these obligations he is consequently invested with rights, God-given and primordial, antecedent to the State and independent of it. Such are man's natural rights, granted to him by nature herself, sacred, as is their origin, and inviolable. Beside these he may have other rights given him by Church or State, or acquired by his own industry and exertion. All these rights, whatever be their source, are the object of the virtue of justice. Justice requires that all persons should be left in the free enjoyment of all their rights.

(source)

Queen of Heaven

"Mary has been made Queen of heaven and earth by God, exalted above all the choirs of angels and all the saints. She is to be called Queen not only because of her divine motherhood, but also because she, by the will of God, had an outstanding part in the work of our eternal salvation”

~Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Letter, To the Queen of Heaven

Mary, the Blessed Mother of God was Christ's greatest disciple and as such, she was given the greatest share in His suffering. Those who compassionate and carry a devotion to her sorrows will be greatly assisting in this life and rewarded in heaven. Do not forget this!

Heroic Virtue VI

Simon VOUET Allegory of Prudence

[Allégorie de la Prudence]

Prudence, which enables us to know what to desire or to avoid, attains heroicity when it coincides with the "gift of counsel", i.e. a clear, Divinely aided insight into right and wrong conduct. As an example of heroic prudence we have St. Paschasius Radbert. About St. Paschasius is written: "So great was his prudence that from his mind a bourn of prudence seemed to flow. For he beheld together the past, the present, and the future, and was able to tell, by the counsel of God, what in each case was to be done"

It is to be observed that prudence, whilst possessing in some sort an empire over all the moral virtues, itself aims to perfect not the will but the intellect in its practical decisions. Its function is to point out which course of action is to be taken in any round of concrete circumstances. It indicates which, here and now, is the golden mean wherein the essence of all virtue lies. It has nothing to do with directly willing the good it discerns. That is done by the particular moral virtue within whose province it falls. Prudence, therefore, has a directive capacity with regard to the other virtues. It lights the way and measures the arena for their exercise. The insight it confers makes one distinguish successfully between their mere semblance and their reality. It must preside over the eliciting of all acts proper to any one of them at least if they be taken in their formal sense. Thus, without prudence bravery becomes foolhardiness; mercy sinks into weakness, and temperance into fanaticism. But it must not be forgotten that prudence is a virtue adequately distinct from the others, and not simply a condition attendant upon their operation. Its office is to determine for each in practice those circumstances of time, place, manner, etc. which should be observed, and which the Scholastics comprise under the term medium rationis. So it is that whilst it qualifies immediately the intellect and not the will, it is nevertheless rightly styled a moral virtue. (source)

From the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas regarding prudence and the gift of counsel:

"Prudence or euboulia (deliberating well), whether acquired or infused, directs man in the research of counsel according to principles that the reason can grasp; hence prudence or euboulia (deliberating well) makes man take good counsel either for himself or for another. Since, however, human reason is unable to grasp the singular and contingent things which may occur, the result is that "the thoughts of mortal men are fearful, and our counsels uncertain" (Wisdom 9:14). Hence in the research of counsel, man requires to be directed by God who comprehends all things: and this is done through the gift of counsel, whereby man is directed as though counseled by God, just as, in human affairs, those who are unable to take counsel for themselves, seek counsel from those who are wiser." (Source)

Heroic Virtue V

The Charity of St. Elizabeth of Hungary

by Edmund Blair Leighton (1853-1922)

St. Elizabeth is one of my many patron saints whose name for me is synonymous with the word and virtue of charity. Today she is best remembered for her charitable works, especially for the establishment of hospitals. Today, dozens of hospitals and medical centers are named for her, several of them founded by the Sisters of St. Francis. Elizabeth lived at a time when the combined disasters of climate, war, pestilence, and poverty caused great suffering, and she became devoted to helping those who had nowhere to turn.

Elizabeth was born in Hungary in 1207. Her short but fruitful life lasted 24 years; she passed away in Marburg, Germany on November 17, 1231. November 17 is the feast day of St. Elizabeth celebrated by the Church.

She began life as part of the Hungarian nobility, daughter of King Andrew II. At age 14, she married the 21-year-old Ludwig IV, of Thuringia (Germany).

Read more about St. Elizabeth here.

Charity

Defintion from American Heritage Dictionary:

1. Provision of help or relief to the poor; almsgiving.
2. Something given to help the needy; alms.
3. An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy.
4. Benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity.
5. Indulgence or forbearance in judging others. See Synonyms at mercy.
6. often Charity Christianity The theological virtue defined as love directed first toward God but also toward oneself and one's neighbors as objects of God's love.

Charity inclines man to love God above all things with the love of friendship. The perfect friend of God says with St. Paul: "With Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:19-20). For love means union. Its type in heaven is the Divine Trinity in Unity; its highest degree in God's creatures is the beatific vision, participation in God's life in Heaven.

On earth charity is the fruitful mother of holiness, the one thing necessary, the one all-sufficient possession. It is extolled in I Cor., xiii, and in St. John's Gospel and Epistles; the beloved disciple and the fiery missionary of the cross are the best interpreters of the mystery of love revealed to them in the Heart of Jesus. With the commandment to love God above all Jesus coupled another: "And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:31).

The likeness, or the linking of the two commandments, lies in this: that in our neighbor we love God's image and likeness, His adopted children and the heirs of His Kingdom. Hence, serving our neighbor is serving God. And the works of spiritual and temporal mercy performed in this world will decide our fate in the next: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom. . .For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. . . Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:34-40). For this reason the works of charity in heroic degree have been, from the beginning to this day, a distinctive mark of the Catholic Church, the pledge of sanctity in countless numbers of her sons and daughters.

(Excerpts taken from Catholic Encyclopedia)

Great Video

I thank God for each and very Catholic who is logical, informed and says "yes" to the call to defend our faith so well. Deo Gratias!

Heroic Virtue IV

This is "the rack" of medieval England infamy. This terrible instrument of torture was used to kill one St. Nicholas Owen, here is his brief story which I pray will demonstrate how martyrdom is a perfect example of the theological, and certainly heroic virtue of HOPE:

Saint Nicholas was probably the most important person in the preservation of Catholicism in England during the period of the penal laws against the faith. He was a carpenter or builder, who saved the lives of countless Jesuit priests in England for two decades by constructing hiding places for them in mansions throughout the country. He became a Jesuit lay brother in 1580, was arrested in 1594 with Father John Gerard, and despite prolonged torture would not give the names of any of his Catholic colleagues; he was released on the payment of a ransom by a wealthy Catholic.

Brother Nicholas is believed to have been responsible for Father Gerard's dramatic escape from the Tower of London in 1597.

Nicholas was arrested a third time in 1606 with Father Henry Garnet, whom he had served 18 years, Father Edward Oldcorne, and Father Oldcorne's servant, Brother Ralph Ashley. He refused to give any information concerning the Gunpowder Plot. They were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Nicholas was subjected to such vicious torture, which literally tore his body to pieces, killing him.

Nicholas was also known as Little John and Little Michael and used the aliases of Andrews and Draper.

Born in Oxford, England; died in the Tower of London, 1606; beatified in 1929; canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales; feast day formerly March 12.

Hope, the second theological virtue we will examine is a firm trust that God will give us eternal life and all the means necessary to obtain it; it attains heroicity when it amounts to unshakeable confidence and security in God's help throughout all the untoward events of life, when it is ready to forsake and sacrifice all other goods in order to obtain the promised felicity of heaven. Such hope has its roots in a faith equally perfect. Abraham, the model of the faithful, is also the model of the hopeful "who against hope believed in hope. . .and he was not weak in faith; neither did he consider his own body now dead.. nor the dead womb of Sara" (Romans 4:18-22).

The virtue of heroic hope especially comes to life for us when we examine the lives and particularly the deaths of the martyrs. They gave their lives rather than compromise their faith and thus exchange finite and perishable earthly life for infinite and eternal life with God in heaven. I cannot say this for certain, but I suspect that from hope springs perseverance, the kind which prevents us from falling into apostasy when faced with persecution. For Catholics this is commonly transmitted to us through the actual grace of God in the holy sacrament of Confirmation.

As an aside, did you know that confirmation places upon your souls an indelible seal? This seal cannot be removed by anything and goes with each soul either into heaven, or hell. I can only imagine that in heaven this serves only to increase your share in Christ's glory, but in hell it shall serve to increase that poor soul's suffering for all eternity.

"Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that your share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of Glory and of God rests upon you. But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name. For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end for those who fail to obey the gospel of Christ? 'And if the righteous one is barely saved, where will the godless and the sinner appear?' As a result, those who suffer in accord with God's will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good." (1 Peter 4:12-19)

Heroic Virtue III

St. Monica with her son St. Augustine of Hippo, whom God converted through her mother's perseverance in prayer for the conversion of his life of dissipation and heresy. When I think of models of heroic virtue, St. Monica always shines forth in my mind.

The few who become saints in this life are the heroes of virtue, the candidates for the honors of the altar, the saints on earth -who become the canonized saints of heaven after death.

Together with the four cardinal virtues the Christian saint must be endowed with the three theological virtues, especially with Divine charity, the virtue which informs, baptizes, and consecrates, as it were, all other virtues; which unifies them into one powerful effort to participate in the Divine life. Found in the Church's exhaustive investigation, the "proofs of heroicity" are required in the process of beatification.

As charity stands at the summit of all virtues, so faith stands at their foundation. For by faith God is first apprehended, and the soul lifted up to supernatural life. Faith is the secret of one's conscience; to the world it is made manifest by the good works in which it lives, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:2). Such works are:

1. The external profession of faith

2. Strict observance of the Divine commands

3. Prayer

4. Filial devotion to the Church

5. The fear of God

6. The horror of sin

7. Penance for sins committed

8. Patience in adversity

All or any of these attain the grade of heroicity when practiced with unflagging perseverance, during a long period of time, or under circumstances so trying that by them men of but ordinary perfection would be deterred from acting. Martyrs dying in torments for the Faith, missionaries spending their lives in propagating it, the humble poor who with infinite patience drag out their wretched existence to do the will of God and to reap their reward hereafter, these are heroes of the Faith.

Read the list above, read them again, copy them down and post them where you can see them every day, study them, strive to live them, pray to God to help you attain each and every one. If you lack the strength, the courage, even the will - ask God for these things as well. He will order all things unto your sainthood if you ask Him too. It is His holy will that we all become saints. Amen+

Excerpts taken from Catholic Encyclopedia

We must perservere

"Remain firm, like the anvil under the hammer. The good athlete must take punishment in order to win. And above all we must bear with everything for God, so that he in turn may bear with us. Increase your zeal. Read the signs of the times. Look for him who is outside time, the eternal one, the unseen who became visible for us…" —St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Polycarp, The Liturgy of the Hours, Vol III, pg. 564-565

Heroic Virtue II

St. Thomas Aquinas
Philosopher, theologian, Doctor of the Church (Angelicus Doctor)
Patron of Catholic universities, colleges, and schools
Born at Rocca Secca in the Kingdom of Naples, 1225 or 1227
Died at Fossa Nuova, 7 March, 1274

Heroic virtue is the possession of saints and a great gift from the Almighty, attained after a time of purification. Such a degree of virtue belongs only to souls already purified from all attachment to worldly things, but strongly attached to God. St. Thomas (I-II:61:4) says:

"Virtue consists in the following, or imitation, of God. Every virtue, like every other thing, has its type [exemplar] in God. Thus the Divine mind itself is the type of prudence; God using all things to minister to His glory is the type of temperance, by which man subjects his lower appetites to reason; justice is typified by God's application of the eternal law to all His works; Divine immutability is the type of fortitude. And, since it is man's nature to live in society, the four cardinal virtues are social [politicae] virtues, inasmuch as by them man rightly ordains his conduct in daily life. Man, however, must raise himself beyond his natural life unto a life Divine: 'Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect' (Matthew 5:48). It is, therefore, necessary to posit certain virtues midway between the social virtues, which are human, and the exemplary virtues, which are Divine. These intermediate virtues are of two degrees of perfection: the lesser in the soul still struggling upwards from a life of sin to a likeness with God -- these are called purifying virtues [virtutes purgatoriae]; the greater in the souls which have already attained to the Divine likeness -- these are called virtues of the purified soul [virtutes jam purgati animi]. In the lesser degree, prudence, moved by the contemplation of things Divine, despises all things earthly and directs all the soul's thought unto God alone; temperance relinquishes, as far as nature allows, the things required for bodily wants; fortitude removes the fear of departing this life and facing the life beyond; justice approves of the aforesaid dispositions. In the higher perfection of souls already purified and firmly united with God, prudence knows nothing but what it beholds in God; temperance ignores earthly desires; fortitude knows nothing of passions; justice is bound to the Divine mind by a perpetual compact to do as it does. This degree of perfection belongs to the blessed in heaven or to a few of the most perfect in this life."