Blessed Isidore Bakanja.

 Prayer for the canonsation of Blessed Isidore Bakanja:

Loving God, your servant, blessed Isidore, gave his life because of his faith in you. Through his intercession I ask for your mercy and help. Father, in his name, I come to you with my needs: (mention requests.) Lord, help me always to imitate the great faith of Isidore. Glorify your servant as he wished to glorify you. Amen.

Dear Mary, Mother of Carmel, pray for us.

Dear Isidore, Martyr, pray for us.

Amen.

 

“One of the holy men remembered by the Church… on 15th August, is Blessed Isidore Bakanja. He was born in 1887 at Bokendela, now in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the age of 18 years Blessed Isidore was baptised and welcomed into the Catholic Church through the missionary work of Cistercians.

Blessed Isidore was a devout convert and catechist. He had a great love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, expressed through his frequent praying of the Rosary and being invested in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

At his first employment Blessed Isidore was permitted by his supervisor to speak of Jesus to the other co-workers which led to many converts to the Faith. At his next employment, however, the supervisor, who was intolerant of religion, forbade Blessed Isidore from teaching other workers how to pray, ‘You’ll have the whole village praying and no one will work’, he was told.

Blessed Isidore refused to stop and also refused to take off his scapular, as ordered by the supervisor. The supervisor then flogged Blessed Isidore twice and then pinned Blessed Isidore on the ground, ripping the scapular from his neck. Blessed Isidore was then beaten over 100 times with a whip with nails at the end. He was then put in chains.

His wounds became severely infected and the supervisor wished to keep Blessed Isidore from the view of the plantation inspector who was visiting. Blessed Isidore was taken outside of the plantation for this visit but he managed to hide in the forest and then dragged himself back and was seen by the plantation inspector, who was horrified at what he saw.

The plantation inspector took Blessed Isidore to his own home and looked after him. The inspector wrote, ‘I saw a man come from the forest with his back torn apart by deep, festering, malodorous wounds, covered with filth, assaulted with flies. He leaned on two sticks in order to get near me – he wasn’t walking; he was dragging himself.’ Blessed Isidore said to the plantation inspector, ‘If you see my mother, or if you go to the judge, or if you meet a Priest, tell them that I am dying because I am a Christian.’

Missionaries came to be with Blessed Isidore and reported that he devoutly received his last sacraments. The Missionaries asked Blessed Isidore to forgive the supervisor who had beaten him and he assured them that he had already done so. ‘I shall pray for him. When I am in heaven, I shall pray for him very much’, Blessed Isidore replied. After six months of suffering, Blessed Isidore died from his wounds at the age of 21 years with his Rosary beads in his hands and a Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel around his neck. Blessed Isidore Bakanja was beatified in 1994 by Pope John Paul II.”

 

 

Triduum to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

1^st Day

    O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you."

    Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (State your intention here.)

    Our Father...

    Hail Mary...

    Glory Be to the Father...

    Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

 

2^nd Day

    O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you."

    Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (State your intention here.)

    Our Father...

    Hail Mary...

    Glory Be to the Father...

    Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

 

3^rd Day

    O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away."

    Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of (State your intention here.)

    Our Father...

    Hail Mary...

    Glory Be to the Father...

    Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

 

Lets pray: O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.

Saint Joseph of Cupertino: various miracles of levitation

 

It is known that over 200 saints experienced levitation. This extraordinary gift involves the elevation of the human body without the participation of any physical force.

It is a gift, a divine blessing given to certain souls that are spiritually elevated. Saint Joseph of Cupertino had numerous levitations.

One Sunday, on the Feast of the Good Shepherd, Saint Joseph of Cupertino appeared with a lamb on his shoulders, and when he thought of Jesus the Good Shepherd, he rose into the air.

He often fell into ecstasies during Mass or when praying the Psalms.

During the 17 years he spent at the Convent of Grotella, his fellow community members observed 70 ecstasies.

He levitated while carrying a heavy cross up a mountain - The most famous of his ecstasies occurred when ten workers at the Convent tried to carry a heavy cross up a high mountain, but they couldn't because of the weight and the distance.

Brother Joseph took the cross by himself, placed it on his shoulders, and began to rise up the mountain, where he placed the cross under the astonished gaze of his brothers.

Apologizing for Levitation - The virtue of obedience: When he took too long to return from his ecstasies, his brothers would poke him with needles, hit him with sticks, and even place lit candles to burn his fingers, but nothing would make him return except when he heard the voice of his Superior calling him back.

When he returned from the ecstasies, he would constantly apologize, saying to his companions: "Forgive me for these dizzy spells that happen to me."

Levitation out of Love for the Blessed Virgin: One day, the Spanish Ambassador and his wife arrived at the Convent and asked for Brother Joseph to attend them for a spiritual consultation.

He arrived running, but when he saw a painting of the Virgin Mary on the wall, he gave his typical little shout and began to rise into the air until he was face-to-face with the sacred image.

The Ambassador and his wife watched this divine act in awe, something they had never seen before.

The saint prayed for a few moments and then gently descended to the ground, extremely embarrassed, ran back to his room, and didn't leave his quarters for the rest of the day.

In Osimo, where the saint spent his last six years, he was seen by the friars levitating towards an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was three and a half meters high, and giving a kiss to the Infant Jesus. There, along with the Mother and Child, he spent a long time praying with intense emotion, suspended in the air.

Levitating during Mass: On the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin in 1663, one month before his death, he celebrated his last Mass. During the celebration, he became suspended in the air as if he were in heaven, before God. Many people witnessed this event.

Levitation before the Pope and Persecuted by the Inquisition: At a time when the heresy of Luther was trying to spread through Catholic countries, the Holy Inquisition kept a close watch for any abnormal occurrences.

Seeing the large crowds that Brother Joseph of Cupertino attracted, the institution decided, with the Pope’s approval, to move him to a less well-known convent where he would live practically in seclusion.

He was prohibited from speaking to anyone except the friars of the convent, and even from writing letters to anyone.

Many enemies began to claim that his levitations were frauds and accused him of being a deceiver, which caused him numerous troubles.

He was sent to the Superior General of the Franciscans in Rome, and upon realizing how pious and humble he was, the superior recognized that the friar was a holy man.

He was then sent to Pope Urban VII, who wanted to know whether the rumors about Brother Joseph’s ecstasies were true.

While speaking with the Pope, Joseph became so emotional that he immediately entered into an ecstasy and began to rise into the air.

Flying While Praying: On a day of the Immaculate Conception, he invited the guardian priest to repeat with him: Pulchra Maria! (Mary is beautiful!)

As soon as the priest repeated these words, the saint, entering into ecstasy, put his arm around the waist of his superior and carried him with him into the air, repeating together: Pulchra Maria! Pulchra Maria!

Healing a Sick Man in Flight: Another time, a gentleman in a state of dementia was brought to him to be healed by God.

The saint told him to kneel and, placing his hand on his head, said: "Mr. Balthazar, do not be afraid. I recommend you to God and to His Blessed Mother..."

At that moment, the saint gave his typical cry announcing the ecstasy, grabbed the man by the hair, and lifted him into the air. He kept the man suspended for a while, and when his feet finally touched the ground, the sick man was cured.

St. John Bosco's Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians.

 

           O Maria Ausiliatrice, Madre benedetta del Salvatore, validissimo è il tuo aiuto in favore dei cristiani. Per te le eresie furono sconfitte e la Chiesa uscì vittoriosa da ogni insidia. Per te le famiglie e i singoli furono liberati ed anche preservati dalle più gravi disgrazie. Fa', o Maria, che sia sempre viva la mia fiducia in te, affinché in ogni difficoltà possa anch'io sperimentare che tu sei veramente il soccorso dei poveri, la difesa dei perseguitati, la salute degli infermi, la consolazione degli afflitti, il rifugio dei peccatori e la perseveranza dei giusti.

              O Mary, Help of Christians, Blessed Mother of the Savior, your help is most powerful in favor of Christians. Through you, heresies were defeated, and the Church emerged victorious from every threat. Through you, families and individuals were liberated and also preserved from the gravest misfortunes. Grant, O Mary, that my trust in you may always remain alive, so that in every difficulty I too may experience that you are truly the help of the poor, the defense of the persecuted, the health of the sick, the consolation of the afflicted, the refuge of sinners, and the perseverance of the righteous.

Memorare

 You can know more about this prayer here.

      

        Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, esse derelictum. Ego tali animatus confidentia, ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, curro, ad te venio, coram te gemens peccator assisto. Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despicere; sed audi propitia et exaudi. Amen.

        Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to 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.

Saint Mary Bernadette Soubirou.

   Born on January 7, 1844, in France, Maria Bernadette Soubirous was the first of nine children born to François Soubirous and Louise Castèrot. In her childhood, she worked as a shepherd and domestic servant.

   During the first ten years of her life, her family faced severe financial difficulties, later moving to Lourdes, where they lived in destitution, residing in the building of the old municipal prison. Although the conditions seemed unsanitary, the family lived on the upper floor of the building, which was occupied by Bernadette's father's cousin. She struggled with formal education and catechism, which delayed her first communion. She was unable to attend school and remained illiterate until the age of 14.

   On February 11, 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette near Lourdes, France, in the Massabielle grotto. Bernadette described the event: "One day, I went with two girls to the banks of the River Gave to gather firewood. I heard a noise, turned around to the meadow, but saw no movement in the trees. I looked up and saw the grotto. Then I saw a lady dressed in white; she wore a white dress with a sky-blue sash around her waist and a gold rose on each foot, the same color as the rosary she held. Only on the third occasion did the Lady speak to me and asked if I would return for fifteen days. For fifteen days, I returned, and the Lady appeared every day, except on one Monday and one Friday. She repeatedly asked me to tell the priests to build a chapel there. She told me to go to the spring to wash and to pray for the conversion of sinners. Many times I asked her who she was, but she only smiled at me kindly. Finally, with arms and eyes raised to heaven, she told me she was the Immaculate Conception."

   The priest who heard her account was astonished and moved by the realization that Bernadette was not inventing her story. She had no knowledge of the meaning of her words, let alone the recently promulgated dogma of the "Immaculate Conception" by the Pope.

   While the matter was examined by the ecclesiastical hierarchy, which proceeded with cautious skepticism, scientifically inexplicable healings were reported at the Massabielle grotto. On February 25, 1858, in the presence of a crowd, a spring appeared under Bernadette’s hands—water from this spring still flows today, producing about five thousand liters daily.

   Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, Bernadette claimed to have had 18 visions of the Virgin Mary at the same location. She defended the authenticity of these apparitions with an unusual firmness for a humble, obedient teenager of low educational and socioeconomic standing. She stood firm against the opinions of her family, clergy, and public authorities, enduring interrogations, pressure, and intimidation from civil authorities. Nevertheless, she never wavered in asserting the authenticity of the apparitions with full conviction.

   In 1860, to escape public curiosity and harassment, Bernadette sought refuge as a "destitute boarder" at the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Nevers, Lourdes. There, she received an education and, in 1861, wrote the first personal account of her visions of Our Lady. On January 18, 1862, Monsignor Bertrand Sévère Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, publicly and officially acknowledged the reality of the apparitions.

   In July 1866, Bernadette entered the novitiate at the Saint-Gildard convent, and on October 30, 1867, she made her solemn profession in the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. She devoted herself to the care of the sick until her death. A vast crowd attended her funeral on April 19, 1879.

   Her beatification took place on June 12, 1925, granted by Pope Pius XI, and she was canonized as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes on December 8, 1933, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, by the same Pope, after the Vatican recognized her personal virtues and the miraculous cures attributed to her after her death.

Prayer to Our Lady Queen of Angels.

         This prayer was dictated by Our Lady to the Blessed Fr. Louis-Edouard Cestac on 13th January 1864.

     

          Auguste Reine des cieux et maîtresse des Anges, Vous qui avez reçu de Dieu Le pouvoir et la mission d’écraser la tête de Satan, nous vous le demandons humblement, envoyez les légions célestes pour que, sous vos ordres, elles poursuivent les démons, les combattent partout, répriment leur audace et les refoulent dans l’abîme. Qui est comme Dieu ? O bonne et tendre Mère, vous serez toujours notre amour et notre espérance. O divine Mère, envoyez les Saints Anges pour me défendre et repousser loin de moi le cruel ennemi. Saints Anges et Archanges, défendez nous, gardez nous.

           August Queen of Heaven, sovereign queen of Angels, you who at the beginning received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of Satan, we beseech you humbly, send your holy legions so that, on your orders and by your power, they will track down demons, fight them everywhere, curb their audacity and plunge them into the abyss. Who can be compared to God? Oh good and tender Mother, you will always be our love and our hope. Oh divine Mother, send the Holy Angels and Archangels to defend me and to keep the cruel enemy far from me. Holy Angels and Archangels defend us, protect us. Amen. 

Blessed Nicholas Steno.

 

 Blessed Nicolas Steno  (Januar 11, 1638 to December 5, 1686  Gregorian Calendar)  Steno  made fundamental contributions to four branches of science: anatomy, paleontology, geology, and crystallography. He was Danish by birth (Nicolas Steno is a Latinized version of Niels Stenson).

While still in his twenties he was already recognized as one of the leading anatomists in Europe. His anatomical studies greatly increased knowledge of the glandular-lymphatic system.  Various parts of the body are named after him, including Stensen’s duct, Stensen’s gland, Stensen’s vein, and Stensen’s foramina. He also did important work on heart and muscle structure, brain anatomy, and embryology. He traveled to Florence, where he worked in a research institute that included some of Galileo’s pupils.

In 1666, while dissecting the head of a Great White shark that had been caught near Livorno, he noticed that the shark’s teeth strongly resembled the so-called tongue-stones common on Malta.

This led him to develop, after much geological investigation, a detailed theory of the origin of fossils and of sedimentary rock that was controversial but correct. Steno’s theory of sedimentary rock was based on three ideas: the “law of superposition”, the “principle of original horizontality”, and the “principle of lateral continuity,” which are now recognized as the fundamental principles of stratigraphy.

Steno is thus regarded as the founder of the study of fossils and a one of the main founders of the science of geology. Steno’s theory of how geological strata were laid down opened the way to understanding the history and age of the earth.

The study of geology led Steno to the study of crystals, where he discovered the basic fact, known as Steno’s Law, that in all crystals of the same mineral the angles are the same.

Steno was raised as a Lutheran, but a deep study of theology and the writings of the early Church Fathers led him to embrace Catholicism. He became a priest and soon afterward a bishop.  In his last public lecture as a scientist, he made this statement: “Beautiful is what we see. More beautiful is what we comprehend. Most beautiful is what we do not comprehend.”

As bishop, he was known as an ardent advocate for the poor, for whom he sold all of his belongings, even his bishop’s ring. He practiced rigorous asceticism, constantly praying and fasting.

On October 23, 1988, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is Dec 5.

"Manifesto of Faith" by Gerhard Cardinal Müller

 

MANIFESTO OF FAITH

 

“Let not your heart be troubled!” (John 14:1)

 

In the face of growing confusion about the doctrine of the Faith, many bishops, priests, religious and lay people of the Catholic Church have requested that I make a public testimony about the truth of revelation. It is the shepherds' very own task to guide those entrusted to them on the path of salvation. This can only succeed if they know this way and follow it themselves. The words of the Apostle here apply: “For above all I have delivered unto you what I have received” (1 Cor. 15:3). Today, many Christians are no longer even aware of the basic teachings of the Faith, so there is a growing danger of missing the path to eternal life. However, it remains the very purpose of the Church to lead humanity to Jesus Christ, the light of the nations (see LG 1). In this situation, the question of orientation arises. According to John Paul II, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a “safe standard for the doctrine of the faith” (Fidei Depositum IV). It was written with the aim of strengthening the Faith of the brothers and sisters whose belief has been massively questioned by the “dictatorship of relativism.”[1]

 

1. The one and triune God revealed in Jesus Christ

The epitome of the Faith of all Christians is found in the confession of the Most Holy Trinity. We have become disciples of Jesus, children and friends of God by being baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The distinction of the three persons in the divine unity (CCC 254) marks a fundamental difference in the belief in God and the image of man from that of other religions. Religions disagree precisely over this belief in Jesus the Christ. He is true God and true Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Word made flesh, the Son of God, is the only Savior of the world (CCC 679) and the only Mediator between God and men (CCC 846). Therefore, the first letter of John refers to one who denies His divinity as an antichrist (1 John 2:22), since Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is from eternity one in being with God, His Father (CCC 663). We are to resist the relapse into ancient heresies with clear resolve, which saw in Jesus Christ only a good person, brother and friend, prophet and moralist. He is first and foremost the Word that was with God and is God, the Son of the Father, Who assumed our human nature to redeem us and Who will come to judge the living and the dead. Him alone, we worship in unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit as the Only and True God (CCC 691).

 

2. The Church

Jesus Christ founded the Church as a visible sign and instrument of salvation realized in the Catholic Church (816). He gave His Church, which “emerged from the side of the Christ who died on the Cross” (766), a sacramental constitution that will remain until the Kingdom is fully achieved (CCC 765). Christ, the Head, and the faithful as members of the body, are a mystical person (CCC 795), which is why the Church is sacred, for the one Mediator has designed and sustained its visible structure (CCC 771). Through it the redemptive work of Christ becomes present in time and space via the celebration of the Holy Sacraments, especially in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Holy Mass (CCC 1330). The Church conveys with the authority of Christ the divine revelation, which extends to all the elements of doctrine, “including the moral teaching, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, and observed” (CCC 2035).

 

3. Sacramental Order

The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation in Jesus Christ (CCC 776). She does not reflect herself, but the light of Christ, which shines on her face. But this happens only when the truth revealed in Jesus Christ becomes the point of reference, rather than the views of a majority or the spirit of the times; for Christ Himself has entrusted the fullness of grace and truth to the Catholic Church (CCC 819), and He Himself is present in the sacraments of the Church.

 

The Church is not a man-made association whose structure its members voted into being at their will. It is of divine origin. "Christ himself is the author of ministry in the Church. He set her up, gave her authority and mission, orientation and goal (CCC 874). The admonition of the Apostle is still valid today, that cursed is anyone who proclaims another gospel, “even if we ourselves were to give it or an angel from heaven” (Gal 1:8). The mediation of faith is inextricably bound up with the human credibility of its messengers, who in some cases have abandoned the people entrusted to them, unsettling them and severely damaging their faith. Here the Word of Scripture describes those who do not listen to the truth and who follow their own wishes, who flatter their ears because they cannot endure sound doctrine (cf. 2 Tim 4:3-4).

 

The task of the Magisterium of the Church is to “preserve God’s people from deviations and defections” in order to “guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error” (890). This is especially true with regard to all seven sacraments. The Holy Eucharist is “source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). The Eucharistic Sacrifice, in which Christ includes us in His Sacrifice of the Cross, is aimed at the most intimate union with Him (CCC 1382). Therefore, the Holy Scripture admonishes with regard to the reception of the Holy Communion: “Whoever eats unworthily of the bread and drinks from the Lord's cup makes himself guilty of profaning the body and of the blood of the Lord” (1 Cor 11:27). “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion” (CCC 1385). From the internal logic of the sacrament, it is understood that civilly remarried divorcees, whose sacramental marriage exists before God, as well as those Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Faith and the Church, just as all who are not properly disposed, cannot receive the Holy Eucharist fruitfully (CCC 1457) because it does not bring them to salvation. To point this out corresponds to the spiritual works of mercy.

 

The confession of sins in Holy Confession at least once a year is one of the Church’s commandments (CCC 2042). When the believers no longer confess their sins and no longer experience the absolution of their sins, salvation becomes impossible; after all, Jesus Christ became Man to redeem us from our sins. The power of forgiveness that the Risen Lord has given to the Apostles and their successors in the ministry of bishops and priests applies also for mortal and venial sins which we commit after Baptism. The current popular practice of confession makes it clear that the conscience of the faithful is not sufficiently formed. God's mercy is given to us, that we might fulfil His Commandments to become one with His Holy Will, and not so as to avoid the call to repentance (CCC 1458).

 

“The priest continues the work of redemption on earth” (CCC 1589). The ordination of the priest “gives him a sacred power” (CCC 1592), which is irreplaceable, because through it Jesus becomes sacramentally present in His saving action. Therefore, priests voluntarily opt for celibacy as "a sign of new life" (CCC 1579). It is about the self-giving in the service of Christ and His coming kingdom. With a view to receiving the ordination in the three stages of this ministry, the Church is “bound by the choice made by the Lord Himself. That is why it is not possible to ordain women”(CCC 1577). To imply that this impossibility is somehow a form of discrimination against women shows only the lack of understanding for this sacrament, which is not about earthly power but the representation of Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church.

 

4. Moral Law

Faith and life are inseparable, for Faith apart from works is dead (CCC 1815). The moral law is the work of divine wisdom and leads man to the promised blessedness (CCC 1950). Consequently, the "knowledge of the divine and natural law is necessary" to do good and reach this goal (CCC 1955). Accepting this truth is essential for all people of good will. For he who dies in mortal sin without repentance will be forever separated from God (CCC 1033). This leads to practical consequences in the lives of Christians, which are often ignored today (cf 2270-2283; 2350-2381). The moral law is not a burden, but part of that liberating truth (cf Jn 8:32) through which the Christian walks on the path of salvation and which may not be relativized.

 

5. Eternal Life

Many wonder today what purpose the Church still has in its existence, when even bishops prefer to be politicians rather than to proclaim the Gospel as teachers of the Faith. The role of the Church must not be watered down by trivialities, but its proper place must be addressed. Every human being has an immortal soul, which in death is separated from the body, hoping for the resurrection of the dead (CCC 366). Death makes man's decision for or against God definite. Everyone has to face the particular judgement immediately after death (CCC 1021). Either a purification is necessary, or man goes directly into heavenly bliss and is allowed to see God face to face. There is also the dreadful possibility that a person will remain opposed to God to the very end, and by definitely refusing His Love, "condemns himself immediately and forever" (CCC 1022). “God created us without us, but He did not want to save us without us” (CCC 1847). The eternity of the punishment of hell is a terrible reality, which - according to the testimony of Holy Scripture - attracts all who “die in the state of mortal sin” (CCC 1035). The Christian goes through the narrow gate, for “the gate is wide, and the way that leads to ruin is wide, and many are upon it” (Mt 7:13).

 

To keep silent about these and the other truths of the Faith and to teach people accordingly is the greatest deception against which the Catechism vigorously warns. It represents the last trial of the Church and leads man to a religious delusion, “the price of their apostasy” (CCC 675); it is the fraud of Antichrist. “He will deceive those who are lost by all means of injustice; for they have closed themselves to the love of the truth by which they should be saved” (2 Thess 2:10).

 

Call

As workers in the vineyard of the Lord, we all have a responsibility to recall these fundamental truths by clinging to what we ourselves have received. We want to give courage to go the way of Jesus Christ with determination, in order to obtain eternal life by following His commandments (CCC 2075).

 

Let us ask the Lord to let us know how great the gift of the Catholic Faith is, through which opens the door to eternal life. “For he that shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation: The Son of Man also will be ashamed of him, when He shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38). Therefore, we are committed to strengthening the Faith by confessing the truth which is Jesus Christ Himself.

 

We too, and especially we bishops and priests, are addressed when Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, gives this admonition to his companion and successor, Timothy: “I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the living and the dead, by His coming, and His kingdom: Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry. Be sober.” (2 Tim 4:1-5).

 

May Mary, the Mother of God, implore for us the grace to remain faithful without wavering to the confession of the truth about Jesus Christ.

 

United in faith and prayer

 

Gerhard Cardinal Müller

Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 2012-2017

 

 

 

[1] The numbers in the text refer to the Catechism of The Catholic Church.