The priest has been especially consecrated for the
purpose of dispensing the Sacraments . The Mass is the peak of everything that is Catholic.
There - the priest is the human intercessor through whom the prayers and petitions of those present are chanelled. In short, we cannot all say Mass as individuals - so an intermediary is chosen. (There will be a special section devoted to the priesthood).
COMMENT: The Mass consists of a collection of psalms, letters of the apostles, Old Testament readings, and the gospels. The answering prayers are simply that: Prayers in answer to the teachings that are received through the Scriptures that saturate this Sacrament such as the Introit, the Epistle Gospel. Offertory, Communion psalms.
Those present assist in the praying of the Mass. They participate through the praying of the liturgy. After introductory prayers which prepare the baptised soul to enter 'unto the altar of God' the priest prays the Confiteor then we pray it...and God is asked to forgive us each and all our sins specifically to enter the 'holy of holies' with a pure heart during the celebration of the Mass in order to honour Him worthily. It is a profound experience for this brief time to be treated by God as if I was without sin because of the direct mediation of Christ present on the altar in the tabernacle and then in his real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at the consecration. The purpose of this indescribable blessing is to enable the soul to worship the Father as the Son worships Him. This is not possible anywhere else. If you have loved somebody deeply on earth it is but a shadow of the love the Son has for the Father...and as I mentioned elsewhere....the pray-er is caught up in their embrace...sqashed between them so to speak. 'One day' prayed the Son openly to the Father in front of his apostles, 'they will know how much I love the Father.'
Offering the bread to his Father in heaven Our Lord said, "This is my Body". The change from the bread to flesh symbolises the action that takes place really in the body of the recipient which then becomes flesh of Christ's flesh empowering it to identify, resist and cast off sin. Offering the wine to his Father in heaven Our Lord said, "This is my Blood". The change from the wine into his blood symbolises the action that takes place really in the soul of the recipient transfusing it with the wine of supernatural life which is the blood of Our Lord. In the natural order a blood transfusion rids the blood of antibodies hostile to its health. So too the infusion of Christ's blood, shed for us on the Cross, cleanses and removes sin due to the soul being so-ransomed. Then he invited his followers to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Many of his followers left him when he said these words not remaining long enough to hear the reaction of his own apostles and the subsequent enlightenment they received.'They will know' means they will know as Christ knows the Father. They will know by means of his knowing. They are not just to be observers of the glory of God, they are to take part in it just as the Father has wanted since he created them. Here, they taste the sweetness of the Lord.... and for that brief time experience the relief of being unburdened and close to God.
To give some idea of what this means...God uses these words deliberately, and in the purest sense of our becoming his relative. We become flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, soul of his soul, and divinised in his divinity...just as my mother, father, sons, cousins are flesh of my flesh. It is only during Mass that a person can become flesh of Christ's flesh, blood of his blood bcause the supernatural dimension intrudes into nature inserting itself into the natural dimension for that brief time. No other means are possible. Nature has no capacity whatsoever to bring this about. For example, a sexual act belongs in the realm of nature. If I try to fit a supernatural understanding into a natural one...it just won't go. WHAT DOES GO HOWEVER , IS WHEN I SEEK TO SURRENDER MY NATURAL SELF TO GOD TO RECEIVE HIS MEANING. It is very 'Marian' to do this...Mary was a chalice and received God's word and conceived Christ in her womb by a supernatural process just as we conceive him in our hearts by a supernatural process.
So too, down through the ages, many people have left refusing to seek understanding of what this means. Those few who remain and listen contemplatively receive a priceless reward when desiring to hear what follows their humble submissiveness just as did the apostles.
(a) the grace of perception to 'see' (b) a change in its own heart.
Here one can see the whole meaning of the Incarnation when in Mary's womb he became flesh losing none of his divinity. In becoming flesh of our flesh he makes us flesh of his flesh. We make Mary's 'fiat' our own when we seek to be a chalice like her.
In the picture Christ is shown to demonstrate that it is still He who offers his Father the sacrifice. He alone out of all mankind is worthy to do so. The priest acts 'in Persona Christi'- in the Person of Christ Himself. So that the very same sacrifice is offered to the Father by Christ as at that very first Supper before Christ's crucifixion. What Christ did was done once for all time commencing when it was first instigated by Him. It is called a memorial - a re-enactment - of the one holy sacrifice He made of Himself - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He does this act throughout the life of the Church that he founded for as long as there is a priest to say Mass.Christ's apostles didn't understand it either, as many listeners walked away shaking their heads. However, one thing is clear. It is what these words were NOT! His body was whole and intact as he offered this sacrifice to God. So it does need some enlightenment to comprehend what was actually happening. Faith is the only vehicle that can provide sufficient enlightenment on the matter. The Catholic believes what Christ has said then ponders its meaning. He does not question what is said and can seek understanding just as Mary did when she believed that she would bear a son and simply asked how it would be accomplished since she was a consecrated virgin.
GETTING TO THE VERY NUB OF THIS SACRAMENT IS THE 'DOING' THAT CHRIST TOLD HIS APOSTLES TO 'DO'.
People who believed increased through time down to the present as witnessed in the visible Church which has literally 'done' what Christ comanded it to 'do' Do this in memory of me. He consecrated bread and wine into his body and blood....that is what he did. Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you shall not have life in you.....eternal life.....freedom from your sins...and eternal happiness for which you were destined in the first place. When you 'do' this you become flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, soul of my soul, divinised in my divinity. Impossible without me for I alone am true God and true man. It is simple enough to find out whether Christ was Just by observing his actions reactions/words and outcomes. By the same method it is simple enough to find out if he was merciful....to whom....and why. And he left nobody in doubt how he would judge souls....those who were merciful would receive mercy...those who treated their neighbour unjustly, cruelly would be treated that way--in hell.
Me? I have no authority to believe and 'do' these things myself because Our Lord gave this authority only to his twelve apostles when he breathed on them and chose one to be their leader with full authority in the Church he was establishing. And after his resurrection he taught them for forty days before he ascended out of their sight. Only they were given the authority to pass on to others what had been passed to them from Christ himself. "Whoever believes you believes me." And it was only those who knew him personally and witnessed everything who could witness to what they had heard seen and touched and from there - pass it on.
"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
My own faith was aroused when I raised the following question? "Being truly God and truly Son of Man then you have to show me because I cannot possibly understand what you mean." The disciples didn't understand but Peter spoke for them (and for me) when he said.... "Lord you have the words of eternal life....to whom shall we go?" He could have added: "You've brought us thus far, are you going to leave us in this dilemma?" Sounds to me as if he could almost be in tears. I suggest that there is no better example of true prayer than this statement of Peter's.
Having been prepared through the liturgical prayers, Scriptural reflections and confession of need - the pewsitter kneels to receive His Lord exactly as those first apostles did...from the hand of Christ himself .
Because Christ Himself is priest and victim in the Mass of all Ages this sacrifice is perfect - flawless. It is a perfect re-enactment of that first Mass where he was priest and victim offering his own body and blood which the Church has faithfully practised, doing as he did, down to the present age. The sacrifice of Christ showing his redeeming wounds cannot be refused by the Father. The Pewsitter knows that regardless of the state of the priest's soul this sacrifice takes place needing no input, or state of holiness in or by any human being in order to confect the Sacrament. It is solely the action of Father, Son and Holy Spirit when the Mass is said by a truly ordained priest and according to the precise language handed down through the centuries from the lips of Christ Himself. Without the validly ordained priest there can be no Mass.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Church exists because Christ, true God and true man, founded it. Through that Church the Pewsitter can look backwards, forwards, sideways, upwards, downwards in history (like standing in the middle of a circle) because the Holy Spirit is the viewer through which the reason for man's existence is made clear from the beginning of the world to the end. The Holy Spirit is the only vehicle that reveals the one true God, his nature, and modus operandi. The Holy Spirit is God. Without him God remains unknown to man. Our Lord said that he had to return to the Father to release the Holy Spirit to enlighten the Church and 'bring to mind' everything that Christ has said and taught. The Holy Spirit provides the access to the mind of God as revealed by Christ to man, and he brings it directly as spoken by Christ himself right into the heart of the faithful soul.
It is impossible for there to be any contradiction in the mind of God who is revealed as being a Trinity of persons...Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have heard many people use limited human nature to mock the teaching of Christ regarding his Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit. They mock what they do not understand. They try to fit what is supernatural into the natural dimension and it just won't go. To get a beautiful rendition of the Church's teaching on this subject read the gospel of St. John.
The Pewsitter uses his faith to release the action of the Trinity in his heart and soul. It is a silent language too profound for words but responsive through the tool of faith to anybody who sincerely seeks understanding.
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Having been prepared through the liturgical prayers, Scriptural reflections and confession of need - the pewsitter kneels to receive His Lord exactly as those first apostles did...from the hand of Christ himself .
Because Christ Himself is priest and victim in the Mass of all Ages this sacrifice is perfect - flawless. It is a perfect re-enactment of that first Mass where he was priest and victim offering his own body and blood which the Church has faithfully practised, doing as he did, down to the present age. The sacrifice of Christ showing his redeeming wounds cannot be refused by the Father. The Pewsitter knows that regardless of the state of the priest's soul this sacrifice takes place needing no input, or state of holiness in or by any human being in order to confect the Sacrament. It is solely the action of Father, Son and Holy Spirit when the Mass is said by a truly ordained priest and according to the precise language handed down through the centuries from the lips of Christ Himself. Without the validly ordained priest there can be no Mass.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Church exists because Christ, true God and true man, founded it. Through that Church the Pewsitter can look backwards, forwards, sideways, upwards, downwards in history (like standing in the middle of a circle) because the Holy Spirit is the viewer through which the reason for man's existence is made clear from the beginning of the world to the end. The Holy Spirit is the only vehicle that reveals the one true God, his nature, and modus operandi. The Holy Spirit is God. Without him God remains unknown to man. Our Lord said that he had to return to the Father to release the Holy Spirit to enlighten the Church and 'bring to mind' everything that Christ has said and taught. The Holy Spirit provides the access to the mind of God as revealed by Christ to man, and he brings it directly as spoken by Christ himself right into the heart of the faithful soul.
It is impossible for there to be any contradiction in the mind of God who is revealed as being a Trinity of persons...Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have heard many people use limited human nature to mock the teaching of Christ regarding his Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit. They mock what they do not understand. They try to fit what is supernatural into the natural dimension and it just won't go. To get a beautiful rendition of the Church's teaching on this subject read the gospel of St. John.
The Pewsitter uses his faith to release the action of the Trinity in his heart and soul. It is a silent language too profound for words but responsive through the tool of faith to anybody who sincerely seeks understanding.
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WHY DID OUR LORD GO TO HELL?
Preamble:
The whole purpose of God becoming man once sin had been introduced into the soul of man, was to get rid of the evil seed that had been planted there by an enemy who formerly was created beautiful. The whole array of beautiful angels were to become our guardians and messengers between God and us. I know that when I was baptised becoming a child of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) he gave me, and each baptised person, a guardian angel. Just as there is a variety of people so there is a vast variety of angels...many allotted the task of carrying messages to us. Suffice it to say that these incomparably intelligent beings were placed to minister to us . We were created inferior to them. Even the most brilliant minds amongst us could not compare with the intelligence of the least of the angels. One of the highest ranking angels refused to place himself in servitude to the all-powerful God who had no need to lower himself to our level. It is easy to see this angel approach God and expect him to listen and change his mind. Close to God, with immense authority as an archangel, he had no thought he had not the right to speak to him as an equal. He did not get a second chance so that with lightening speed he was thrown out of heaven. Angels cannot die so this one decided to take his revenge on us and use his powers to destroy God's work of human creation...taking us with him.
As an aside...naturally I do not have inside knowledge of all this...how could I? When the teachings of the church are pondered they link up and virtually present themselves to the ponderer. There is nothing that cannot be understood by us insofar as it effects us. God has revealed through his church so much information that when understanding is sought the Holy Spirit obliges because our co-operation is desired by Him. The Church is in the forefront of urging us to do our homework. Those who have gone before us have laid down what they have learned and no matter at what time in history our forbears lived there is not a shadow of difference....so that as we each add everything up it is like a seamless garment exposing a beauty beyond the realm of the natural order.
God, right from the beginning, loved us even though we had not yet been created....much like a mother loves her unborn child (or used to) . Scripture says he longed to play with the sons of men.
It does not follow that because an enemy had succeeded in alienating us from Him that God would dismiss us out of sight. ( Neither does it follow that because many of today's shepherds betray the Church (and us) that we abandon Him.) A parent continues to love his child even though the child has brought nothing but grief. (And we, as repentant children can return to him because his love never ceases.) Love is like that. The pain and sacrifice involved in this kind of love shows its lasting quality. Indeed, sacrifice gives love its quality. This is how God loved us from the beginning. There was no way he was going to abandon us. He loved us while still in our sins. Although man succumbed to being tempted where man would not normally have been tempted had the archangel remained true to his nature man, nevertheless, sinned of his own free will when God had provided and protected him with a simple commandment.
It bears thinking about to consider that man would doubtless have suffered the same instant judgement meted out to Lucifer had man not been tempted when he sinned. It leads to the horrifying conclusion that man, at some stage of his life, is able to commit that unforgiveable sin when we are told he can be sent to the place prepared for the devil and his angels. Our Lord would not have said it unless some souls make the same choice as Lucifer.
Using my own words this is the way I see things: Choice was denied me after it had been removed by the original sin of Adam and Eve. Choice could not be restored until the price demanded by justice was paid. Adam sinned against a just God with the result that his offspring did not have the choice he had enjoyed. Being denied knowledge of God man could not possibly undo the damage. God could restore it by just forgetting all about it and letting us off. The only thing wrong with that method is that we would not know (a) we were in a state of sin and (b) that we could not be admitted into his presence whilst in that state. So the whole reason for Christ's sacrifice was to educate us, give us the tools to never sin again, and show us how we could never be with God if we remained ignorant of sin and its horrible consequences. All had to be made visible, understandable and correctable, but that could not be done unless the sin was lifted enabling us to see.
Burdened with our sins Christ 'became as sin' and suffered in his emptiness-of-sin-body while on earth to show us its horror. (** see below). He did not suffer the fires of hell because he was not a sinner. The underworld, Gehenna, where he descended would hereafter be confirmed as hell meaning that Christ would not visit that place again, leaving only the eternally damned there. Patriarchs and prophets, indeed all just men who had died awaited Christ in the 'bosom of Abraham'.
Rising from the dead he led them to heaven which was now open to them and us. If he did not go the full distance we would never have escaped paying the full price ourselves. Loaded with the sins of the whole human race the Church tells us that being empty of sin AND DIVINE this infinite Being alone was capable of taking the place of each one of us as if each was the only person. Like a lamb led to slaughter He submissively paid the price to redeem each and every soul....OR to allow justice to take its course if redemption was refused. Christ did die for each person in that, as a double edged sword, his sacrifice either definitively saves me or definitively condemns me.
This action of God's, however, restored choice to me. It did not automatically remove my sins..end of story! Being aware, now, of the true state of things: Who God is; what is good, what is evil; my true destiny with him; my true destiny without him; why there is suffering in the world; how much God loves me; how fear of his great power over life and death protects and guards me. The new theology emanating from Vatican II that God loves everybody and would not condemn them is heresy. Such people are being denied the truth that it is actually Christ who sends people to hell. Sins against the Son of Man are forgiven, but the Son will instantly judge the soul that calls his Father a liar.
When Veronica proffered a towel to Christ to wipe his face free of the spittle and blood was he not intercepting the unseen (to us) insults hurled at his beloved Father ? Was it not a twofold epitome of Love to load himself -empty-of-sin with our sins whilst simultaneously removing them forever from his Father's sight? Not one drop of Christ's blood will be wasted when Judgement Day comes..it is one or the other... Mercy or Justice! Our Lord's words, 'It is done' were final. If Christ has spoken truly (and he has) then such a sin = the sin of the fallen archangel = the same result where we are told that such souls go to the place prepared for the devil and his angels.
Remember he died for each one of us individually as well as collectively.
The term 'hell' is a post-Christ word. All souls who died before the time of Christ were detained either in 'gehenna' or 'limbo' or 'bosom of Abraham' (Old Testament prophets, Abraham, Moses. Adam and Eve etc. etc.) So all these souls awaited the redeemer to deliver final judgement. Those who had committed sins of weakness were different , say, to someone like Judas whom Christ tried to help and forewarned that it would be better if he had never been born. There is no question that Judas lost his soul for all eternity. After the descent into the underworld and the subsequent resurrection, hell became a permanent place for living men and women from that time who die in a state mortal. Heaven was now open to those redeemed. Scripture relates that when Christ died souls were seen by the living that were rising heavenwards.
His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane was the submitting anew in his weak humanity to fulfil his mission, when, before becoming Man, he stepped forward as the lamb (Book of Revelation) when the Father asked 'Who can I send?' As true God and true Man (Son of) he was of one mind with the Father about such a sacrifice being the only recourse if Love was employed to save us - to make visible to us the horror and injustice of sin. Father, Son and Holy Ghost could have just let us go, but God loved us too much. In his weak human body he sought strength whilst his soul agonised over our souls being lost unable to redeem ourselves. He was preparing himself to undergo immeasurable torments ahead and to submit to the humiliations, abuse and hatred of His people whom he loved. He had already forgiven his tormenters ahead of time and begged his Father to forgive them when they had crucified him - thus winning time for them and us. He commanded his followers to do likewise to forgive their enemies.. forgive each one from your heart. His sacrifice wipes our slates clean for God casts our sins behind his back and, if God forgives who can condemn ? These latter words comfort the struggling soul under assault from the tempter who tries with all his might to snatch it back from God. They are not a blanket statement covering everybody without exception...far from it!
Remember he died for each one of us individually as well as collectively.
The term 'hell' is a post-Christ word. All souls who died before the time of Christ were detained either in 'gehenna' or 'limbo' or 'bosom of Abraham' (Old Testament prophets, Abraham, Moses. Adam and Eve etc. etc.) So all these souls awaited the redeemer to deliver final judgement. Those who had committed sins of weakness were different , say, to someone like Judas whom Christ tried to help and forewarned that it would be better if he had never been born. There is no question that Judas lost his soul for all eternity. After the descent into the underworld and the subsequent resurrection, hell became a permanent place for living men and women from that time who die in a state mortal. Heaven was now open to those redeemed. Scripture relates that when Christ died souls were seen by the living that were rising heavenwards.
His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane was the submitting anew in his weak humanity to fulfil his mission, when, before becoming Man, he stepped forward as the lamb (Book of Revelation) when the Father asked 'Who can I send?' As true God and true Man (Son of) he was of one mind with the Father about such a sacrifice being the only recourse if Love was employed to save us - to make visible to us the horror and injustice of sin. Father, Son and Holy Ghost could have just let us go, but God loved us too much. In his weak human body he sought strength whilst his soul agonised over our souls being lost unable to redeem ourselves. He was preparing himself to undergo immeasurable torments ahead and to submit to the humiliations, abuse and hatred of His people whom he loved. He had already forgiven his tormenters ahead of time and begged his Father to forgive them when they had crucified him - thus winning time for them and us. He commanded his followers to do likewise to forgive their enemies.. forgive each one from your heart. His sacrifice wipes our slates clean for God casts our sins behind his back and, if God forgives who can condemn ? These latter words comfort the struggling soul under assault from the tempter who tries with all his might to snatch it back from God. They are not a blanket statement covering everybody without exception...far from it!
A free cheque to heaven is offered to every soul providing he acknowledges his state of sinfulness and need for only God is good. True sorrow for personal sins bring sanctifying grace into the soul due to the price paid by Our Lord. ...all possible because of this immeasurable sacrifice of love offered to us through mercy.
We can never judge anyone...that is for God alone. Every soul is visited by Christ at some point in life...often just as they are dying, but the promise that Our Lord gave to people who want to be rid of this state of sin is what St. Paul calls - a sure hope. Forgiveness is the very first gift offered to the baptised person. The gifts of the Holy Spirit: faith, hope and charity are generously available to the sinner that wants to be rid of its condition and enjoy the eternal happiness that God planned for us from the beginning.
It is well to make the point here that it is only the doctrine of Christianity that teaches God loves us to the degree of offering himself as a holocaust in our place. Other 'gods' of various cults and religions make no such claim. It is impossible for the Catholic to imagine that our God does not love us. His love for us was established FIRST in the soul at Baptism. It is only with that firmly established that God proceeded to educate us on our state of sin...otherwise we would never have been able to acknowledge our condition. I suggest that is why suicide is committed as a soul can become easy prey to the avenging archangel's suggestions at the same time ripping aside the flimsy veil that all of us weave to cover our nakedness.
On his cross Christ prays his prayer of redemption.
Psalm 30 ii
[11] For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed. [12] I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me. [13] I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed. [14] For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life. [15] But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.
[16] My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me. [17] Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy. [18] Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell. [19] Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse. [20] O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.
[21] Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues. [22] Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city. [23] But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee. [24] O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly. [25] Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.
.......................................................This psalm tells of someone who is to come, someone who knew no sin, but made into sin for us. Picture a vessel totally empty and clean that has sludge poured into it. It is filled with filth without being filthy. The sludge that it takes in originally grew out of a dirty environment fed by people who gain from victimising those caught up in it whilst sparing themselves. It gets progressively worse, spreading everywhere into a stinking mess. The pure vessel is composed of properties that are stronger than impurities - that is - they reverse the action of sludge which gobbles up unprotected \purity. For example, if the sun died the world would be in darkness, but light is stronger than darkness for should the sun return darkness would vanish unable to banish the light of the sun.
God looked on a world full of sludge that kept spreading out with the help of sludge-makers who benefitted from the suffering caused to their sludge-victims.
Good men, like Moses/prophets etc. joined the victims and attempted to hold back the evil thing. But their success was short-lived because there was not enough of them and because their enemies were drawing on an evil power to which they had bowed down. Good good men kept appearing and dying just like their forbears. These good men gained strength from a promise made that at a given time Goodness personified would succeed - thus honouring their faith and making up for their lack of numbers. They continued to hope in that promise until the time was ripe when God knew that if he did not intervene directly all would be lost. There was no question that he would fail to honour the faith and hope of those who never gave up, few as they were. And so God, the Person of purity, entered the sewer to rescue those he loved.....those that he saw were being dragged away from him their arms outstretched towards him begging to be rescued. Not counting the cost, but knowing what it would be, he plunged in taking on our humanity to fill himself up with the awful sludge sucking it away from those he loved, tolerating the filth, fully suffering its effects in his own body and soul thus eliminating it. It could not be overcome if he remained aloof . It was a tormenting decision to make because he had to wait till the last second to rescue his friends and thus prolong their suffering knowing that it would cut off forever any chance for latecomers to be rescued. He had sent out many warnings, time and time again, that his descent was certain so that any sludge-makers had time to change.
And so the decisive moment was reached where justice was implemented to destroy the sludge-builder, and mercy reached out her hand to clasp the victim.
Click here for : The Passion Clock
Above : Holy Face of Our Lord was taken from His actual burial shroud.
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Eucharistic Drink : Is the infinite lifeblood of Our Lord entering a finite sin-prone human nature. That which is eternally alive brings to life that which is dying. Every birth will end up in death, some sooner - others later. Life-giving blood transfusing, replacing, nurturing, redeeming. Imparting the life of the Giver transforming the Receiver into new being. Just as dust became us so us return not thereto cheating death of its prey and hell of its bounty.
The new life manifests itself as a living faith kept alive by the sanctifying grace that is poured into the soul every time the Sacraments are received.
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PS. 13th November, 3013. I have not posted on this blog for some time now. Much has occurred during which time Christ's malevolent enemies have risen to positions of power in the Church.
A whole generation has been brought up ignorant of the true faith which has been supplanted by the heretical conciliar church promoting countless distortions of the perennial faith.
The greatest sadness is the change of direction that has occurred within the Society of St. Pius X which is now being led willy nilly on a suicidal mission to become united with Rome. Please refer to the forum : COR MARIAE which shows the process of its compromisations.
For the time being, however, I wish to add some more meditations on the Sacrifice of the Mass.
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The Ordinary of the Holy Mass
The Ordinary of the Holy Mass is replete with countless means' of communication twixt the Pewsitter and his /her Redeemer.
Only the baptised Catholic can enter the altar of God.
Making the Sign of the Cross opens the door admitting you into the Sanctuary where Christ dwells.
Christ is all ears from that first moment you touch your forehead in the Name of His Father.
He listens to you intently. You are seeking His judgment (beginning) here and now. You mean this with all your heart and soul because if he judges you now, when you are in the Sacrament, you will be well prepared for the final, naked face-to-face judgement.
A beautiful thing takes place here. You absolutely trust Him to judge you. You are in need of judgement and correction then enlightenment for you are not good. Only God is good and you are begging him to make you good as he alone is good. You can only speak to Him like this because He has already paid the price for your unforgivable sins, no matter how slight they may be. He is protecting you from the Father's anger should you in any way think you are deserving. You go to him with nothing, not know you are nothing, you know the poverty of not having good in you.
You are not only devoid of virtue. You are desperate to be cleansed. He descended into the sewer of your soul to rid you of the filth in you and that you recognise and hate but cannot rid yourself of - no matter how much you try with your natural talents. The moment you truly feel you have no hope you are quite correct...you do not! When you reach that precise moment His Mercy floods into your soul, brimming over and washing you clean and sparkling new. He supplies you with supernatural food that you can open and consume whenever you hungrily pray between now and your next Mass.
So now, you have the right disposition to continue for He has invited you to come closer.
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