For the souls in purgatory, for our dear Loved ones

Confraternity of St Joseph, Patron of the Dying | Ite ad Joseph!

From: St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin (by Father Prosper Gueranger 1870) http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/St.%20Joseph.html

Such a life could not close save by a death that was worthy of so great a Saint. The time came for Jesus to quit the obscurity of Nazareth, and show himself to the world. His own works were henceforth to bear testimony to his divine origin; the ministry of Joseph, therefore, was no longer needed. It was time for him to leave this world, and wait, in Abraham's bosom, the arrival of that day, when heaven's gates were to be opened to the just. As Joseph lay on his bed of death, there was watching by his side He that is the master of life, and that had often called this his humble creature, Father. His last breath was received by the glorious Virgin Mother, whom he had, by a just right, called his Spouse. It was thus, with Jesus and Mary by his side, caring and caressing him, that Joseph sweetly slept in peace. The Spouse of Mary, the Foster-Father of Jesus, now reigns in heaven with a glory which, though inferior to that of Mary, is marked with certain prerogatives which no other inhabitant of heaven can have.

From heaven, he exercises a powerful protection over those that invoke him. In a few weeks from this time, the Church will show us the whole magnificence of this protection; we shall be having a special Feast in honour of the Patronage of St. Joseph. What the Liturgy proposes to us today, are his glories and privileges. Let us unite with the Faithful throughout the world, and offer the Spouse of Mary the Hymns, which are this day sung in his praise.

Important prayers to have close by:

From the Thirty Days Prayer to St Joseph, 

I ask it by the perfect love and conformity thou didst show in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life and from the company of Jesus and Mary (!). I ask it by the joy which filled thy soul when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and Hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led thee into it with special honours. 

PS: I found this: http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com - beautiful site!

There's a beautiful piece on St. Joseph, written by a Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876. I obtained one of the pictures above from this site: http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Sermons%20on%20the%20Feast%20of%20St.%20Joseph.html


In regard to the degree of glory to which St. Joseph is elevated in heaven, we behold him by the side of Jesus, in company with the Blessed Virgin Mary. This exaltation points, at the same time, to the degree of his union with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost in the Most Holy Trinity. How indeed could God the Father refuse to hear the prayer of him whom He appointed to be His representative here on earth? In like manner how could God the Son deny him a request, since He was subject to him on earth as his foster-Son? And how could God the Holy Ghost remain deaf to any prayer of his, since He made him protector and spouse of her whom we have the right to designate as spouse of that Divine Spirit? Besides, St. Joseph stands at the side of Jesus, who is at the same time Man, with Mary, His mother. Let him but give the faintest sign, and Mary surely will not refuse to unite her prayer with his that Jesus will grant the petition; for Jesus is almighty, and, through this union with the Saviour and His mother, St. Joseph becomes, so to say, almighty himself.

....

St. Joseph lived in retirement and silence--a hidden life. He lived in the deepest recollection of spirit, keeping God ever in view. And here we perceive one of the principal obstacles which stands in the path of so many who fain would think that they are seeking the most rapid way to perfection.

The constant turmoil in which they live is not conducive to a holy life. They shrink from that solitude wherein the Holy Ghost would speak to their hearts. They are given to much conversing, and that, where neither duty nor Christian charity demands it, is a great source of tepidity and lukewarmness. It sets a most pernicious example, which in many instances destroys whatever efforts are made for the sanctification of souls.

To this is added an excessive fondness for pleasure. What was at once the solace, the joy, and the recreation of St. Joseph, was his intercourse with Jesus and Mary; and this will impart to us a very important lesson. Christ our Lord is the model of all perfection, and after Him ranks Mary as the most faithful imitator of the splendor of those virtues which adorned her Son. For thirty years St. Joseph had this immaculate Mother and her divine Son daily before his eyes. He lived with Jesus and Mary, which circumstance gave him occasion to regulate his life in accordance with their example; and this he did with an assiduity and a fidelity proportionate to his knowledge of and love for them, and the ardor of his desire to resemble them daily more and more.

Hail Holy Joseph Hail!

An excerpt from the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ by St. Alphonsus de Liguori

An excerpt from the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ by St. Alphonsus de Liguori

Simple Exposition of the Passion: Chapter V: Agony of Jesus in the Garden of Olives (p.174-176)

I.    And a hymn being said, they went out to Mount Olivet…  Then Jesus came with them to a country place, which is called Gethsemani.  

As soon as they had said grace, Jesus leaves the supper room with his disciples, goes into the garden of Gethsemani, and begins to pray. But, alas, at the commencement of his prayer, he is assailed with a great fear, an oppressive tediousness, and an overwhelming sadness. He began to fear and be heavy, says St. Mark. St. Matthew adds, He began to grow sorrowful and to be sad. Hence our Redeemer, overwhelmed with sadness, said that his blessed soul was sorrowful even unto death. Then was presented before him the melancholy scene of all the torments and ignominies which were prepared for him. In his Passion these afflicted him one by one; but in the garden, the buffets, the spittle, the scourges, the thorns, the nails, and the reproaches which he was to suffer, came all together to torment him. He there embraced them all, but in embracing them, he trembled, he agonized, and prayed: And being in an agony, He prayed the longer. But, my Jesus, who compels Thee to submit to such torments? The love, he answers, which I bear to men constrains me to endure them. Ah, how great must have been the astonishment of heaven at the sight of omnipotence become weak, of the joy of paradise oppressed with sadness! A God afflicted! And why? To save men, his own creatures. In the garden he offered the first sacrifice: Jesus was the victim, love was the priest, and the ardor of his affection for men was the blessed fire with which the sacrifice was consummated.

II.   My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me. Thus Jesus prayed. 

My Father, he says, if it be possible, save me from drinking this bitter chalice. But he prayed thus not so much to be delivered from the torments that he was to endure, as to make us understand the pain which he suffered and embraced for the love of us. He prayed thus, also, to teach us that in tribulations we may ask God to deliver us from them, but that we should at the same time conform entirely to his divine will, and say with him, Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt. And during the whole time of his prayer he repeated the same petition. Thy will be done…And He prayed the third time, saying the self-same word.

Yes, my Lord, for Thy sake, I embrace all the crosses which Thou wilt send me. Thou, an innocent, hast suffered for my sake, and shall I, a sinner, after having so often deserved hell, refuse to suffer in order to please Thee, and to obtain from Thee the pardon of my sins, and Thy grace? Not as I will, but as Thou wilt: let not my will, but Thine, be always done.

III.   He fell flat on the ground. In his prayer in the garden, Jesus fell prostrate on the ground, because, seeing himself clothed with the sordid garment of all our sins, he felt, as it were, ashamed to raise his eyes to heaven.

My dear Redeemer, I would not dare to ask pardon for so many insults which I have committed against Thee, if Thy sufferings did not give me confidence. Eternal Father, look on the face of Thy Christ: look not on my iniquities, behold this, Thy beloved Son, trembling, agonizing, and sweating blood in order to obtain Thy pardon for me. And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground. But, my Jesus, in this garden there are not executioners to scourge Thee, nor thorns, nor nails to torture Thee: what, then, extracts so much blood from Thee? Ah! I understand Thee: it was not the foresight of Thy approaching sufferings that then afflicted Thee so grievously; for to these pains Thou didst spontaneously offer Thyself: He was offered because it was His own will. It was the sight of my sins; these were the cruel press which forced so much blood from Thy sacred veins. Hence, it was not the executioners, nor the nails, nor the thorns, that were cruel and barbarous in Thy regard: no, my sins, which made Thee so sorrowful in the garden, have been barbarous and cruel to Thee, my sweet Redeemer. Then, in Thy great affliction, I too have added to Thy sorrows, and have grievously afflicted Thee by the weight of my sins. Had I been guilty of fewer sins, Thou shouldst have suffered less.

----

Orazio Borgianni ca. 1575 – 1616

Agony in the Garden

oil on canvas (100 × 123 cm) — 1610Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig

From the sky a beam of light falls on the praying Jesus. He is supported by an angel. In the foreground his followers are sound asleep.

It is late at night, after the Last Supper. Jesus knows what is about to happen. Here in the Garden of Gethsemane he prays "take away this cup from me".

From the right, soldiers with torches approach the Garden. They are on their way to arrest Jesus.

https://www.artbible.info/art/large/880.html

The Clock of the Passion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huhyTq-frsY

Stations of the Cross & The Shroud of Turin

:))

I found these while looking for resources for M and K!

https://padrepioacademy.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-of-the-cross

and this:

http://www.sspxridgefield.com/home

and this too!!

http://www.sspxridgefield.com/shroud-of-turin

:))

“Blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” Luke 11:28

Here is a very good link and sharing it for your use, dear reader: 

https://sites.google.com/site/credo2019/home

To Love Jesus and Mother Mary and Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

https://sites.google.com/site/credo2019/home

“Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ”   Romans 10:17

You will find in it good resources in these topics: 

- jurisdiction

- obedience

- spiritual life

and the resources are constantly growing!,so please do save the link and click back for more from time to time! 

- Marian Conferences

1.    Our Lady -  Mother of God     
2.    Our Lady - Immaculate Conception
3.    Our Lady - Mother of Grace
4.    Our Lady's Perpetual Virginity
5.    Our Lady - Mother of the Saviour
6.    Our Lady - Mother of the Redeemer

- Education Conferences 

    - the three operations of the soul

    - logic

    - training the will [I think Education is not merely just instructing the intellect, rather, also training the will and forming the character]

- Archbishop Lefebvre

1. Archbishop Lefebvre, June 29, Ordination Sermon
2. Excerpt of the Sermon in Lille, August 29, 1976 (video-3 min)
3. Presentation on Book of Marcel Lefebvre: the Biography (Video)  

- Other Conferences

1. Luther and the New Mass
2. Problems in the Church                
3. Preparation for Confession
4. Our Lady of Fatima             
5. Questions & Answers   
6. Enthronment of the Sacred Heart 
7. Rose Hu Toyko Interview  [Joy in Suffering!]
8. Mental Prayer                  
9. Fatima Conference at 2005 Pilgrimage Part 1             
10. Fatima Conference at 2005 Pilgrimage Part 2             

Et lacrimatus est Jesus [John 11:35]

from Minute Meditations (Angelus Press)

AND JESUS WEPT
 

Lazarus, His friend, had died. Jesus stood by the silent grave. There was anguish written on His sacred face. His great, manly Heart was broken with grief, human grief at the loss of one He loved—“and Jesus wept.” Tears filled His eyes, great scalding tears that overflowed upon His cheeks and fell like dew upon the earth—the human tears of the gentle Christ.

“And Jesus wept.” How much that tells me of my Divine Friend! It tells me in terms of infinite tenderness of a Heart acquainted with human woe, of a Heart that feels as my heart feels, of a Heart that responds to the human need of human affection, of a Heart that can bleed when stabbed by the knife of cruel separation from human loves.

“And Jesus wept.” How close it brings Jesus to me! For it makes Him so like myself. As I see His tears I know that He understands my tears. I know that He understands when my soul is harrowed with pain, when sorrow has made my heart its home. I know that the cry that escapes my lips as I stand by the tomb of one I have loved, or by the grave of my buried hopes—I know that my cry has a meaning for Him fuller and deeper than words can tell.

“And Jesus wept.” Yes, Jesus wept, but without bitterness, wept and His sorrow was holy, His tears were sacred. Is it always so with me? I too weep. But is my sorrow always holy? Are my tears always sacred? Is there not, at times, bitterness in my grief, rebellion in my suffering? Let me pause and reflect.

 

Dear Jesus, Divine Friend, have mercy on us.

-------

And this is my beautiful Jesus. His Sacred Heart so full of LOVE. 

and (like and does not fully suggest what I want to imply, rather the word simultaneously or together with ... would do better) one doesn't talk just of the Sacred Heart, it is always together with one other heart that knows fully well what the word SACRIFICE means. 

and together with the Heart of my most beautiful Jesus, there is the Heart of His Most Loving Mother. She suffers intensely, and this hidden suffering, so holy, yet so intensely painful... What love and what sacrifice, what strength She has. How much we need to honour Her who suffered so much, so that we could be saved? 

I love you, my Jesus. 

I love you, my Mother. 

-------

How can I love another so much unless I see Jesus in him?

Saint Thomas Aquinas, ora pro nobis! Albertus Magnus, ora pro nobis!

Albertus Magnus

Doctor Universalis

"Almighty God,

you combined human wisdom and divine faith

to render great your bishop, Saint Albert.

May we remain faithful to his teachings,

so that, through the progress of human science

we may come to a deeper knowledge and love of you.

(We make our prayer) through our Lord".

 

– Collect for the feast of St Albert the Great, 15 November.

 

St Albert left behind writings on sacred doctrine and other sciences, and is worthily called the ‘Great’ and the ‘Universal’ doctor. He died on 15 November, 1280, in Cologne, and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pius II in 1459. He was canonised by Pius XI on 16 December 1931 and Pius XII later declared him the patron saint of those involved in the natural sciences.

 

This painting of St Albert teaching is in the old chapel of the Albertinum in Fribourg, Switzerland.

"In 1248 he [St Albert] was charged with opening a theological studium at Cologne, one of the most important regional capitals of Germany, where he lived at different times and which became his adopted city. He brought with him from Paris an exceptional student, Thomas Aquinas. The sole merit of having been St Thomas' teacher would suffice to elicit profound admiration for St Albert. A relationship of mutual esteem and friendship developed between these two great theologians, human attitudes that were very helpful in the development of this branch of knowledge"

 

– Pope Benedict XVI. 

The rest of his reflection can be read here.

 

This painting of St Albert guiding St Thomas in study is in the Dominican priory in Toulouse.

Saint Thomas Aquinas

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

The things that we love tell us what we are.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine.

Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.

Beware of the person of one book.

Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate.

Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.

Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.

Law: an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community.

Signadou, Fanjeaux, France

Bach: Suite 2 for flute - Bouree, Polonaise, Minuet, Badinerie

MOZART, 12 Variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman" K.265