Author Archives: Trese
Passiontide
The two weeks of Passiontide begin today, the first week being known as “Passion Week,” and the second week being known as “Holy Week.”
This day–Passion Sunday, also known as Judica Sunday because of the Introit Júdica me (Psalm 42)–memorializes the increasing antipathy against Christ from the Jews who would not accept Him and accused Him of sorcery and of being blasphemous and possessed by a devil. After today and until Easter, the Júdica me and the Glória patris at the Introit and Lavabo are omitted from Masses of the Season. This signifies Christ’s hiding His glory from the world during these next few weeks as He hides Himself away from the Jews until the time has come for Him to enter into Jerusalem (commemorated on Palm Sunday) and to be crucified (commemorated on Good Friday)–after which comes the Resurrection on Easter.
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On Ash Wednesday, all over the world, traditional and Novus Ordo Catholics are going to be praying and fasting. It is a powerful day to ask for God’s forgiveness and for the salvations of Souls. All of us Catholics need to pray for unity and purity of Catholic dogma. We also want to repent of individual and collective sins that are destroying the Mystical Body of Christ.
Here are some suggestions of what we can do for Lent.
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Beloved, I highly recommend Regina Magazine to deepen our understanding and reverence for the Faith – the Faith once delivered to the saints!
The article below on Saint Athanasius, taken from Regina Magazine’s recent email mailing, is, to us, especially wonderful and indeed fitting in this time of confusion and apostasy. References are included below so that those who wish may read further on this glorious saint.
Saint Athanasius of Alexandria
Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (born c. 296, died 2 May, 373), bishop and confessor, is a doctor of the Church. Athanasius was the greatest champion of Catholic belief on the subject of the Incarnation that the Church has ever known and in his lifetime earned the characteristic title of “Father of Orthodoxy”, by which he has been distinguished ever since. Athanasius was even known as Athanasius Contra Mundum (Athanasius against the World). Athanasius studied under Saint Anthony the hermit, (Athanasius wrote a book titled “Life of Saint Anthony”) then two years later became the understudy of Saint Alexander, the Patriarch of Alexandria. Athanasius came to prominence during the Council of Nice, where he refuted the Arian heresy.
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The Purification of Mary
The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple
and . . . Candlemas
Today’s first reading gives us an important insight to understand profoundly the mystery of the Lord’s Presentation in the Temple by Mary and Joseph, in accordance with the canons of Mosaic Law. The text, taken from the Prophet Malachi says, ‘I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord who you seek’ (Mal 3:1). From all the Gospels, we know that it is the Precursor, St John the Baptist who was born 6 months before Jesus, that God sent to prepare His way. Putting these evangelical facts together, we can comprehend the words of the Prophet Malachi. The Lord God promised that He would send a Precursor to prepare His way. Since there is only 6 months between the birth of St John the Baptist and Jesus it is clear that the prophecy meant that suddenly after the Precursor, the Lord Himself will come. So, soon after the Baptist’s birth, God entered His temple. Jesus’ presentation signifies God’s entrance to His temple. God made man entered His temple, presenting Himself to those who were really searching for Him.
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The Season of Septuagesima
Taken in its entirety from the wonderful Regina Magazine: https://www.reginamag.com/the-season-of-septuagesima/
Are you ready for Lent?
Septuagesima and Lent are both times of penance; Septuagesima being a time of voluntary fasting in preparation for the obligatory Great Fast of Lent.
The theme is the Babylonian exile, the “mortal coil” we must endure as we await the Heavenly Jerusalem. Sobriety and somberness reign liturgically; the Alleluia and Gloria are banished.
“The Sundays of Septugesima are named for their distance away from Easter:
- The first Sunday of Septuagesima gives its name to the entire season as it is known as “Septuagesima.” “Septuagesima” means “seventy,” and Septuagesima Sunday comes roughly seventy days before Easter. This seventy represents the seventy years of the Babylonian Captivity. It is on this Sunday that the alleluia is “put away,” not to be said again until the Vigil of Easter.
- The second Sunday of Septuagesima is known as “Sexagesima, which means “sixty”. Sexagesima Sunday comes roughly sixty days before Easter.
- The third Sunday of Septuagesima is known as “Quinquagesima,” which means “fifty” and which comes roughly fifty days before Easter.
- Quadragesima means “forty,” and this is the name of the first Sunday of Lent and the Latin name for the entire season of Lent.
Starting Tomorrow!
Dear ones, it is not often we send out two messages and videos in a row, but this is quite urgent. Some have doubted the immoral plot to make certain that President Trump is not reelected. The video below from John-Henry Westen of LifeSite News may alleviate some of those doubts. But there is a much more important reason for this post . . .
Do you recall Our Lady’s miraculous victory at the Battle of Lepanto? Here are two excerpts from one account of that Battle that changed history:
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Sanity!
Beloved, we have much to tell you – not the least of which is that we have a new home!! Bishop Gerald Vincke, Bishop of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, has invited us to build our home in Beloit, Kansas, an almost “fairytale-ish” town with an unbelievably beautiful church and even more beautiful community of souls who deeply love and live the Catholic Faith.
We are currently in temporary quarters. As soon as we have a permanent address, we will send out a newsletter and catch you up to date. In the interim, I wanted to send you (and the whole world, if possible) this video from Michael Voris of Church Militant. Whether or not you are a fan of Church Militant or of Michael Voris, I would urge you to listen to what I think is the most “sane” message of our day. Sanity is seeing reality as it is; I think Michael has given us not only an accurate assessment of where we are now as an American people and, more importantly, as God’s People, but also our clear path forward. I personally believe every word and perspective he lays out in this message is indeed true, the negation of which will result in a much deeper and further disaster than we have already experienced.
Our love to each of you and prayers for a most blessed, healthy, and, yes, prosperous New Year in the One who came that we might have Life, all of Life, and have it to the full.
Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God, O.S.B.
P.S.!!! As I was about to send this email message, an opportunity came up for us to see a particular house for sale which would meet our present needs. We just came from there and wish to buy the house!!! It’s “only” $200,000 😬 . . . but we believe if it is our Lord’s will, He will provide. He has met our every need to date; what Our Lord does not want, we do not want. If the purchase of this property can go through, we will return to Tulsa, OK, right away to move the rest of our things to our new home. We are planning to give our Priory and Guest House in Tulsa to a deaf-blind ministry for men and women, and will not be requiring certain payment from them apart from what they can afford.
These times are so thrilling for us. Beloit, Kansas is almost too good to be true, as is our new potential home. We have met many of the teachers and students in the school and many around town. It seems as if the entire town, Catholic or not, is happy we are here. Blessed be God forever. If any of you are able to assist us with the purchase of our new home at this time, we would be exceedingly grateful of course. You can mail a check to: 466 S. 79th East Ave., Tulsa, OK 74112 (which will be forwarded to us in Beloit) or donate online at: https://motherofisraelshope.org/donations/. Please know that your prayers and good wishes are as much a part of our new foundation than any other gift. We cherish your friendship and partnership in this apostolate for the restoration of the family and the salvation of souls!!!
The video follows: Please do watch it. I would be happy for your thoughts. God bless you!
Newsletter: Christmas 2020
You may wish to download and open the Newsletter in Acrobat Reader
so that you have full access to the interactive features in the file.
The History of Advent
From THE LITURGICAL YEAR, Book 1, Advent
LORETO PUBLISHING
Dom Guéranger OSB
First Translation: 1867
The name Advent [from the Latin word Adventus, which signifies a coming] is applied, in the Latin Church, to that period of the year, during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. The mystery of that great day had every right to the honour of being prepared for by prayer and works of penance; and, in fact, it is impossible to state, with any certainty, when this season of preparation [which had long been observed before receiving its present name of Advent] was first instituted. It would seem, however, that its observance first began in the west, since it is evident that Advent could not have been looked on as a preparation for the feast of Christmas, until that feast was definitively fixed to the twenty-fifth of December; which was done in the east only towards the close of the fourth century; whereas it is certain that the Church of Rome kept the feast on that day at a much earlier period.
We must look upon Advent in two different lights: first, as a time of preparation, properly so called, for the birth of our Saviour, by works of penance; and secondly, as a series of ecclesiastical Offices drawn up for the same purpose. We find, as far back as the fifth century, the custom of giving exhortations to the people in order to prepare them for the feast of Christmas. We have two sermons of Saint Maximus of Turin on this subject, not to speak of several others which were formerly attributed to St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, but which were probably written by St. Cesarius of ArIes. If these documents do not tell us what was the duration and what the exercises of this holy season, they at least show us how ancient was the practice of distinguishing the time of Advent by special sermons. Saint Ivo of Chartres, St. Bernard, and several other doctors of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, have left us set sermons de Adventu Domini, quite distinct from their Sunday homilies on the Gospels of that season. In the capitularia of Charles the Bald, in 846, the bishops admonish that prince not to call them away from their Churches during Lent or Advent, under pretext of affairs of the State or the necessities of war, seeing that they have special duties to fulfill, and particularly that of preaching during those sacred times.
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