The Christian women who have left behind their jobs, studies and children to take up the fight against ISIS!

Take note enemy-in-chief BHO! God bless these courageous women for standing up and fighting the enemy head on. Shame on all Syrian male refugees who leave their wives, children and their mothers behind and flee to Europe and beyond!

The Christian women who have left behind their jobs, studies and children to take up Kalashnikovs in the fight against ISIS 

• Women from the Syriac Christian community flock to join fight against ISIS
• Many of the female fighters have left behind their families and jobs to fight 
• The new all-female Christian militia is called the ‘Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers’

Babylonia has no regrets about leaving behind her two children and her former job as a hairdresser to join a Christian female militia battling against the Islamic State group in Syria.

The 36-year-old soldier from the Syriac Christian minority in northeastern Syria believes she is making the future safe for her children after joining a new all-female Syriac militia.

‘I miss Limar and Gabriella and worry that they must be hungry, thirsty and cold. But I try to tell them I’m fighting to protect their future,’ she told AFP.

After leaving behind her studies, Christian Ormia is now a member of the battalion called the ‘Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers’

Syriac Christian women, members of the battalion called the ‘Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers’ train at their camp in the town of al-Qahtaniyah

Babylonia belongs to a small, recently created battalion of Syriac Christian women in Hasakeh province who are fighting ISIS.

They are following in the footsteps of Syria’s other main female force battling the jihadists — the women of the YPJ, the female counterpart to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units or YPG.

Although the new militia group is small, it is expected to grow in size.

One of its training camps has already produced around 50 graduates in the town of Al-Qahtaniyeh, also known as Kabre Hyore in Syriac.

The militia is known as the ‘Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers,’ referring to the area between the Tigris and Euphrates waterways historically inhabited by Syriacs.

Babylonia revealed it was actually her husband who encouraged her to leave their children Limar, nine, and six-year-old Gabriella, in order to join the unit whose first recruits graduated in August.

The recent recruits to the new group practice a variety of drills on a makeshift parade ground

Many of the Syriac Christian women have left behind their families and jobs to join the fight against ISIS in Syria

All of the fighters are members of the Syriac community in Syria, who follow Christianity

A small wooden crucifix hangs from the neck of one fighter as she practices in the training camp

Babylonia’s husband is also a soldier and he urged her to take up arms to ‘fight against the idea that the Syriac woman is good for nothing except housekeeping and make-up’, she said.

‘I’m a practising Christian and thinking about my children makes me stronger and more determined in my fight against Daesh (ISIS),’ added Babylonia.

Syriac Christians belong to the eastern Christian tradition and pray in Aramaic. They include both Orthodox and Catholic branches, and constitute around 15 percent of Syria’s 1.2 million Christians.

Before the conflict began in March 2011, Christians from some 11 different sects made up around five percent of the population.

The unit’s first major action was alongside the newly created Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters, which recently recaptured the strategic town of Al-Hol.

‘I took part in a battle for the first time in the Al-Hol area, but my team wasn’t attacked by IS,’ said 18-year-old Lucia, who gave up her studies to join the militia.

Her sister also joined up, against the wishes of their reluctant mother.

‘I fight with a Kalashnikov, but I’m not ready to become an elite sniper yet,’ the shy teenager said, a wooden crucifix around her neck and a camouflage bandana tied round her head.

Al-Hol, on a key route between territory IS controls in Syria and Iraq, was the first major victory for the SDF, which has captured around 200 villages in the region in recent weeks.

It has received air support from the US-led coalition fighting IS, as well as drops of American weapons.

Ormia, 18, found battle terrifying at first.

‘I was afraid of the noise of cannons firing, but the fear quickly went away. I would love to be on the front line in the fight against the terrorists,’ she said.

The battalion’s fighters train in an old mill in a programme that includes military, fitness and academic elements.

Some of the new recruits practice with their new rifles at a camp in al-Qahtaniyah, Syria

The unit’s first major action was alongside the newly created Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters, which recently recaptured the strategic town of Al-Hol

Some of the fighter cooked up a tasty feast for the new battalion during a short lunch break

Syriac Christian Lucia, member of the battalion called the ‘Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers’ plays with puppies during training on December 1, 2015 at their camp in the town of al-Qahtaniyah

The ‘Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers” first major action was alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters, which recently recaptured the strategic town of Al-Hol ©Delil Souleiman (AFP)

With its limited combat experience, the unit for now focuses mainly on protecting majority Christian parts of Hasakeh province.

Thabirta Samir, 24, who helps oversee the training, estimates that around 50 fighters have graduated so far.

‘I used to work for a Syriac cultural association, but now I take pleasure in working in the military field,’ she said.

‘I’m not afraid of Daesh, and we will be present in the coming battles against the terrorists.’

Samir said both local and ‘foreign forces’ helped train the women, without specifying the nationality of the foreigners.

Some women cited what is known as the Sayfo (‘Sword’) massacres in 1915 of Syriac, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians as reasons for joining the unit

In late November, Kurdish sources said US soldiers had entered the town of Kobane in northern Syria to train Kurdish fighters and plan offensives

With its limited combat experience, the unit for now focuses mainly on protecting majority Christian parts of Hasakeh province

In late November, Kurdish sources said US soldiers had entered the town of Kobane in northern Syria to train Kurdish fighters and plan offensives.

Some women cited what is known as the Sayfo (‘Sword’) massacres in 1915 of Syriac, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians as reasons for joining the unit.

‘We are a community that is oppressed by others,’ said 18-year-old Ithraa. She joined four months ago inspired by the memory of Sayfo, in which Ottoman authorities are said to have killed tens of thousands of Christians in Turkey and Iran.

She said the community hoped to prevent ‘a new massacre like that committed by the Ottomans… when they tried to erase our Christian and Syriac identity’.

Daily Mail

 

 

ST. ANDREW, APOSTLE – MASS PROPERS

           November 30

 SAINT ANDREW, APOSTLE

Venerable Dom Prosper Guéranger – The Liturgical Year

We open our Proper of Saints for Advent with St. Andrew, because, although his feast frequently occurs before this holy season has begun, it sometimes happens that we have entered Advent when the memory of this great Apostle has to be celebrated by the Church. This Feast is therefore destined to terminate, with solemnity, the Cycle which is at its close, or to add lustre to the new one which has just begun. It seems, indeed, fitting that the Christian Year should begin and end with the Cross, which has merited for us each of those years which it has pleased the divine goodness to grant us, and which is to appear, on the last day, in the clouds of heaven, as the seal put on Time. We should remember that Saint Andrew is the Apostle of the Cross. To Peter, Jesus has given firmness of Faith; to John, warmth of Love; the mission of Andrew is to represent the Cross of his divine Master. Now it is by these three, Faith, Love, and the Cross, that the Church renders herself worthy of her Spouse. Everything she has or is, bears this threefold character. Hence it is that after the two Apostles just named, there is none who holds such a prominent place in the universal Liturgy as Saint Andrew. But let us read the life of this glorious fisherman of the lake of Genesareth, who was afterwards to be the successor of Christ himself, and the companion of Peter, on the tree of the Cross. The Church has compiled it from the ancient Acts of the Martyrdom of the holy Apostle, drawn up by the Priests of the Church of Patrae, which was founded by the Saint. The authenticity of this venerable piece has been contested by Protestants, inasmuch as it makes mention of several things which would militate against them. Their sentiment has been adopted by several critics of the 17th and 18th centuries. On the other hand, these Acts have been received by a far greater number of Catholic writers of eminence; amongst whom may be mentioned the great Baronius, Labbe, Natalis Alexander, Gallandus, Lumper, Morcelli, &c, The Churches, too, both East and West, which have inserted these Acts in their respective Offices of St. Andrew, are of some authority, as is also St. Bernard, who has made them the ground work of his three admirable Sermons on Saint Andrew.

Andrew, the Apostle, born at Bethsaida, a town of Galilee, was brother of Peter, and disciple of John the Baptist. Having heard his master say, speaking of Christ: Behold the Lamb of God! He followed Jesus, and brought to him his brother also. When, afterwards, he was fishing with his brother in the sea of Galilee, they were both called, before any of the other Apostles, by our Lord, who, passing by, said to them: Come after me; I will make you to be fishers of men. Without delay, they left their nets and followed him. After the passion and resurrection, Andrew went to spread the faith of Christ in Scythia in Europe, which was the province assigned to him; then he travelled through Epirus and Thrace, and by his teaching and miracles converted innumerable souls to Christ. Afterwards, having reached Patrse in Achaia, he persuaded many in that city to embrace the truth of the Gospel.

Finding that the Proconsul Ægeas resisted the preaching of the Gospel, he most freely up braided him for that he, who desired to be considered as a judge of men, should be so far deceived by devils as not to acknowledge Christ to be God, the Judge of all. Then Ægeas being angry, said: Cease to boast of this Christ, whom such like words as these kept not from being crucified by the Jews. But finding that Andrew continued boldly preaching that Christ had offered himself to be crucified for the salvation of mankind, he interrupts him by an impious speech, and at length exhorts him to look to his own interest and sacrifice to the gods. Andrew answered him : I offer up every day to almighty God, who is one and true, not the flesh of oxen, nor the blood of goats, but the spotless Lamb upon the altar; of whose flesh the whole multitude of the faithful eat, and the Lamb that is sacrificed, remains whole and living. Whereupon Ægeas being exceeding angry, orders him to be thrust into prison, whence the people would easily have freed Andrew, had he not himself appeased the multitude, begging of them, with most earnest entreaty, that they would not keep him from the long-sought-for crown of martyrdom, to which he was hastening. Not long after this, he was brought before the tribunal, where he began to extol the mystery of the Cross, and rebuke the judge for his impiety. Ægeas, no longer able to contain himself on hearing these words, ordered him to be hoisted on a cross, and so to die like Christ. Andrew, having been brought to the place of execution, seeing the Cross at some distance, began to cry out: O good Cross, made beautiful by the body of my Lord! So long desired, so anxiously loved, so unceasingly sought after, and now at last ready for my soul to enjoy! Take me from amidst men, and restore me to my men, and restore me to my Master, that by thee He may receive me, who by thee redeemed me. He was therefore fastened to the cross, on which he hung alive two days, preaching without cessation the faith of Christ: after which he passed to Him, whose death he had so coveted. The Priests and Deacons of Achaia, who wrote his Passion, attest that all the things which they have recorded were heard and seen by them. His relics were first translated to Constantinople, under the emperor Constantius, and afterwards to Amalfi. During the Pontificate of Pius II., the head was taken to Rome, and placed in the Basilica of St. Peter.

Note: In September 1964, Pope Paul VI (freemason), as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, (heresy of false ecumenism, ushered in by illicit Vatican II council) ordered that all of the relics of St. Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. Cardinal Augustin Bea along with many other cardinals presented the skull to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964. The cross of St. Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy. It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980. The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by a Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray. All the relics, which consist of the small finger, the skull (part of the top of the cranium of Saint Andrew), and the cross on which he was martyred, have been kept in the Church of St. Andrew at Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a special ceremony every 30 November, his feast day.

In 2006, the Catholic Church, again through Cardinal Etchegaray, gave the Greek Orthodox Church another relic of St. Andrew.

Let us now listen to the several Churches on earth, celebrating the grand triumph of our Apostle. Let us begin with Rome, the Mother and Mistress of all Churches. Nothing could be more expressive than the language she uses in praise of the Apostle of the Cross. First, she employs the words of the Gospel, which record the circumstances of his vocation; then, she selects the most touching passages from the Acts of his martyrdom, drawn up by the Priests of Patrae; and both are intermingled with appropriate sentiments of her own. Our first selection shall be from the Responsories of Matins.

When the Lord was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw Peter and Andrew casting nets into the sea, and he called them, saying: * Come after me, I will make you to be fishers of men. For they were fishers, and he saith to them: * Come after me, I will make you to be fishers of men.

As soon as blessed Andrew heard the voice of the Lord calling him, leaving his nets, by the use and working of which he lived, * He followed him who gives the reward of eternal life.

This is he who, for the love of Christ, hung upon a cross, and for his law endured a passion. * He followed Him who gives the reward of eternal life.

Andrew, the good Teacher, and the friend of God, is led to the cross; which, seeing afar off, he says: Hail, O Cross! * Receive the disciple of Him who hung upon thee, Christ, my master.

Hail, O Cross, which art consecrated by the body of Christ, and art adorned by his members as with pearls. * Receive the disciple of Him who hung upon thee, Christ, my master.

Andrew seeing the Cross, cried out, saying: O admirable Cross; O desirable Cross! O Cross which shinest throughout the whole world! * Receive the disciple of Christ, and by thee may He receive me, who dying by thee redeemed me, to good Cross, which art made fair and beautiful by the body of the Lord. * Receive the disciple of Christ, and by thee may He receive me, who dying by thee redeemed me.

Saint Andrew prayed, as he looked up to heaven, and with a loud voice, cried out and said: Thou art my God, whom I have seen: suffer me not to be detached by the impious judge: * For I have learnt the power of the holy Cross.

Thou art the Christ my master, whom I have loved, whom I have known, whom I have con fessed: graciously hear me in this one prayer. * For I have learnt the power of thy holy Cross.

The Antiphons of Vespers are full of a lyric gracefulness and unction.

                         ANTIPHONS

Hail, O precious Cross! receive the disciple of Him, who hung upon thee, Christ my master. The blessed Andrew prayed, saying: O Lord, King of eternal glory, receive me hanging on this gibbet. Andrew, the servant of Christ, the worthy Apostle of God, the brother of Peter, and his companion in the cross. Maximilla, a woman dear to Christ, took the body of the Apostle, and embalming it, buried it in a most honoured place. Thou, O Lord, didst plunge into hell them that persecuted thy just one, and wast his guide and helper, on the wood of the cross.

The following Hymn was composed, in honour of the holy Apostle, by Pope St. Damasus, the friend of St. Jerome. There is an allusion in it to the name Andrew, which, amongst its many meanings, has that of Beauty.

HYMN

The Beauty of thy sacred name, expressive of thy life, declares how Beautiful thou art in the glory of thy blessed cross. Andrew, Apostle of Christ, thy very name points to the mystic Beauty of thy soul.

The Cross exalts thee, the blessed Cross loves thee, the bitter Cross prepares for thee the joys of the light to come. The mystery of the Cross shines in thee with a twofold beauty: for by the Cross thou dost vanquish insults, and thou preachest to men the Divine Blood shed on the Cross. Then warm up our languid hearts, and take us under thy care; that so, by the victory of the Cross, we may reach our heavenly country. Amen.

The two following sequences, in honour of the Apostle of the Cross, were written in the Middle Ages. The first belongs to the eleventh century. Like all the Sequences of that period, it has no regular rhythm.

The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew

SEQUENCE

The most holy praises of this day’s solemnity, Let the universal Church sing in worthy strains. The most holy merit of the meekest of saints is to be extolled, Of the Apostle Andrew, so bright in his admirable graces. Having learned from John the Baptist, that He had come, who would take sin away, He straightways entered his dwelling, and listened to his words; And finding his own brother, Barjona, he said to him with great joy: We have found the Messias. And he led him to the loved presence of the Saviour. As Andrew was fishing in the sea, the mercy of Christ called him, Giving him, in exchange for his art of fishing, the dignity of an Apostle. His soul, after the grand joys of the Paschal feast, Was visited by the glorious power of the Holy Ghost, That he might go and preach penance to the world, and tell it of the mercy of the Father by the Son. Rejoice, then, O Achaia! that thou hast such an Apostle, Who enlightened thee with his saving doctrine, And honoured thee with his many and manifold miracles. But thou fierce torturer, Ægeas, cry and weep: The pains of hell and eternal death are thine: Whilst Andrew has won happiness and joy by his Cross. O Andrew! now thou seest thy King: now thou art in his presence; Now thou art breathing the odour of sweetness, which comes from the aroma of divine love. Be, then, unto us a delicious sweetness, giving out the hidden balsam of the celestial life. Amen.

The second Sequence, written in rhythm and correct metre, is the composition of the pious Adam of Saint Victor, the greatest lyric poet of the Middle Ages.

SEQUENCE

Let us exult and rejoice, and be delighted in the praises sung to Andrew the Apostle. His faith, and teachings, and actions, and all his labours for Christ, deserve a worthy celebration. ‘Twas he led Peter to the faith. ‘Twas he on whom the Light first shone; the Baptist showed it him. Near the sea of Galilee, our Lord called Peter and Andrew by the one same election. They who were once fishermen, are become heralds of the Word, and models of every virtue. They let down their nets for a draught of men; and carefully watch over the infant Church. Andrew is separated from his brother, and sent into the country about Achaia. A great portion of that province enters, by the grace of God, into Andrew’s net. God, into Andrew’s net. The holy and learned Doc tor forms the heart of his people by his faith, life, preaching, and miracles. When Ægeas discovered what Andrew had done, he was excited to great anger. But Andrew’s mind, ever calm and manly, set little value on this life, and armed itself with patience. The senseless judge offers him his favour, or threatens him with tortures, but cannot shake his constant soul. Seeing the Cross was being prepared, Andrew, as a true disciple, is proud to be thus made like his Master. He repays the death of Jesus by his own, ambitious to have the trophy of triumph, the Cross.

He lived two days hanging on that Cross, which was to make him live for ever; the people resolve to loose him from it: but he would not have it so; and clings to his Cross. An exceeding bright light surrounds him for nearly half an hour; and then, in this light, and in this joy, he mounts to the realms of light. O glorious Andrew, whose prayers are so precious, and whose bright death is so sweet to think on, Take us, by thy loving prayers, from this vale of tears, and transfer us to that fair land of light, O thou good Shepherd of souls.

The pieces so far given belong to the Roman Liturgy, being taken from the books of this Mother of Churches, or from those of the different Churches of the West, which follow the form of her Offices. We will now give, in honour of our holy Apostle, some of the formulas, which the other ancient Liturgies used for his feast; we will begin with the Ambrosian Rite, from which we take the following beautiful Preface.

PREFACE

It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that we should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Al mighty Father, Eternal God; for we are keeping the feast of a sacred mystery, a day on which the blessed Andrew showed himself to be indeed the brother of Peter the Apostle, both by his preaching and his confession of thy Christ; and filled up the ‘ measure of the apostolic dignity by his passion and his glory; for what he had loudly and boldly preached, he would not cease to pro claim even on his cross: and he deserved to follow, during life, the author of eternal life, and to imitate him in the manner of his death; that thus having, in. obedience to his precept, crucified in himself all earthly desires, he might, in accordance with his example, be fastened to a cross. The two brothers, the two fishermen, are both, therefore, raised up to heaven by a cross; that so, having been, by thy that so, having been, by thy grace, bound together by so many ties during this life, they might also be like each other by the crown they wear in heaven; and as their combat was the same, their reward might be the same.

The Gallican Liturgy also celebrated the glories of St. Andrew. Amongst the few fragments which have been handed down to us of this Liturgy, there is not a single piece in poetry. The following Preface, or, as it was then called, Contestation, will show that the Church of Gaul, from the fourth to the eighth centuries, shared the enthusiasm of the Roman and Ambrosian Churches for the glorious Apostle of the Cross.

It is meet and just; it is right and just, that we should give ineffable thanks to thy mercy, O almighty and eternal God! and celebrate with incomparable joy the sufferings of thy Saints, through Christ our Lord: Who gave to the blessed Andrew, at his first calling him, the gift of faith; and in his martyrdom, victory. Both had the blessed Andrew received therefore had he constancy in his preaching, and patience in his passion. After being unjustly scourged, and thrust into prison, he was tied to a gibbet, and on it offered himself a pure sacrifice to thee his God. Most gentle Saint, he lifts up his hands to heaven; he embraces the standard of the cross; he kisses it; he understands the secrets of the Lamb. When, at last, he was led to the cross, and fastened to it, his flesh suffered, but his spirit spoke. He forgot the torture of the Cross, whilst he preached Christ from the Cross; for the more his body was being stretched on the wood, the more did his tongue extol Christ, seeing that by thus hanging on the cross, he was honoured with being made a companion of Christ. He suffers not himself to be loosened from the cross, lest the combat should lose intensity by the delay. The crowd looks upon him, and is in lamentation; it knows him to be the physician of the soul, and demands that he be freed from his chains. It demands that the just man be liberated, lest this crime should destroy the people. Meanwhile, the Martyr breathes forth his soul, and goes to take possession of the kingdom of the eternal Judge. Grant us, O almighty God, by his merits, that we, being safe and protected from all evils, may for ever give praise and thanks to thee, our Lord, the God of the Martyrs, and the Prince of the Apostles.

The Mozarabic Liturgy is extremely rich in its praises of St. Andrew, both in the Missal and the Breviary: we must limit ourselves to the following beautiful prayer.

CAPITULUM

O Christ, our Lord, who didst beautify the most blessed Andrew with the grace of Apostleship, and the crown of Martyrdom, by granting to him this special gift, that by preaching mystery of the Cross, he should merit the death of the Cross: grant us to become most true lovers of thy holy Cross, and, denying ourselves, to take up our cross and follow thee; that by thus sharing thy sufferings in this life, we may deserve the happiness of obtaining life everlasting.

The Greek Church is as fervent as any of the Churches of the West in celebrating the prerogatives and merits of St. Andrew. He is the more dear to it, because Constantinople considers him as her patron Apostle. It would, perhaps, be difficult for the Greeks to give any solid proofs of St. Andrew’s having founded, as they pretend, the Church of Byzantium ; but this is certain, that Constantinople enjoyed, for many centuries, the possession of the precious treasure of the Saint’s Relics. They were translated to that city in the year 357, through the interest of the Emperor Constantius, who placed them in the Basilica of the Apostles built by Constantine. Later on, that is, about the middle of the 6th century, Justinian caused them to be translated a second time, but only from one part of that same Basilica to another.

We borrow the two following beautiful Hymns from the Menaea of the Greeks; the first is sung in the Evening Office, the second in the Morning Office.

IN THE SOLEMN EVENING OFFICE

When He, who is likened to the Star of early morn, whom we call the hypostatic splendour of the Father’s glory, willed in his great mercy to save the human race; thou, O glorious Andrew, wast the first to meet him, being enlightened interiorly with the most perfect brightness of his Divinity; hence thou art called the herald and Apostle of Christ our Lord. Pray to him for us. that he save and enlighten our souls. When He, whom the Pre cursor’s voice had pro claimed, the all-holy Word, was made Flesh, and gave us life, and gave the good tidings of salvation to the earth; then didst thou, most holy Andrew, follow him, and make thyself his first-fruits, and sacrifice, and as it were the first oblation of men: thou didst make him known to thy brother, telling him that this was our God. Pray to Jesus for us, that he save our souls. When He appeared who clothed himself with our flesh in a virginal yet fruitful womb, and was thus the Son of a Virgin, the teacher of piety, giving us this model of purity; then wast thou happy, O Andrew, most ardent lover of virtue; disposing in thy heart to ascend step by step, and wast raised up from glory to the unspeakable glory of the Lord our God. Beseech him, that he save and enlighten our souls. Leaving thy fishing of fish, thou catchest men by the rod of thy preaching, throwing to them the bait of virtue, and dragging all nations from the depths of error, O Andrew, the Apostle, brother of the Leader, most honoured Prince of the earth, excelling and un failing! may the venerable remembrance of thee enlighten them that are in darkness. Andrew, the Apostle, the first-called of thy disciples, O Lord, and the imitator of thy Passion, and made like to thee, drew out with the hook of thy Cross them that lived and wandered in the sea of ignorance, and then brought them unto thee: therefore do we thy faithful, who have been saved, cry to thee by his prayers, O in finitely good Lord: grant us peaceful lives, and save our souls. The Apostle, disciple of Christ, is a fire which inflames men’s minds and burns out their sins, penetrating into the very depth of their hearts: and by the mystic rays of his instructions he shines in the dark hearts of the Gentiles. Then, too, he burns the wild brambles of pagan fables, for the fire of the Spirit has such energy! And is it not a wonder to be trembled at, that a tongue of slime, a nature of clay, a body of dust, should make known the intellectual and the immaterial Knowledge. Do thou, the initiated into unspeakable things, the contemplator of heavenly truths, pray that our minds be illumined. Be glad, O thou heaven of eloquence, everywhere telling the glory of God! The first to obey our Lord with ardour, immediately uniting thyself to him, thou wast set on fire by him, and didst appear as a second light, enlightening with thy rays them that sat in darkness, thus imitating the mercy of Jesus for man. Therefore do we celebrate thy most holy memory, and kiss with great joy the shrine of thy Relics, from which flows health and every sort of boon to thy clients. By the nets of thy oracles thou didst draw from the abyss of ignorance the nations that knew not God, and gavest them life. Like the splendid courser of the Ruler of the Sea, thou, O worthy of all praise, didst stir up the bitter waves by thy wisdom. Thou, the venerable salt of earth, didst season with thy penetrating wisdom what ungodliness was corrupting. This thy wisdom, O glorious Apostle, struck dumb with admiration those who had become imbued and puffed up with an unsound wisdom, and ignored the Lord that showed his great mercy to the world.

IN THE MORNING OFFICE

Not by thirst but by love wast thou urged, O Andrew, when thou didst run, as a stag, to the fountain of life. Leaning on faith, thou didst give to drink of the fountains of incorruption to the distant nations that were parched with thirst.

Thou didst feel the law of nature, O admirable Andrew, and thou didst take thy brother into partnership, crying out to him: We have found the Desired 0ne! and thus he who was walking in the ways of the flesh, was brought by thee to the knowledge of the Spirit. When the Word said: Now, follow me, Cephas also joyfully followed Christ with Andrew, bidding farewell to father, boat, and nets, and became the citadels of the faith. The deifying and exhaust- less virtue of the mighty Creator of all things, and of the burning Spirit, dwelt in thee in the form of a fiery tongue; showing that thou, O divine Andrew, wast a herald of unspeakable things. Most honoured Andrew! he bore not weapons of the flesh for his defence, or for the destruction of the formidable ramparts of the enemy; but with a breast plate on him, he led subject to Christ the nations which had been redeemed by Christ from captivity. Thy ineffable beauty, O Jesus, was first seen by Andrew, who then called out with a loud voice to his brother: Peter, he said, thou man of ardent desires! we have found the Messias, whom the Law and the Prophets have foretold. O come, let us cling to this true life. As thy reward, O Apostle, Andrew, thou hast regained him whom thou desirest: him, with whom thou didst bind up and worthily garner the sheaves of thy labours. Therefore do we sing to thee our hymns of praise. Thou desiredst the Master, and thou hast followed him, walking unto life in his footsteps, and imitating, even unto death, his passion, O verily venerable Andrew! Calmly sailing the sea of the spiritual life, O Apostle, thou didst cross it with the sails of the Spirit and the faith of Christ. Therefore didst thou enter with joy in to the port of life for ever. . The spiritual Sun having, by his own will, sunk on the cross, Andrew, that Sun’s re flection, the great and bright light of the Church, wishing also to be dissolved and to set with Him, was hung upon a cross. As the best of all the disciples of Him, who, of his own will, was fastened to the cross, thou, O blessed Apostle, following thy Master even unto death, thou didst ascend with joy to the summit of the Cross, showing us the way that leads to heaven. Rejoice now, O Bethsaida! for in thee and thy maternal fount bloomed the two most fragrant lilies, Peter and Andrew, bearing, by the grace of Christ whom they resembled in his passion, the odour of the preaching of the faith to the whole world. The city of the Fathers possesses thee as its pastor, and its divine chief, and its liberator in all dangers, and its keeper, O Andrew full of wisdom! Gratefully has it kept thy feast; but do thou unceasingly pray for it, that it may be preserved from all danger.

The Church of Constantinople, so devoted, as we have seen, to the glory of St. Andrew, was at length deprived of the precious treasure of his Relics. This happened in the year 1210, when the City was taken by the Crusaders. Cardinal Peter of Capua, the Legate of the Holy See, translated the body of St. Andrew into the Cathedral of Amalfi, a town in the Kingdom of Naples, where- it remains to this day, the glorious instrument of numberless miracles, and the object of the devout veneration of the people. It is well known how, at the same period, the most precious Relics of the Greek Church came, by a visible judgment of God, into the possession of the Latins. Byzantium refused to accept those terrible warnings, and continued obstinate in her schism. She was still in possession of the Head of the holy Apostle, owing, no doubt, to this circumstance, that in the several Translations which had been made, it had been kept in a separate reliquary by itself. When the Byzantine Empire was destroyed by the Turks, Divine Providence so arranged events, as that the Church of Rome should be enriched with this magnificent Relic. In 1462, the Head of St. Andrew was, therefore, brought thither by the celebrated  Cardinal Bessarion; and on the twelfth of April of that same year, Palm Sunday, the heroic Pope Pius II, went in great pomp to meet it as far as the Bridge Milvius (Ponte Molle), and then placed it in the Basilica of St. Peter, on the Vatican, where it is at present, (no longer the case… see note), near the Confession of the Prince of the Apostles. At the sight of this venerable Head, Pius II,  was transported with a religious enthusiasm, and before taking up the glorious Relic in order to carry it into Rome, he pronounced the magnificent address which we now give, as a conclusion to the liturgical praises given by the several Churches to St. Andrew.

At length, thou hast arrived, O most holy and venerable Head of the saintly Apostle! The fury of the Turks has driven thee from thy resting-place, and thou art come as an exile to thy Brother, the Prince of the Apostles. No, thy Brother will not fail thee; and by the will of God, the day shall come when men shall say in thy praise: O happy banishment, which caused thee to receive such a welcome! Meanwhile, here shalt thou dwell with thy Brother, and share in his honours. This is Rome, the venerable City, which was dedicated by thy Brother’s precious blood. The people thou seest, are they whom the blessed Apostle, thy most loving Brother, and St. Paul, the Vessel of Election, regenerated unto Christ our Lord. Thus the Romans are thy kinsmen. They venerate, and honour, and love thee as their Father’s Brother; nay, as their second Father; and are confident of thy patronage in the presence of the great God. O most blessed Apostle Andrew! thou preacher of the truth, and defender of the dogma of the most Holy Trinity! with what joy dost thou not fill us on this day, whereon it is given us to behold thy sacred and venerable Head, which deserved that, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Paraclete should rest upon it in the form of fire! O ye Christians that visit Jerusalem out of reverence for your Saviour, that there ye may see the places where his feet have stood; lo! here is the throne of the Holy Ghost. Here sat the Spirit of the Lord. Here was seen the Third Person of the Trinity. Here were the eyes that so often saw Jesus in the flesh. This was the mouth that so often spake to Jesus; and on these cheeks did that same Lord doubtless impress his sacred kisses. O wondrous Sanctuary, wherein dwelt charity, and kindness, and gentleness, and spiritual consolation. Who could look upon such venerable ” and precious Relics of the Apostle of Christ, and not be moved?  and not be filled with tender devotion’ and not shed tears for very joy? Yea, O most admirable Apostle Andrew! we rejoice, and are glad, and exult, at this thy coming, for we doubt not but what thou thyself art present here, and bearest us company as we enter with thy Head into the Holy City. The Turks are indeed our enemies, as being the enemies of the Christian Religion; but in that they have been the occasion of thy coming amongst us, we are grateful to them. For, what greater blessing could have befallen us, than that we should be permitted to see thy most sacred Head, and that our Rome should be filled with its fragrance? Oh! that we could welcome thee with the honours which are due to thee, and receive thee in a way becoming thy exceeding holiness! But, accept our good will, and our sincere desire to honour thee, and suffer us now to touch thy Relics with our unworthy hands, and, though sinners, to accompany thee into the walls of the City.  Enter, then, the Holy City, and show thy love to her people. May thy coming be a boon to Christendom. May thy entrance be peaceful, and thy abode amongst us bring happiness and prosperity. Be thou our advocate in heaven, and, together with blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, defend this City, and protect, with thy love, all Christian people; that, by thy intercession, the mercy of God may be upon us, and if his indignation be enkindled against us by reason of our manifold sins, let it fall upon the impious Turks and the pagan nations that blaspheme our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thus has the glory of St. Andrew been blended, in Rome, with that of St. Peter. But the Apostle of the Cross, whose feast was heretofore kept, in many Churches, with an Octave, has also been chosen as Patron of one of the Kingdoms of the West. Scot land, when she was a Catholic country, had put herself under his protection. May he still exercise his protection over her, and, by his prayers, hasten her return to the true faith! Let us now, in union with the Church, pray to this holy Apostle, for this is the glorious day of his feast: let us pay him that honour which is due to him, and ask him for the help of which we stand in need. We have scarce begun our mystic journey of Advent, seeking our divine Saviour Jesus, when lo! God grants us to meet thee, O blessed Andrew, at our very first step. When Jesus, our Messias, began his public life, thou hadst already become the obedient disciple of his Precursor, who preached his Coming: thou wast among the first of them who received the Son of Mary as the Messias foretold in the Law and the Prophets. But thou couldst not keep the heavenly secret from him who was so dear to thee; to Peter, then, thou didst bear the Good Tidings, and didst lead him to Jesus. O blessed Apostle! we also are longing for the Messias, the Saviour of our souls; since thou hast found him, lead us also unto him. We place under thy protection this holy period of expectation and preparation, which is to bring us to the day of our Saviour’s Nativity, that divine Mystery in which he will manifest himself to the world. Assist us to render ourselves worthy of seeing him on that great night. The baptism of Penance prepared thee for receiving the grace of knowing the Word of life; pray for us that we may become truly penitent and may purify our hearts, during this holy time, and thus be able to behold Him, who has said: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Thou hast a special power of leading souls to Jesus, O glorious Saint! for even he, who was to be made the Pastor of the whole flock, was presented to the Messias by thee. By calling thee to himself on this day, our Lord has given thee as the Patron of Christians who, each year, at this season, are seeking that God in whom thou art now living: they must begin it with praying to thee to show them the way which leads to Jesus. Thou teachest us this way; it is that of fidelity, of fidelity even to the Cross. In that way thou didst courageously walk: and because the Cross leads to Jesus Christ, thou didst passionately love the Cross. Pray for us, O holy Apostle! that we may begin to understand this love of the Cross; and that having understood it, we may put it in practice. Thy brother says to us in his Epistle: Christ having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the same thought. Thy feast, O blessed Andrew! shows us thee as the living commentary of this doctrine. Because thy Master was crucified, thou wouldst also be crucified. From the high throne to which thou hast been raised by the Cross, pray for us, that the Cross may be unto us the expiation of the sins which are upon us, the quenching of the passions which burn within us, and the means of uniting us by love to Him, who, through love alone for us, was nailed to the Cross. Important, indeed, and precious are these lessons of the Cross; but the Cross, O blessed Apostle, is the perfection and the consummation, and not the first commencement. It is the Infant God, it is the God of the Crib that we must first know and love; it was the Lamb of God that St. John pointed out to thee; and it is that Lamb whom we so ardently desire to contemplate. The austere and awful time of Jesus’ Passion is not come; we are now in Advent. Fortify us for the day of combat; but the grace we now most need, is compunction and tender love.

We put under thy patronage this great work of our preparation for the Coming of Jesus into our hearts. Remember also, O blessed Andrew, the holy Church, of which thou wast a pillar, and which thou hast beautified by the shedding of thy blood: lift up thy hands for her to Him, whose battle she is for ever fighting. Pray that the Cross she has to bear in this her pilgrimage, may be lightened; that she may love this Cross, and that it may be the source of her power and her glory. Remember with especial love the holy Roman Church, the Mother and Mistress of all Churches; and by reason of that fervent love she has for thee, obtain for her victory and peace by the Cross. Visit anew, in thy Apostolic zeal, the Church of Constantinople, which has forfeited true light and unity, because she would not render homage to Peter, thy brother, whom thou honouredst as thy Chief, out of love to Him who is the common Master of both him and thee. And lastly, pray for Scotland, that has dishonoured thy protection for these three past ages; obtain for her that the days of her rebellion from the faith may be shortened, and, with the rest of our Isle of Saints, soon return to the fold of the One Shepherd. We will close this day with a prayer to the Saviour, whom we are expecting; and celebrate, by this ancient and venerable Hymn, the mystery of his Coming.

HYMN FOR THE TIME OF ADVENT

(The Mozarabic Breviary: in the Hymnarium.)

Rejoice, ye Flowers of the Martyrs! Hail, all ye people and nations! lift up your eyes to heaven, and await the sign of glory. The voice of the Prophets is heard, announcing the coming of Jesus; it is the harbinger of our Redemption, of the grace which saved us. How bright is our morn, and how do our hearts swell with joy, when the faithful voice comes heralding in our glory! May the joy of so great a salvation, whereby the world is redeemed, inspire us with a solemn canticle in praise of Jesus’ coming. It was his first: and he came not to punish, but to heal the sores and sins of the world, saving his creature that was lost.

But when the Second Advent comes, it will tell the world that Christ is at its very doors, to give the Saints their, crowns, and throw open the kingdom of heaven. We have a promise of eternal light; the star of our salvation is rising; and even now its splendid rays are calling us to our right to heaven. Thee alone, O Jesus, do we seek, and wish to see thee as thou art, God. Happy vision, which will But us out of all reach of ell. That thus, when thou comest, O Redeemer, surrounded by the white-robed army of Martyrs, thou mayest admit us also into their pure company. To God the Father, and to his Only Son, and to the Holy Paraclete, be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

                Mass Propers        

ST. ANDREW, APOSTLE, MARTYR

Double of the Second Class/Red Vestments

Missa ‘Mihi autem’

INTROIT – Psalm 138: 17, 1, 2

Mihi autem nimis honoráti sunt amíci tui, Deus: nimis confortátus est principátus eórum. Ps. Dómine, probásti me, et cognovísti me: tu cognovísti sessiónem meam, et resurrectiónem meam. Gloria Patri.

Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened. Ps. Lord, Thou hast proved me, and known me: Thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

We humbly entreat Thy majesty, O Lord: that as the blessed Apostle Andrew was once a teacher and ruler of Thy Church: so he may be a constant advocate for us before Thee. Through our Lord.

COLLECT – Commemoration for Advent

Stir up thy power, O Lord, we beseech thee, and come: that by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins and saved by Thy deliverance. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

EPISTLE – Romans 10: 10-18

Brethren: With the heart, we believe unto justice, but, with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith: Whosoever believeth in him, shall not be confounded. For there is no distinction of the Jew and the Greek, for the same is Lord over all, rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent? as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things! But all have not obeyed the Gospel. For Isaias saith: Lord, who hath believed our report? Faith, then, cometh by hearing: and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say: Have they not heard? Yea, verily, their sound hath gone into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the whole world.

GRADUAL – Psalm 44: 17-18

Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth: they shall be mindful of Thy name, O Lord. Instead of Thy fathers sons are born to Thee: therefore shall people praise Thee.

ALLELUIA

Alleluia, alleluia. The Lord loved Andrew as an odour of sweetness. Alleluia.

JESUS CALLS HIS FIRST DISCIPLES SIMON WHO IS CALLED PETER AND BROTHER ANDREW

GOSPEL – Matthew 4: 18-22

At that time: Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting their nets into the sea (for they were fishers). And He saith to them: Come ye after Me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. And they immediately leaving their nets, followed him. And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and He called them. And they forthwith left their nets and father, and followed Him.

OFFERTORY – Psalm 138: 17

Thy friends, O Lord, are exceedingly honourable; their power is become very great.

Archangel St Michael, St Andrew and St Francis of Assisi, ISENBRANT, Adriaen

SECRET

May the holy prayer of the blessed Apostle, Andrew, we beseech Thee, O Lord, render our sacrifice well-pleasing to Thee: that by his merits it may be made acceptable, in whose honour it is solemnly offered. Through our Lord.

SECRET – Commemoration for Advent

May these holy Mysteries, O Lord, cleanse us by their powerful efficacy, and enable us to come with greater purity to Him who is their foundation. Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

PREFACE OF THE APOSTLES

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, to entreat Thee humbly, O Lord, that Thou wouldst not desert Thy flock. O everlasting Shepherd; but through Thy blessed Apostles, wouldst keep it under Thy constant protection; that it may be governed by those same rulers, whom as vicars of Thy work, Thou didst set over it to be its pastors. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of The glory, evermore saying:

SANCTUS

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis. Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.

COMMUNION – Matthew 4: 19, 20

Come ye after Me: and I will make you to be fishers of men; and they immediately leaving their nets, followed the Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION

We have received, O Lord, the Divine Mysteries, rejoicing in the feast of blessed Andrew: and we beseech Thee, as Thou makest them a source of glory to Thy Saints, so Thou wouldst make them unto us a source of pardon. Through our Lord.

 

POSTCOMMUNION – Commemoration for Advent

May we receive of thy mercy, O Lord, in the midst of Thy temple; that we may with becoming honour prepare for the approaching solemnities of our redemption.  Through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord…

 

 

 

 

 

Cop abuses his authority… slipped past officers to stand next to Pope Francis-Bergoglio’ visit to 9/11!

Cops abusing his authority. Bergoglio fan breaks law to stand close to pope during U.S. visit!

Rogue cop who was not on patrol duty stood mere feet from Pope Francis and refused to move away during U.S. visit!

 

• Port Authority union boss Paul Nunziato wasn’t on patrol during papal visit
• But he slipped past officers to stand next to Pope Francis’ visit to 9/11
• The cop defied orders by three of his superior officers to leave the area
• He also breached the rules for not wearing his cap in ‘a military manner’
• Nunziato says he had a right to be there for PAPD officers who died in 9/11
• Cop has since been charged with violating department’s rules of conduct

A cop who stood guard a few feet away from Pope Francis during his U.S. visit had not been on patrol and refused to leave when ordered, according to disciplinary documents.

Port Authority union boss Paul Nunziato was not on papal patrol during the pope’s visit to the 9/11 Memorial during the New York leg of his U.S. tour in September.

But that did not stop the cop slipping past the officers on duty to stand next to the Catholic leader as he prayed with Timothy Cardinal Dolan for those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Port Authority union boss Paul Nunziato was not on patrol during the papal visit to the 9/11 Memorial when he stood a few feet away from Pope Francis

When his superiors noticed Nunziato – who was not in proper uniform and had no business on papal patrol – they ordered him to leave.

But the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association (PAPBA) president refused, according to disciplinary papers, seen by the New York Post.

He allegedly defied orders from three separate superior officers and remained in the high security, restricted zone, next to the pope.

Nunziato has since been charged with violating the department’s rules of conduct. The department had not yet stated what punishment he could face.

When his superiors noticed Nunziato – who was not in proper uniform and had no business on papal patrol – they ordered him to leave but the cop refused to do so

Nunziato claimed he had a right to be there as Pope Francis gave a prayer for those who lost their lives in 9/11 – including 37 PAPD officers – a laid a white flower in their honor

He is also accused of breaking the rule which states that caps should be worn in ‘a military manner.’ The cop had not been wearing his but had hung it on the side of his gun belt, the papers reveal.

Nunziato claims he had a right to watch the pope bless the names of the victims who died in September 11 as a representative of the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD).

More than half of the 71 police officers who lost their lives when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed in the attacks in 2001 belonged to the department.

The PAPBA president said he was personally asked to attend the event by two widows of officers in his department who died in 9/11 so that the PAPD would get proper recognition alongside the NYPD and Fire Department of New York.

Nunziato, a 28-year veteran who heads the union that represents his 1,300 colleagues, claims that he was simply let through by members of the Secret Service.

‘I think I earned the right to stand next to that reflecting pool as the pope blessed it, and anyone who disagrees with that can kiss my ass,’ he told The Post!

‘I had 37 police officers’ names on that reflecting pool that the pope was going to bless, and I told them if anyone was ­going to stand here as he blessed that pool, it was ­going to be me.

It is not the brash police officer’s first brush with controversy. Last year, Nunziato (right) – a good friend of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (left) former PA David Wildstein – was caught up in the Bridgegate scandal

He added that he had removed his hat – against the department’s rules – as a sign of respect to the papal leader.

It is not the brash police officer’s first brush with controversy.

Last year, Nunziato – a friend of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s former PA David Wildstein – was caught up in the Bridgegate scandal.

Bridgegate, also known as the Fort Lee lane closure scandal, saw the George Washington Bridge local lanes closed after Fort Lee mayor refused to back Gov. Christie’s re-election bid.

Nunziato was subpoenaed over allegations he had suggested to Wildstein he hold a ‘traffic study’ at the bridge. He was never charged.

During the latest controversy, Nunziato can be seen in numerous pictures of the pope’s visit to the memorial, standing a few feet back as Francis prays over the names.

Pope Francis had delivered an emotional speech at the memorial where he mourned the lives of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks and condemned senseless acts of violence while speaking in the foundations of the former Twin Towers.

When he arrived at Ground Zero, the pope stood at the side of the twin reflecting pools where he spent a few moments with his head bowed in solemn silence. He then laid a white flower, a symbol of innocence and purity, on the side of the fountains which bare the names of the fallen.

Nunziato can be seen standing behind him during the solemn event.

Pope Francis had delivered an emotional speech at the memorial where he mourned the lives of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks and condemned senseless acts of violence while speaking in the foundations of the former Twin Towers

Speaking at an interfaith ceremony at the National September 11 museum, the pope said he felt ‘moved’ by his visit to Ground Zero.

‘You can feel the pain here. It’s palpable,’ he said.

He also spoke about the fountains above the museum, saying the water is symbolic of the tears of the victims.

The religious leader had also met with some of the families of those who had lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

About 3,000 people were killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York as well as in Washington, DC and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The number includes 71 police officers – 37 of those PAPD officers – who were killed while responding to the attack on the towers which then collapsed.

Eighteen relatives of people who died in the attacks were among the 400 invited to hear the pope’s remarks.

Source

Read more

• Rogue cop ‘refused’ orders to move away from Pope Francis | New York Post

 

Allahu QUACK-bar: Internet pranksters join the fight against ISIS!!

Allahu QUACK-bar: Inernet pranksters join the fight against ISIS by Photoshopping rubber ducks onto pictures of jihadis!

Internet pranksters have joined the war against ISIS by photoshopping pictures of ducks on the heads of well-known Jihadis. 

Mocking the battle cry of  Allahu Akbar, they decided to change it to Allahu Quackbar in an effort to use satire against the Jihadi monsters. 

Subversive internet group 4chan began the satire attempt by digitally manipulating ISIS propaganda photographs to ridicule the jihadis 

Internet subversives 4chan have been busy photoshopping images of rubber ducks onto Jihadi propaganda

In an effort to discredit ISIS, they have launched Operation Allahu Quackbar to ridicule the jihadis

The online activists want to digitally manipulate as many propaganda images as possible to discredit ISIS

In this image, a group of terrorists have lost their weapons to be replaced by toilet brushes

Here the magazine of the terrorist’s assault rifle have been changed to the colours of the gay pride flag

This lone quackbar soldier is carrying his duck flag above the wastelands of Syria or Iraq

Here an extremist preacher is praising the word of a duck-led regime across the globe

This duck has replaced the image of an ISIS terrorist guarding men digging their own graves

Here is a rather famous image of an extremist preacher who has been mocked in the form of a duck

Source

St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr – Mass Propers

St. Catherine of Alexandria – (287 – 305)

St. Catherine was born at Alexandria, of pagan parents. She was gifted with great personal beauty, and possessed so extraordinary a mind, that she mastered all the sciences which, at that period, nourished in her native city. The only science of which she had no knowledge was that of eternal salvation; but this, too, she at last obtained in the following manner: It seemed to her, in her sleep, that the Queen of Heaven was standing before her in wondrous beauty, carrying her divine Son in her arms. But the latter, turning His face from her in displeasure, said that Catherine was ugly, because she had not been baptized. Catherine awoke, and, while thinking over her dream, she was inspired by Heaven to resolve to become a Christian. When sufficiently instructed, she received holy baptism, after which the Blessed Virgin again appeared to her with Christ, who, looking tenderly at Catherine, placed a ring on her finger, as a sign that He had chosen her for His bride. On awaking, she found a ring on her finger, and, without delay, determined to consecrate her virginity to the Lord, and to become a more zealous Christian. Maximin, the emperor, had appointed a certain day to celebrate a public sacrifice in honor of the false gods, and all the inhabitants of the city were commanded to take part in it. Catherine was deeply grieved to see that the people should thus honor the devil, and not have any knowledge of the true God. Arming herself with courage, she went fearlessly into the temple, where the emperor personally assisted at the sacrifice, and, ad dressing him with Christian freedom, she represented to him his blindness in worshipping idols, and endeavored to convince him of the truth of Christianity. The emperor was greatly surprised that a maiden should dare to speak thus to him, but was, at the same time, fascinated by the appearance and eloquence of Catherine. No sooner had he returned to his palace, than Catherine again appeared before him, and spoke so forcibly of the falsity of the heathen gods, and of the truth of the Christian religion, that the emperor knew not what to reply. What he was unable to do, he thought others could do for him; therefore he summoned some of the most learned men into his presence, to answer Catherine’s arguments, and persuade her to renounce the Christian faith.

But the Almighty, who, by a feeble maiden, could bring to naught the wisdom of the pagan sages, inspired St. Catherine with such eloquence, that she succeeded in convincing them of their error so completely, that they publicly renounced it, and proclaimed the Christian faith as the only true one. The emperor, enraged at so unexpected an issue, ordered these new confessors of Christ to be immediately executed. He then endeavored to win Catherine from her faith by flatteries and promises; and when he found that his words made no impression on the mind of the virgin, he began to threaten, and finally sent her away to be tortured. She was scourged so cruelly and so long, that her whole body was covered with wounds, from which the blood flowed in streams. The spectators wept with pity; but Catherine, strengthened by God, stood with her eyes raised to heaven, without giving a sign of suffering or fear; After this cruel treatment she was dragged into a dungeon, and, by the command of the emperor, was left without food, in order that she might slowly pine away. But God sent an Angel, who healed her wounds and filled her heart with indescribable comfort. The Lord Himself appeared to her, encouraged her to fight bravely, and promised her the crown of everlasting glory. Some writers add, that the empress, having heard much of Catherine’s wonderful learning, eloquence and fortitude, had deep compassion upon her, and secretly went at night with Porphyrius, the captain of the guard, to visit her in her dungeon. When she beheld Catherine’s wounds healed, and the virgin resplendent with more than human beauty, she was speechless with surprise. Catherine made this miracle an occasion to speak to her of the omnipotence of the Most High, and of the falsity of the heathen gods. She spoke with such overwhelming eloquence, that the empress, as well as Porphyrius, promised to embrace Christianity. Some days later, when the emperor was informed that Catherine was not only still alive but in better health than ever, he had her brought before him, and again assailed her with promises and menaces. Finding, however, that she was as firm as before, he gave orders that she should be bound to a wheel studded with sharply-pointed spikes and knives. The Christian heroine was not horrified at this inhuman order, but called with unwavering trust on God.

When the executioners had seized her, and bound her on the wheel, the Almighty sent an Angel, who loosened the fetters and broke the wheel to pieces. Many of the spectators, on beholding this miracle, cried aloud: “Great is the God of the Christians! He alone is the true God! “Maximin remained blind, and was thinking of new torments, when the empress came forward, reproached him with his barbarity towards a weak and innocent maiden, and boldly confessed that she herself recognized and worshipped no other god but the God of the Christians. The tyrant, hearing these words, lost all control over himself, and ordered the empress and Porphyrius to be immediately beheaded, and Catherine, as an enemy of the gods, to be taken to the public market-place and put to death by the sword. The fearless virgin went joyfully to the appointed place, exhorted all the people who had come to witness her death to abandon idolatry, prayed to God for their conversion, and then received the stroke that sent her soul to heaven. Ancient authors testify that milk flowed from the body of St. Catherine instead of blood, as had formerly happened at the death of St. Paul. Her body, they add, was miraculously carried by angels and buried on Mount Sinai, in Arabia.

             November 25

 St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr

 Double/Red Vestments

          Missa ‘Loquebar’

INTROIT – Psalm 118: 46-47, 1

Loquebar de testimoniis tuis in conspectu regum, et non confundebar: et meditabar in mandatis tuis, quæ dilexi nimis. Ps. Beati immaculate in via: qui ambulant in lege Domini. Gloria Patri.

I spoke of Thy testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed: I meditated also on Thy commandments, which I loved. Ps.  Blessed are the undefiled in the way: who walk in the law of the Lord. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

O God, Who didst give the law to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai and by means of Thy holy angels didst miraculously place there the body of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr: grant we beseech Thee, that, by her merits and intercession, we may be able to come unto the mountain which is Christ. Through our Lord.

EPISTLE – Ecclus. 51: 1-8; 12

I will give glory to Thee, O Lord, O King, and I will praise Thee, O God my Saviour. I will give glory to Thy Name, for Thou hast been a helper and protector to me, and hast preserved my body from destruction, from the snare of an unjust tongue, and from the lips of them that forge lies; and in the sight of them that stood by Thou hast been my helper. And Thou hast delivered me, according to the multitude of the mercy of Thy Name, from them that did roar, prepared to devour; out of the hands of them that sought my life, and from the gates of afflictions which compassed me about: from the oppression of the flame which surrounded me, and in the midst of the fire I was not burnt: from the depth of the body of hell, and from an unclean tongue, and from lying words, from an unjust king, and from a slanderous tongue. My soul shall praise the Lord even unto death: because Thou, O Lord our God, deliverest them that wait for Thee, and savest them out of the hands of the nations.

GRADUAL – Psalm 44:  8

Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity. Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness.

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Catherine of Siena, Ambrogio Bergognone

ALLELUIA – Psalm 44: 15, 16

Alleluia, alleluia. After her shall virgins be brought to the King: her neighbours shall be brought to Thee with gladness. Alleluia.

GOSPEL – Matthew 25: 1-13

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable: The kingdom of Heaven shall be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. And five of them were foolish, and five wise; but the five foolish having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Now, whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. But at last came also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not. Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.

OFFERTORY – Psalm 44: 15-16

After her shall virgins be brought to the King: her neighbours shall be brought to Thee with gladness and rejoicing: they shall be brought into the temple of the King, the Lord.

SECRET

Receive, O Lord, the gifts which we bring Thee, on the feast of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr, by whose patronage we hope to be delivered. Through our Lord.

COMMON PREFACE

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: through Christ our Lord. through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, Dominations worship, Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise…

COMMUNION – Psalm 118: 78, 80

Let the proud be ashamed, because they have done unjustly towards me: but I will be employed in Thy commandments and in Thy justifications, that I may not be confounded.

POSTCOMMUNION

May the Mysteries which we have received, help us, O Lord; and by the intercession of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may we ever enjoy their protection. Through our Lord.

Eleison Comments – Number CDXXXVI (436)

Novus Ordo Missae – I

God has worked miracles with the N.O. Mass?
That’s what the evidence suggests. Alas?

“Facts are stubborn things,” is a famous quote of the United States’ second President, John Adams (1735–1826), “and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Concerning the New Order of Mass imposed upon the entire Latin Rite Church by Paul VI in 1969, there are some stubborn facts, apt to perturb the “wishes and inclinations” of Catholics cleaving to Catholic Tradition. Let successive issues of these “Comments” first of all present some of these facts; secondly let us see how they may be explained in view of the disastrous role played over the last 46 years by the NOM in helping Catholics to lose the Faith, and thirdly let us deliberate as to what conclusions a wise Catholic needs to draw. First of all, some facts:—

On august 18, 1996, in St Mary’s parish church in the centre of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fr Alejandro Pezet was finishing distributing communion (of a new Mass, for sure) when a woman told him of a discarded host at the back of the church. A parishioner having received communion in the hand must have dropped it on their way out of church and abandoned it as being too dirty to be consumed off the floor. Fr Pezet picked it up, put it correctly in a vase of water and placed it in the tabernacle where in a few days it would normally dissolve and could be properly disposed of. However, when on August 26 he opened the tabernacle, what was his surprise to find that the host had turned into a bloody substance. Photographs taken on Bishop Bergoglio’s orders 11 days later showed that it had significantly increased in size. For three years it was kept under strict secret in the tabernacle, but in 1999 then Archbishop Bergoglio decided to carry out a scientific analysis. On October 15, 1999, in the presence of witnesses he allowed Dr Ricardo Castañon, a neuro-psycho physiologist approved of by Rome, to take a sample for testing.

Dr Castañon took the sample firstly to a forensic laboratory in San Francisco which recognized human ADN. A Dr Robert Lawrence located white globules. A Dr. Ardonidoli in Italy thought it was probably heart tissue. An Australian Professor, John Walker, recognized muscular tissue with white globules intact.

To remove all doubt Dr Castañon resorted to a renowned cardiologist and forensic pathologist from Columbia University, New York, Dr Federico Zugibe, without telling him where the specimen came from.

Looking down his microscope Dr Zugibe is quoted as having said, “I can tell you exactly what it is. It is part of the muscle found in the wall of the heart’s left ventricle which makes the heart beat and gives the body its life. Intermingled in the tissue are white blood-cells, which tells me firstly that the heart was alive at the moment when the sample was taken because white blood-cells die outside of a living organism, and secondly that white cells go to the aid of an injury, so this heart has suffered. This is the sort of thing I see in patients who have been beaten about the chest.” When asked how long these cells would have remained alive had they come from a sample kept in water, Dr Zugibe replied that they would have ceased to exist in a matter of minutes.

When in June of 1976 Archbishop Lefebvre was on the brink of ordaining the first large batch of SSPX priests despite Rome’s disapproval, a Roman official came to promise him the end of all problems with Rome if only he would celebrate one NOM. On principle, for doctrinal reasons, he refused. Then how can Almighty God have worked Eucharistic miracles with and for this new Mass? Read here next week a suggested answer.

Kyrie eleison.

 

 

Bergoglio says he’s ‘scared of rigid, fundamentalist’ priests!

Anti-pope Bergoglio says he’s ‘scared of rigid, fundamentalist’ priests because ‘they bite!!!’

Lukewarm and anti-Catholic clergy within, is to be feared because they lead many souls into HELL!! If Bergoglio had any love for God and the faithful he would be more concerned about weeding out the sodomite and pedophile priests!

Pope Francis says that overly pious priests scare him, and he tries to stay clear of them as much as possible!!

According to Raw Story, the well-loved pope said on Friday during a conference on training for the priesthood that he is instinctively suspicious of priests who are hypocritical of their own religiousness.

“I will tell you sincerely, I’m scared of rigid priests,” the 78-year-old pope jokingly said. “I keep away from them. They bite!”

Pope Francis used humour to convey his message concerning a serious matter. A lot of unstable individuals seek out a clerical career, he explained, and unless they are weeded out properly by the church, the faithful will suffer.

This is why the pope strongly suggests that seminaries should always assess not just the spiritual state of candidates but also their physical and psychological condition. “There are often young men who are psychologically unstable without knowing it and who look for strong structures to support them. For some it is the police or the army but for others it is the clergy,” the pope said.

He warned that these disorders only manifest at a later date, so it will not be easy to spot it from the get-go.

However, the pope said he personally finds it worrisome when a priest takes pride in being extremely devout.

“When a youngster is too rigid, too fundamentalist, I don’t feel confident (about him). Behind it there is something he himself does not understand. Keep your eyes open!”

“If you are sick, if you are neurotic, go and see a doctor, spiritual or physical,” Pope Francis then suggested to those who might be unfit to join the church. “The doctor will give you pills. But, please, don’t let the faithful pay for neurotic priests.“

Source

 

Bergoglio Tells Lutheran to ‘Talk to the Lord’ About Receiving the Eucharist!!

Newchurch of Rot’s leader: ‘Talk to the Lord’ About Receiving the Eucharist!!’

Pope Francis has caused controversy by appearing to suggest that a Lutheran wife of a Catholic husband could receive holy Communion based on the fact that she is baptized and in accordance with her conscience. During a question and answer session at an evening prayer service on Sunday in Rome’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Pope urged the Lutheran woman, Anke de Bernardinis,  to “talk to the Lord” about receiving holy Communion “and then go forward”, but added that he “wouldn’t ever dare to allow this, because it’s not my competence.” The Pope was responding to de Bernardinis who asked him how she could finally achieve Eucharistic communion with her Catholic husband. The Holy Father answered by firstly posing the question whether the Eucharist is the goal of walking together, or acts as the sustenance (viaticum) of such a path. The answer, he said, should be left to theologians. He then went on to say that, when sharing, “there aren’t differences between us” and doctrine becomes the “same”. Doctrine, he said, is a “difficult word to understand — but I ask myself: don’t we have the same Baptism? If we have the same Baptism, shouldn’t we be walking together?” He said Lutheran and Catholic language are “the same” when it comes to teaching children why Jesus came among us and what he did for mankind. Moving on to the Lord’s Supper itself, the Pope said there are “questions that, only if one is sincere with oneself and with the little theological light one has, must be responded to on one’s own.” He added: “See for yourself. This is my body. This is my blood. Do it in remembrance of me – this is a viaticum that helps us to journey on.” Continuing with his answer, the Pope recalled a Protestant pastor-friend who once told him that they, too, believed that the Lord is present in the Eucharist and wondered what the difference was. “Life is bigger than explanations and interpretations,” the Pope said. “Always refer back to your baptism. ‘One faith, one baptism, one Lord.’ This is what Paul tells us, and then take the consequences from there.” The Pope added: “I wouldn’t ever dare to allow this, because it’s not my competence. One baptism, one Lord, one faith. Talk to the Lord and then go forward. I don’t dare to say anything more.” The Holy Father’s words have been causing widespread concern in Rome, leading some to go as far as to describe them as an attack on the sacraments. “The Rubicon has been crossed,” said one source close to the Vatican. “The Pope said it in a charming way, but this is really about mocking doctrine. We have seven sacraments, not one.” The issue is particularly sensitive at the current time given the continuing pressure to allow remarried-divorcees to receive holy Communion within the “internal forum”, guided by their confessor.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that, because ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church “have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders,” Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities “is not possible.” However it adds that when they commemorate the Lord’s death and resurrection in the Holy Supper, they “profess that it signifies life in communion with Christ and await his coming in glory.” (No. 1400). More on canonical rules concerning intercommunion can be found here.  Here below are the Pope’s comments in context (my working translation): Question: My name is Anke de Bernardinis and, like many people in our community, I’m married to an Italian, who is a Roman Catholic Christian. We’ve lived happily together for many years, sharing joys and sorrows. And so we greatly regret being divided in faith and not being able to participate in the Lord’s Supper together. What can we do to achieve, finally, communion on this point?

Heretic Cardinal Kasper

Pope Francis: The question on sharing the Lord’s Supper isn’t easy for me to respond to, above all in front of a theologian like Cardinal Kasper! I’m scared! (?!!) I think of how the Lord told us when he gave us this command to “do this in memory of me,” and when we share the Lord’s Supper, we recall and we imitate the same as the Lord. And there will be the Lord’s Supper, there will be the eternal banquet in the new Jerusalem, but that will be the last one. In the meantime, I ask myself — and don’t know how to respond — what you’re asking me, I ask myself the question. To share the Lord’s banquet: is it the goal of the path or is it the viaticum [provisions] for walking together? I leave that question to the theologians and those who understand. It’s true that in a certain sense, to share means there aren’t differences between us, that we have the same doctrine – underscoring that word, a difficult word to understand — but I ask myself: but don’t we have the same Baptism? If we have the same Baptism, shouldn’t we be walking together? You’re a witness also of a profound journey, a journey of marriage: a journey really of the family and human love and of a shared faith, no? We have the same Baptism. When you feel yourself to be a sinner – and I feel more of a sinner – when your husband feels a sinner, you go to the Lord and ask forgiveness; your husband does the same and also goes to the priest and asks absolution. I’m healed to keep alive the Baptism. When you pray together, that Baptism grows, becomes stronger. When you teach your kids who Jesus is, why Jesus came, what Jesus did for us, you’re doing the same thing, whether in the Lutheran language or the Catholic one, but it’s the same. The question: and the [Lord’s] Supper? There are questions that, only if one is sincere with oneself and with the little theological light one has, must be responded to on one’s own. See for yourself. This is my body. This is my blood. Do it in remembrance of me – this is a viaticum that helps us to journey on. I once had a great friendship with an Episcopalian bishop who went a little wrong – he was 48 years old, married, two children. This was a discomfort to him – a Catholic wife, Catholic children, him a bishop. He accompanied his wife and children to Mass on Sunday, and then went to worship with his community. It was a step of participation in the Lord’s Supper. Then he went forward, the Lord called him, a just man. To your question, I can only respond with a question: what can I do with my husband, because the Lord’s Supper accompanies me on my path? It’s a problem each must answer, but a pastor-friend once told me: “We believe that the Lord is present there, he is present. You all believe that the Lord is present. And so what’s the difference?” — “Eh, there are explanations, interpretations.” Life is bigger than explanations and interpretations. Always refer back to your baptism. “One faith, one baptism, one Lord.” This is what Paul tells us, and then take the consequences from there. I wouldn’t ever dare to allow this, because it’s not my competence. One baptism, one Lord, one faith. Talk to the Lord and then go forward. I don’t dare to say anything more. National Catholic Register

ST. GREGORY THE WONDERWORKER – MASS PROPERS

                     November 17

SAINT GREGORY THAUMATURGUS,                   BISHOP AND CONFESSOR

The Liturgical Year – Ven. Dom Prosper Guéranger

Moses instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, mighty in his words and in his deeds, retired into the desert: Gregory, adorned with the best gifts of birth and nature, brilliant in rhetoric, rich in every science, hid himself from men in the flower of his youth, and hastened to offer to God in solitude the holocaust best pleasing to the Lord. Each was the hope of his race; yet each turned away to lose himself in the contemplation of heavenly mysteries. Meanwhile, the yoke of Pharaoh lay heavy upon Israel; meanwhile, souls were perishing, whom one of Gregory’s burning words might have snatched from the empire of idolatry: was not such flight, then, desertion?

Is it for man to proclaim himself a saviour, when Jesus did not arrogate that title to himself? And when evil was rife all around, did the Carpenter of Nazareth do wrong to remain in the shade for thirty years previous to his short period of ministry? O ye teachers of our excited, fevered times, who dream of a new hierarchy among the virtues, and understand divine charity far otherwise than our fathers: not those are of the race of Israel’s saviours whose ideas concerning social good differ from those of the world’s Redeemer.

Gregory, like Moses, was of that blessed race. His friends and enemies agreed in saying that he resembled the Hebrew legislator in the excellence of his virtue, and in the splendour of the prodigies wrought by his word.  Both were actuated by the desire of knowing God, and manifesting him to the men they were called to lead: the fullness of doctrine is the gift most necessary to the guides of the people, and their want of it the greatest penury. I am who am was the answer to Moses’ enquiry; and this sublime formula, confided to him from the midst of the burning bush, authenticated the mission which called him forth from the desert. When Gregory was commanded by God to go out into the world, the blessed Virgin, of whom the burning bush was a figure, appeared before his dazzled eyes in the dark night when he was praying for light. And St. John, following the Mother of God, let fall from his lips this other formula completing the former for the disciples of the Law of love

One only God, Father of the living Word, of that substantial and mighty Wisdom who is the eternal expression of himself; the perfect principle of the only and perfect Son begotten by him. One only Lord, sole-begotten of the Only one; God of God, efficacious Word, Wisdom embracing and containing the world, creative power of all creation, true Son of a true Father. One only Holy Spirit, holding of God his divine existence, revealed to men by the Son of whom he is the perfect likeness, life and life-giving, holy and imparting holiness. The perfect Trinity, immutable, inseparable in glory, in eternity, in dominion.

This was the message our Saint was to communicate to his country, the creed that was to bear his name in the Church. By his faith in the most holy Trinity he was to remove mountains, and set limits to the waves, to drive out Satan, and eradicate infidelity from Pontus. When, towards the year 240, Gregory, then bishop, was on his way to Neocaesarea, he saw on all sides the temples of idols, and stopped for the night at a famous sanctuary. In the morning all the gods had taken to flight and refused to come back; but the Saint gave to the priest of the oracle a note thus worded: Gregory to Satan: return. A more bitter defeat awaited the demons; forced to stay their precipitate retreat, they were compelled to witness the ruin of their empire over the souls they had abused. The priest was the first to give himself up to the Bishop, and became his deacon; and soon upon the ruins of the temples everywhere overthrown arose the Church of Christ, the only God. Happy was that Church, so firmly founded that heresy was powerless against it in the following century, when so many others bowed before the storm of Arianism. On the testimony of St. Basil, the successors of St. Gregory, themselves eminent men, were as an adornment of precious stones, a crown of stars, to the Church of Neocaesarea. Now all these illustrious Pontiffs, says he, considered it an honour to keep up the memory of their great predecessor; they would never suffer that any act, word, or movement other than his, in performing the sacred rites, should prevail over the traditions he had left.

When Clement XII., as we have seen, established in the entire Church the feast of St. Gertrude the Great, he at first decreed that it should be kept on this day, on which it is still celebrated by the Order of St. Benedict. But as the 17th November had been for long centuries assigned to St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, it seemed unfitting, said Benedict XIV, that he who moved mountains should himself be moved from his place by the holy virgin. Accordingly in 1739, the year following its institution, the feast of St. Gertrude was fixed on the fifteenth of this month.

Let us read the brief account of the great Thaumaturgus given in the holy Liturgy

Gregory, bishop of Neocaesarea in Pontus, was illustrious for his holiness and learning, but still more for his miracles, which were so startling and so numerous that he was called the Thaumaturgus; and, according to St. Basil, he was considered comparable to Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles. By his prayer he removed a mountain, which was an obstacle to the building of a church. He also dried up a lake which was a cause of dissension between brothers. The river Lycus, which was inundating and devastating the fields, he restrained by fixing in the bank his stick which immediately grew into a green tree, and served as a limit which the river henceforth never overpassed.

He frequently expelled the devils from idols and from men’s bodies, and worked many other miracles, by means of which he led multitudes to the faith of Christ. He also foretold future events by the spirit of prophecy. When he was dying, he asked how many infidels remained in the city of Neocaesarea; and on being informed that there were only seventeen, he gave thanks to God, and said: When I was made bishop, there were but seventeen believers. He wrote several works, by which, as well as by his miracles, he adorned the Church of God.

O holy Pontiff, thy faith, removing mountains and commanding the waves, was a justification of our Lord’s promise. Teach us in our turn to do honour to the Gospel, by never doubting of our Lord’s word and of the help he promises us against Satan, whom the Church points out to us to-day as the proud mountain that is to be cast into the sea; and also against the overflowing tide of our passions, and the enticements of the world, of which thy writings teach us the vanity. After the victory let us not forget that the succour came to us from heaven; preserve us from ingratitude, which thou didst so detest. We still possess the touching eulogy dictated by thy gratitude towards the illustrious master, to whose teachings, under God, thou didst owe the glorious strength and splendour of thy faith. Here is a precious and practical lesson for all: while praising divine Providence in the man who was his predestined instrument in thy regard, thou didst not forget the homage due to the Angel of God, who had preserved thee from falling into the abyss, during the darkness of infidelity in which thy first years were spent; that heavenly Guardian who, ever watchful in his active, enlightened, persevering devotedness, supplies for our insufficiencies, nourishes and instructs us, leads us by the hand, and secretly arranges for our souls those blessed circumstances and occasions, which transform our life and secure eternal happiness.

How can we sinful creatures sufficiently thank the Author of all good, the infinite Being who gives to man both the holy Angels and the visible intermediaries of divine grace on earth? But let us take courage, for we have as our Head his own Son, his Word who saved our souls, and who rules the universe. He alone, and that without effort, can render to his Father unceasing, eternal thanksgiving, for himself and for us all, without risk of not knowing or of forgetting the least subject of gratitude, without fear of any imperfection in the manner or the magnitude of his praise. To him, then, to the divine Word, we commit as thou didst, O Gregory, the care of perfecting the expression of our gratitude for the unspeakable kindness of our heavenly Father; for the Word is to us, as to thee, the only channel of piety, gratitude, and love. May he give us in these days pastors who will imitate thy works; and may he raise up again the ancient churches of the East, which once received such light from thee!

          

ST GREGORY THE WONDERWORKER                   Bishop and Confessor     

Semi-Double / White Vestments                                    Missa ‘Statuit’

INTROIT – Ecclesiasticus 45: 30

Statuit ei Dominus testamentum pacis, et principem fecit eum: ut sit illi sacerdotii dignitas in æternum. Psalm 131: 1 Memento Domine, David: et omnis mansuetudinus ejus. Gloria Patri.

The Lord made to him a covenant of peace, and made him a prince: that the dignity of priesthood should be to him for ever. Ps. O Lord, remember David: and all his meekness. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that the august solemnity of Thy blessed Confessor and Pontiff, Gregory, may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord.

       HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you.

 

EPISTLE – Ecclesiasticus 44: 16-27; 45: 3-20 

Behold, a great priest, who in his days pleased God, and was found just; and in the time of wrath he was made a reconciliation. There was not found the like to him who kept the law of the most High. Therefore by an oath the Lord made him to increase among his people He gave him the blessing of all nations, and confirmed His covenant upon his head. He acknowledged him in His blessings; He preserved for him His mercy; and he found grace before the eyes of the Lord. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him a crown of glory. He made an everlasting covenant with him, and gave him a great priesthood: and made him blessed in glory. To execute the office of the priesthood, and to have praised in His name, and to offer him a worthy incense for an odour of sweetness.

GRADUAL – Ecclus 44: 66, 20

Behold a great priest, who in his days pleased God. There was not found the like to him, who kept the law of the Most High.

ALLELUIA – Psalm 109: 4 

Alleluia, alleluia. Tu es sacerdos in æternum, secundum, ordinem Melchisedech.

Alleluia, alleluia. Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech.

GOSPEL – Mark 11: 22-24

At that time, Jesus answering, said to His disciples: Have the faith of God. Amen, I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed and be cast into the sea, and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe that whatsoever he hath said shall be done, it shall be done unto him. Therefore I say unto you, all things whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come unto you.

OFFERTORY – Psalm 88: 22

I have found David My servant, with My holy oil I have anointed him: for My hand shall help him, and My arm shall strengthen him. Alleluia.

SECRET

May Thy Saints, we beseech Thee, O Lord, in all places bring us joy; that while we recall their merits, we may experience their patronage. Through our Lord.

COMMON PREFACE

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: through Christ our Lord. Through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, Dominations worship, Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus… 

COMMUNION – Luke 12: 42

Fidelis servus et prudens, quem constituit dominus super familiam suam: ut det illis in tempore tritici mensuram. Alleluia.

This is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord setteth over his family: to give them their measure of wheat in due season. Alleluia.

POSTCOMMUNION

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that, giving thanks for the favours we have received, we may, by the intercession of blessed Gregory, Thy Confessor and Bishop, obtain blessings still greater. Through our Lord

 

 

 

Eleison Comments – Number CDXXXV (435)

Dogged Infidels

When Europe had the faith, it could defeat The Muslim hordes, but now? – One long retreat.

As the faltering remains of Christendom face today a Muslim invasion organized by the millennial enemies of God, and made possible by the Western nations’ wretched politicians and vile media, it is well to remember how often in times past Christendom was threatened by Muslim invasions, and how Christendom then defended itself, by turning to God. In the summer of 1683, a huge Muslim army of anything from 150 to 300 thousand soldiers besieged Vienna and threatened to engulf Europe from the south-east. The Muslims even envisaged capturing Rome, for the glory of Islam.

With the help of a saintly Capuchin, Fr. Marco da Aviano, Pope Innocent XI succeeded in putting together a Christian army from several European nations to relieve Vienna. Here is the prayer of the Capuchin just before the battle:

“O Lord God of Hosts, Behold us prostrate at the feet of your Majesty, to obtain forgiveness for our sins. Well do we know how we have deserved that the infidels take up arms to oppress us, because the iniquities committed by us every day against your goodness have justly provoked your wrath. O great God, from the depth of our hearts we ask you to forgive us; we execrate sin because you abhor it; it pains us that we have often angered your supreme goodness. For love of you we would rather die a thousand times than commit the least act to displease you. Come to our aid, O Lord, with your grace, and let not your servants break the pact which we have made with you alone. Have pity upon us, have pity on your Church, which the fury and strength of the infidels are even now preparing to oppress. Even if it is by our own fault that they have broken in on the serenity of these Christian countries, and even if all the ills coming upon us are none other than the consequence of our own wickedness, still be propitious towards us, O God of all goodness, and despise not the work of you r own hands. Remember how, to save us from the slavery of Satan, you shed all of your Precious Blood.

“Will you allow it to be trodden underfoot by these dogs? Can it be that you will permit the precious pearl of the faith, which you sought out with such zeal and rescued with so much suffering, to be thrown to these swine to be trampled on? Forget not, O Lord, that if you allow the infidels to prevail over us, they will blaspheme your holy Name and mock your power, crying out a thousand times, “Where is their God, the God who was powerless to save them from our hands?” Let it not be held against you, O Lord, that you gave way to the fury of the wolves, just when we were calling upon you in our misery and anguish. Great God of battles, come to our aid! If you favour our cause, the armies of the infidels cannot harm us. Scatter these people that have wanted war! For our part, we ask no more than to be at peace with you, with ourselves and with our neighbour . . .”

The prayer continues with the request for the Christian army’s leaders and soldiers to be strengthened with God’s grace, with the spirit and courage of the heroes of the Old Testament, so that they may reduce to naught the enemies of the Christian name, and show forth God’s power. Let God look down on the Christian soldiers’ faith, hope and charity. On His behalf Marco will bless them on their way to battle. Let God hold back the arm of his wrath raised over them, and let His enemies know that there is no other God beside Him. Like Moses, Marco will lift his arms to bless the Christian soldiers. May God grant them victory, and the ruin of His and their enemies, Amen.

How politically incorrect! “Dogs” and “swine” – How racist! Intolerable! But the fact is that God granted to the Christians a sensational victory which threw back the Muslims for 300 years. Now they are back. And this time there is virtually no repentance left to call upon Almighty God . . .

Kyrie eleison.