How to Hand On the Faith

An Exhortation on Catechetics

to Catholic Parents and Teachers

by St. Pius X

TEACHING the catechism is instructing in the faith and morality of Jesus Christ. It gives the children of God awareness of their own origin and dignity and destiny as well as knowledge of their duties. It deposits in their heart and mind and develops in their intellects the principles and the motives of religion, of virtue and holiness in living on this earth, and hence of happiness in Heaven.

2. The teaching of the catechism is therefore the most necessary and beneficial thing for the individual, for the Church, and also for civil society. It is the fundamental teaching that stands at the base of Christian life. Where catechetical teaching is lacking or has been poorly done, the Christian life is weak and vacillating and easily becomes even weaker.

3. Since Christian parents are the first and principal educators of their own children, they must be their first and principal catechists. First catechists because it is their duty to instill into their children, as it were with their first nourishment itself, the doctrine which they themselves have received from the Church. And principal catechists, because it pertains to parents to make sure that the principal matters of faith are learned from memory inside the family.

            This must begin with the most important prayers. Parents should see to it that they are repeated every day in such a way that little by little they penetrate deeply into the souls of their children.

            In most cases parents are constrained to delegate the education of their children to other persons. But they should always recall their sacred obligation of selecting only educational institutions and teachers that know how to fulfill such a grave duty on behalf of themselves as parents, and who conscientiously desire to do so. Indifference in this matter causes the irreparable loss of so many children! What an account parents will have to render to God for this!

4. To teach Catholic doctrine effectively, it is necessary to know it well, and then it must be described and explained in a manner adapted to the capacity of the learner. But above all, since catechesis concerns a doctrine to be practiced, it is necessary that parents and teachers live it in their own lives.

5. We said, Christian doctrine must be known well: for how can one instruct another in something in which he himself is not instructed? Hence it follows that parents and teachers have the duty to review the catechism themselves, penetrating into the depths of truths. To achieve this, they should frequent the more ample explanations of doctrine which parish priests give for adults; furthermore, they should consult competent persons, and, if they can, they should read the right kind of books.

6. Furthermore, we said, they should explain the truths of the faith in a manner adapted to the capacity of the learner. This means that they should do this explaining with intelligence and love, in such a way that the children do not become disgusted or annoyed either at the teacher or at the doctrine taught. Hence one should put oneself at the child's level, using the most commonly known and simple words, revealing the meaning of what one is teaching by the use of apt examples and instances which affect also the sentiments of the child's heart. He who teaches should have the most delicate discretion and balance, in order not to tire the child. Progress should be made little by little. The teacher must be ready to repeat. He should proceed with patience and affection, having sympathy for the restlessness, the distractions, the impertinences, and other defects which are quite natural in the young. Above all the teacher should avoid that mechanical way of teaching which oppresses the spirit and leaves the matter unclear, putting only the memory into play, without enlisting the intelligence and the heart of the learner.

7. Finally, the teacher, or the parent who teaches, must live the faith and morality which he is teaching. Otherwise, how will one have courage enough to teach children a religion which one does not practice, and commandments and precepts which one darkens before their very eyes? And what fruit, in such a case, could one hope for? In fact, they will produce the contrary effect: parents will easily deprive themselves of their own authority, training their children toward indifference and even disdain toward the most necessary principles and the most sacred duties of human life.

Today’s Atmosphere of Unbelief

8. There is a special circumstance today. An atmosphere of unbelief has been created which is most harmful to the interior and spiritual life.

            This atmosphere wages war upon

                        •          any idea of a higher authority

                        •          any idea of God

                        •          any idea of revelation

                        •          any idea of the life to come

And so parents and teachers must inculcate with the greatest care the basic truths found in the first questions given in the catechism. Let them inspire in the children

                        •          the Christian concept of life

                        •          the sense of responsibility in each human act

                                    toward the Supreme Judge

                        •          Who is everywhere, knows everything

                                    and sees everything.

Let them develop in the learner, together with the holy fear of God, the love of Christ and love for the Church, a taste for charity and for solid piety. Let them cultivate in the children a love for the virtues and for Christian practices. Only thus will the formation of children be founded on the rock of supernatural convictions not to be overturned throughout their entire life, regardless of the storms that will come. Any other approach is an attempt to build the Christian formation of children on the sand of changeable ideas and mere human respect.

9. To realize all these things, parents and teachers must have a living faith and a profound conviction of the value of souls and of spiritual goods. They must have that wise love which seeks to secure above all the eternal happiness of the souls of their own dear ones. They need also a special grace in order to grasp the character of each child, finding the right way to his mind and heart. Catholic parents by virtue of the Sacrament of Matrimony properly received, have a right to the graces of their own state in life, and hence to the graces necessary for educating their children in this Christian way. Furthermore, by humble prayer they can obtain more abundant graces for this same purpose, for this is a work especially pleasing to God, that they form their children to the worship of God as obedient and devout Christians. Let them do it therefore at the cost of every sacrifice: it is the eternal salvation of the souls of their children which is at stake, as well as their own eternal salvation as parents. God will bless their faith and their love in this work of capital importance, and will repay them with the most desirable reward, that of having their children with them eternally, holy and happy, in Heaven.

The Virgin Mary and Christian Civilization

‎ ‎ ‎ The individual and social intercession  of Our Lady‎

Taken from the works of CARDINAL PIE, comments by Father Alfredo Sáenz SJ

‎ ‎In several of the sermons where the figure of Our Lady appears, Monseigneur‎ Pie of Poitiers ‎highlights her character as advocate,"mother of holy hope." The entire tradition of the Fathers and Doctors agrees that love for the Virgin Mary is a sign, the truest one, of predestination. Salvation depends on supernatural charity, and Our Lady is the mother of beautiful love, mater pulchrae dilectionis (Eccli 24, 24). By begetting Christ, she gave birth to divine love incarnate, becoming the mother of charity and of beautiful love as a general principle. But she is also a mother with respect to the particular birth of charity in the heart of each one of us human beings.‎

Social Salvation

‎ ‎The saving intercession of our Blessed Mother is not limited only to the personal level. She is also the one who will best lead the entire world to God, the one who will bring the nations back to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. To a society that has been mutilated and wounded for a long time, or better, beheaded, it will only be the Virgin who will obtain from the Mercy of God, that the nations and people's will recognise their true Head, Christ our Lord. ‎  Our Lady will be the best comforter or strengthener of the good in her fight for the social royalty of her Son. ‎Bishop Pie observes that weakness ‎is noticeable everywhere, in individuals, in towns, and even among Catholics themselves. It is true that the number of the wicked is enormous, much greater than in other times. However, the wicked make up a small number compared to the weak. And what is frightening is that the weakness is in the intelligences more than in the wills and the character; or better, the wills are without force, without decision, because the intelligences lack light, conviction. ‎“Our time is intended to be the time of strong ninds; history will call it the time of weak minds. '‎Pusillanimity'‎, this is exactly the right word. Souls are small, without height, without breadth, without width, without depth; they lack firmness, consistency.”‎ ‎ ‎Well, in the face of the spectacle of this multitude of cowards,‎ Pie cries out with all his soul: Sancta María, juva pusillanimes (Holy Mary, help the faint-hearted)‎, asking her to come to the aid of this world of the faint-hearted .She, who has given birth to the Word, who is the power and wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor 1:24), will cause Christ to live by faith in our hearts (cf. Eph 3:17); and “a soul is no longer small, it is no longer narrow, it is no longer weak; it is big, it is wide, it is strong when it carries Christ in itself"‎.‎ Likewise, Pie begs Our Lady: ‎refove flebiles (revive the discouraged) , referring to the decadent Catholics . "What have we been doing for several years but sigh?" . The fight is indeed extremely arduous; the world rejoices ‎-mundus gaudebit-‎ and we groan ‎-vos autem contristabimini (Job 16,20) -; ‎hence it is more necessary than ever to have to breathe deeply so as to endure and to suffer patiently . Not in vain did Christ say: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Mt 5: 5). And none better than Our Lady to abundantly comfort those who weep in battle. ‎May she also help the unfortunate - succure ‎miseris‎ - that is, the whole world. “I know that those who invented the [naturalistic] deification of humanity do not tolerate their satisfaction and well-being being doubted. Divinity is not compatible with misery; And if the world is God, it is logical to proclaim that the world is happy. But the answer to this claim is written in the holy books: "My people, says the Lord, those who declare you blessed" , therefore, those who deify you, "those deceive you" : ‎Popule meus, qui te beatum dicunt, ipsi decipiunt (Is 3, 12)" ‎The modern world is deeply miserable, although it takes pains to affirm the contrary. The most unhappy of all are those who do not feel their unhappiness, those who strut in their helplessness. The greatest calamity of our time is that modern men "being really miserable, miserable, poor, blind, naked, boast of being rich and opulent, of being provided with everything (cf. Rev. 3, 17) [... ] Oh Mary, come to the aid of these unfortunates who are not aware of their own misery; open their eyes on themselves: miseris occuris ” .    May she finally help the surviving remains of Christendom, that is, Christian civilization: Ora pro populo (Pray for the people). In the language of the Church, Pie observes, the faithful people are not only a group of individuals, but the concert of Christian nations, the “respublica christiana” , what David had prophesied when speaking of the union between peoples and kings at the service of a single Lord: ‎In conveniendo populos in unum et reges ut serviant Domino‎. ‎("peoples and kings agreeing to serve the Lord", Ps 101, 23). Well, despite the fact that Christ is, objectively and really that King around whom the peoples and their respective kings must congregate, today there are unfaithful peoples, apostate nations, and the men of our century not only boast of having extirpated Christian society and civilization, but they try to destroy even the key to the vault, so that not even the memory of ancient Christendom remains. Faced with all this, Sancta María, ora pro populo, pray for Christendom for the remnant of the Christian world. ‎El CARDENAL PIE. Lucidez y coraje al servicio de la verdad” Padre Alfredo Sáenz S.J. Serie “Héroes y Santos”‎‎ GLADIUS Buenos Aires 2007‎‎

The Rosary is THE Weapon

Why did Saint Padre Pio say that the Rosary was THE Weapon?‎‎ ‎

‎"Satan wants to destroy this prayer [of the Rosary], but it will never happen" said Padre Pio. "It is the prayer of Her who triumphs over everyone and over everything. She is the one who taught it, just like Jesus taught us the Our Father.‎

‎

The holy Franciscan friar would often tell the story of a vivid dream that he had one time. He was leaning at the window of the friar's choir, where they prayed together the Divine Office and other prayers. He saw a very large crowd that filled the space. Padre Pio asked, "Who are you? What do you want?" and the whole crowd, with one heart and voice, in a deafening and murderous tone shouted: "The death of Padre Pio!" At this point the friar realised that those whom he thought were men, were actually demons. At these words he went into the choir to pray. And then he saw the Virgin Mary approaching. With a look of motherly kindness and a deliberate gesture she placed the rosary beads in his hands. She said to him, "With this weapon it is you who will win!" And now Padre Pio could be seen with the Rosary in his hands. Immediately he saw all the demons falling flat on the ground. After some moments this scene disappeared and he found himself at the same window. He saw a large crowd. Astonished, and a little disappointed, he said to them "What? You are not all dead?" and then he asked, "Who are you?" They replied, "We are some Christians." Relieved, Padre Pio said "You are the children and the disciples of Jesus... So come with me! Follow me and obey me! And nobody, ever, will be able to harm you." And he added, "Always hold in your hand the Weapon of Mary, and you will get, always and everywhere, you will obtain the victory over the infernal enemies."

‎‎

Anti Theological "Virtues"

LES VERTUS ANTI-THEOLOGALES L'institution maçonnique n'a pas élaboré une véritable doctrine puisqu'au contraire elle s'interdit de dogmatiser. En revanche elle a mis au point une stratégie anti-chrétienne d'une grand efficacité. Cette stratégie va consister à neutraliser les combattants de l'Eglise militante. Pour cela, elle va tuer en eux ce qui fait leur force, c'est-à-dire les vertus théologales : la foi, l'espérance, la charité. Contre la foi, la maçonnerie a inventé la Tolérance. C'est la “vertu” des gens qui nient l'existence de la vérité objective. La “Mère Loge” (car la loge exerce une réelle maternité intellectuelle) se vante de donner à ses fils tous les moyens dont ils ont besoin pour atteindre “la vérité”; mais il ne s'agit que d'une vérité relative et subjective c'est-à-dire d'une simple opinion personnelle qui restera donc essentiellement discutable. La “libre pensée” maçonnique refuse d'admettre toute vérité à priori. Elle fait du doute systématique la base de son système de réflexion ; c'est pourquoi elle a tant contribué à répandre le cartésianisme, le fameux “doute cartésien”. La maçonnerie a même réussi à convaincre les Français qu'ils sont cartésiens par nature, alors qu'au contraire le génie de notre langue, donc de notre pensée, est un génie déductif et analytique qui part du principe (a priori par conséquent) pour aboutir aux conséquences. Les Français ont le goût des principes et ils savent les formuler : là réside une des raisons de leur influence (bonne ou mauvaise) dans le monde. C'est tout le contraire de l'attitude mentale maçonnique. La discussion est l'activité principale de la loge : un adage y est inlassablement répété : de la discussion jaillit la lumière. C'est encore une fausse maxime car, de fait, jaillit non pas la lumière mais l'obstination : celui qui a défendu sa thèse n'admet plus d'en changer. La vraie lumière vient du “Père des lumières”, donc de la Révélation, et elle descend vers nous qui la recevons par le Magistère. En Maçonnerie tout l'art du Vénérable est de faire cohabiter des frères ennemis. Il n'y a pas de dogmes : la maçonnerie ne dogmatise pas : telle est la grande formule. Formule qui constitue même un symptôme : quand une quelconque publication met sa fierté à “ne pas dogmatiser”, on peut être certain qu'elle subit, de près ou de loin, l'influence maçonnique, puisqu'elle en adopte les locutions. Si les maçons ont la haine du dogme, c'est qu'ils ont la haine de l'Église. Ils sont fils spirituels de Ponce-Pilate, le Docteur sceptique, qui est leur “patron”. “Qu'est ce que la vérité” disait-il. Il l'avait devant lui et comble de l'aveuglement, il ne la reconnaissait pas. Le progrès. C'est la fausse espérance ; c'est l'espérance projetée sur la terre ; c'est le mythe de l'épanouissement sans fin de la nature ; c'est l'espoir insensé d'une félicité naturelle qui ne devrait rien à la Grâce. Ce progrès temporel doit porter à son achèvement la pyramide tronquée qui forme l'un des emblèmes des maçons ; c'est le progrès du corps mystique de l'Antéchrist qui attend de la terre sa plénitude. Nous savons très bien qu'il existe un véritable progrès. L'Église n'est pas statique ; elle est en progrès sous l'impulsion de la Grâce. Deux exemples : 1 – Le Corps mystique de N.S.J.-C. est en perpétuel progrès ; le nombre des élus va vers sa perfection ; quand les élus seront au complet le recrutement des hommes s'arrêtera. 2 – L'édifice du dogme lui aussi est en progrès, en ce sens qu'il se complète d'âge en âge ; à la fin des temps, il formera une construction spirituelle et intellectuelle à laquelle il ne manquera rien. La solidarité est l'interdépendance naturelle. Les maçons l'élèvent à la hauteur d'une vertu parce qu'elle ne réclame pas la médiation du Christ. La solidarité se passe de l'aide de Notre Seigneur. Elle engendre le socialisme qui est l'utopie de penser que, par des moyens adéquates, par le simple effet de l'interdépendance humaine, on triomphera de la pauvreté et de la souffrance. La solidarité est en opposition avec la charité chrétienne laquelle réclame l'intermédiaire de N.S.. Un verre d'eau donné au Nom de Jésus-Christ (“en Mon Nom” dit le texte évangélique) aura sa récompense dans la vie éternelle. S'il est donné au nom de la solidarité humaine, il ne recueillera qu'une récompense temporelle. La tolérance est en opposition avec la Foi. Le progrès est en opposition avec l'Espérance. La solidarité est en opposition avec la Charité. Ce sont les trois “vertus anti-théologales” qui ont cours dans le corps mystique de l'Antéchrist. Réflexions sur les ennemis et la manœuvre, Jean Vaquié, Lecture et Tradition n° 126 Juillet-Août 1987

Devotion to St. Michael the Archangel

Devotion to St. Michael the Archangel & All the Holy Angels

on the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin & Doctor of the Church

for the 29th of April, and a feast of St. Peter Martyr

In the name of the Father , + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Renewal of Baptismal Promises

I renounce Satan

I renounce all his works.

I renounce all his pomps? 

I renounce them.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the flesh, and life everlasting.

This is our Faith, this is the Faith of the Church, we are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. (If possible bless yourself with Holy Water)

(Partial indulgence)

A very complete Act of Faith

O my God! I firmly believe that Thou art one only God, the Creator and Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth, infinitely great and infinitely good: I firmly believe that in Thee, one only God, there are three Divine Persons, really distinct and equal in all things, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: I firmly believe that God the Son, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, became Man; that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary; that He suffered and died on a cross to redeem and save us; that He arose the third day from the dead; that He ascended into Heaven; that He will come at the end of the world to judge mankind; that he will reward the good with eternal happiness, and condemn the wicked to the everlasting pains of Hell. I believe these, and all other articles which the Holy Catholic Church proposes to our belief, because Thou my God, the infallible Truth, hast revealed them; and Thou hast commanded us “to hear the Church” which is the “Pillar and Ground of the Truth”. In this Faith I am firmly resolved, by Thy holy grace, to live and die. Amen.

(Partial indulgence. With ecclesiastical approval)

An Act of Faith in the Resurrection:

 

O my God, I firmly believe everything that the holy Catholic Church believes and teaches

and proclaims to be revealed by Thee. In particular, I believe that Jesus Christ Thy Son, on the third day, rose from the dead, in His physical human body, "flesh and bones", and not a ghost.

I believe that He did this by His own divine power, since He is the same one, only, true and living God as Thou art, and as the H oly Spirit is.

I believe that on the last day, by the power of Christ our God, "Who can subdue the whole universe", I will be raised from the dead, in my human body, and I will be placed by Thy Holy Angels, either at His right hand or at His left hand. Amen.

August Queen of Heaven! Sovereign Mistress of the angels! Who from the beginning have received from God the power and mission to crush the head of Satan, we humbly beseech you to send your holy Legions, that, under your command and by your power, they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter them on every side, resist their bold attacks and drive them hence into the abyss of eternal woe. Amen. (three times)

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle, that may not be lost in the terrible judgment, and I ask you to pray for us to the Lord our God. (three times)

St. Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us. (three times)

CHAPLET OF THE HOLY ANGELS

As we are about to pray this chaplet, we humbly beg you, O Holy Archangel, dear St. Michael, in your goodness to assist us especially at the moment of Holy Communion, by assigning to each of us an angel, from each of the nine choirs, to escort us. May we all persevere in devotion to you and receive from the Mercy of God your continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life, and after death deliverance from purgatory for ourselves and all our loved ones. Amen.

Dear friends, Let each of us now take the time to pray in our hearts an act of contrition.

God, come to my assistance.  Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

First Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of Seraphim, may it please God to make us worthy to receive into our hearts the fire of his perfect charity. Amen.

1 Our Father and 3 Hail Marys and so on after each salutation

Second Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of Cherubim, may God in his good pleasure, grant us grace to abandon the ways of sin, and follow the path of Christian perfection. Amen.

Third Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the sacred Choir of Thrones, may it please God to infuse into our hearts the spirit of true and sincere humility. Amen.

Fourth Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of the Dominations, may it please God to grant us grace to tame our senses, and to correct our depraved passions. Amen.

Fourth Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of the Dominations, may it please God to grant us grace to tame our senses, and to correct our depraved passions. Amen.

Fifth Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of the Powers, may God vouchsafe to keep our souls from the wiles and temptations of the devil. Amen.

Sixth Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the admirable heavenly Choir of the Virtues, may it please God to keep us from falling into temptation, and may He deliver us from evil. Amen.

Seventh Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of Principalities, may it please God to fill our souls with the spirit of true and sincere obedience. Amen.

Eighth Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of Archangels, may it please God to grant us the gift of perseverance in the faith, and in all good works, that we may be thereby enabled to attain the glory of paradise. Amen.

Ninth Salutation : By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly Choir of all the Angels, may God vouchsafe to grant us their guardianship through this mortal life, and after death a happy entrance into the everlasting glory of heaven. Amen.

In honour of St. Michael:  

Our Father...   give us this day...

In honour of St. Gabriel:  

Our Father...   give us this day...

In honour if of St. Raphael: 

Our Father...   give us this day...

In honour of own Guardian Angels: 

Our Father...   give us this day...

Michael, glorious prince, chief and champion of the heavenly Host, guardian of the souls of men, conqueror of the rebel angels, steward of the palace of God under Jesus Christ, our worthy leader, endowed with superhuman excellence and virtues: vouchsafe to free us all from every ill, who with full confidence have recourse to thee; and by thy incomparable protection enable us to make progress every day in the faithful service of our God.

Pray for us, most blessed Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ.

That we may be made worthy of His promis-es.

Let us pray.

ALMIGHTY and Eternal God, who in thine own marvellous goodness and pity, for the common salvation of man, chose the glorious Archangel Michael to be the prince of the Church: make us worthy, we pray Thee, to be delivered by his beneficent protection from all our enemies, that, at the hour of our death, none of them may approach to harm us; rather do Thou vouchsafe unto us that by the same Archangel Michael, we may be introduced into the presence of thy most high and divine majesty. Through the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray,

GOD of Heaven, God of earth, God of Angels, God of Archangels, God of Patriarchs, God of Prophets, God of Apostles, God of Martyrs, God of Confessors, God of Virgins, God who has power to give life after death and rest after work, because there is no other God than Thee and there can be no other, for Thou art the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, of whose reign there shall be no end, we humbly prostrate ourselves before Thy glorious Majesty and we beseech Thee to deliver us by Thy power from all the tyranny of the infernal spirits, from their snares, their lies and their furious wickedness; deign, O Lord, to grant us Thy powerful protection and to keep us safe and sound. We beseech Thee through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

I will then give a blessing for all who have taken part, offering and giving this blessing to all your loved ones.

May Almighty God, the Father. + and the Son, and the Holy Spirit

bless you, protect you from all evil and bring you to everlasting life. Amen.

A Miracle of the Crown of Thorns

Bishop Beschi announces the miracle

“The Holy Thorn of Jesus has flowered.”

Taken, and translated from Corriere della Sera.

Sprouts on the fragment of the crown of Christ, in Andria, in Puglia. It has not happened since 1932. According to Monsignor Beschi: we observed the phenomenon with seriousness, prudence and competence, the sign is evident

The relic from the Crown of Thorns of Christ, the "Sacred Spine" or thorn, which is conserved at San Giovanni Bianco has sprouted.

“Dear sisters and dear brothers,

the veneration of the relic of the Holy Thorn, kept in the church and by the parish community of San Giovanni Bianco , has historically been nourished by a particular sign, called ‘flowering', which would occur on the occasion of the 25th March, solemnity of the Annunciation of Mary, coinciding with the celebration of Good Friday. With great joy I can announce that the sign has manifested itself .”

That is how the bishop of Bergamo, Monsignor Francesco Beschi, announced on March 28, 2016, that the miracle of the Holy Thorn took place in San Giovanni Bianco. It had not happened since 1932 and before that since 1598. Moreover, the same event occurred simultaneously in Andria, in Puglia, where there is the other fragment of the crown of Jesus preserved in the basilica of San Nicola di Bari.

When Good Friday is March 25

The prodigy, according to the Church, can happen when March 25, the day of the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary, therefore the moment of the Incarnation of the Son of God, coincides with Good Friday, that is, the day of the celebration of the Lord’s Death and our Redemption. The extraordinary coincidence of dates took place in 2005, but then nothing happened. This year, however, two different coloured buds have appeared on the thorn.

The Holy Thorn has flourished: “There is a miracle”

The Bishop of Bergamo continued: “The prudence, the seriousness, the skills of those to whom I have entrusted the task of observing the Relic and the evidence of the sign lead me to confirm that this has happened. The veneration of the sacred relic by the parish community of San Giovanni Bianco, the communities of the Brembana Valley, the Diocese and beyond the borders of the Diocese, is renewed in the light of this sign that leads us back to the Passion and Cross of Jesus and to what that represents for the faith of Christians and for the salvation of humanity.”

“The fact that the sign takes place in conjunction with the celebrations of the Annunciation and the Passion and Death of Jesus and his Resurrection, challenges us to consider with the mind and heart, the manifestation of God’s love which was communicated in the story of Jesus of Nazareth, in the mystery of the Incarnation and of His Passion and Death. Christians testify with their faith, with community life and with their existence that the solidarity of God with men, becomes the source of a stronger hope than all evil and death itself, because they believe that the Crucified One has risen: He is the Living One, who gives life."

Conclusion of the Bishop

"Dear sisters and dear brothers - finally concludes the bishop - I know how many have waited with faith and prayer for this sign : now it has been given to us not only to be revered, but because our eyes open on the many thorns that still pierce the head of the Lord, in the poor, in the suffering, in the forgotten, in the abandoned, in the despised and our hearts are opened so that the strength of love that draws on the supreme gesture of the love of Christ and is manifested towards all our crucified contemporaries that the ‘flowering' Holy Thorn represents in such an engaging way. I join you all in thanking the Lord for this precious sign, aware with you that keeping it means nourishing our faith in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world day by day and witnessing to Him with the gospel transparency of our humble existences."

The Original article in Italian.

By His Wounds Ours are Healed!

The following prayer was taught to St. Mechtilde

by Christ Himself as she went

to kiss the Cross one Good Friday

I THANK Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy left foot, from which flowed the Precious Blood that washes away our sins. In it I sink and hide all the sins I have ever committed. Amen.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy right foot, from which the fountain of peace flowed to us. In its depths I sink and bury all my desires, that they may be purified and remain unspotted by any earthly stain. Amen.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy left hand, from which the well of grace flowed to us. In it I enclose all my spiritual and bodily ills, that in union with Thy sufferings they may become sweet to me, and by patience become a fragrant odor before God. Amen.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy right hand, from which the medicine of the soul was poured forth. In it I hide all my negligences and omissions which I have committed in my virtuous exercises, that they may be atoned for by Thy zealous works. Amen.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the healing Wound of Thy sweetest Heart, from which living Water and Blood and the riches of all good flowed to us. I place myself in this Wound, and there unite all my imperfect love to Thy Divine love, that thus it may be perfected. Amen

Promises of Our Lord Given

to St. Gertrude the Great

for those Who Honour His Holy Wounds:

One day as St. Gertrude was completing her prayers and salutations in honour of the Wounds of the Saviour, her compassion was rewarded by a vision of Our Lord, on whose Wounds rested golden roses. Our Lord said to her:

 

“Behold, I will appear to you in this refulgent form at the hour of your death, and I will cover all your sins, and adorn you with a glory like that with which you have adorned My Wounds by your salutations. All who do so shall receive the like favour.”

It was also revealed to St. Gertrude that reading and meditating on the Passion are far more useful and efficacious than all other spiritual exercises. As those who handle flour cannot avoid contracting some of the flour's powdery substance, so no one, however imperfect his devotion may be, can occupy his mind with the Passion of Our Lord without receiving some benefit therefrom. And, however cold and lukewarm our devotion, Our Lord will look upon us with greater long-suffering and mercy if we never omit the memory of His Passion.