ST MICHAELS LOYALITY TO GOD

                       

The very name Michael urges us to honour this Great Spirit; it is a cry of enthusiasm and fidelity, for it signifies: Who IS LIKE UNTO   God?  Satan trembles at hearing his name, for it reminds him of the noble protest wherewith the bright angel answered the call of the rebel angels.  Michael proved his strength and prowess when he fought the great battle in heaven.  From that hour he has been known as: Michael: the captain of the armies of God, first prince of the holy city, to whom the other angels yield ready obedience.  They most willingly and gratefully recognize his supremacy, for after God they owe to him their perseverance in grace and, and their eternal happiness.  With loving submission they receive from him their various offices.  They are attentive to his slightest wish, because they recognise in his commands and regulations the will of God, their sovereign Lord and King.

 

Thus does God honour and reward in heaven him whose zeal saved the greater portion of the heavenly court from destruction.  Next, we hear his praise from no less and authority than his brother angel St.  Gabriel, who speaking to the Prophet Daniel says, Michael, who is your prince: and, Michael, who is one of the first among princes.  Let us look upon this heavenly Prince with the veneration he warrants.  As St Gabriel, Gods Ambassador, was the first to adore the: Precious Blood: in the Incarnate Word, upon earth, so was St Michael, the first adorer in heaven.  St Michael humbly submitted to the trial given the and manifested his allegiance to his Divine Master, by an act of profound adoration fidelity. His fearlessness and fortitude aroused the courage of the faithful angels who rallied to his standard, repeating with one accord his noble cry; that is like unto God; St Michael and his faithful followers won a glorious victory.

Open and secret revolt against God and his church, the spirit of criticism. Unbelief and immorality are rampant.  Lucifer’s boast: I will be like the Most High: is re-echoed today throughout the world.  In this present age we need the assistance of St Michael and the angels.  With their discoveries and their progress in material science, men are loudly proclaiming their self-sufficiency and denying the existence of a supreme being.  Governments and secret societies plotting against God and striving to blot out from homes and schools, from offices and factories all traces of Christianity.  Never before in the history of the world  were the rights of God sp mocked and denied , or the rights of men so arrogantly asserted, as they are today

 

 

THE PRECIOUS BLOOD AND THE ANGELS

In his book, “The Precious Blood”, Father Faber presents the story of The Precious Blood as a “Procession”, which shows us the blood of Christ going out from the eternal mind of god, circulating in time and ascending again to heaven after having taken on its way, each one of those creatures of God who owed to it its own beauty and happiness.

“The first visibility of the invisible God” according to Father Faber, was but an instantaneous flash, and there lay outspread the broad world of angels, throbbing with light, and teeming with a numerous and yet colossal life.  The brightness that silvered them was the perfection of infinite beauty.  From it and because of it they came.  Out of it they drew their marvellous diversity of graces.  Their sanctities were but mantles made of its royal texture.  They beautified their natures in its supernatural streams.  It seemed as if here the procession halted for a moment, or perhaps it was only that the sudden flash of light looked like a momentarily halt.  The new creatures of god, the first created minds, the primal offspring of the uncreated mind, were bidden to fall in, and accompany the great procession.  Then, truly there was a halt, as if homage and obedience were refused.  There is a gleam as if of intolerable battle, and a coruscation of archangelic light, and Michael’s war cry echoing the first created cry, among the everlasting mountains.  A third of that creation of purest light, has, it is maintained, refused to adore the incarnate word, and is flung speedily into the dread abyss, and the ranks close in, and the unfailing light beams more resplendently with its thinner array than ever it beamed before the fallen fell, and onward the procession moves.  Yet there was not a single grace in any angel which was not god’s free gift, and which has not also its type and counterpart in The Precious Blood.  The Precious Blood would have redeemed them, had they needed to be redeemed or were allowed to be redeemed.

 

THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF THE ANGELS

The power and the wisdom of god are not confined to the creation of man and the material world.  Beyond man, millions of creatures exist far more perfect than man, whose perfection varies according to their nearness to the ocean of all perfection.  In this superior world, spirits are radiant as the celestial hierarchies of star; there the angel choirs shine, the splendour of god blazing in their midst.

But what is of paramount importance to us is that the holy angels seek in every possible way to share with us the immense ocean of love and happiness which they themselves enjoy.  Their generosity knows no bounds.  We have only to ask for their assistance and favours.  Speaking of their ministry towards men, the catechism declares: “To angels is committed by the providence of god the office of guarding the human race and protecting men from any serious harm”.

Guardian of the soul

Through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, God has given us the power to labour with him in the procreation and formation of souls for Heaven.  He has entrusted to you this privilege and duty; to instruct, to correct, guide, and console them in his name.  God has given you the power to command and to teach.  Be vigilant in warding off evil which may prove harmful to any member of your family or to your family as a whole.  You must provide with tenderness the Spiritual and Corporal needs of whom God has entrusted to your care.

What Glory and Honour for a woman and man to be thus made God’s helper, and to co-operate with him in the Salvation and Sanctification of souls.

You are parents of these souls, not the master of them; you must act kindly, and not as a tyrant, reach out to each one with a loving heart.  Maintain within your family a spirit of unity

God has entrusted the care of the weak to you, to you who are also weak. Through prayer he will bless and sanctify your efforts.  You must absolutely put all your trust in him.  Be full of love and indulgence for your children, and your neighbours, bearing with them in all kindness.

Good parents are attentive and watchful; they are not timid, easily alarmed, constant vigilance is essential to protect your family from evil.  Watchfulness is two-fold, prevent evil and do well.

 

 

 

 

FEAR OF AGEING AND DEATH

When people are convinced that life is short and eternity is the only thoughts to fill their minds, we are opt to undervalue this life altogether, and forget its real importance.  It should be remembered that the employments of this world, though not in themselves heavenly are after all the way to heaven.  As Christ is seen in the poor, the persecuted, and in children.  So he is seen in the works he puts upon his Chosen, whatever they may be.  The works of each day are the tests of our thoughts whether or not they are available for our salvation? 

Anyone who does one deed of obedience for Christ’s sake returns home more justified rather than the most eloquent of speakers.  Death is especially an anxious and frightening time because it is the end of all that is familiar to us.  However, sacred scripture tells us many mysterious things about that domain.  Mysteries that cannot be penetrated by the human mind.  So one should seek comfort by reading the scriptures. 

What will avail us then, to have accumulated great riches to reach number1 in the charts, be acknowledged by the world as first in all sports, entertainment, politics etc....?

If after all we do not have the faith to guide us from this world to the next.  I’m sure most of you would agree that we are not truly a Christian nation.  We are what we might be called a neutral nation.  Neither pagan nor Christian.  And this neutral attitude has no fire or zeal about it.  We must stand up and be truly catholic so that in attending to our own calling we can go to meet Christ with hope in our souls, and trust in our hearts – In the Mercy, Love, and Forgiveness of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

GOD BLESS

 

 

 

What does it mean to be baptised into the Roman Catholic Church?

Primarily we gain all the gifts earned by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross on Calvary.  Through his established church, with 2000 years of experience behind it, our chances of gaining eternal life is greatly enhanced within the family of the church.  When our Lord went up on high, he left his representative behind him, and this was his HOLY CHURCH, his mystical body and bride, a divine institution, an organ of the Holy Spirit, who speaks through the church until the end of time.  In as far as Humanity is concerned, the clergy, chosen by God, are the Guardians and Administrators of God’s gifts (The Sacraments) spread and deliver Christ’s message to the world.

During those 2000 years The Church has been ever militant, sometimes The Church gains, sometimes The Church loses, and more often than not, while The Church is gaining The Church is losing also, in different parts of its territory.

The record of church history is one then of ever doubtful fortunes in the battle against evil, though the final victory is never in doubt.  Scarcely is The Church triumphant, when it is visited by a scandal.  No sooner are we at peace when it is suddenly thrown into persecution.  Our triumphs are closely followed by our setbacks, but the church makes progress by its trials and tribulations, its grief, and its consolations.

“The kingdom of God spreads externally because it has an internal hold upon us, because, in the words of the text, it is within us’, in the hearts of its individual members.  Bystanders marvel; strangers try to analyze what it is that does the work; they imagine all manner of human reasons and natural causes to account for it, because they cannot see, and do not feel, and will not believe, what is in truth a supernatural influence”

Up until the 20^th Century, the secret power of divine grace has been held together, not by the Bishops, but by the strong Faith of the ordinary laity.  Sadly with the advancement in the materialistic, e.g. Science, T.V. Internet etc. This strength is fading rapidly and needs to be addressed.

 

(AIDED BY EXTRACTIONS FROM BLESSED CARDINAL NEWMAN, BISHOP FULTON SHEEN AND ST. AUGUSTINE)

Living with God in todays world

In today’s world of overbearing materialism it can be very difficult to live out a spiritual life. So many distractions draw us ever further away from God and his holy church.  A major influence on our spiritual lives is the gospel of T.V.  A constant bombardment on the way we live our lives each day, is in complete contrast to the way GOD and his holy church teaches us.  In these modern times it is possible our Catholic Faith could disappear amid the glitz and glamour of this world.  To worship these things that do not speak to us, recognise us, or love us, is not religion. There are but two things in the whole universe, OUR OWN SOUL AND THE GOD WHO MADE IT.  Perishable life disappears, riches fly away, and popularity is fickle, old friends die, the world changes.  We all seek happiness but few find it due to our quest for earth –bound things such as possession of wealth or power, or indulgence in the pleasures of the senses. It is true that we are weak and our powers are limited but, by means of prayer which unites us to a God of infinite power and love, we can obtain grace, which makes easy what otherwise would be too difficult or impossible.  Many people shy away from the Christian way of life because it involves self–denial but, if people are prepared to submit themselves to great sacrifice for reasons of temporal security, why not for eternal security.

We cannot live a Christian life without prayer. Yet we often pray with difficulty, distraction and complaint                         

I am distracted when I pray

God does not seem to answer my prayer

I don’t feel any satisfaction in prayer.            

We feel our prayers are not heard and do us no good.  The reason for comments such as these is that prayer is often misunderstood. I believe we have the wrong idea of the principle of prayer and its fruits. We tend to judge prayers effectiveness by concrete, sensible, and immediate results, by the results produced for oneself or for others. If religion is to be devotion, and not to be a mere matter of sentiment. We must increase our knowledge of God before we can feel love, fear, hope, or trust towards him. The very idea of Christianity in its profession and history is a definite message from God to man, distinctly convey to us by his chosen instruments, to be positively embraced and acknowledged as true on the grounds of it being divine. If we allow ourselves to float down the current of the world, living as other men, gathering up our notions of religion here and there, as it may be, we have little or no true idea of a particular area.  We conceive that Almighty God works on a large plan, but we cannot realise the wonderful truth that he sees and thinks of us as individuals. We cannot believe he is really present everywhere, that he is everywhere we are, though unseen. We cannot bring ourselves to get hold of the fact that he sees what is going on among ourselves at this moment; that one man may fall and another man may be exalted, at God’s silent appointment the timid need to be reminded that the Christian message is one of good news.  That is what the word GOSPEL means.  It is a message of reconciliation between God and man, and telling us in the clearest possible terms that there is a life beyond the grave _a life far richer than any life here on earth  So as Catholics . We must turn back to god or suffer the consequences of our actions.  Ask yourselves this, either there is no God, and we know there truly is, the human race is out joint with the purpose of its CREATOR.  We are created by a God who loves us.  A God who created the human race TO LOVE, HONOUR, SERVE, OBEY, and to GLORIFY HIM   To believe in God, is to believe the being and presence of one who is all holy, and all powerful, and all gracious; how can a man really believe this of him and make free with him?  It is almost a contradiction in terms.  Even pagan religions considered faith and reverence identical.