Father Faber writes in Growth in Holiness: “I should also mention old Walter Hilton's Treatise to a Devout Man of Secular State, though it is not easy to procure.”It is with great pleasure that we make this work easy to procure.We have added the second part from Father John Henry's Manual of Self-Knowledge and Christian Perfection
We are all apt so to idealise the Saints whom we love to study and honour, and strive to imitate, that we are in danger of forgetting that they possessed a human nature like our own, subject to many trials, weaknesses and frailties. They had to struggle as we have to struggle. The only difference is that their constancy and perseverance were greater far than ours. Biographers are often responsible for the false tendency to which we allude. They like to give us the finished portrait of the Saints, and only too often they omit in great part the details of the long and weary toil that ,vent to make the picture which they delight to paint.In the case of some of the Saints we are able to come nearer to the reality by reading the letters which have been preserved, in which in their own handwriting they have set down, without thought of those who in later days might read their words, the details of their daily life and struggle. Thus in the few selected Letters of the holy foundress of the Visitation which are now being published in an English translation we get glimpses of her real character and spiritual growth which may be more. helpful to us than many pages of formal biography. In one place she excuses the brevity of a letter because she is If feeling the cold to-day and pressed for time." In another she tells a Sister, “do everything to get well, for it is only your nerves." Nerves are evidently not a new malady nor a lately devised excuse. She knew the weariness of delay: “still no news from Rome. ... I think His Grace the Archbishop would be glad to help us. . .. Beg him, I beseech you, to push on the matter." Haste and weather had their effect on her as on as: I write in such haste that I forget half of what I want to say. ... we will make a chalice veil for you, but not until the very hot weather is over, for one cannot work properly while it lasts." What mother, especially in these days of sorrow and anxiety, can read unmoved the Saint's own words as she speaks of her daughter's death, and of her fears about her son. I am almost in despair … so miserable am I about it that I do not know which way to turn, if not to the Providence of God, there to bury my longings, confiding to His hands not only the honour but even the salvation of this already half lost child. Oh! the incomparable anguish of this affliction. No other grief can come near to it." And then we feel her mingled grief and joy when at last she learnt that this, her only son, had given up his life, fighting for his King, after a humble and fervent reception of the Sacraments. Thus in the midst of the daily small worries of life, and of the great sorrows that at one time or other fall to the lot of all, we see a brave and generous soul, with human gifts and qualities like to our ownJ treading her appointed path to God.No one can read her words without carrying therefrom fresh courage for his life, and a new determination to battle steadfastly to the end.
Day of wrath and doom impending.David's word with Sibyl's blending,Heaven and earth in ashes ending.We open with the Dies Irae, because it applies to the Three Days of Darkness. Pope Saint Gregory the Great says in his Regula Pastoralis: “Let them be told how the Prophet Sophonias holds out over them the stroke of divine reproof, when he says: 'Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, great and horrible . . . . That day is a day of wrath, a day of darkness and obscurity, a day of clouds and whirlwinds, a day of the trumpet and alarm against all the fenced cities and against all the high corners.'” 1 Note this verse inspired the Dies Irae. The purpose of this book is to provide all of the prophecies that relate to the Three Days of Darkness. These are placed in a chronological order similar to that employed by Father Culleton is his two books, Antichrist and The Prophets and Our Times. They are provided without comment so that you can study the prophecies themselves. Some of the prophecies may appear out of place, but they will make sense as you move forward. It is strongly recommended that you make notes as you proceed forward with this book. In this way you can sort things out for yourself. Padre Pio predicted the Three Days of Darkness. So does Sacred Scripture, which calls it the Day of the Lord. Even Jesus Himself referred to the Three Days of Darkness in the Gospels. This book considers the many Catholic prophecies on the Three Days of Darkness.
The Roman Breviary is full of inspirational prayers and lessons. These lessons are compiled from the lessons of Matins. On Sundays and greater feasts Matins consists of three nocturns. Each nocturn consists of three psalms and three lessons. The first nocturn has lessons from Sacred Scripture. Since the Bible is readily available, this is omitted from this work. The second nocturn on the feast of saints gives their life story. It is these stories, which are most instructive. On Sundays, these lessons are an explanation either of the current Scripture or some other inspirational instruction and these are included here. The third nocturn is on the day's Gospel. The first lesson begins with a short quote from the Gospel of the day, followed by the beginning of the instruction. These are included here. On smaller feasts and ferial days, there is only one nocturn of nine psalms and three lessons. In Lent, these lessons are on the day's Gospel, while on other ferial days they are from Scripture. On minor feast days, the first two are from Scripture, the third on the day's feast. In Lent there are forty different Gospels read, and the lessons on these form the bulk of this work. The lessons in the Breviary come from the Fathers of the Church and are quite instructive. This work would serve as a good companion to Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, as it covers material not contained in this other excellent work. The Fathers of the Church bring out points we may not have considered in our meditations on the daily Gospels. We pray all find these instructions as fruitful as I have. We have included the instructions for the three Sundays prior to Ash Wednesday, Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima, as they form a remote preparation for the commemoration of the mysteries of our Redemption at the end of Holy Week.
Saint Paul prophesied a falling away from the Faith. More recently warnings have been given over the last century and a half that indicate the time may be near. Included is the true story of seminary student 1025, which has been fictionalized and published as AA-1025. Also included is the Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita. Henry Edward Cardinal Manning gave a powerful lecture on the Great Apostasy in the late 1800's, which is also included. Then there is the Visiono f Pope Leo XIII and the prayer to Saint Michael he composed as a result, not to mention Pope Pius X's fear that Antichrist has already been born. THese and other documents are presented without comment, so that all may study uninfluenced by the author's bias.
IT will be scarcely necessary to recommend a work by Mgr. Leroy to those who have known what his record is as a prelate of action, a man of learning, an effective wielder of the pen. In presenting to them and others an English version of his book Credo we can offer the assurance that it is marked by a threefold character conformable to that which we have just ascribed to the author. It is a brief, pointed, business-like, but by no means heartless, setting forth of the entire field of Catholic Christian belief; a treatment of theological problems and practical duties in a form well calculated to meet the wants and appeal to the judgment of the busy man or woman of the world as we know it. Its merits of matter and form have been fully recreated in the version now offered to the public. So large is the field covered by the revered author and so precise are his details that some slight modifications have been deemed advisable in order to fit the work perfectly to its new circle of readers. A few particularities have been omitted; a few brief phrases have been expanded in one or two passages (as that explaining the Sixth Precept of the Church), and care has been taken to conform the language to the latest official declarations. It is hoped that in its new garb the work of the eminent French missioner and prelate will continue among Catholics and non-Catholics of the English-speaking world the career of usefulness for which it has been happily distinguished.
This work begins: "JESUS has loved us with unspeakable love. He has loved us to excess: everything proelaims it, but above all, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist." Meditations are listed below: Circumstances accompanying the Institution of the Holy Eucharist On what preceded the Institution of the Holy Institution of the Holy Eucharist The teachings of Faith concerning the Holy Eucharist Excellence of the Holy Eucharist The Emmanuel The Fruit of the Tree of Life The Pasch of the Jews and the Holy Communion The Manna Figure of the Eucharist The Holy Eucharist Prefigured By the River flowing through. the Garden of Eden, the Water from the Rock, the Sacrifice of Melchisedech, the Ark of the Covenant The Holy Eucharist Prefigured By the Mosaic Sacrifices, the Pillar of Cloud, the Field of Booze, the Bread of Elias The Multiplication of Loaves in the Wilderness The Holy Eucharist Announced or Foretold Designs of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, in regard to His Father Designs of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, in relation to Himself and His Church Designs of Jesus Christ ill the Eucharist, in reference to us Love of Jesus Christ towards us in the Holy Eucharist The Holy Eucharist and the Incarnation What Jesus Christ is for us in the Holy Eucharist The Holy Eucharist and the Most Blessed Virgin The Holy Eucharist and the Angels The Holy Eucharist and the Church The Holy Eucharist and the Saints The Holy Eucharist and the Venerable De La Salle Presence of the Holy Sacrament in our Churches Life and Mission of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist Jesus our Model in the Holy Eucharist Jesus our Model in our duties towards God Jesus in the Hilly Eucharist, the Model of Humility Jesus in the Holy Eucharist-a Model of Obedience, Self-Denial, and Patience Jesus the Model of Love towards our Neighbor The Teaching of thc Holy Eucharist The Holy Eucharist the Source of Concord Faith in the Holy Eucharist Our Duties towards the Holy Eucharist Excellence of devotion to the Holy Eucharist Holy Communion Necessity of Communion Frequent Communion Objection against Frequent Communion Union with Jesus Christ Holy Communion the Life of the Soul Holy Communion, a means to avoid Evil and do Good Holy Communion is our Defence The Holy Communion, the Source of all kinds of Blessings Holy Communion, a Pledge of a Glorious Resurrection Holy Communion and Heaven On the Joys of Holy Communion Reason of the Joys of Holy Communion Characteristics of the Happiness of Holy Communion On Dryness in Holy Communion Preparation for Holy Communion The Purity of Conscience necessary to communicate Preparation of Faith and Adoration Preparation of Humility and Confidence Preparation of Love Preparation of Desire Proximate and Immediate Preparation What is given to us in the Holy Eucharist Immediate Thanksgiving Thanksgiving continued Fervent Communion A Tepid Communion A Sacrilegious Communion Holy Viaticum Ceremonies accompanying the Holy Viaticum Communion received as if a Viaticum The Religious preparing himself for Holy Communion Thanksgiving after Viaticum Sacrifice of Mass-its nature Excellence of the Sacrifice of the Mass Holy Mass, a Sacrifice of Adoration The Holy Mass, a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving Holy Mass a Sacrifice of Expiation Holy Mass, the Sacrifice of Impetration Dispositions for Hearing Mass well Spiritual Communion Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament Exposition of the Holy Sacrament Benediction Reparation Feast of Corpus Christi
Consider this meditation: DEVOTION to the Sacred Heart consists in honoring, with a worship of adoration, love, gratitude, imitation, and reparation, the heart of Jesus, which, united hypostatically to the vVord, is the heart of God, the source and fulness of graces, the perfect model of all virtues; and whose goodness, greatness, amiability, and generosity are alas! unrecognized on the part of men. This devotion, like that of the words of the cross, the sacred lance, the crown of thorns, and a multitude of others, has a double object: the one sensible and material, able to be perceived by the senses, or represented by the imagination; the other wholly spiritual, but having the closest relations with it. The sensible object is that heart, which living and animated was the organ of the feelings of our divine Savior, and which reminds us of them, as being their most direct, truest, and most expressive symbol. The spiritual object 'consists in those very feelings, the interior dispositions of Jesus Christ! his love for his Father, his love and tenderness for men, his joy, his sorrows, his wishes. . . . . . . The Blessed Margaret Mary gives us to understand and distinguish. this double object, when she says: " The divine Master assured me that he felt singular pleasure in seeing the sentiments and love of his heart honored under the emblem of a heart of flesh, as he had shown me." The Church speaks in the same way in her office, where we read: "The Sovereign Pontiff, Clement XIII, has authorised the feast of the Sacred Heart, so that the faithful may, under that symbol, celebrate with more devotion and fervor, the charity of Jesus Christ suffering and dying for the salvation of the human race, and instituting, in memory of his death, the sacrament of his body and his blood. While giving glory to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we celebrate the memory of the principal favors of his love towards us." Let us admire here the simplicity and fitness of the means Jesus Christ has wished to make choice of. The heart is in fact the most natural emblem of love, goodness, and whatever there is of great, generous, and heroic in the soul: moreover, it receives the impression of all the feelings we experience. 'What Christian, then, could by meditation place himself in presence of the heart of Jesus Christ without recalling the sentiments of charity, tenderness, and compassion, with which that divine Savior was filled. "The heart of Jesus," says Pere Gautrelet, "represents, and reminds us of the sacred humanity, whose noblest organ it was, and the divine pardon which penetrated it, raised it to the dignity of a divine heart, and imprinted the seal of divinity on all its movements and sentiments; the honor paid to Jesus Christ can be formalised in that we pay to his adorable heart." The end of devotion to the Sacred Heart, is to acknowledge, in a worthy manner, the love of Jesus for us; it is therefore to imitate the virtues of which he gives us an example to repair the crimes and ingratitude of men towards him, particularly in the adorable Eucharist. What Christian would not strive to realize that sublime end! Ah! how can we think of the wonders and the excess of the charity of the Son of God; how can we recall to mind that that love was the cause of the humiliations of his Incarnation, the labors of his life, the gift which he has given us of himself in his sacrament, the sacrifice he consummated on Calvary, and not be drawn to love him with the greatest love! All that is brought before us by devotion to the Sacred Heart. Therefore, whoever embraces its spirit and practice, cannot but share the sentiments of St. Liguori who exclaimed: " O all amiable heart of my Jesus, ' heart worthy to possess all hearts, heart resplendent with the flames of the purest love! O consuming fire, consume all my being, and give me a new life, a life of grace, a life of love." ....
This is a fifteen volume set, which is being brought back into print for the edification of the Faithful. Anyone who wishes to appreciate the timeless Tridentine Mass and liturgy will find this set a valuable aid in that endeavor. Dom Gueranger has produced a most excellent work, which began the liturgical movement. We pray that this set of books will bring many more to a true appreciation of the Latin Mass and the Divine Office of the Catholic Church. At one time, under the impulse of that Spirit, which animated the admirable Psalmist and the Prophets, she takes the subject of her canticles from the Books of the Old Testament; at another, showing herself to be the daughter and sister of the holy Apostles, she intones the canticles written in the Books of the New Covenant; and finally, remembering that she, too, has had given to her the trumpet and harp, she at times gives way to the Spirit which animates her, and sings her own new canticle. From these three sources comes the divine element which we call the Liturgy. The Prayer of the Church is, therefore, the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most efficacious of all prayers. Happy, then, is he who prays with the Church, and unites his own petitions with those of this Spouse, who is so dear to her Lord, that he gives her all she asks. It was for this reason that our Blessed Saviour taught us to say our Father, and not my Father; give us, forgive us, deliver us, and not give me, forgive me, deliver me. Hence, we find that, for upwards of a thousand years, the Church, who prays in her temples seven times in the day, and once again during the night, did not pray alone. The people kept her company, and fed themselves with delight on the manna which is hidden under the words and mysteries of the divine Liturgy. Thus initiated into the sacred Cycle of the mysteries of the Christian year, the faithful, attentive to the teachings of the Spirit, came to know the secrets of eternal life; and, without any further preparation, a Christian was not unfrequently chosen by the Bishops to be a Priest, or even a Bishop, that he might go and pour out on the people the treasures of wisdom and love, which he had drunk in at the very fountain-head. For whilst Prayer said in union with the Church is the light of the understanding, it is the fire of divine love for the heart. The Christian soul neither needs nor wishes to avoid the company of the Church, when she would converse with God, and praise his greatness and his mercy. She knows that the companyof the Spouse of Christ could not be a distraction to her. Is not the soul herself a part of this Church, which is the Spouse? Has not Jesus Christ said: Father, may they be one, as we also are one? and, when many are gathered in his name, does not this same Saviour assure us that he is in the midst of them? The soul, therefore, may converse freely with her God, who tells her that he is so near her; she may sing praise, as David did, in the sight of the Angels, whose eternal prayer blends with the prayer which the Church utters in time.
Father Fancisosi tell us this book is: "The thoughts, feelings, words, and actions of the Founder of the Society, collected and arrange.”The chapters included are:On FaithOn HopeOn the Love of GodOn the Love of NeighborOn HumilityOn PovertyOn ChastityOn ObedienceOn PrudenceOn JusticeOn StrengthOn TemperanceOn the Religious StateOn PrayerOn PenanceOn CrossesOn PersecutionsOn TemptationsOn SinOn VirtueOn Diligence and FervorOn Divine GracesOn the EucharistOn Speaking On Government On BooksOn the End of ManOn GratitudeLet us consider this: “Obedience is the noblest and most beautiful of virtues, it is more excellent than all victims and sacrifices, it is the daughter of humility, the nurse of charity, the companion of justice, the guide and mistress of all the religious virtues, the mother of concord and of brotherly kindness, a safe and calm harbour, a perpetual and delicious banquet for the soul.”
Read Me or Rue It' and 'How to Avoid Purgatory' are accompanied by several other useful instructions and several devotions for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. The devotions include the 'Novena for the Relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory' and the 'Daily Pilgrimage to Purgatory. The Office of the Dead is included for use with the burial as well as for private devotion. 'How to Grieve for your Dead' is also included to help those who have lost a loved one.
Bridget also known as Birgitta of Sweden received revelations from Almighty God and these are recounted in several books. 1.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 1 (books 1-3) 2.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 2 (Book 4) 3.The Book of Questions of Saint Bridget (Book 5) 4.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 4 (Books 6*, 7, 8*, 9*) 5.The Book of the Angel (Book 11) 6.The Life and Prayers of Saint Bridget * indicates part of the book is missing.
Bridget also known as Birgitta of Sweden received revelations from Almighty God and these are recounted in several books. 1.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 1 (books 1-3) 2.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 2 (Book 4) 3.The Book of Questions of Saint Bridget (Book 5) 4.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 4 (Books 6*, 7, 8*, 9*) 5.The Book of the Angel (Book 11) 6.The Life and Prayers of Saint Bridget * indicates part of the book is missing.
THE following pages contain the substance of what I said on the day of the general supplication in behalf of the Holy Father. It is confined to the political aspect of the Temporal Power, and deals only with the lowest ground on which it may be argued; namely, that of legal and political justice. I had already at other times claimed for the Temporal Power its higher sanctions, as related to the person and office of the Vicar of Jesus Christ. It was then objected that this was to remove the question from the tangible region of fact and law, to the impalpable region of faith. Without repeating what I have so often said before, I have here confined myself to the same field of argument, on which all legitimate powers repose. If the British Empire can be justified in its sway over the three kingdoms, and its dependencies, or the American Union over the Southern States, then far more surely may the right of the Pontiffs be maintained by the same arguments. The only difference I know is, that we and the Americans have bayonets of our own. The Pontiffs are unarmed. Foreign bayonets are a legitimate defence against foreign revolutions. Let the seditions of all nations be withdrawn, with their acts, conspiracies, and intrigues, from Rome, and there would be no need for bayonets.
This work begins: “There are two spheres of knowledge in which every one who is endeavouring after any growth in the spiritual life must be making some advance. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self. We can all readily perceive the necessity of growth in the knowledge of God as essential to any development of the spiritual life. The connection is obvious. "This," said our Lord, " is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent." A certain moral sympathy is absolutely necessary as a condition of friendship, and holiness consists in friendship with God. If we would be in any sense the friends of God, we must have at least that desire for holiness without which such friendship would be impossible, the growth in the knowledge of God is the deepening of this friendship. " If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth."”And let us consider self-discipline: “Whatever we may be able to learn from the study of Nature, whether of art or science, all that we know of good and evil, and of the great moral struggle, we know through our own nature alone. So imbued are our minds with moral ideas that we seem to see them reflected in the world of Nature, but it is only that extraordinary responsiveness with which she always meets man. It is a strange thing when we come to analyse it, that so much light and shade, so many lines and curves, so much inanimate matter, should be able in such an extraordinary way to reflect the mind of man, that we even transfer to it our own moral ideas and struggles. Who has not felt that not only can the skies and the earth and the winds rejoice with us in our joys and sorrow with our sorrows, but that they echo our stormy passions, and reflect our wrath and rebellion and cruelty, and melt with us into tears of penitence and sing with us our Te Deums.” Here is a salient point: “Self-knowledge apart from God can indeed only lead to despair. For he who has sunk to earth knows well he can find no lever on ear.h or within himself to raise him. How can he? How can anything within himself raise him above himself? How can anything on earth raise him above the earth? Like the piece of silver, in the Parable, that has fallen to the earth, he needs the Hand of Another to raise him.”
John Marie Vianney, who was to be the honor of the secular clergy of France, was born in the very heart of the diocese of Lyons. This diocese was destined to provide France with more apostles and more charitables works during the nineteenth century than any other. John belonged tot he agricultural class, from which our best priests have always been recruited. An example of his sage advice can be seen. He told a man not to go to La Trappe, a Trappist monastery. The man objected: “But, Father, I am quite certain; my best inspirations lead me thither; I thirst for mortifications and austerities.” The Cure replied: “My child, do not go there.” The young man went home, prayed and reflected once more, and persuading himself that he saw more clearly than the holy Cure, went to Aiguebelle. He was accepted and began his novitiate. He found the Rule easy to follow and was a model of regularity. However, shortly before his profession he suddenly abandoned the monk's habit and has never been heard of since.
It was as a lay monk in a monastery kitchen that Brother Lawrence discovered the delight of a continual awareness of God's presence. His deep joy in his relationship with God led many people to seek his counsel, and after his death his wisdom was distilled into this simple volume, which has remained an enduring spiritual classic.
The Practice Of The Presence Of God The Best Rule Of A Holy Life: Being Conversations And Letters Of Nicholas Herman, Of Lorraine (Brother Lawrence). Translated From The French. This book is a result of an effort made by us towards making a contribution to the preservation and repair of original classic literature. In an attempt to preserve, improve and recreate the original content, we have worked towards: 1. Type-setting & Reformatting: The complete work has been re-designed via professional layout, formatting and type-setting tools to re-create the same edition with rich typography, graphics, high quality images, and table elements, giving our readers the feel of holding a 'fresh and newly' reprinted and/or revised edition, as opposed to other scanned & printed (Optical Character Recognition - OCR) reproductions. 2. Correction of imperfections: As the work was re-created from the scratch, therefore, it was vetted to rectify certain conventional norms with regard to typographical mistakes, hyphenations, punctuations, blurred images, missing content/pages, and/or other related subject matters, upon our consideration. Every attempt was made to rectify the imperfections related to omitted constructs in the original edition via other references. However, a few of such imperfections which could not be rectified due to intentional\unintentional omission of content in the original edition, were inherited and preserved from the original work to maintain the authenticity and construct, relevant to the work. We believe that this work holds historical, cultural and/or intellectual importance in the literary works community, therefore despite the oddities, we accounted the work for print as a part of our continuing effort towards preservation of literary work and our contribution towards the development of the society as a whole, driven by our beliefs. We are grateful to our readers for putting their faith in us and accepting our imperfections with regard to preservation of the historical content. HAPPY READING!
This will help us customize your experience to showcase the most relevant content to your age group
Please select from below
Login
Not registered?
Sign up
Already registered?
Success – Your message will goes here
We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.