Bright Torches

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Bright torches in the darkest night,

The saints of God as lights yet shine.

Lord, let our witness rise with theirs,

And through their prayers give grace divine.

A dimly burning wick were we, 
But now our faith fills with thy fire

For thou art all consuming love —

Thy perfect will our hearts desire.

Unite thy saints through every age 
And cleansed from sin lift us above,

O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

One God in glory, one in love. Amen.

____________________________

Copyright © 2006 by Vincent Uher

This may be sung to the tune Winchester New

Come out and be ye separate

He hath put down the mighty from their seat, 

and hath exalted the humble. 

He hath filled the hungry with good things; 

and the rich he hath sent empty away.  

Luke 1.52,53 (Rheims)

THE LORD WILL NOT BLESS 
WARFARE CONCEIVED BY HUMAN GREED

The Lord will not bless warfare conceived by human greed.
Christ never blesses violence, but turns to human need :
he sets his face against all who harm humanity
and raises up peacemakers with his integrity.

Christ, stop the warring madness that makes Earth hell not home.
Christ, rescue all the righteous and save each broken soul.
Christ, weigh the works of nations and see all lies laid bare
For you judge leaders, empires, and peoples unaware.

The Lord of all the ages -- who loves both small and great --
insists we love creation, choose peace not wars of hate;
demands we turn from evil and walk his Way alone.
Christ's love of every person, our Gospel we make known.

© 2008-2013 by Vincent Uher

Suggested tunes:
Passion Chorale (O Sacred Head)
Blairgowrie
King’s Lynn

Blessed are the peacemakers: 
for they shall be called children of God. Matthew 5.9 (Rheims)

For this Holy Feast

J+M+J

IC XC NIKA

The following prayer was composed in 1978 by Fr. James T. Moore, PhD, co-founder of the Church of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Texas.  It remains a vital and important prayer to pray... especially today.

O JESUS, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer to you my continual obedience, pleading that all Anglicans seeking union with the Apostolic See of Peter may have the fruition of their hope. By the power of your Divine Spirit so guide the Holy Father in Rome that this union will be accomplished and that what is good and true in our heritage may be preserved to the benefit of the Universal Church. Grant that Anglican bishops and priests longing for this union may be granted continued exercise of the priestly ministry under the authority of the Roman See and that Christians everywhere may once again know the Chair of Peter as that rock upon which your Church on earth is founded, against which hell cannot prevail. Amen.

+Ave Jesu Christe!

Servant of God Sr. Consolata Betrone

"Jesus and Mary, I love you. save souls"

Servant of God Sr. Consolata Betrone, pray for us.

The original website is no longer available, but the page about Servant of God Sr. Consolata Beltrone may be read via Archive.Org and its snapshot of the Monastero Sacro Cuore website: click here.

Fr Lorenzo Sales IMC

There are two books that are recommended. The first is Jesus Appeals to the World by Sister's spiritual director, Father Lorenzo Sales, IMC. It is available here.

Another book that is about her in part is Words of Love by Father Bartholomew Gottemoller, OSCO. He also writes about Sr. Josefa Menendez and Sr. Mary of the Trinity. It is available from TAN Books at this link.

+Jesus-Maria!

CCWatershed: Modal Psalms

J+M+J

IC XC NIKA

Another excellent chant resource is coming from CCWatershed.

For more information and some music previews, click HERE.

Caryll Houselander: Battering the bodies of innocence

J+M+J

IC XC NIKA

Do take the time to read this article by Dawn Eden regarding a prophetic passage in a novel by Caryll Houselander, the Catholic mystic whose writings have been an immeasurable blessing in my life.  Dawn Eden's insight here is a gift in raising up before us this profoundly important passage. (If you have not already done so, do read Dawn Eden's two books her most recent of which is a life-saving treasure for those traumatised and injured by sexual wounds.  And as I always do, I heartily recommend reading anything by Caryll Houselander.

Caryll Houselander, Catholic mystic, writer, artist, and evangelist

I am one of many who believe deeply that Caryll Houselander was a saint with a capital "S", and I pray that some day the Church will come to see the value in canonising those whose ongoing Evangelical gift in communication is as much a Miracle of God as any particular Miracle credited to one of the Lord's venerable and blessed sons and daughters.  Here is the link to Dawn Eden's article from December of last year:  Click here.

+Domine, audi nos.

Our Lady of Good Counsel

J+M+J

IC XC NIKA

Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us.

+Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.

"Why?" they will cry.

Kyrie eleison imas.

When the USA lies in ruins, and people cry out, 'Why did God let this happen to us?', I would remind them of this for starters ... the news that U.S. news corporations are not covering:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/04/10/philadelphia-abortion-clinic-horror-column/2072577/

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Historic Image

J+M+J

IC XC NIKA

It is a gift that this image is not simply of two Popes standing together looking at the photographer but rather two pontiffs contemplating a window to Heaven, the ikon of the Madonna of Humility which had been given to Pope Francis by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church through Metropolitan Hilarion, Foreign Minister of the Russian Church.

Pope Francis I with the Pontiff Emeritus Benedict

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The Triumph of the Church

J+M+J

XC IC NIKA

Sister Marie Marthe Chambon (+ 1907) taught us: 

"The triumph of the Church 

will be hastened 

by devotion to the Five Wounds 

and the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ."

It is suggested that the Chaplet (Rosary) of the Holy Wounds 
may be prayed during the Offertory of the Holy Mass.

Kyrie eleison imas.

Really Useful Website

J+M+J

IC XC NIKA

http://www.playingthechurchorgan.com 

If you are a pianist pressed into service on a church organ, this website is a godsend.  I think it would also be useful for someone with limited experience who is looking for repertoire.

Church organists may also wish to know of it because it could be a great way to train up a keyboardist to substitute at the organ should one need to be away.

http://www.playingthechurchorgan.com

+Ave Jesu Christe!

From Dorothy Day

Kyrie eleison imas.

The Bible isn’t meant to keep people apart; it isn’t meant to be a badge of honor. The worst sin is pride, and you can have a religious pride that is sinful. I didn’t see that for a long time—the way religion can be used to hurt people. I knew history—all the hate in the name of religion. But in everyday life, even before I became Catholic, I had assumed that people who took the time to read the Bible and pray were going to behave better toward other people, because they would be influenced by all the beauty in that book. But I was naive, maybe blind.

 Dorothy Day

+Miserere nobis, Domine