Chapter Nine

Obedience and Subjection

IT IS a very great thing to obey, to live under a superior and not to be one’s own master, for it is much safer to be subject than it is to command. Many live in obedience more from necessity than from love. Such become discontented and dejected on the slightest pretext; they will never gain peace of mind unless they subject themselves wholeheartedly for the love of God.

Go where you may, you will find no rest except in humble obedience to the rule of authority.

Dreams of happiness expected from change and different places have deceived many.

Everyone, it is true, wishes to do as he pleases and is attracted to those who agree with him. But if God be among us, we must at times give up our opinions for the blessings of peace.

Furthermore, who is so wise that he can have full knowledge of everything? Do not trust too much in your own opinions, but be willing to listen to those of others. If, though your own be good, you accept another’s opinion for love of God, you will gain much more merit; for I have often heard that it is safer to listen to advice and take it than to give it. It may happen, too, that while one’s own opinion may be good, refusal to agree with others when reason and occasion demand it, is a sign of pride and obstinacy.

[Imitation of Christ, Book One. Public Domain.]

Today is the Feast of St. John Bosco (1815-1888), who grew up on a Piedmont farm in Italy.
His early years were most difficult! While still a student-priest at Turin, he began his mission for the abandoned boy apprentices of the early industrial era, who roamed uncared for on the streets of the city. Priests and Brothers gathered about John Bosco as his work developed and formed the Salesian Order, named in honor of St. Francis of Sales. He also founded a community of Sisters to aid needy girls. He composed pamphlets for the support and defense of the Catholic Faith.
Today, the missionaries of John Bosco carry on his ideals of gentleness and charity among poor children in Asia, Africa, and North and South America, as well as in Europe.


For sixty years St John Bosco received remarkable dreams which were almost visions. Probably his best-known dream vision was that of the Catholic Church like a ship taking refuge between two pillars in the sea. [Picture above]

In May 1862 he shared his experience of this dream.
He could see a very big ship in the sea which he understood as the Catholic Church. There were many smaller ships drawn up to do battle against the big ship, they were the enemies of the Catholic Church and persecutions She would endure.

Two pillars or columns were protruding from the sea a little distant from each other. On the top of one was a statue of Our Lady with 'Help of Christians' written beneath.
On top of the other pillar was a Host beneath which was written 'Salvation of the Faithful.'

The commander of the ship was the Pope. He was directing all his energies to steering the ship between those two columns or pillars. All the enemy ships moved to attack. Sometimes the large ship, the Catholic Church, got large, deep holes in its sides but no sooner was the harm done than a gentle breeze blew from the two columns and the cracks closed up and the gaps were stopped immediately. In a battle the Pope fell gravely wounded. Immediately those who were with him helped him up. [Sounds like Pope John Paul II, when he was shot at the Vatican] A second time the Pope was struck, this time he fell and died. A new Pope was promptly elected [Pope Benedict XVI?] that the enemies begin to lose courage. The new Pope overcame all obstacles and enemies and guided the ship [Catholic Church] right between the two columns. He fastened a chain from the bow of the ship to the column on which stands the Host, and fastened a chain from the ship's stern to the column on which stands a statue of Our Lady. All the ships which had fought against the Pope's ship were scattered and broken to pieces and other smaller ships which had fought for the Pope's ship now bound themselves to the same two columns.
[Reunion of all Christian Churches?]

St. John Bosco is one of my favorite Saints, especially because he worked with children and inspired me to teach Religious Education [CCD] for many years. I felt it was a calling and God's Will and a mandate from the Lord, so wherever I lived, I always volunteered to teach.

Prayer

O God, You made your confessor St. John a father and teacher for the young and willed that he should found in Your Church flourishing new communities under the protection of the Virgin Mary. Enkindle in us the same fire of love to seek after souls and serve You alone. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Eighth Chapter

Shunning Over-Familiarity

DO NOT open your heart to every man, but discuss your affairs with one who is wise and who fears God. Do not keep company with young people and strangers. Do not fawn upon the rich, and do not be fond of mingling with the great. Associate with the humble and the simple, with the devout and virtuous, and with them speak of edifying things. Be not intimate with any woman, but generally commend all good women to God. Seek only the intimacy of God and of His angels, and avoid the notice of men.We ought to have charity for all men but familiarity with all is not expedient. Sometimes it happens that a person enjoys a good reputation among those who do not know him, but at the same time is held in slight regard by those who do. Frequently we think we are pleasing others by our presence and we begin rather to displease them by the faults they find in us.

[Imitation of Christ, Book One. Public Domain.]

The Seventh Chapter

Avoiding False Hope and Pride

VAIN is the man who puts his trust in men, in created things.

Do not be ashamed to serve others for the love of Jesus Christ and to seem poor in this world.

Do not be self-sufficient but place your trust in God. Do what lies in your power and God will aid your good will. Put no trust in your own learning nor in the cunning of any man, but rather in the grace of God Who helps the humble and humbles the proud.

If you have wealth, do not glory in it, nor in friends because they are powerful, but in God Who gives all things and Who desires above all to give Himself. Do not boast of personal stature or of physical beauty, qualities which are marred and destroyed by a little sickness. Do not take pride in your talent or ability, lest you displease God to Whom belongs all the natural gifts that you have.

Do not think yourself better than others lest, perhaps, you be accounted worse before God Who knows what is in man. Do not take pride in your good deeds, for God’s judgments differ from those of men and what pleases them often displeases Him. If there is good in you, see more good in others, so that you may remain humble. It does no harm to esteem yourself less than anyone else, but it is very harmful to think yourself better than even one. The humble live in continuous peace, while in the hearts of the proud are envy and frequent anger.

[Imitation of Christ, Book One. Public Domain.]

The Sixth Chapter

Unbridled Affections

WHEN a man desires a thing too much, he at once becomes ill at ease. A proud and avaricious man never rests, whereas he who is poor and humble of heart lives in a world of peace. An unmortified man is quickly tempted and overcome in small, trifling evils; his spirit is weak, in a measure carnal and inclined to sensual things; he can hardly abstain from earthly desires. Hence it makes him sad to forego them; he is quick to anger if reproved. Yet if he satisfies his desires, remorse of conscience overwhelms him because he followed his passions and they did not lead to the peace he sought.

True peace of heart, then, is found in resisting passions, not in satisfying them. There is no peace in the carnal man, in the man given to vain attractions, but there is peace in the fervent and spiritual man.

[Imitation of Christ, Book One. Public Domain.]

Some thoughts on the coming 'Warning' [Advisio] and the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart, with the reign of Christ in the hearts of all mankind!

I long so deeply for the Warning, especially for Christ's Peace to reign in our hearts. I also long for the re-union of the East & West Catholic Churches and a return to orthodoxy in our worship and Faith! I believe in Garabandal with all my heart & soul cause these apparitions of Our Lady have changed my life 100%. I wouldn't be a deacon today without Our Lady's kissed medal from Garabandal.

I firmly believe in Medjugorje, especially since Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi of the Marian Movement of Priests, that she was appearing there (message #357. In a long message, dated July 3rd, 1987, in paragraph m, She said "Already during this Marian Year, certain great events will take place, concerning what I predicted at Fatima and have told, under secrecy, to the children to whom I am appearing at Medjugorje."

Isn't it wonderful how all Our Lady's apparitions are inter-wined like the seamless garment that Mary wove for the Child Jesus and grew with Him as He aged (Ven. Mary of Agreda, 'City of God'). This is the same garment that the Roman soldiers gambled for at the Crucifixion. Notice how Our Lady's apparitions have grown over the past 100 years, from once a month for one year at Fatima; thousands at Garabandal over 4 years; many thousands to the Medjugorje seers for over 25 Years.

The greatest burst of the supernatural from Almighty God in the history of the world! Surely, God is preparing us for the Reign of Christ and the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!!!

The Fifth Chapter

Reading the Holy Scripture

TRUTH, not eloquence, is to be sought in reading the Holy Scriptures; and every part must be read in the spirit in which it was written. For in the Scriptures we ought to seek profit rather than polished diction.

Likewise we ought to read simple and devout books as willingly as learned and profound ones. We ought not to be swayed by the authority of the writer, whether he be a great literary light or an insignificant person, but by the love of simple truth. We ought not to ask who is speaking, but mark what is said. Men pass away, but the truth of the Lord remains forever. God speaks to us in many ways without regard for persons.

Our curiosity often impedes our reading of the Scriptures, when we wish to understand and mull over what we ought simply to read and pass by.

If you would profit from it, therefore, read with humility, simplicity, and faith, and never seek a reputation for being learned. Seek willingly and listen attentively to the words of the saints; do not be displeased with the sayings of the ancients, for they were not made without purpose.

[Imitation of Christ, Book One. Public Domain.]

Each month Our Lady, the Queen of Peace, gives a message for the world!

Here is todays Message: January 25, 2006.

"Dear children! Also today I call you to be carriers of the Gospel in your families. Do not forget, little children, to read Sacred Scripture. Put it in a visible place and witness with your life that you believe and live the Word of God. I am close to you with my love and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." 01/2006

THE WISE MEN

The Fourth Chapter

Prudence in Action

DO NOT yield to every impulse and suggestion but consider things carefully and patiently in the light of God’s will. For very often, sad to say, we are so weak that we believe and speak evil of others rather than good. Perfect men, however, do not readily believe every talebearer, because they know that human frailty is prone to evil and is likely to appear in speech.

Not to act rashly or to cling obstinately to one’s opinion, not to believe everything people say or to spread abroad the gossip one has heard, is great wisdom.

Take counsel with a wise and conscientious man. Seek the advice of your betters in preference to following your own inclinations.

A good life makes a man wise according to God and gives him experience in many things, for the more humble he is and the more subject to God, the wiser and the more at peace he will be in all things.

[Imitation of Christ, Book One. Public Domain.]

The conversion of St. Paul

The Third Chapter

The Doctrine of Truth

HAPPY is he to whom truth manifests itself, not in signs and words that fade, but as it actually is. Our opinions, our senses often deceive us and we discern very little.

What good is much discussion of involved and obscure matters when our ignorance of them will not be held against us on Judgment Day? Neglect of things which are profitable and necessary and undue concern with those which are irrelevant and harmful, are great folly.

We have eyes and do not see.

What, therefore, have we to do with questions of philosophy? He to whom the Eternal Word speaks is free from theorizing. For from this Word are all things and of Him all things speak—the Beginning Who also speaks to us. Without this Word no man understands or judges aright. He to whom it becomes everything, who traces all things to it and who sees all things in it, may ease his heart and remain at peace with God.

O God, You Who are the truth, make me one with You in love everlasting. I am often wearied by the many things I hear and read, but in You is all that I long for. Let the learned be still, let all creatures be silent before You; You alone speak to me.

The more recollected a man is, and the more simple of heart he becomes, the easier he understands sublime things, for he receives the light of knowledge from above. The pure, simple, and steadfast spirit is not distracted by many labors, for he does them all for the honor of God. And since he enjoys interior peace he seeks no selfish end in anything. What, indeed, gives more trouble and affliction than uncontrolled desires of the heart?

A good and devout man arranges in his mind the things he has to do, not according to the whims of evil inclination but according to the dictates of right reason. Who is forced to struggle more than he who tries to master himself? This ought to be our purpose, then: to conquer self, to become stronger each day, to advance in virtue.

Every perfection in this life has some imperfection mixed with it and no learning of ours is without some darkness. Humble knowledge of self is a surer path to God than the ardent pursuit of learning. Not that learning is to be considered evil, or knowledge, which is good in itself and so ordained by God; but a clean conscience and virtuous life ought always to be preferred. Many often err and accomplish little or nothing because they try to become learned rather than to live well.

If men used as much care in uprooting vices and implanting virtues as they do in discussing problems, there would not be so much evil and scandal in the world, or such laxity in religious organizations. On the day of judgment, surely, we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done; not how well we have spoken but how well we have lived.

Tell me, where now are all the masters and teachers whom you knew so well in life and who were famous for their learning? Others have already taken their places and I know not whether they ever think of their predecessors. During life they seemed to be something; now they are seldom remembered. How quickly the glory of the world passes away! If only their lives had kept pace with their learning, then their study and reading would have been worth while.

How many there are who perish because of vain worldly knowledge and too little care for serving God. They became vain in their own conceits because they chose to be great rather than humble.

He is truly great who has great charity. He is truly great who is little in his own eyes and makes nothing of the highest honor. He is truly wise who looks upon all earthly things as folly that he may gain Christ. He who does God’s will and renounces his own is truly very learned.


[Imitation of Christ, Book One. Public Domain.]

IMITATION OF CHRIST
by Thomas a Kempis

The Second Chapter

Having a Humble Opinion of Self

EVERY man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not happy when praised by men.

If I knew all things in the world and had not charity, what would it profit me before God Who will judge me by my deeds?

Shun too great a desire for knowledge, for in it there is much fretting and delusion. Intellectuals like to appear learned and to be called wise. Yet there are many things the knowledge of which does little or no good to the soul, and he who concerns himself about other things than those which lead to salvation is very unwise.

Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life eases the mind and a clean conscience inspires great trust in God.

The more you know and the better you understand, the more severely will you be judged, unless your life is also the more holy. Do not be proud, therefore, because of your learning or skill. Rather, fear because of the talent given you. If you think you know many things and understand them well enough, realize at the same time that there is much you do not know. Hence, do not affect wisdom, but admit your ignorance. Why prefer yourself to anyone else when many are more learned, more cultured than you?

If you wish to learn and appreciate something worth while, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing. Truly to know and despise self is the best and most perfect counsel. To think of oneself as nothing, and always to think well and highly of others is the best and most perfect wisdom. Wherefore, if you see another sin openly or commit a serious crime, do not consider yourself better, for you do not know how long you can remain in good estate. All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself.


(Public Domain)

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

by Thomas a Kempis

BOOK ONE

THOUGHTS HELPFUL
IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL

The First Chapter

Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities on Earth

"HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness,"” says the Lord. [John 8:12.] By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort, therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ.

The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ.

What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone.

This is the greatest wisdom--—to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.

Often recall the proverb: "“The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing." ”[Eccles. 1:8.] Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God.

(Public Domain)

I'm an 'old fashioned Catholic'! I believe in the Bible 100%! When the Old Testament stories are denied, then the New Testament stories are also denied. There are people out there who tell you that the Nativity of Jesus was all made up by the Christians a few hundred years after the Birth of Christ or the miracles were just signs and not true miracles cause God doesn't enter into human history, or the Resurrection was also made up by the Apostles to prove Jesus was God, but He only rose in the spirit (when I heard that, I went nuts!!!). Or some say that the Resurrection and Ascension happened at the same time, dismissing the forty days Our Lord spent on earth appearing to the disciples. Most dioceses in the U.S. have done away with Ascension Thursday as a Holy Day and moved it to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Little by little the Faith is being watered down. No fasting, no obligations, no sin, no penance. What's next? Ash Wednesday sent to the dust bin?

The Vatican II document 'Dei Verbum' takes special care to vindicate the authenticity of the portrayal of the historic Jesus of Nazareth in the Four Gospels. It emphatically declares that the Church has firmly and with absolute constancy maintained and continues to maintain, that the four Gospels, whose historicity the Church unhesitatingly affirms, faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among us, really did and taught for their salvation, until the day when he was taken up.

Then there are those people who only interpret the Scriptures in "plain sense", a literal interpretation without recourse to Sacred Tradition and the writings and teachings of the Fathers of the Church. They dismiss all the Truths taught to us by the Catholic Church for 2000 years about Our Blessed Mother, especially Her Perpetual Virginity, Her Immaculate Conception, the Miraculous Birth of Jesus, Our Lord; Her freedom from having committed any sin Her whole life; Her Assumption body & soul into Heaven; and Her Coronation as Queen of the Universe and Her many apparitions around the world!

Some say Mother Angelica of EWTN TV is pre-Vatican II. She definitely is not! If anything, she follows the Council documents 100%. Even more than I do!!! Here's one place where we can find the Truth! It is God's television network!

I think people like us should band together and help one another with our strong faith. We are the remnant, who are Our Lady's heel, ready to crush the serpent, that old devil, who is at war with God.

I wish there were more Traditional Parishes to go to, but since we don't (yet), we have to stay together and be faithful to the Holy Father and all the Truths of our beloved Faith.

What say you?

God Bless
Deacon John

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

The mystery of the Christ-birth is a rich and glorious beginning, splendid with promise. Today in many nations and Rites, and Sunday in the U.S., we worship a partial fulfillment when Jesus, as an Infant King, is manifested to wise men of the Gentile world and through them to all peoples. His royalty is neither frightening nor pompous, for the kingly majesty of the sovereign Redeemer is robed in babyhood. Coming in the simplicity of true greatness, Jesus makes Himself acceptable and at home to the little and the great of every nation under heaven.
Homily:

Jesus, the Son of God, was born in Bethlehem approximately 2000 years ago.
This took place at night, in darkness. He was born in a grotto or a stable,
in poverty. There was no great crowd to acclaim the coming into the world of
the Son of the Almighty. There was, of course, Joseph the husband of Mary.
There were also a few shepherds. But the latter had been informed by angels,
they had received a sign from Heaven which allowed them to recognize the Son
of God, who had become like one of us: "To you is born this day in the city
of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you:
you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger." (Lk. 2:11-12)
God sent his Son to earth to reveal himself in person, at the price of the
bloody sacrifice of Calvary: "For God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son." (Jn. 3:16) God, our Father, loves us with an infinite love in
order to make us his sons and daughters, for his own glory and our eternal
happiness. But if the Father loves us, it is in his Son Jesus that he
lavishes all his love upon us: Jesus is the true and unique Son of the
Father, and we are only his adopted children... It is in Jesus that we are
sons and daughters of the Father. It is Jesus whom the Father loves, in the
Holy Spirit! And this love for his Son is something to which the Father
ceaselessly testifies: never does the Father abandon his Son or any of those
who are united to him through grace and faith!
He was just born, and already the Father testifies to his love for his Son by
sending angels to announce to the shepherds the birth of Christ the Lord. A
short time later, or probably at the same time, the Father informs the magi,
who were perhaps kings, and most probably scientists, that the Lord of the
Universe had just come into this world. In order to do this, the Father uses
the sign of a star, of a celestial body, whose sudden appearance was
undoubtedly corroborated by other signs and prophecies concerning the coming
of the Messiah. "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we
have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
" When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired
of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, 'In Bethlehem of
Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: "And you, O Bethlehem, in the
land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you
shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel." ' Then Herod summoned
the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;
and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, 'Go and search diligently for the
child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and
worship him.' When they had heard the king they went their way. "
When the magi met with King Herod, he took everything they told him very
seriously. One cannot suspect the magi of being frauds and of having made up
their story: on the contrary, they were very honest people. Moreover,
would God have trusted people who were not in good faith? No. The star that
the magi had seen was truly a sign from God!
Moreover, Jesus himself confirmed it, for he spoke about his second coming, at
the end of time, and then too the stars would be used by the Father to
testify to his love for his beloved Son and to prepare the nations to receive
him, no longer as their Savior, but as their sovereign and eternal Judge:
"There will be signs in sun and moon and stars." (Lk. 21:25)
King Herod would try to bring to ruin the efforts of God the Father to
manifest to the entire world the coming of his beloved Son. Herod tries in
vain to divert this sign of God and use it to destroy the divine plan. But
what can he do against the omnipotence of God? Nothing. Instead, he will
make it possible for the glory of the Lord to be even greater and more
magnificent. For, the simple sign of that star will become a unique jewel, a
rare pearl crimsoned by the blood of innocent martyrs: the children whom
King Herod ordered to be killed in their tens and hundreds!
Herod found out from the magi the exact time the star appeared: "Then Herod
summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star
appeared." And so, by supposing that the star appeared to the magi on the
day of Jesus' birth, Herod was able to determine the approximate age of the
child, and he then ordered the massacre of all the male children of that age:
"He sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region
who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had
ascertained from the wise men." (Mt. 2:16)
" And lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it
came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star,
they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. "
Having disengaged themselves from the schemes of King Herod, the magi
continued on their way, following the star of the Lord. Thanks to God, the
magi left far behind them the counsels and intrigues of men, following only
the signs God gave them in order to find the Savior of the Universe! And all
of this fills them with joy! For joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, joy is
given to he who listens to and follows the teachings of the Lord.
The magi continued on their way, following the star, just as one may follow
the pole star to direct oneself northwards. This star is their guide,
leading them to the Savior of the world: is it not like that Stella Maris,
that Star of the Sea, who is called Mary, the Mother of Jesus? Indeed, what
is the best and greatest proof of the love of the Father for his Son and for
all men? Is it not the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Savior of men?
" Going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell
down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him
gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. "
The sign disappeared: it gave way to the reality! Here is no longer the
star, but rather Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It is she who now presents to
the magi her first-born Son: "Going into the house they saw the child with
Mary his mother." The magi thought only of finding Christ, the Messiah, but
they found more: Christ with Mary, his Mother! God testifies to his love
for us by sending us his own Son, but the love of God is boundless and it
urges him to always give us more, much more than we could ever hope for!
Having found Mary and her child, the magi hastened to offer them gifts: gold,
frankincense and myrrh. Perhaps this was their entire fortune? If they had
found the Lord of the Universe, what did it matter now if they were rich or
poor? For the Lord God must be the only wealth that matters in the eyes of
those whom the Father calls to his love! Whoever we are, if the love of the
Father is upon us, what more could we wish for? Let us not hesitate: let us
free ourselves from our riches and our covetousness! For there is more joy
in giving than receiving.
" And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their
own country by another way. "
Once again, God watches over those who love him! God, in his providence, is
there: he provides for all our needs, if weplace our trust in him. The magi
gained all its benefits: they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
who, without any doubt, would have had them killed one way or another. Let
us ask Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Mother of the Church, to teach us
this gentle confidence in the caring love of the Father who is in Heaven,
with his Son Jesus, in the Glory of the Spirit of Love who unites them!
Canon Dr. Daniel Meynen