Spy Wednesday: “For all their torches and lanterns …they did not recognize the Fount of Light”

Pope St. Leo the Great (d. 461) Sermon 59 (On the Passion, VIII.: on Wednesday in Holy Week.)

I. Christ’s arrest fulfils His own eternal purpose

Having discoursed, dearly beloved, in our last sermon, on the events which preceded the Lord’s arrest, it now remains, by the help of God’s grace, to discuss, as we promised, the details of the Passion itself. When the Lord had made it clear by the words of His sacred prayer that the Divine and the Human Nature was most truly and fully present in Him, showing that the unwillingness to suffer proceeded from the one, and from the other the determination to suffer by the expulsion of all frail fears and the strengthening of His lofty power, then did He return to His eternal purpose, and in the form of a sinless slave encounter the devil who was savagely attacking Him by the hands of the Jews: that He in Whom alone was all men’s nature without fault, might undertake the cause of all. The sins of darkness, therefore, assailed the true Light, and, for all their torches and lanterns , could not escape the night of their own unbelief, because they did not recognize the Fount of Light. They arrest Him, and He is ready to be seized; they lead Him away, and He is willing to be led; for though, if He had willed to resist, their wicked hands could have done Him no harm, yet thereby the world’s redemption would have been impeded, and He, who was to die for all men’s salvation, would have saved none at all…

IV. Christ bearing His own cross is an eternal lesson to the Church

And so the Lord was handed over to their savage wishes, and in mockery of His kingly state, ordered to be the bearer of His own instrument of death, that what Isaiah the prophet foresaw might be fulfilled, saying, Behold a Child is born, and a Son is given to us whose government is upon His shoulders.  When, therefore, the Lord carried the wood of the cross which should turn for Him into the sceptre of power, it was indeed in the eyes of the wicked a mighty mockery, but to the faithful a mighty mystery was set forth, seeing that He, the glorious vanquisher of the Devil, and the strong defeater of the powers that were against Him, was carrying in noble sort the trophy of His triumph, and on the shoulders of His unconquered patience bore into all realms the adorable sign of salvation: as if even then to confirm all His followers by this mere symbol of His work, and say, He that takes not his cross and follows Me, is not worthy of Me Matthew 10:38 .

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360359.htm

ON HEARING MASS DURING THE SEASON OF PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK

BY THE VERY REV. DOM PROSPER GUÉRANGER, ABBOT OF SOLESMES

If there be any time in the year, when the holy Sacrifice of the Mass should excite the heart of the Christian to devotion, it is Passiontide. During these days set apart for the celebration of the death of our Redeemer, the faithful soul can scarcely turn her thoughts from her Jesus expiring on the cross; she envies those who were witnesses of the sublime mystery on Calvary; she wishes that she could have stood at the foot of the cross, have compassionated the sufferings of her Saviour, have heard His last words, and reverently have taken up each drop of the precious Blood and applied it to her own wounds.

These holy desires have not been given to the Christian that they might be nothing but desires; God has given him the means of carrying them into effect, for the sacrifice of the Mass is no other than the sacrifice of Calvary. Jesus offered Himself but once on the cross for our sins; but He renews the offering, by an unbloody, yet real and complete, immolation on our altars. He comes down on the altar as soon as the sacred words of consecration are pronounced by the priest, and He comes as the Victim of the world’s salvation. His Body is really present there, under the appearance of bread; the chalice contains His Blood under the species of wine; and why this mystic separation of the Body and Blood of the Man-God, who can die now no more, if it be not to represent before the divine Majesty the real death which was once suffered in a bloody manner on Calvary, and to renew, in man’s favour, the merits and fruits of that death?

This is the sacrifice of the new Law, as far above all the sacrifices of the old, both in holiness and efficacy, as the Creator is above all His creatures. Our Jesus in the omnipotence of His love, has invented a means for uniting His dignity, as immortal King of ages, with His office of our Victim. He can die now no more; but His death is truly represented on the altar: it is the same Body, bearing on it its five precious Wounds; it is the same Blood, which redeemed us. If it were possible for Him to die again, the power of the mysterious words, which produce the presence of His Blood in the chalice, would be the sword of His immolation.

Let, then, the Christian approach with confidence; on the holy altar, he will find his Saviour dying for him, and offering Himself as the great High Priest. Yes, He is there, with the same love He had for us on Calvary; He is there making intercession for all men, but, in a special manner, for those who are present at the Mass and unite themselves with Him. Let us see, in the action of the holy sacrifice, that same immolation of which we have read the history in the Gospel. Let us hope for everything from that adorable goodness which thus makes use of omnipotence in order to facilitate, by such stupendous means, the salvation and sanctification of man.

http://www.liturgialatina.org/lityear/

 

“Six days before the Pasch…”

The Supper at Bethany – Monday of Holy Week

Presence of God— O Lord, with Mary of Bethany I wish to pay my humble, devout homage to Your sacred Body before it is disfigured by the Passion.

MEDITATION

The Gospel for today (John 12:1-9) tells us of this impressive scene: “Jesus therefore, six days before the Pasch, came to Bethany … and they made Him a supper there; and, Martha served…. Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.” Martha, as usual, was busy about many things. Mary, however, paid attention only to Jesus; to show respect to Him, it did not seem extravagant to her to pour over Him a whole vase of precious perfume. Some of those present murmured, “Why this waste? Could not the ointment have been sold … and the price given to the poor?” And they murmured against her (cf. Mark 14:4,5). Mary said nothing and made no excuses; completely absorbed in her adored Master, she continued her work of devotion and love.

Mary is the symbol of the soul in love with God, the soul who gives herself exclusively to Him, consuming for Him all that she is and all that she has. She is the symbol of those souls who give up, in whole or in part, exterior activity, in order to consecrate themselves more fully to the immediate service of God and to devote themselves to a life of more intimate union with Him. This total consecration to the Lord is deemed wasteful by those who fail to understand it–although the same offering, if otherwise employed, would cause no complaint. If everything we are and have is His gift, can it be a waste to sacrifice it in His honor and, by so acting, to repair for the indifference of countless souls who seldom, if ever, think of Him?

Money, time, strength, and even human lives spent in the immediate service of the Lord, far from being wasted, reach therein the perfection of their being. Moreover, by this consecration, they conform to the proper scale of values. Giving alms to the poor is a duty, but the worship and love of God is a higher obligation. If urgent works of charity sometimes require us to leave His service for that of our neighbor, no change in the hierarchy of importance is thereby implied. God must always have the first place.

Jesus Himself then comes to Mary’s defense: “Let her be, that she may keep this perfume against the day of My burial.” In the name of all those who love, Mary gave the sacred Body of Jesus, before it was disfigured by the Passion, the ultimate homage of an ardent love and devotion.

https://www.baronius.com/divine-intimacy.html

Pious Exercise in Honor of the Five Wounds

(From the Raccolta 1900)

Begin by an act of contrition.

Whilst I lie prostrate before Thee crucified, most loving Saviour of my soul, my conscience tells me it was I that nailed Thee to the cross with these hands of mine, as often as I fell into mortal sin, wearying Thee with my monstrous ingratitude. My God, my chief and perfect good, worthy of all my love, because Thou hast ever loaded me with blessings: my wretched deeds I cannot now undo, as fain I would; but I loathe and hate them, grieving from the bottom of my heart that I have offended Thee, goodness infinite! Now, kneeling at Thy feet, I try at least to compassionate Thee, to give Thee thanks, to ask Thee for pardon and for the grace of repentance: wherefore, with heart and lips, I say:

To the Wound in the Left Foot.

Holy wound in the left foot of my Jesus! I adore thee. I compassionate Thee, my Jesus, for the bitter pain that thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for the love with which Thou didst labor to overtake me on the way to ruin; for me Thou didst bleed, in seeking me amid the thorns and brambles of my sins: I offer to the eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, in atonement for my sins, all of which, with deep and bitter sorrow, I detest.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Holy mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

To the Wound in the Right Foot.

Holy wound in the right foot of my Jesus! I adore thee. My Jesus, I compassionate Thee for the bitter pain which thou didst endure. I thank Thee for the love which pierced Thee with such cruel anguish, which made Thee shed Thy blood in punishment for my wanderings, and for the guilty pleasure I have granted to my unbridled passions. I offer to the eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, and I pray Thee, give me grace to weep over my wanderings with hot tears, and to abide in the good I have begun, never more swerving from my obedience to the divine commands.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Holy mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

To the Wound in the Left Hand

Holy wound in the left hand of my Jesus! I adore thee. My Jesus, I compassionate Thee for the bitter pain thou didst endure. I thank thee for having spared me the uplifted rod and the eternal damnation which for my sins I merited. I offer to the eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, and, I pray Thee, teach me to profit by my little span of life, and bring forth in it fruits of penance, and so disarm Thy divine and just anger.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Holy mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

To the Wound in the Right Hand

Holy wound in the right hand of my Jesus! I adore thee. My Jesus, I compassionate Thee for the bitter pains Thou didst endure. I thank Thee for Thy graces lavished on me with such love, in spite of my wretched waywardness. I offer to the eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, and, I pray Thee, change my heart and its affections, and make me do all my works in accordance with Thy divine good pleasure.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Holy mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

To the Wound in the Sacred Side.

Holy wound in the side of my Jesus! I adore Thee. My Jesus, I compassionate Thee in the cruel insults which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for the love whereby Thou didst let them cleave Thy breast and heart, that so the last drops of blood and water might issue forth, and my redemption overflow. I offer to the eternal Father this outrage, and the love of Thy most holy humanity, that into that most loving heart, eager and ready to receive the greatest sinners, my poor soul may enter once for all, and never more depart.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Holy mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

Promises of Our Lord Given to St. Gertrude for those Who Honor His Holy Wounds:

One day as St. Gertrude was completing her prayers and salutations in honor of the Wounds of the Savior, 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 favor.” 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.

The regime sent a man to prison yesterday over a meme

Awake yet? Countries don’t recover when they reach this level of depravity, and we have cornered the market on flavors of depravity. A friend I’ve not heard from in some time texted me this morning, “Wow, you called all of this back in 2017; it’s really happening.” Yep.

Dr. Briggs has it covered:

Jokes Against The Regime Now A Crime: Douglass Mackey, A.K.A. Ricky Vaughn, Convicted

My dear friends and despised enemies, in spite of the day this is not a joke. I wouldn’t joke. Not anymore. I don’t want to go to jail.

Jokes which the Regime finds harmful to it are now illegal. You will be tossed into the hole if you’re funny enough to sting Regime candidates.

Douglass Mackey, a.k.a. Ricky Vaughn, has been convicted for telling jokes. Or I should say, good jokes.

His “crime” was to tease Hillary Clinton, and Hillary voters. Which he did with verve and wit and great cleverness. We wrote about him here and here.

I know what you’re thinking. “Why is Briggs so upset? It sounds like there should be something more here.” Alas, there is not. He posted jokes and memes that ridiculed the left, and now he will pay for this political crime.

He was convicted after almost three days of jury deliberation. Three days. In a New York court. Though Mackey lives in and joked from Florida. You can follow his Twitter accounts for details (give him monetary support here), which are scant at the moment I write this, which is shortly after the unconscionable verdict was handed out. His lawyer is confident of the verdict being overturned. But he has to be.

Here is what the official Regime spokescreature said:

“Mackey has been found guilty by a jury of his peers of attempting to deprive individuals from exercising their sacred right to vote for the candidate of their choice in the 2016 Presidential Election,” stated United States Attorney Peace.

“Today’s verdict proves that the defendant’s fraudulent actions crossed a line into criminality and flatly rejects his cynical attempt to use the constitutional right of free speech as a shield for his scheme to subvert the ballot box and suppress the vote.” – U.S. Attorney Peace

Open vicious preposterous lies, and worse, obvious lies, all married to idiot hyperbole. “Sacred right”. Good grief. I hope he at least blushed when he said that. Or maybe he was rubbing his hands for what he sees as his gold future. Gold, not golden.

How flimsiest was the pretense for this prosecution? (Read this whole thread, please.) He was hauled up from Florida to New York to be prosecuted by a government only slightly less corrupt than New Jersey’s because the internet cable lines upon which his jokes rode passed through that state. How hard is to fix a jury in New York? About as hard as falling down drunk onto the subway tracks.

You read that right. I can’t wait for the Regime’s foot soldiers, i.e. the media, to explain how this makes sense. This will be proof that at last the Regime will still be allowed to make jokes.

In any case, the lawless immoral Regime is moving faster than we had thought. They also, as you have heard, indicted Trump for charges every lawyer I’ve read said they can’t make stick. I, of course, have not read them all, and am not a lawyer, but making charges stick no longer has much to do with the written law. So who knows.

Most won’t care about Trump because most dislike or hate him. They figure whatever Trump gets, he has coming. Remember to say the same thing when they come for you, like they did for Mackey. The Regime is now arresting enemies for political crimes.

I don’t mean to stress the “law”, because the law means, and always has meant, and always will mean, what those in power want it to. Power is always used to reward friends and punish enemies. There is no point whimpering about this. It is the Way Things Are. The difference is that in prior years Regime rulers still felt some loyalty to the country and its people. This is only rarely true now. That is the big change.

As proof, here is Enemy. vs. Friend in this very case. The Friend on the right posted the same jokes as the Enemy on the left. The same. She will not be prosecuted.

Her tweets went through the same NY cables. Yet she walks free.

If you do not see how important this is, well, you soon will. Low intelligence propagandists—well, they are chosen for that trait, are already celebrating.

Speaking of friends and enemies, here’s a sober reminder from Z-man: “Note that Musk did not come to the defense of Mackey nor did Peter Thiel. Keep that in mind whenever you are tempted to slobber over one of these “based” oligarchs.”

Almost nobody in power supported Mackey, not even Trump. Or maybe it was nobody. Cowards all. Or worse.

Most will not hear of this, or care. They will believe the lies the Regime tells about the case, and move on. They will never notice, history suggests, until it’s too late.

But some of us know. Somebody on Twitter asked me, “Mr Briggs, how does one not despair.”

By becoming very angry.

https://www.wmbriggs.com/post/46313/

Mayor of Philly makes bold move to tackle city’s biggest crime problem

Do go read the comments…