The appointed time is come

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle

Sing the last, the dread affray;

O'er the cross, the victor's trophy,

Sound the high triumphal lay:

Tell how Christ, the world's Redeemer,

As a victim won the day.

God, his Maker, sorely grieving

That the first-made Adam fell,

When he ate the fruit of sorrow,

Whose reward was death and hell,

Noted then this wood, the ruin

Of the ancient wood to quell.

For the work of our salvation

Needs would have his order so,

And the multiform deceiver's

Art by art would overthrow,

And from thence would bring the med'cine

Whence the insult of the foe.

Wherefore, when the sacred fullness

Of the appointed time was come,

This world's Maker left his Father,

Sent the heav'nly mansion from,

And proceeded, God Incarnate,

Of the Virgin's holy womb.

Weeps the infant in the manger

That in Bethlehem's stable stands;

And his limbs the Virgin Mother

Doth compose in swaddling bands,

Meetly thus in linen folding

Of her God the feet and hands.

Thirty years among us dwelling,

His appointed time fulfilled,

Born for this, he meets his passion,

For that this he freely willed:

On the cross the Lamb is lifted,

Where his life-blood shall be spilled.

He endured the nails, the spitting,

Vinegar, and spear, and reed;

From that holy body broken

Blood and water forth proceed:

Earth, and stars, and sky, and ocean,

By that flood from stain are free.

Faithful cross! above all other,

One and only noble tree!

None in foliage, none in blossom,

None in fruit thy peers may be;

Sweetest wood and sweetest iron!

Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!

Thy relaxing sinews bend;

For awhile the ancient rigour,

That thy birth bestowed, suspend;

And the King of heavenly beauty

On thy bosom gently tend!

Thou alone wast counted worthy

This world's ransom to uphold;

For a shipwrecked race preparing

Harbour, like the ark of old;

With the sacred blood anointed

From the smitten Lamb that rolled.

To the Trinity be glory

Everlasting, as is meet;

Equal to the Father, equal

To the Son, and Paraclete:

Trinal Unity, whose praises

All created things repeat.

Amen.

Should you wish to sing this, the music is as below, though the text is from the processional for Holy Thursday. This text is used in Matins and Lauds this week.

 

Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard

Did the Prophet Jeremias see the Novus Ordo Missae?

Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot: they have changed my delightful portion into a desolate wilderness.

From Matins of Tuesday of Holy Week

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May God the Father Omnipotent, be to us merciful and clement. Amen.

Reading 1

Lesson from the book of Jeremias

Jer 11:15-20

15 What is the meaning that my beloved hath wrought much wickedness in my house? shall the holy flesh take away from thee thy crimes, in which thou hast boasted?

16 The Lord called thy name, a plentiful olive tree, fair, fruitful, and beautiful: at the noise of a word, a great fire was kindled in it and the branches thereof are burnt.

17 And the Lord of hosts that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee: for the evils of the house of Israel, and the house of Juda, which they have done to themselves, to provoke me, offering sacrifice to Baalim.

18 But thou, O Lord, hast shewn me, and I have known: then thou shewedst me their doings.

19 And I was as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim: and I knew not that they had devised counsels against me, saying: Let us put wood on his bread, and cut him off from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more.

20 But thou, O Lord of Sabaoth, who judgest justly, and triest the reins and hearts, let me see thy revenge on them: for to thee I have revealed my cause.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. I have suffered defaming and fear from them that were my familiars they watched for my halting, saying Let us entice him, and prevail against him. But Thou, O Lord, art with me, as a Mighty Terrible One.

* Let them stumble into everlasting confusion, that I may see thy vengeance upon them, for unto thee have I opened my cause.

V. O Lord, plead Thou the cause of my soul, Thou That art the Redeemer of my life.

R. Let them stumble into everlasting confusion, that I may see thy vengeance upon them, for unto thee have I opened my cause.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May Christ to all His people give, for ever in His sight to live. Amen.

Reading 2

Jer 12:1-4

1 Thou indeed, O Lord, art just, if I plead with thee, but yet I will speak what is just to thee: Why doth the way of the wicked prosper: why is it well with all them that transgress, and do wickedly?

2 Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root: they prosper and bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

3 And thou, O Lord, hast known me, thou hast seen me, and proved my heart with thee: gather them together as sheep for a sacrifice, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field wither for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? The beasts and the birds are consumed: because they have said: He shall not see our last end.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. For thy sake, O God of Israel, I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face; I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.

* For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

V. Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it; deliver me, because of mine enemies.

R. For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May the Spirit's fire Divine in our hearts enkindled shine. Amen.

Reading 3

Jer 12:7-11

7 I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance: I have given my dear soul into the land of her enemies.

8 My inheritance is become to me as a lion in the wood: it hath cried out against me, therefore have I hated it.

9 Is my inheritance to me as a speckled bird? Is it as a bird died throughout? come ye, assemble yourselves, all the beasts of the earth, make haste to devour.

10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot: they have changed my delightful portion into a desolate wilderness.

11 They have laid it waste, and it hath mourned for me. With desolation is all the land made desolate; because there is none that considereth in the heart.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. The congregation of the people hath compassed me about, but I rewarded no evil unto him that rewarded evil unto me.

* O Lord, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just.

V. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

R. O Lord, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just.

R. The congregation of the people hath compassed me about, but I rewarded no evil unto him that rewarded evil unto me. O Lord, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just.

Deus, Deus meus

Let us remember our Coptic brothers and sisters who today cried out the same as Our Blessed Lord and who shared in His Blood.

Their vines are of the vineyard of Sodom, and of the suburbs of Gomorrah

When we are bombarded by news of books and murals and errant priests, bishops and cardinals teaching heresy, calling sin good and turning the Catholic faith upside down, it would be good to refer to this Canticle of Moses from the Book of Deuteronomy.

No matter what they do, remember this:

God will not be mocked.

Ant. The Lord will judge

Canticle of Moses * Deut 32:1-65 

32:1 Hear, O ye heavens, the things I speak, * let the earth give ear to the words of my mouth.

32:2 Let my doctrine gather as the rain, * let my speech distill as the dew,

32:3 As a shower upon the herb, and as drops upon the grass. * Because I will invoke the name of the Lord:

32:4 Give ye magnificence to our God. * The works of God are perfect, and all his ways are judgments:

32:5 God is faithful and without any iniquity, he is just and right. * They have sinned against him, and are none of his children in their filth:

32:6 They are a wicked and perverse generation. * Is this the return thou makest to the Lord, O foolish and senseless people?

32:7 Is not he thy father, * that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and created thee?

32:8 Remember the days of old, * think upon every generation:

32:9 Ask thy father, and he will declare to thee: * thy elders and they will tell thee.

32:10 When the Most High divided the nations: * when he separated the sons of Adam,

32:11 He appointed the bounds of people * according to the number of the children of Israel.

32:12 But the Lord’s portion is his people: * Jacob the lot of his inheritance.

32:13 He found him in a desert land, * in a place of horror, and of vast wilderness:

32:14 He led him about, and taught him: * and he kept him as the apple of his eye.

32:15 As the eagle enticing her young to fly, * and hovering over them,

32:16 He spread his wings, and hath taken him * and carried him on his shoulders.

32:17 The Lord alone was his leader: * and there was no strange god with him.

32:18 He set him upon high land: * that he might eat the fruits of the fields,

32:19 That he might suck honey out of the rock, * and oil out of the hardest stone,

32:20 Butter of the herd, and milk of the sheep * with the fat of lambs, and of the rams of the breed of Basan:

32:21 And goats with the marrow of wheat, * and might drink the purest blood of the grape.

32:22 The beloved grew fat, and kicked: * he grew fat, and thick and gross,

32:23 He forsook God who made him, * and departed from God his saviour.

32:24 They provoked him by strange gods, * and stirred him up to anger, with their abominations.

32:25 They sacrificed to devils and not to God: * to gods whom they knew not:

32:26 That were newly come up, * whom their fathers worshipped not.

32:27 Thou hast forsaken the God that beget * and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee.

32:28 The Lord saw, and was moved to wrath: * because his own sons and daughters provoked him.

32:29 And he said: I will hide my face from them, * and will consider what their last end shall be:

32:30 For it is a perverse generation, * and unfaithful children.

32:31 They have provoked me with that which was no god, * and have angered me with their vanities:

32:32 And I will provoke them with that which is no people, * and will vex them with a foolish nation.

32:33 A fire is kindled in my wrath, * and shall burn even to the lowest hell:

32:34 And shall devour the earth with her increase, * and shall burn the foundations of the mountains.

32:35 I will heap evils upon them, * and will spend my arrows among them.

32:36 They shall be consumed with famine, * and birds shall devour them with a most bitter bite:

32:37 I will send the teeth of beasts upon them, * with the fury of creatures that trail upon the ground, and of serpents.

32:38 Without, the sword shall lay them waste, and terror within, * both the young man and the virgin, the sucking child with the man in years.

32:39 I said: Where are they? * I will make the memory of them to cease from among men.

32:40 But for the wrath of the enemies * I have deferred it: lest perhaps their enemies might be proud,

32:41 And should say: Our mighty hand, and not the Lord, * hath done all these things.

32:42 They are a nation without counsel, and without wisdom * O that they would be wise and would understand, and would provide for their last end.

32:43 How should one pursue after a thousand, * and two chase ten thousand?

32:44 Was it not, because their God had sold them, * and the Lord had shut them up?

32:45 For our God is not as their gods: * our enemies themselves are judges.

32:46 Their vines are of the vineyard of Sodom, * and of the suburbs of Gomorrha:

32:47 Their grapes are grapes of gall, * and their clusters most bitter.

32:48 Their wine is the gall of dragons, * and the venom of asps, which is incurable.

32:49 Are not these things stored up with me, * and sealed up in my treasures?

32:50 Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in due time, * that their foot may slide:

32:51 The day of destruction is at hand, * and the time makes haste to come.

32:52 The Lord will judge his people, * and will have mercy on his servants:

32:53 He shall see that their hand is weakened, * and that they who were shut up have also failed, and they that remained are consumed.

32:54 And he shall say: Where are their gods, * in whom they trusted?

32:55 Of whose victims they ate the fat, * and drank the wine of their drink offerings:

32:56 Let them arise and help you, * and protect you in your distress.

32:57 See ye that I alone am, * and there is no other God besides me:

32:58 I will kill and I will make to live: I will strike, and I will heal, * and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

32:59 I will lift up my hand to heaven, * and I will say: I live for ever.

32:60 If I shall whet my sword as the lightning, * and my hand take hold on judgment:

32:61 I will render vengeance to my enemies, * and repay them that hate me.

32:62 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, * and my sword shall devour flesh,

32:63 Of the blood of the slain * and of the captivity, of the bare head of the enemies.

32:64 Praise his people, ye nations, * for he will revenge the blood of his servants:

32:65 And will render vengeance to their enemies, * and he will be merciful to the land of his people.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord will judge * his servants, and will have mercy on the people of his land.

Do you believe it was Assad?

My Lebanese blood is boiling with what has happened and is about to happen in Syria.

Is Basher Assad crazy, or stupid? Why would he bomb his own people with poison gas when the whole world is watching? 

Does it make sense to you?

Something is going on but it is not what you think.

I have to agree with my friend Aged Catholic and Barona and even Walid Shoebat.

And the Syrian Girl.

I just don't believe that Assad did this.

Remember who created this crisis? 

George Soros.

Hillary Clinton.

Barack Hussein Obama.

John McCain.

America; Donald J. Trump, do not do this. 

Then, of course, there is Mundabor's view.

Cardinal Sarah's comments

Many of you have read the recent remarks in Germany by Robert Cardinal Sarah on the liturgy. I would like to get excited by this that it signals a change. We know that it will not be the case, at least not yet. In the meantime, we must seek out the traditional Latin Mass and if it cannot be found, then you must leave the parish where liturgical abuse and errant teaching prevails and find the most faithful priest and parish that you can.

Let us pray to the great God of the universe, who condescended to take up our humanity and walk amongst us only to be mocked, slandered, spat upon, persecuted and crucified, only to rise again from the dead to save us from our sins, that He will soon deliver his unworthy and unfaithful creation from the hands of evil men who have invaded his Temple and go about doing abominable things and leaving behind them, desolation. 

John Vennari, Requiescat in Pace

Go with God, good hero!

JOSEPH JOHN VENNARI (1958-2017) R.I.P.

Dear Friends, Joseph John Vennari died on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 10:46 a.m. E.S.T. It is not only Passion Tuesday, but the 98th anniversary of the death of Blessed Francisco of Fatima - the first Tuesday (the day dedicated weekly to the Holy Face) in April (the month dedicated to the Holy Face).

John received the traditional Sacraments and blessings of the Church several times during the past weeks and months. On Sunday, April 2, Holy Mass was offered in his hospital room. John was able to receive Holy Viaticum one last time, as well as Extreme Unction and the Apostolic Blessing. John died wearing the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and the cord of St. Philomena, with the St. Benedict Crucifix (with the special 'Happy Death' indulgence attached) next to him. He died shortly after the recitation of 15 decades of the Holy Rosary and during the recitation of the 'Commendatory' prayers for the dying, and being blessed with Holy Water. He died with his wife Susan and a close family friend at his side. Immediately after his death, another Rosary was prayed for the repose of his soul. Please keep the repose of John's soul in your Masses, Holy Communions, prayers and sacrifices. Funeral arrangements will be posted shortly. May John's soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Thank you and God bless you.

The Vennari Family

In an act of profound justice, Pope Francis grants faculties for SSPX to solemnise marriages!

Surely no "Ordinary" would refuse Pope Francis' correction of a gross injustice and most loving and generous pastoral concern for the Catholic faithful who marry one another within the chapels and under the guidance and solemnisation of priests of the Society of St. Pius X!

What bishop would not show the same generosity that the Pope has?

What bishop would challenge Pope Francis' sense of justice to the faithful at have found refuge in the Society's chapels?

Good for Pope Francis!

From Rorate Caeli blog!

In a letter approved by Pope Francis, Cardinal Gerhard Müller says, “The Holy Father . . . has decided to authorize Local Ordinaries the possibility to grant faculties for the celebration of marriages of faithful who follow the pastoral activity of the Society.” The Pope's decision adopts a proposal by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, both of which are headed by Cardinal Müller. 

The new provisions are part of a number of ongoing meetings and initiatives aimed at bringing the Society into full communion; Cardinal Müller’s letter mentions specifically the recent decision of Pope Francis to grant all priests of the Society the faculty to validly administer the Sacrament of Penance to the faithful in order “to ensure the validity and liceity of the Sacrament and allay any concerns on the part of the faithful.” 

The grant of faculties for the celebration of marriage is subject to several provisions: “Insofar as possible, the Local Ordinary [that is, normally the local Diocesan Bishop] is to grant the delegation to assist at the marriage to a priest of the Diocese (or in any event, to a fully regular priest), such that the priest may receive the consent of the parties during the marriage rite, followed, in keeping with the liturgy of the Vetus ordo, by the celebration of Mass, which may be celebrated by a priest of the Society.” That is, a priest in good standing is to preside at the celebration of the marriage itself, which in the extraordinary form takes place before the nuptial Mass. The Mass itself may then be celebrated by a priest of the SSPX. 

The letter also foresees that circumstances may exist where those provisions are not possible, or where no Diocesan priest is able to receive the consent of the parties. In such cases, the Pope allows the Ordinary to grant faculties to the priest who will celebrate the nuptial Mass. 

Cardinal Müller closes his letter expressing his conviction that “in this way any uneasiness of conscience on the part of the faithful who adhere to the Society of St. Pius X as well as any uncertainty regarding the validity of the sacrament of marriage may be alleviated, and at the same time that the process towards full institutional regularization may be facilitated”; and that, to that end, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei “relies” on the cooperation of the prelates of the Episcopal Conferences concerned in this matter.

Below, please find the full text of Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s letter:

Your Eminence,

Your Excellency,

As you are aware, for some time various meetings and other initiatives have been ongoing in order to bring the Society of St. Pius X into full communion. Recently, the Holy Father decided, for example, to grant all priests of said Society the faculty to validly administer the Sacrament of Penance to the faithful (Letter Misericordia et misera, n.12), such as to ensure the validity and liceity of the Sacrament and allay any concerns on the part of the faithful.

Following the same pastoral outlook which seeks to reassure the conscience of the faithful, despite the objective persistence of the canonical irregularity in which for the time being the Society of St. Pius X finds itself, the Holy Father, following a proposal by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, has decided to authorize Local Ordinaries the possibility to grant faculties for the celebration of marriages of faithful who follow the pastoral activity of the Society, according to the following provisions.

Insofar as possible, the Local Ordinary is to grant the delegation to assist at the marriage to a priest of the Diocese (or in any event, to a fully regular priest), such that the priest may receive the consent of the parties during the marriage rite, followed, in keeping with the liturgy of the Vetus ordo, by the celebration of Mass, which may be celebrated by a priest of the Society.

Where the above is not possible, or if there are no priests in the Diocese able to receive the consent of the parties, the Ordinary may grant the necessary faculties to the priest of the Society who is also to celebrate the Holy Mass, reminding him of the duty to forward the relevant documents to the Diocesan Curia as soon as possible.

Certain that in this way any uneasiness of conscience on the part of the faithful who adhere to the Society of St. Pius X as well as any uncertainty regarding the validity of the sacrament of marriage may be alleviated, and at the same time that the process towards full institutional regularization may be facilitated, this Dicastery relies on Your cooperation.

The Sovereign Pontiff Francis, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei on 24 March 2017, confirmed his approval of the present letter and ordered its publication.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 27 March 2017.

Gerhard Card. L. Müller,

President

+ Guido Pozzo

Secretary

Titular Archbishop of Bagnoregio
 - See more at: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2017/04/step-by-step-vatican-issues-marriage.html#more

Passiontide Hymn - Vexilla Regis

Would it be possible that you heard this yesterday at Mass or will over the next week to Good Friday?

1. Abroad the Regal Banners fly,

Now shines the Cross's mystery;

Upon it Life did death endure,

And yet by death did life procure.

2. Who, wounded with a direful spear,

Did, purposely to wash us clear

From stain of sin, pour out a flood

Of precious Water mixed with Blood.

3. That which the Prophet-King of old

Hath in mysterious verse foretold,

Is now accomplished, whilst we see

God ruling nations from a Tree.

4. O lovely and reflugent Tree,

Adorned with purpled majesty;

Culled from a worthy stock, to bear

Those Limbs which sanctified were.

5. Blest Tree, whose happy branches bore

The wealth that did the world restore;

The beam that did that Body weigh

Which raised up hell's expected prey.

6. Hail, Cross, of hopes the most sublime!

Now in this mournful Passion time,

Improve religious souls in grace,

The sins of criminals efface.

7. Blest Trinity, salvation's spring,

May every soul Thy praises sing;

To those Thou grantest conquest by

The holy Cross, rewards apply. Amen.

Canadian Doctors afraid to commit euthanasia?

Canadian doctor suddenly discovers he`s committing murder!

April 3, 2017 (BreakPoint) -- Last year, Canada enacted a Medical Aid in Dying law. The legislation allows physicians to help gravely ill patients end their lives. Advocates of these sorts of laws justify it by using words such as “compassion,” and “death with dignity”—and many Canadian doctors agreed, saying they’d be glad to participate in physician-assisted suicide.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Canada’s brave new world of state-sponsored killing. Dozens of physicians who signed up, including many who actually provided lethal medications to patients, now want their names removed from the list. According to Canada’s National Post, in Ontario, one of the few provinces that actually tracks this kind of data, 24 physicians have been removed permanently from a voluntary referral list of those willing to assist people who want to end their lives. Another 30 have put their names on temporary hold. Not even the Canadian Medical Association can say how many are having second thoughts—but their decisions are reverberating through the system.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/second-thoughts-on-assisted-suicide-canadian-doctors-balk

Logo for Pope Francis' trip to Egypt - Pope of Peace

Make no mistake, for the LORD, "will revenge the blood of his servants: And will render vengeance to their enemies."

What has been the price of the dismissal of the Old Testament in our current times? When one considers the modernist, "Liturgy of the Hours," can one find something such as this?

Only an April Fool would disregard such as this.

From Lauds of this morning.

Ant. The Lord will judge

Canticle of Moses [4]

(Canticle of Moses * Deut 32:1-65)

32:1 Hear, O ye heavens, the things I speak, * let the earth give ear to the words of my mouth.

32:2 Let my doctrine gather as the rain, * let my speech distill as the dew,

32:3 As a shower upon the herb, and as drops upon the grass. * Because I will invoke the name of the Lord:

32:4 Give ye magnificence to our God. * The works of God are perfect, and all his ways are judgments:

32:5 God is faithful and without any iniquity, he is just and right. * They have sinned against him, and are none of his children in their filth:

32:6 They are a wicked and perverse generation. * Is this the return thou makest to the Lord, O foolish and senseless people?

32:7 Is not he thy father, * that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and created thee?

32:8 Remember the days of old, * think upon every generation:

32:9 Ask thy father, and he will declare to thee: * thy elders and they will tell thee.

32:10 When the Most High divided the nations: * when he separated the sons of Adam,

32:11 He appointed the bounds of people * according to the number of the children of Israel.

32:12 But the Lord’s portion is his people: * Jacob the lot of his inheritance.

32:13 He found him in a desert land, * in a place of horror, and of vast wilderness:

32:14 He led him about, and taught him: * and he kept him as the apple of his eye.

32:15 As the eagle enticing her young to fly, * and hovering over them,

32:16 He spread his wings, and hath taken him * and carried him on his shoulders.

32:17 The Lord alone was his leader: * and there was no strange god with him.

32:18 He set him upon high land: * that he might eat the fruits of the fields,

32:19 That he might suck honey out of the rock, * and oil out of the hardest stone,

32:20 Butter of the herd, and milk of the sheep * with the fat of lambs, and of the rams of the breed of Basan:

32:21 And goats with the marrow of wheat, * and might drink the purest blood of the grape.

32:22 The beloved grew fat, and kicked: * he grew fat, and thick and gross,

32:23 He forsook God who made him, * and departed from God his saviour.

32:24 They provoked him by strange gods, * and stirred him up to anger, with their abominations.

32:25 They sacrificed to devils and not to God: * to gods whom they knew not:

32:26 That were newly come up, * whom their fathers worshipped not.

32:27 Thou hast forsaken the God that beget * and hast forgotten the Lord that created thee.

32:28 The Lord saw, and was moved to wrath: * because his own sons and daughters provoked him.

32:29 And he said: I will hide my face from them, * and will consider what their last end shall be:

32:30 For it is a perverse generation, * and unfaithful children.

32:31 They have provoked me with that which was no god, * and have angered me with their vanities:

32:32 And I will provoke them with that which is no people, * and will vex them with a foolish nation.

32:33 A fire is kindled in my wrath, * and shall burn even to the lowest hell:

32:34 And shall devour the earth with her increase, * and shall burn the foundations of the mountains.

32:35 I will heap evils upon them, * and will spend my arrows among them.

32:36 They shall be consumed with famine, * and birds shall devour them with a most bitter bite:

32:37 I will send the teeth of beasts upon them, * with the fury of creatures that trail upon the ground, and of serpents.

32:38 Without, the sword shall lay them waste, and terror within, * both the young man and the virgin, the sucking child with the man in years.

32:39 I said: Where are they? * I will make the memory of them to cease from among men.

32:40 But for the wrath of the enemies * I have deferred it: lest perhaps their enemies might be proud,

32:41 And should say: Our mighty hand, and not the Lord, * hath done all these things.

32:42 They are a nation without counsel, and without wisdom * O that they would be wise and would understand, and would provide for their last end.

32:43 How should one pursue after a thousand, * and two chase ten thousand?

32:44 Was it not, because their God had sold them, * and the Lord had shut them up?

32:45 For our God is not as their gods: * our enemies themselves are judges.

32:46 Their vines are of the vineyard of Sodom, * and of the suburbs of Gomorrha:

32:47 Their grapes are grapes of gall, * and their clusters most bitter.

32:48 Their wine is the gall of dragons, * and the venom of asps, which is incurable.

32:49 Are not these things stored up with me, * and sealed up in my treasures?

32:50 Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in due time, * that their foot may slide:

32:51 The day of destruction is at hand, * and the time makes haste to come.

32:52 The Lord will judge his people, * and will have mercy on his servants:

32:53 He shall see that their hand is weakened, * and that they who were shut up have also failed, and they that remained are consumed.

32:54 And he shall say: Where are their gods, * in whom they trusted?

32:55 Of whose victims they ate the fat, * and drank the wine of their drink offerings:

32:56 Let them arise and help you, * and protect you in your distress.

32:57 See ye that I alone am, * and there is no other God besides me:

32:58 I will kill and I will make to live: I will strike, and I will heal, * and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

32:59 I will lift up my hand to heaven, * and I will say: I live for ever.

32:60 If I shall whet my sword as the lightning, * and my hand take hold on judgment:

32:61 I will render vengeance to my enemies, * and repay them that hate me.

32:62 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, * and my sword shall devour flesh,

32:63 Of the blood of the slain * and of the captivity, of the bare head of the enemies.

32:64 Praise his people, ye nations, * for he will revenge the blood of his servants:

32:65 And will render vengeance to their enemies, * and he will be merciful to the land of his people.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord will judge * his servants, and will have mercy on the people of his land.

The venom of asps is under their lips.

Ps. 139. Eripe me, Domine. A prayer to be delivered from the wicked.

[1] Unto the end, a psalm for David. [2] Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: rescue me from the unjust man. [3] Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles. [4] They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of asps is under their lips. [5] Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: and from unjust men deliver me. Who have proposed to supplant my steps.

[6] The proud have hidden a net for me. And they have stretched out cords for a snare: they have laid for me a stumblingblock by the wayside. [7] I said to the Lord: Thou art my God: hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication. [8] O Lord, Lord, the strength of my salvation: thou hast overshadowed my head in the day of battle. [9] Give me not up, O Lord, from my desire to the wicked: they have plotted against me; do not thou forsake me, lest they should triumph. [10] The head of them compassing me about: the labour of their lips shall overwhelm them.

[11] Burning coals shall fall upon them; thou wilt cast them down into the fire: in miseries they shall not be able to stand. [12] A man full of tongue shall not be established in the earth: evil shall catch the unjust man unto destruction. [13] I know that the Lord will do justice to the needy, and will revenge the poor. [14] But as for the just, they shall give glory to thy name: and the upright shall dwell with thy countenance.

Mary's Advocates to assist those in "no-fault" divorce

Friends,

From a reader of this blog and advocate for the family. Let us support one another in these most difficult times.
...

Hi David,

You might have friends who would appreciate the resources developed by Mary’s Advocates, and I ask you to forward this message. Furthermore, would you please share this on your Vox Cantoris blog?

As you may recall, with the non-profit organization Mary’s Advocates, I work to reduce unilateral no-fault divorce and support those who are unjustly abandoned. In unilateral no-fault divorce, those who control the split of everything, view marriage obligations in a way that is diametrically opposed to the Christian and Catholic understanding. In no-fault divorce, no distinction is made between the party who reneges on the marriage promises, and the party who is counting on those promises to be upheld.

The USCCB, National Catholic Register, and LifeSiteNews have publicized our work. I presented a paper in Rome at a symposium with welcome letter by Cardinal Raymond Burke. Relevant Radio and Ave Maria Radio have had me as a guest on their shows.  Recently, I was on ETWN radio with Jerry Usher (listen HERE).

Resource:  Wedding and Renewal of Vows

Mary’s Advocates developed a “True Marriage Proclamation Set.” Please forward this to anyone celebrating a wedding or anniversary, or give a set as a gift.  With a “True Marriage Proclamation Set,” a man and woman sign their wedding promises as a keepsake, and designate a 3rd-party arbitrator to manage any marital issues in accordance with the Catholic Code of Canon Law, or the Bible.  They never want unilateral no-fault divorce in their future. For those who know couples, we have a 4”x 5” card that can be passed along (see card HERE).

The “True Marriage Proclamation Set” was reviewed by Fr. Rocky Hoffman, who has a doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. He’s also the Executive Director of Relevant Radio and he says, “All pastors recognize the need for better preparation for the sacrament of Marriage.  The ‘True marriage Proclamation Set’ can be a powerful tool to help spouses deeply consider what they are doing in the presence of God.”

Resource:  Upholding Marriage in Crisis

For Catholics who did nothing gravely wrong justifying separation of spouses (who are about to be involuntarily separated, or already divorced), Mary’s Advocates shows them how to ask the Church to implement the canon law on separation of spouses. The canons aim toward outcomes that are in accordance with Divine Law, natural law, and true justice (See Resources >  Defending Marriage).   We publicize the Catholic Canon Law and excerpts from the U.S. Constitution that can be implemented to reduce the injustice of unilateral no-fault divorce. This could ultimately inspire a spouse to reconcile, because an abandoner would be held accountable.

The secular world tells a separated spouse, or a divorce Defendant, that his marriage has failed or ended.  Mary’s Advocates’ support network is for those who reject this secular view, but, instead, hope to be reconciled and know a marriage only ends when either party dies.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Bai

P.S. In my review of the book, Torn Asunder: Children, the Myth of the Good Divorce, and the Recovery of Origins, I highlight the harm caused to children by divorce. This information could lead someone wanting a divorce to change his or her mind.

Bai Macfarlane

Mary’s Advocates

DONATE

http://www.marysadvocates.org

ma.defending@marysadvocates.org

330-690-8942

To those who seek after me

To those that seek after my soul, who mock and detract me, who slander me. To those who seek to undermine my life and my family and to those who seek to discredit me towards those around me and to all who wish me ill and my destruction, I offer to you this from today's Matins:

From the Third Reading by St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.

Even so is it written: Their throat is an open sepulchre, (Ps. v. ii,) whereout breathe their pestilential words. Lo! Christ maketh thee free from that grave! If only thou wilt hear the word of God, thou shalt yet arise from that sepulchre! Yea, though thy sin be exceeding weighty, so that the tears of thine own sorrow cannot wash it away, let thy Mother the Church weep for thee, that longing Mother who weepeth for every one of her children as though he were the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Believe me, her spiritual anguish is keen like the anguish of nature, when she seeth her children dead in sin, and carried out to be buried for ever. 

From Matins this morning and the Psalmist after whom this writer was named: 

Salvum me fac, Deus. Ps. 68 

[1] Unto the end, for them that shall be changed; for David. [2] SAVE me, O God: for the waters are come in even unto my soul. [3] I stick fast in the mire of the deep: and there is no sure standing. I am come into the depth of the sea: and a tempest hath overwhelmed me. [4] I have laboured with crying; my jaws are become hoarse: my eyes have failed, whilst I hope in my God. [5] They are multiplied above the hairs of my head, who hate me without cause. My enemies are grown strong who have wrongfully persecuted me: then did I pay that which I took not away. 

[6] O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my offences are not hidden from thee: [7] Let not them be ashamed for me, who look for thee, O Lord, the Lord of hosts. Let them not be confounded on my account, who seek thee, O God of Israel. [8] Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. [9] I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to the sons of my mother. [10] For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up: and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. 

[11] And I covered my soul in fasting: and it was made a reproach to me. [12] And I made haircloth my garment: and I became a byword to them. [13] They that sat in the gate spoke against me: and they that drank wine made me their song. [14] But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord; for the time of thy good pleasure, O God. In the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. [15] Draw me out of the mire, that I may not stick fast: deliver me from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 

[16] Let not the tempest of water drown me, nor the deep swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. [17] Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy is kind; look upon me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. [18] And turn not away thy face from thy servant: for I am in trouble, hear me speedily. [19] Attend to my soul, and deliver it: save me because of my enemies. [20] Thou knowest my reproach, and my confusion, and my shame. 

[21] In thy sight are all they that afflict me; my heart hath expected reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none. [22] And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. [23] Let their table become as a snare before them, and a recompense, and a stumblingblock. [24] Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and their back bend thou down always. [25] Pour out thy indignation upon them: and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. 

[26] Let their habitation be made desolate: and let there be none to dwell in their tabernacles. [27] Because they have persecuted him whom thou hast smitten; and they have added to the grief of my wounds. [28] Add thou iniquity upon their iniquity: and let them not come into thy justice. [29] Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; and with the just let them not be written. [30] But I am poor and sorrowful: thy salvation, O God, hath set me up. 

[31] I will praise the name of God with a canticle: and I will magnify him with praise. [32] And it shall please God better than a young calf, that bringeth forth horns and hoofs. [33] Let the poor see and rejoice: seek ye God, and your soul shall live. [34] For the Lord hath heard the poor: and hath not despised his prisoners. [35] Let the heavens and the earth praise him; the sea, and every thing that creepeth therein. 

[36] For God will save Sion, and the cities of Juda shall be built up. And they shall dwell there, and acquire it by inheritance. [37] And the seed of his servants shall possess it; and they that love his name shall dwell therein.