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We Must “Thirst” Now For the Lord!
My Dear People,
When the Lord poured out a spirit of “grace and petitions” upon the house of David, He was doing two things. First, He was strengthening Israel’s hunger for Him. Secondly, He was opening Israel’s heart to His Divine Mercy and Love. That is the petition part. King David prefigures the Christ. Zechariah uses the image of the “son” being thrust through (sacrificed) preparing Israel for the Crucifixion, and have the choice to “repent” of their sin, or “reject” the One who was thrust through for our sins.
The prophets says their will be a future time of great conversion when mankind will see the great love God has for us in His Son Jesus Christ on the Cross. Only believers will live on. All will be purified of their sin and uncleanliness. So we must “thirst” now, for the Lord Himself. He will satisfy our hunger and thirst. Come to the living waters!
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark Bozada
May we learn to deny our wants a little more, so that we can more fully follow our Lord’s example of charity to others.
To Combat the Evil One!
The Catholic Church’s most famous exorcist says more should be done to fight the devil. Father Gabriele Amorth  has conducted 70,000 exorcisms for the church during his lengthy career.
In an interview with Italian daily, Corriere Della Sera, the 85-year-old priest said it would be worth extending the practice of exorcism.
“It would not be a bad idea,” he told the daily. “In Italy moral decay is evident. Families are often breaking down.
“Do you know what I would do if I was the Pope for a moment?” he asked. “I would provide every opportunity for exorcisms. Like the Orthodox Church. There you do not need the permission of a bishop.”
Amorth recounted his battles against the devil in a dozen books, translated into 28 languages. The latest, Memories of an Exorcist, recounts his experiences with a number of victims with which he worked.
He said when people are possessed by the devil they often speak in incomprehensible languages as well as Greek, Latin and Aramaic.
B16: “Well Celebrated Mass Is Best Catechesis.”
Zenit News, Pope Benedict XVI-The doctrine of the Eucharist — and its relevance for believers — is not sufficiently understood and must be a catechetical priority, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope affirmed this Wednesday when he went to the Basilica of St. John Lateran to address participants at the convention for the Diocese of Rome.
The Holy Father told his diocese that a “more profound knowledge of the mystery of the Body and Blood of the Lord” is a necessity for the communities of Rome.
“At the same time,” he added, “in the missionary spirit that we wish to nourish, it is necessary to spread the commitment to proclaim such Eucharistic faith, so that every man will encounter Jesus Christ who has revealed the ‘close’ God, friend of humanity, and to witness it with an eloquent life of charity.”
The Pontiff went on to give a reflection on the Eucharistic mystery, considering Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary and how it is memorialized. He acknowledged that “sacrifice” is no longer a popular word.
“However, properly understood,” he said, “[sacrifice] is and remains fundamental, because it reveals to us with what love God loves us in Christ.”
Entering a reality
Benedict XVI affirmed that Mass itself, “celebrated in the respect of the liturgical norms and with a fitting appreciation of the richness of the signs and gestures,” fosters and promotes Eucharistic faith.
“In the Eucharistic celebration,” he said, “we do not invent something, but we enter into a reality that precedes us, more than that, which embraces heaven and earth and, hence, also the past, the future and the present. This universal openness, this encounter with all the sons and daughters of God is the grandeur of the Eucharist: We go to meet the reality of God present in the body and blood of the Risen One among us.”
It is because of this, the Holy Father affirmed, that liturgical prescriptions are not mere “external things” but “express concretely this reality of the revelation of the body and blood of Christ.”
Hence, he contended, the best catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself, well celebrated.
Individual altars
Later in his address, the Bishop of Rome noted how the Eucharistic celebration must lead to charity.
“Feeding on him we are freed from the bonds of individualism and, through communion with him, we ourselves become, together, one thing, his Mystical Body,” he said. This surmounts the differences of profession, class and nationality to form “one great family, that of the children of God.”
“When we receive Christ,” the Pope added, “the love of God expands in our innermost self, modifies our heart radically and makes us capable of gestures that, by the expansive force of good, can transform the life of those that are next to us. [...] A celebrated Eucharist imposes on us and at the same time renders us capable of becoming, in our turn, bread broken for brothers, coming to meet their needs and giving ourselves.
“Because of this, a Eucharistic celebration that does not lead to meet men where they live, work and suffer, to take to them the love of God, does not manifest the love it encloses. To be faithful to the mystery that is celebrated on the altars we must, as the Apostle Paul exhorts us, offer our bodies, ourselves, in spiritual sacrifice pleasing to God in those circumstances that require dying to our ‘I’ and constitute our daily ‘altar.’”
Msgr. Charles Pope Addresses Scandalous Clothing!
 Does How We Dress Affect How We Worship? Picture taken in 1969 at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Canton, Massachusetts
Msgr. Charles Pope gives us some background issues and principles before he gives us his dress code.
1. Scripture – There is very little in Scripture that seems to spell out the proper way to dress for sacred worship. There is the general directive to Adore the Lord in holy attire (Psalm 96:9; Ps 29:2)
2. Church norms and rules – There are no official and specific Church norms or requirement for lay persons who attend Mass mentioned in Canon Law or the Sacramentary. Surely for priests and other clergy there are many rules and norms but I am unaware of any currently binding norms for the laity. Although the veils were once required for women, the 1917 Code of Canon Law was abrogated and the current code is silent on any requirement.
3. Hence it seems that Culture supplies most of the norms regarding what is considered appropriate attire for Church. And, alas our culture is currently quite unhelpful to us in this regard. Here in America we have become extremely casual about the way we dress for just about everything. It seems we almost never dress up anymore. This has changed somewhat dramatically in my own life time of just less than 50 years. “Sneakers” or “tennis shoes” as we called them were for sports or running around and playing in the neighborhood. But we would never even think of wearing them to school and certainly not to Church. I remember having a special set of shoes just for church. In the 1960s, it was also expected that I would go to Church in formal, pressed trousers, a button down shirt, and, except in the hottest months, a tie and even a suit jacket in winter. My sister and mother always wore a dress. Pants would not even have been considered for them. For the younger girls a skirt and a blouse might be OK but preferably a dress with a hat or veil.
But things changed dramatically around 1970. The photo above right was taken in 1969 at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Canton, Massachusetts. It was the end of an era. Within five years neckties were lost and jeans and a t-shirts came to be the norm. Most of the women as we discussed lost the veil, and dresses gave way to more casual pants suits and then also to other more casual things like jeans etc. Shorts for men and women, unthinkable in previous years also began to appear in church as did tank tops and other beach attire. Within ten years the culture of dressing up for Church was almost wholly abandoned. Now wearing a tie to Church would seem stuffy and formal.
4. Hence at the cost of seeming old and stuffy I might like to suggest a few norms and I hope you’ll supply your own as well:
- Men should wear formal shoes to Church. We used to call these hard shoes (because they were) but today many formal shoes are actually quite comfortable.
- Men should wear trousers (not jeans).
- Men should never wear shorts to Church.
- Men should wear a decent shirt, preferably a button down shirt. If it is a pullover shirt it should include a collar. Wearing a plain t-shirt without a collar is too informal.
- Men should consider wearing a tie to Church and in cooler weather, a suit coat. Some may consider this a bit too stuffy and formal but who knows, you might be a trend setter!
- Now as I talk about women I know I’ll get in some trouble!
- Women should wear decent shoes to Church. Flip flops, beach sandals etc. seem inappropriate.
- Women should not wear shorts to Church.
- Women, if they wear pants, should never wear jeans to Church. Some nice slacks that are not too tight can be fine.
- Women should consider wearing a dress or at least a skirt in preference to pants. It just looks a bit more formal than pants.
- Women should wear a nice blouse (if they are not wearing a full dress). The blouse or shirt they wear should not be too tight.
- Sleeveless garments are pushing it a bit but can be acceptable.
- Women should never wear tank tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps, or bare midriffs to Church. Editor’s Note: How about adding low-cut or tight shirts and blouses.
- Well, you may have at this list. Add or subtract as you will.
A final thought: Clothes say something about what we think, what we value. They also influence how we behave and feel. That our culture has become so casual about everything says something about us. I cannot exactly articulate it but it seems to say, “nothing is really all that important.” But that is not true. Going to God’s house IS important. Being ministered to by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is astounding. Casual attire in these circumstances is simply inappropriate if we really think about what we are doing, where we are going and who it is we will meet. It does not necessarily follow that we must wear tuxedos and formal gowns. But decent semi-formal attire seems wholly appropriate. Sunday is special, God’s House is special. Somethings really ARE important and our clothing and demeanor ought to reflect this truth.
Edited for length. Full article here:
Sound off! What do you think?
My Dear People,
Pray for Priest
Why was Jesus so attracted to sinners? Throughout the Gospel, we find Our Lord actively seeking out sinners, and those who were lost. Our Gospel today is no exception. The sinful woman who desired to only be at the feet of Jesus, anoints His feet with oil. She bathed Jesus’ feet with oil. She bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears. Then, she wiped His feet with her hair. The feet were the dirtiest part of the body. They walked through dirt and raw sewage found in the city streets. Here action was a great act of humility.
The others at the table were critical of Jesus’ attention to her. In the middle of the ordeal, Jesus declares that He has forgiven her sins. The guests were all asking themselves, who is Jesus that He dares to forgive sin? Only GOD can forgive sin. Many ask the same question of Catholic priests in the confessional. Who is he to forgive my sins? He is only a man like us. This is true. Priests are sinful humans too. But it is JESUS Himself who forgives our sins through the action of the priest in the name of the Church. We have to be careful not to become like the Pharisees, who were critical of the Lord. Pray for priest. Ask God to give them a double portion of the Holy Ghost, so that they all may serve humbly in the name of Jesus.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark Bozada
May we seek Christ Jesus in the confessional, asking for His Divine Mercy and Forgiveness.
Father Euteneuer-I am happy to announce the publication of my long-awaited book on exorcism entitled Exorcism and the Church Militant! It has been three years in the writing, but by the grace of God, it is finished, and today, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, I am able to announce it to my own Spirit and Life friends. The “official” launch of it will be on Monday, but you have a unique opportunity to get an advanced copy. Check out our website which is appropriately titled, www.exorcismbook.com.
Here are a couple highlights of the book to entice you:
- Pre-eminent Catholic preacher, Fr. John Corapi, wrote the Foreword to the book
- An Introduction explaining my view of the Church Militant
- A total of 7 Chapters with 178 Questions and 9 Appendices including the full ancient exorcism ritual of the Catholic Church in three parts
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Chapter 1 – Jesus, Chief Exorcist
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Chapter 2 – The Devil and His Minions
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Chapter 3 – Exorcism and Church Authority
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Chapter 4 – Discernment Issues
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Chapter 5 – Healing and Deliverance
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Chapter 6 – The Conduct of an Exorcism, and
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Chapter 7 – Pastoral Considerations
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An extended Table of Contents in the front for easy review of the material
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A detailed Index at the back for easy reference of terms and research
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Six chapters contain an Afterword which explains the subject matter from the actual ministry experience of the author
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The seventh chapter contains a list of “Spiritual Resources for Busy People” to help priests and parents to learn more about the subjects addressed in the book and other related matters
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An extended Bibliography including relevant Church documents.
My main purpose in writing the book is to get more of my brother priests involved in the work of forming the Church Militant, but it can be easily read by anyone. Your own favorite priest may appreciate a copy! I also intend the book as an antidote to the bizarre understanding of exorcism that most people have from the movie industry. Many of the exorcism movies contain a grain of truth about the Church’s warfare against the Evil One, but only the Catholic Church truly understands spiritual warfare in all its fullest-and only the Church Militant has all the weapons to fight it!
Note also that I am publishing a companion edition to the exorcism book called simply Demonic Abortion. It is an extended commentary on the satanic nature of the abortion industry and culture of death. Originally a chapter in the larger work, I took it out and made it into its own shorter book because the subject needs much more attention, and I hope that I have done justice to it in this book. Demonic Abortion will be available for shipping on July 7th, but you will receive a $4.95 discount if you order it now with Exorcism and the Church Militant, and we will send it to you with no additional shipping charge.
One final note about these books: All proceeds will directly benefit the Human Life International global pro-life network which spans 100 countries of the world, and your generosity is greatly appreciated!
May the Lord bless your faith as you read these books, and may St. Michael and his angels protect you and your family in the spiritual battle which we have to sustain against the forces of hell!
Don’t forget to order the book at www.exorcismbook.com!
My Dear People,
The multiplication of loaves and fishes is a testimony of God’s Divine Providence. As in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus consecrates simple gifts and makes them divine. So great the blessing, that there were twelve fragment baskets leftover. All who witnessed this great miracle were amazed at the five thousand who were fed with the few loaves and fishes.
As Catholics, we are blessed to received the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity at every Holy Mass. Jesus multiplies His graces for us through the Holy Bread come down from Heaven. This “miracle” is God’s gift to us through the consecrated hands of the priest. In order to benefit from the graces of this sacrament, we have to be properly disposed. Frequent reception of the Eucharist requires us to frequent the confessional. Don’t waste any Eucharistic grace by coming unprepared to Holy Mass. May God continue to bless us abundantly at each and every Mass.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark Bozada
May we remember that the baskets of leftover loaves and fishes, remind us that God can work wondrous deeds when we are willing to share.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio – Homosexual
Behavior Can Never Be Condoned
By Paul Conner, The Daily Caller – The archbishop for the U.S. military spoke out for the first time against the effort to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” setting up a possible conflict between Pentagon brass and the 285 Roman Catholic priests who serve on active-duty in the military.
 Archbishop Timothy Broglio at Al Asad “Those with a homosexual orientation can expect respect and treatment worthy of their human dignity,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Catholic overseer for military chaplains, in a statement released late last week. “However, unions between individuals of the same gender resembling marriage will not be accepted or blessed by Catholic chaplains.”
Broglio was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI two and a half years ago, though it is unclear if the archbishop speaks for the Vatican, which has so far been mum on the issue.
Catholic priests serve an estimated 1.5 million Catholic men and women in the U.S. military, according to the Archdiocese website.
The statement follows an April 28 letter from 41 retired Army, Air Force and Navy chaplains to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying that repealing the rule would present chaplains with “a profoundly difficult moral choice”–whether to obey God or men.
“Sacrificing the moral beliefs of individuals or their living conditions to respond to merely political considerations is neither just nor prudent especially for the armed forces at a time of war,” Broglio said. “Catholics believe that nothing will be done if there is a careful and prudent evaluation of the effects of a change.”
An evaluation by the Pentagon is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 1, but by then, Congress may have already passed legislation to repeal the Clinton-era rule that allows gays to serve in the military only if they do not reveal their sexual orientation.
The provision is steadily making its way through Congress on the coattails of a $760 billion defense spending bill, and it has strong supporters in Gates, Obama and Adm. Mike Mullen, Joint Chiefs chairman.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to repeal the policy on March 27. So did the House of Representatives 234-194. If the bill passes the Senate, the Pentagon would still need to wait until the Dec. 1 study is delivered to remove the ban.
The chiefs of the Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps all oppose repeal.
“A number of chaplains and commanding officers have expressed concerns about the effects of a change,” Broglio wrote. “There is a request for guidance.”
Guidance from the Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear: “Homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law,” and “under no circumstance can they be approved.”
So what happens when a gay man or woman serving his or her country seeks guidance from a priest? Does the priest withhold a blessing? Would the priest have freedom to espouse the Catholic teaching that homosexuality is “objectively disordered?”
“No restrictions or limitations on the teaching of Catholic morality can be accepted,” said Broglio. “First Amendment rights regarding the free exercise of religion must be respected.”
But Broglio made it clear that compassion would be a top priority as chaplains walk a razor’s edge.
“Catholic chaplains must show compassion for persons with a homosexual orientation but can never condone — even silently — homosexual behavior,” Broglio said. “A change might have a negative effect on the role of the chaplain not only in the pulpit, but also in the classroom, in the barracks, and in the office.”
It Is Blood Sacrifice To The Demon Moloch!
Father Thomas Euteneuer-Those who are uncomfortable with the thought and talk of demons have a decision to make: Remain in the dark and ignore a basic teaching of the Church regarding spiritual warfare or open your eyes and join the rest of us in the fight against the demons who are working evil in our midst. One such wicked work is the dirty business of abortion. No human activity glorifies Satan and his minions more than abortion.
Abortion is fundamentally a business — a business based on a perverse concept of human rights. Abortion is a commodity cleverly marketed to women under the ideological rubric of “free choice” that draws in huge profits from the deaths of innocents. The abortion industry is a profit-driven, raw killing machine. The enormous amount of cash it generates is the “lifeblood” that perpetuates its existence.
The spiritual dimension of this grisly business, however, is its systematizing of ritual blood sacrifice to the god of child murder who, in the Old Testament, is called Moloch. This demon of child sacrifice appears in many forms and cultures throughout history — Phoenician, Carthaginian, Canaanite, Celtic, Indian, Aztec, and others — but it is always the same bloodthirsty beast that demands the killing of children as a form of worship. This demon seeks public endorsement and ever new expressions of killing to increase its “worship.” In some of the ancient forms of these evil practices, huge drums were beaten beside the places of sacrifice as the rituals proceeded. These drums were used to drown out the screams of the victims who were being sacrificed on the altars.
The practice of child sacrifice was universally condemned as an abomination by the prophets of the Old Testament. Ezekiel said to the people of Israel: “The sons and daughters you had borne me you took and offered as sacrifices to be devoured by them [false gods]! Was it not enough for you to play the harlot? You slaughtered and immolated my children to them, making them pass through fire” (16:20-21). Jeremiah was equally unequivocal in his opposition to this evil: “They have built high places to Baal [Moloch] to immolate their sons in fire as holocausts…such a thing as I never commanded nor spoke of…. Therefore, the days will come when this place will no longer be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but rather, the valley of Slaughter” (19:5-6). It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for “valley” is ge, and so the name “Valley of Hinnom” is ge-hinnom, whence we derive the word “Gehenna.”
Priests Praying Exorcism Prayers Produces Great Fruit
NASHVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) – “And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!’” (Rom 10:15).
 Priests Praying at Abortion Mill According to tradition, typical demonic responses during exorcism include foul language, references to sexual perversion, deceit, and profuse blasphemy. Similarly, prayers for exorcism outside the Northern Illinois Women’s Center abortuary in Rockford have provoked just such a reaction from pro-abortion workers and activists within.
“Not Against Flesh and Blood, But the Rulers of Darkness”
Their revulsion for anything as holy as a Catholic priest is evident in their bizarre window displays, a few of which reportedly include a nun in a coffin, a rubber chicken hanging from a noose, and a picture of Jesus flipping the bird that says, “Even Jesus Hates You.”
The beautiful thing about this ongoing battle is that the number of abortions has reportedly been cut by half at this abortuary since the spiritual power of the Jesus was first unleashed through the prayers of the priests who have prayed outside since September of 2008. At least, the abortuary seems to blame them and the special prayers of the Church.
Just this past Friday someone inside the building displayed a sign in reaction to a priest and seminarian praying outside that said “F…. Your Perverted Priests.” They have endured personal insults and vandalism of their vehicles. One priest’s car was egged, another discovered a hand-written sign that read “I Rape Children” taped to his car.
Another hand-written sign displayed prominently outside the main entrance to the clinic read “Stop the Perverted Catholic Priests from Raping Young Boys.” In convoluted pro-abortion logic, it seems that somehow child abuse is bad, but abortion is good.
The priests in Rockford quietly stand vigil in every type of inclement weather with open coats, so that the women seeking an abortion are aware that a priest is present in his flowing, seemingly flaming cassock.
Invoking the matchless power of Jesus Christ through the Church, they make sweeping Signs of the Cross and pray that the abortion mill and the whole earth will be cleansed from the evil that surrounds and drives abortion.
Beautiful Victories
The Rockford mill hates and attacks the priests outside so viciously because they, and priests and pro-life workers like them all over the country, have saved countless lives and souls.
When they first began their vigils, it was reported that the pro-life sidewalk counselors in Rockford noticed an immediate, dramatic decline in the numbers of mothers who go there for abortions, a distinct rise in the numbers of mothers who choose life outside the mill, and the correlation of these changes with the beginning of the displays of blasphemy from inside.
The response at this abortuary has been particularly virulent, but priests are praying outside them all over the country through Priests for Life, in which priests and parishes are paired with specific abortuaries.
It is to St. John Vianney that our beloved priests are entrusted, and he said it so eloquently: “Were we to fully realize what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love. It is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of his goods. Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshiping the beasts there. The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you.”
Because they are priests, they take the good news, uniquely, even into these demonic abortion trenches. As the Year for Priests draws to a close, may we bathe their dusty, tired, beautiful feet with the anointing of our prayers. Amen.
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