TRUST IN THE BLESSED VIRGIN

True devotion to the Blessed Virgin is tender, that is to say, full of trust in her, like the trust of a child in its beloved mother. This devotion leads you to turn to the Blessed Virgin in all your material and spiritual needs with great simplicity, trust, and tenderness, and to implore the help of your loving Mother at all times, in every place, and under every circumstance: in times of doubt, that she may enlighten you; in times of straying, that she may guide you back to the right path; in times of temptation, that she may sustain you; in times of weakness, that she may strengthen you; in times of fall, that she may lift you up; in times of discouragement, that she may revive you; in times of scruple, that she may free you from them; in the crosses, anxieties, and setbacks of life, that she may console you.  Finally, in all material and spiritual difficulties, Mary is your ordinary recourse, without fear of bothering your loving Mother or displeasing Jesus Christ.

🌿Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort - “True Devotion to Mary”.

THE PLACE OF PRAYER

The place of prayer must not be pleasant and delectable to the senses - some people seek such a place - lest the issue should be recreation of the senses, and not recollection of spirit.

 St. John of the Cross , 

      Spiritual Maxims 230

 

THE MASS ABOVE ALL ELSE

By incorporating it into the Holy Mass, our prayer not only enters the mighty river of liturgical prayers—which would already give it a special dignity and efficacy ex opere operantis Ecclesiae (through the action of the Church at work)—but it also merges with the infinite prayer of Christ. The Father always hears Him: “I know that you always hear me” (Jn 11:42), and in consideration of Him, He will grant us all that we need (and that truly serves our souls).

Consequently: No novena or triduum can compare to the impetrative efficacy of a single Mass. How much confusion there is among the faithful regarding the objective value of things! What we do not obtain through the Holy Mass, we will never obtain through any other means. The use of those other methods blessed and approved by the Church is certainly good; it is undeniable that God grants many graces through them;  But let's put everything in its proper place. The Mass above all else.

Fr. Antonio Royo Marín, O.P.

THIS SAINT REFUSED TO RECEIVE COMMUNION FROM A HERETIC BISHOP

Saint Hermenegild, Martyr of the Eucharist

Saint Hermenegild (died 585) is considered xa martyr for his defense of the Catholic faith against Arianism, and is specifically known as the Martyr of the Eucharist because he was executed for refusing to receive communion (the consecrated host containing the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ) from an Arian bishop during Easter.

The context: Hermenegild, son of the Arian Visigothic king Leovigild, converted to Catholicism.

The martyrdom: After being imprisoned in Tarragona, his father offered him freedom and reconciliation in exchange for receiving communion from an Arian bishop (who denied the divinity of Christ).

The refusal: Hermenegild rejected the communion offered by the heretic, preferring death to betraying the Catholic faith, and was immediately executed.

Recognition: Saint Gregory the Great recounts his story as that of a true martyr, and his feast day is celebrated on April 13.

IMPORTANT MEDICAL TESTIMONY (Don't miss it).

 

By: Dr. Sergio Villarreal

In recent months, I've read some arguments on social media regarding unborn babies that I want to address. I've read that they are just cells. I've read that they are not human beings. I've read that they are not living beings. I've read that they are not beings with consciousness. And I've read that, because of all of the above, these cells have no rights that we should respect. In response to all of this, I want to share my testimony:

I have been a gynecologist for 30 years. Since 1988, I have seen many women who have placed their trust in me. I have cared for them during their pregnancies. I have delivered their children. Many of the babies I delivered have grown up and are now parents, and in some cases, I have delivered their own children.

Throughout these years, I have performed ultrasounds on many patients very early in their pregnancies as part of the medical care I provide them.  But along the way, I've witnessed many other things that go beyond mere medical observation, and I want to share them with you:

I've seen babies' hearts beat very early on, strongly, so strongly that it's not uncommon to see the heartbeat before the baby itself.

I've seen them at 7 weeks old take little hops on their backs.

I've seen them at 9 weeks old move their arms and legs, move their whole bodies, somersault, jump and hop, turn to face forward and see their faces, turn to the side, open their mouths, and make so many gestures so common and familiar to any human being.

I've seen them fully formed, with brains and hearts, with eyes, ears, and mouths. I've seen them with hands and feet, with fluid inside their stomachs, with urine in their bladders. I've seen the chambers of their hearts pumping blood throughout their bodies. I've seen them touch each other with their hands, bend their knees, extend them, and stretch out as if they were on a swing.

I've watched them grow inside the womb, I've seen them yawn, and I've seen them hiccup. I've seen their respiratory muscles move. I've seen them clench their fists, and I've seen them move their eyes. Waiting for the moment of birth.

And there, seeing them inside the womb, I've been able to recognize that they are more than just cells; I've recognized a living being, with its own physiology, its own structure. I've seen a human being. I've seen a being of my species, only younger than me, a being that is a continuum in time with the being it will become in the future. A being that is not only potential, but is already a reality there in its mother's womb, just like the young child who, although potential for the future, is already a reality in its present childhood. True, it's not a human being conscious of its surroundings, just as a newborn isn't, or a child who is only a few days or weeks old, or an elderly person who has lost some of their cognitive functions.  But it is a human being, just like them, simply a human being.

I have seen those embryos become fetuses, and those fetuses be born, and I have seen them later come with their parents, as children, to my office, to witness the miracle of having one, two, or more siblings. And I have seen them grow up to become good men and women. And I have seen them, in turn, become mothers and fathers who love the life they were given and the life they now give.

I have seen many parents cry tears of joy upon seeing their child for the first time on a screen, and I have seen them immensely happy when their child is born. And many times I have heard them describe how that baby has changed their lives, and how they are now willing to give their lives for the love of their little one. This is not rhetoric. Any parent knows it, any mother understands it. Willing to die for the love of their baby.

And I've seen cases of women who suddenly found themselves facing an unexpected reality: an unplanned pregnancy, a baby they never thought would come their way. Sometimes they were alone, and all the braver for being alone. But when they've become aware of the profound significance of their experience and have accepted the arrival of their baby, and have continued under my care, I haven't seen a single woman regret giving life. I haven't seen one who, after a few years, doesn't see her son or daughter as the most precious thing in her life. Never, never have I heard one say, "I would have preferred not to have it."

After giving this testimony, I only hope that those who think differently do so out of ignorance, or perhaps due to a lack of information.

Don't argue that they are just cells, don't argue that it's not a living being, don't argue that it's not a human being or that it doesn't have consciousness.  Don't insult your own intelligence with those arguments, which are so false and empty that it's incredible that a human being with a conscience would even take them into account.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLES

Acts 10:37–43:
“He himself commanded us to preach to the people…”

What twelve poor, uncouth fishermen, almost old in the deepest ignorance; men of a faint disposition and a weak heart; naturally low and timid souls, without education, without support, with no other skill than fishing and nets… that these twelve fishermen could convince the world and make it believe that this Jesus of Nazareth, who had died on a cross, had risen again, is a prodigy that seems almost as astonishing as the very prodigy of the Resurrection!

But when one considers that men, who had no interest whatsoever in pretending, could not have wanted to deceive us at the certain risk of their lives;  That men so skeptical of their Master during his lifetime could not be deceived after his death, and believe him resurrected without the most compelling proof; in short, that men like these, who performed the most astounding miracles to establish the faith of the Resurrection, could not deceive us… shouldn't it rather astonish us that there were unbelievers capable of resisting his testimony?

But is our belief perhaps more Christian?

And by believing in the truly resurrected Jesus Christ, are we perhaps more Christian?

Since the mystery of the Resurrection contains, so to speak, or at least confirms all the others, this mystery, when truly believed, converted the whole world.

We believe it; but what effect does faith in this mystery have today on the understanding and hearts of Christians?

The Resurrection of the Savior is the sure guarantee, and it must at the same time be the model for our own.  It is the foundation of our faith, and it must be equally the foundation of our hope; and both must govern our lives.

Where is this reform found today?

Dead to sin through penance—which should be the fruit of the great fast we have just completed—a new life should be the ordinary effect of Easter.

Are there many people of whom it can truly be said that they have risen?

It is necessary to know first if there are many who have died to sin, to criminal habits, to voluntary and dangerous occasions of sin; if there are many who have risen to grace.

After a true resurrection, the change is visible, the reform is palpable.

Are many reforms, many changes seen in the faithful after these celebrations?

And those who dispensed themselves during Lent from the salutary rigors of penance, do they taste at Easter the sweetness of a holy resurrection?

Fr. Jean Croisset, S.J.

LIFE ACCORDING TO THE WORLD

When man attempts to organize his life, his politics, and his civilization "according to man," he is engaging in the same prideful insurrection that defined the Fall. He is attempting to become the measure of all things, effectively installing himself as his own god. Liberalism insists on a public square emptied of God, falsely claiming that this "neutrality" allows for human freedom. In reality, it creates a vacuum where the devil assumes authority. Human nature is not a self-contained, autonomous entity, but is designed for participation in the Divine life. Therefore, any political or social order that seeks to exclude the Kingship of Christ is an anti-Christian one. When a nation lives "according to man," it creates a culture that is inherently fragmented and dehumanizing. Without the hierarchy of values rooted in Truth, the strong prey upon the weak, the family is dissolved, and the natural order is inverted. You see this today in the frantic, nihilistic drive toward the destruction of the family and the elevation of degenerate ideologies. This is the fruit of living according to the standards of the self rather than the standards of the Creator.  When we build our cities and our laws on the foundation of human autonomy, we are building them on sand. The only path to true human fulfillment is the re-subordination of the human will and the political order to the sovereignty of Christ the King.