Cardinal Burke's Septuagesima Thoughts

Ash Wednesday is Approaching... Are You Ready?

“What am I going to do this Lent to draw closer to God in prayer? What am I going to do this lent to purify my life of things that are sinful?” Cardinal Burke prompts us to ask ourselves for the intense period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent.

In the video above, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke mentions Septuagesima as something that was practiced in the past and encourages his flock to renew this custom. We traditional Catholics still observe this season of preparation for Lent. Listen to Cardinal Burke’s inspiring thoughts and consider perusing the “Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe” website. They also have a YouTube channel.

February is the Month of the Passion of Our Lord

As the Cycle of Christmas comes to a close this month, we begin to meditate upon the sufferings of Our Blessed Lord.  The second part of the traditional liturgical year begins with Septuagesima on Sunday, the 16th.  The Cycle of Easter extends until the next Church year, the beginning of Advent.  This is when we contemplate the Mystery of the Redemption, through Septuagesima, Lent, Passiontide, Easter Time and Time after Pentecost.  So bringing to mind the Passion, after celebrating the joyful Christmas Season, is most appropriate this month.

Let us seek to observe a holy Septuagesima, when we prepare for Lent.  Why do this?  There is a lot of very good commentary out there on Septuagesima, which goes into it much deeper than we do here.  One thing we can do is educate ourselves more on this forgotten liturgical season.  But to answer the question, it is best to enter Lent spiritually and practically prepared.  This takes some time and prayer.  Certainly, Septuagesima would be a time for the Sacrament of Penance.  Meditating upon the Passion will be most productive if we are putting the spiritual life first.  You will find that a good observance of this pre-Lenten time will be immensely rewarding!

If we merge Septuagesima with our contemplation of the Passion, it really starts out strong with the Introit of the first Sunday Mass…

“The groans of death surrounded me, the sorrows of hell encompassed me.”

We’re not in the Christmas Season anymore.  But we know that baby in His Mother’s arms, honored by the Magi, came to suffer and die for our sins.  And there is no Resurrection without the Cross.  No joy without tears.  It is time now for us to walk the Via Dolorosa with Our Lady and Our Lord, to our Heavenly reward.  The words above are those of one crying out to God, but they could just as easily be the words of Our Lord Himself as He walked that walk.

During the first 2 weeks of Septuagesima, we honor 3 Apostles:  Saint Simeon’s feast (Simon the Zealot) is the 18th, the Chair of Saint Peter is the 22nd and Saint Matthias’ feast is the 24th.  As for Simeon, there is no scripture directly associating him with the Passion, but, he was of course present at the Last Supper.  From the Mass of Saint Simeon, our sins are likened to a “weight,” calling to mind the weight of the Cross, which our Lord carried for these sins:

“Look mercifully, almighty God, upon our weakness, and because the weight of our own deeds presses upon us, may the glorious intercession of Saint Simeon, Thy martyr and bishop, be our protection.”

The feast of the “Chair of Saint Peter” refers to a great relic which symbolizes the papacy.  As such, we are indeed honoring the glorious Saint Peter.  From Matthew 16:18…

“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Simon Peter was intimately linked to the events of the Passion.  Luke describes his following in the distance, his denial, the glance with Our Lord, and Peter’s weeping (Luke 22:54-62).  During this time before Lent, let us flee to St. Peter’s intercession for a good examination of conscience and to see the ways in which we ourselves, deny the will of God.  Saint Peter, pray for Holy Church at this time!

From EWTN VATICAN, 11/17/24…

Rare Vatican Relic on Display:

The Story Behind St. Peter’s Chair

(Includes a wonderful video of the Chair at the Vatican.)

Excerpt:

This historic wooden throne, known as the Cathedra Sancti Petri, holds immense spiritual and historical significance, symbolizing the authority and mission of the papacy…Scholars have studied the chair extensively over the years, revealing that its oldest components date as far back as the 6th century…Each year, on February 22nd, we celebrate the Feast of the Cathedra Sancti Petri, the “Chair” of Peter…“It can be presumed,” [Prof. Francesco Buranelli] continued, “that it was used as the papal throne until the 1600s”…The Cathedra Sancti Petri, a profound symbol of the unbroken line of succession from St. Peter…was last displayed publicly in 1867 to mark the 1800th anniversary of St. Peter’s martyrdom…In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI described the Chair as “a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his successors to shepherd Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and charity.” 

Saint Matthias would never have become associated with the 12 Apostles, if Judas had not betrayed Jesus.  Matthias was faithful to Our Savior, even unto death.  From the old Catholic Encyclopedia:

Matthias was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus, and had been with Him from His baptism by John to the Ascension. It is related (Acts 1:15-26) that in the days following the Ascension, Peter proposed to the assembled brethren, who numbered one hundred and twenty, that they choose one to fill the place of the traitor Judas in the Apostolate. Two disciples, Joseph, called Barsabas, and Matthias were selected, and lots were drawn, with the result in favour of Matthias.

Moving on with Septuagesima through the lens of the Passion, Quinquagesima Sunday, March 2nd, includes the Gospel account of Our Lord foretelling his arrest and death:

Luke 18:31-43

Other notable feasts of February from the trad and new calendars:

2nd-Presentation of the Lord/Purification of the BVM/Candlemas

3rd-Saint Blaise, Blessing of Throats

6th-Saint Titus, Companion of Saint Paul, Bishop

11th-Our Lady of Lourdes

14th-Saint Valentine

23rd-Sexagesima Sunday

Homeschool Activities This Month

1)       List 5 ways we can prepare for Lent.

2)       Write a short essay on the history of the Chair of Saint Peter (handwrite in cursive).

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The Ten Warnings Based on the Ten Commandments

I             A people who worship false gods shall be ruled by the godless.

II            A people who take the Holy Name of God in vain shall become nameless.

III           A people who profane the Sabbath Day shall have no rest.

IV           A people who dishonor their elders shall be dishonored by their own children.

V            A people who kill the innocent shall themselves be killed.

VI           A people who dishonor their own bodies shall be subject to all manner of bodily harm.

VII          A people who steal from God and man shall be left with nothing.

VIII        A people who deceive shall be deceived by those more powerful.

IX           A people who covet the things of the flesh shall live in deprivation.

X            A people who covet the things of the world shall become enslaved. 

WANT TO PRINT THIS? HERE’S THE PDF!

November is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Of course, November begins with the glorious All Saints Day.  The Triduum of Death, beginning with the All Saints Day vigil, encourages us to meditate upon the Four Last Things:

Death  +  Judgement  +  Heaven  +  Hell

However, Holy Church always calls us to be joyful and at peace.  At every traditional Holy Mass we hear the words, “May the peace of the Lord be always with you” or “Pax Domini sit semper vobis cum.”  All Saints Day is truly wondrous as we honor the entire Heavenly host and hope for our eventual union with them.  This feast originated with the Church’s desire to honor the martyrs whose bones were kept at a particular church which was dedicated to all the saints, as this location was previously dedicated to “all the gods.”  The Litany of the Saints, invokes both human saints and angels.  All Souls Day, on the 2nd, is also a happy feast, as we know our prayers for the Holy Souls resound to God and expiate some, if not all (if a Plenary Indulgence is performed) of their cleansing in Purgatory.

See our previous 2 posts on the Plenary Indulgences which are so easy to obtain during the first week of November.  Holy Church opens the Gates of Heaven this week in an incredible way!

What else can we do for the souls in Purgatory this month?  After November 8th, you may still visit a cemetery with mental prayer for the Holy Souls, but the indulgence will be partial (you may do this any time of year).  Other partial indulgences could be the recitation of the Office of the Dead or the De Profundis.  Here’s also a well-known prayer by Saint Gertrude the Great, whose feast we celebrate on the 16th:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family.

Amen.

We have 2 more “Greats” this month:  Saint Leo on the 10th and Saint Albert on the 15th. 

Let us not forget the feast of Christ King of the Universe, on the 24th, a Sunday.  We celebrate 2 Marian feasts:  The Presentation of Mary on the 21st and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the 27th.  The following day, the 28th, we honor the seer of the Miraculous Medal, Saint Catherine Laboure. 

On the 13th, we honor Mother Frances Cabrini, a 20th century saint.  I had the privilege of viewing her body in New York City some years ago at her shrine.  The body is filled out with wax.  The saint’s heart remained incorrupt and was transported to Codogno, Italy, where she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is appropriate that her heart was preserved from corruption, as she was so devoted to the Heart of Our Lord.

We celebrate the Apostle Andrew on the 30th and December 1st begins Advent.  If you plan to perform Advent exercises, think about preparing in advance. 

Heavenly blessings to all in this month of the Holy Souls!

We discuss both trad and new feasts.  Please consult your own calendar sources for further details.

November Plenaries, Part 2

Some Suggestions (what I do:)

I try to get as many plenaries as I can each year (I’ve only been doing this for a few years now)…in other words, I visit a lot of cemeteries! Visiting various cemeteries is an adventure unto itself. Sometimes, with all the hills, it feels like hiking. Many have interesting historic elements. I find it is always intriguing, educational and spiritually beneficial. Bringing young ones helps them to confront the reality of death, hopefully before experiencing the loss of a loved one. I lost my father suddenly from a heart attack, when I was barely 7 years old. Needless to say, this was a deeply traumatic first experience with death. We should not seek to shelter our children from death, as they will certainly deal with it eventually. When a neighbor passed, when my son was little, I brought him to the wake, so he could have that experience. He dealt very well with it. After all, death is a natural part of life and God gives us the grace to handle it with His help, however terrible it may be.

Each year, I make a plan for visiting cemeteries in my area, or where loved ones are buried….and I make a list of the next 8 people I would like to attempt to get into Heaven. I keep a running list of those I have already performed the plenary for. For those I feel especially indebted to, I may perform it more than once. I have a set of prayers that I say, in addition to the requirements.

Do not take these plenaries lightly, as it is without saying, a truly extraordinary thing that is being done. Of course, our own unworthiness to expiate punishment for sin and be the vehicle through which a soul enters the eternal bliss of the Beatific Vision, is foremost in our minds. But we trust in what Holy Church teaches. As we accept God’s mercy in Confession, we also accept His willingness to bring His children in Purgatory unto Himself, through our profoundly small efforts. So…one must enter into this spiritual effort with the utmost of piety, humility and unspeakable awe. This spirit should follow you from the moment you enter the cemetery, to the moment you leave…and even for the rest of the day. This first week of November is truly blessed and rare in our journey through the Liturgical Year. And it changes you.

November Plenaries from the 1st to the 8th...Prepare for Them!

From Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:

PLENARY INDULGENCE

An indulgence that can remove all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. No one but God knows for certain when a plenary indulgence is actually gained, because only He knows whether a person's dispositions are adequate. One norm for such dispositions is that "all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent." If these dispositions are in any way less than complete, the indulgence will only be partial. The same provision applies to the three external conditions necessary to gain a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. If these conditions are not satisfied, an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial. These conditions may be satisfied several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, though preferably Communion should be received and the prayers offered for the Pope on the same day as the indulgenced work. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.

From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Holy Cross Chaplaincy:

Six General Rules for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence

1. State of grace…when performing the indulgenced act

2. Complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

3. Confession (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

4. Communion (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

5. Prayers for the Supreme Pontiff (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

6. Indulgenced Act: a special good work with…conditions of place and time

Indulgenced Acts to be Performed for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Purgatory

• From November 1 to 8: visit of a cemetery with mental prayer for the poor souls

• On November 2: visit of a church or an oratory with one Our Father and one Creed being recited

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

“And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying:

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.

And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.”

Matthew 17:1-9

We commemorate the glorious Transfiguration of Our Lord on the 6th of this month, in the trad and the new calendars.  Though not a Holy Day of Obligation, it is still a wonderful day to attend Mass, recite a devotion such as a litany, or pray the Luminous Mysteries, which contain the Transfiguration.

Holy Church devotes the next 3 months to our Blessed Mother.  August celebrates her Immaculate Heart, September her 7 Sorrows, and October the Holy Rosary (along with sanctity of life issues).  At Nomen Christi Apostolate, we call this the “Marian Triad of the Months,” and we encourage meditation upon these aspects of Mariology, along with devotions.  If we can see how Our Lady’s heart ties into her sorrows and the Rosary, this would be a path for us to understand and love her more.  We are so indebted to her, this is least we can do.

We celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 15th, a Holy Day of Obligation and one of the Glorious Mysteries.  This feast also has a vigil.  Other Marian feasts of August:  Our Lady of the Snows (which refers to a miracle in Italy combined with the dedication of Saint Mary Major Basilica) on the 5th, Our Lady of Knock on the 17th and the Queenship of the BVM & the Immaculate Heart on the 22nd (double feast, yay!).  Marian-related feasts are:  Saint Dominic, seer of the Rosary on the 4th & 8th and Saint Joachim, father of the BVM the day after the Assumption, the 16th.

What better way to honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary, than to begin the Fatima Devotion of the First Saturdays “Communion of Reparation” (this month, that is the 3rd)?  This is for the purpose of offering reparation to her much-offended heart of incomprehensible love, and for general atonement.  In this time of increasing tensions between nations, we would do well to consider the words of Sr. Lucia:

“Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven.”

Sister Lucia, Fatima Seer, 1939

If your parish does not offer the First Saturdays, why not think about meeting with your pastor and getting it started?  Pray on it!

Here are some other notable feasts coming up, note St. Monica and St. Augustine, mother and son, are 1 day apart:

Saint Alphonsus Liguori-1st & 2nd

Saint John Vianney-4th & 8th

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)-9th

Saint Clare (Chiara) of Assisi-11th & 12th

Saint Maximilian Kolbe-14th

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux-20th

Saint Rose of Lima-23rd & 30th

Saint Bartholomew, Apostle-24th

Saint Monica-27th

Saint Augustine-28th

Passion of Saint John the Baptist-29th

Saint Fiacre of Brie (non-standard)-30th

Saints Rose & Fiacre, patrons of gardeners, pray for us!

What is the purpose of paying attention to feastdays?  It is part of our Catholic Faith that is sadly being lost.  If we are attentive to these days, it can have the following benefits:

1)      Encourage us to attend Mass more frequently.

2)      Renew our interest in the saints.  Provide a chance to teach our children about them.

3)      Increase our prayer and devotional life.

4)      Provide opportunity for reading Holy Scripture.

5)      Give us a greater love for and knowledge of the Catholic Faith.

6)      Help us to think creatively about practicing the Faith.

7)      Provide grace and bring us closer to the Kingdom of Heaven!

We provide both trad and new feasts.

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

“I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.”

Our Blessed Lord spoke these words to Saint Margaret Mary, seer of the Sacred Heart and nun of the Visitation Order.  She lived a short life of 43 years, from 1647 to 1690.  Our Dear Jesus asked for Communion on 9 First Fridays in reparation to His merciful Heart and veneration of the image of His Heart.  This parallels Our Lady’s request at Fatima for the 5 First Saturdays Communions of Reparation.   What better time than this June, on the feast of the Sacred Heart, to begin this pious act of love for Our Lord?  This feast is 19 days after Pentecost, always a Friday, and is also a solemnity, so no Friday penance is required.    This year, it falls on June 7th.  The day after, is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary…so intimate is the love between these 2 Hearts, Holy Church celebrates them together!

We just celebrated Corpus Christi in the trad on May 30th.  The new celebrates it June 2nd.  The Sacred Heart and the Body and Blood of Christ are one and the same.  Let us renew our devotion to and appreciation for the Holy Eucharist this month.  There is also a non-standard trad feast, the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, on the 13th…which is also the day we honor Saint Anthony of Padua, friend of Saint Francis of Assisi and seer of the Christ Child.  Our Blessed Lord is distressed at the outrages against His Body and Blood and we must make reparation and do all we can to defend His honor in this great sacrament.  It is one of the greatest sins of our times.  In addition, with geopolitical tensions dramatically increasing in recent days, let us flee to the Sacred Heart and beseech the great mercy and graces contained therein.

Here are some other notable feasts this month:

11th-Saint Barnabas 

24th-Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

26th-Saint Josemaria Escriva, 20th Century Saint

29th-Saints Peter & Paul

The traditional calendar for the month of June:  calefactory.org 

Pentecost / Whitsunday: Come Holy Ghost!

“I’m coming again, and this time it’s no more Mr. Nice Guy!”

Carmina Burana

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

Nomen Christi Apostolate is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima because she has given us the antidote to our times, in her requests. Today commemorates her first apparition to the 3 children.

Please see to the right>>>in our list of topics, “Fatima Family Holy Hour.” We did this program for 2 years. It is a format which can be printed, to recite on the 13th of each month, between May and October. If you click the link above, you will get the full text, starting with the most recent. If you click to the right, you will get a quick view of all the Holy Hour posts, not necessarily in date order (recommended). And now you know how these links work!

Many blessings on this great feast of Our Lady, as we continue to receive the solar storm upon the world.