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MyCatholicSource.com Newsletter - February, 2014
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IN THIS ISSUE:
* Greetings
* MCS News & Notes
* The Month of February: Dedicated to the Holy Family
* Who Should be Accounted as a Catholic/Christian?: Some Reflections
* A Few Reflections on Rash Judgment
* Liturgical Feasts in February
* 'Catholic Trivia'
* Defending the Faith: "Apologetics Brief" - Do You Think Baptism Must Be Administered By Immersion?
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Dear Friend,
"May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Heb. 13:20-21)
Greetings to you during this short month of February. We are now approaching the holy season of Lent. This month, the traditional preparatory period for Lent begins on 2/16/14 (Septuagesima Sunday), with Lent itself starting next month (on 3/5/14). For resources in preparation for Lent, please see the link below.
We send you our best wishes for God's blessings,
Your Friends at MyCatholicSource.com
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"God always gives sufficient grace to whoever is willing to receive it. This is an established truth and all theologians are in agreement with it." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)
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MCS News & Notes
* Site Redesign Update: We are in the process of uploading hundreds of pages with the new design. These new pages span a variety of sections. When these pages have been uploaded and checked, we estimate that we will then be about 80% complete with our site redesign.* We plan to continue working on the remaining 20% as time permits. [* Note: This estimate is based on a count of total number of pages]
* New Lending Library Titles: A generous individual recently donated a number of books to our Lending Library. We are hoping to get new titles added to the library soon (hopefully during February). In the meantime, please visit here for a list of titles that may presently be available for loan - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/cg/lending_library__titles.htm . To request a book from our Lending Library, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/lending_library_reserve_request.htm . Note that titles may be borrowed at no charge from our Lending Library [other than postage costs (both ways) and a deposit (as applicable)]. For more information regarding our Lending Library, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/lending_library_Q_and_A.htm
* Lenten Resources: For resources for Lent (including definitions, traditional practices, make your own Lent calendar, prayers, etc.), please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-lent.htm
* Coloring Page for 2/14: For a Happy St. Valentine's Day coloring page, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pca/coloring_book_happy_saint_valentines_day.htm . For more on love / charity, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-love_charity.htm
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MyCatholicSource.com App News...
* If you don't already own iStations, why not purchase it now in preparation for Lent? iStations is a handy devotional app which is perfect for those times when you can't make it to your parish for the Stations of the Cross. It features...
· Convenient audio option with optional auto-advance
· Two traditional methods of praying the Stations of the Cross
· Beautiful images accompany each station
· Easy navigation
· Selected prayers in English & Latin
· In app help
The following quotes are from actual user reviews (both platforms)...
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"It is definitely worth the purchase price."
"Best Station App"
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"Great Job"
"Penetrating and profound."
"Beautifully sublime"
"Simply wonderful."
"The best I have seen so far. great to take along for those with unusual schedules. Very happy to have found it."
"This is awesome... I love the audio, and the quality of this prayer app. Well done."
"This is a great App. The illustrations of the stations are some of the most beautiful Christian art to be found. Being able to listen on audio makes for a very peaceful experience. Highly recomended."
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The Month of February: Dedicated to the Holy Family
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"Our Lord, His Mother, and His foster-father, St. Joseph, together formed one family which should be the model and veneration of all Christian households." (Manual of the Holy Catholic Church, 1906 A.D.)
"O Lord Jesus Christ, who, becoming subject to Mary and Joseph, didst hallow home life by singular virtues; by the help of both, do thou grant that we may be taught by the example of thy Holy Family, and have fellowship with it for evermore: Who livest." (Collect, Feast of the Holy Family)
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Related Resources...
* Holy Family Topic Page - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-Holy_Family.htm
* References to the Holy Family in Scripture - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/marian_scriptural_references.htm
* Family / Families (Reflections) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/qt/catholic_life_reflections__family.htm
* Holy Family Coloring Pages - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_activities/catholic_fun_coloring_activities.htm
* Holy Family (Mazes) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_activities/catholic_fun_mazes.htm
* Jesus (Topic Page) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-Jesus.htm
* Blessed Virgin Mary (Topic Page) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-Blessed_Virgin_Mary.htm
* St. Joseph (Topic Page) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-Saint_Joseph.htm
Looking For Something Else? Try Our Various Indexes For 15,000+ Entries - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/help.htm
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"And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch. And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And his parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my father's business? And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace with God and men." (Lk. 2:41-52)
"We cannot separate Mary and Joseph, were it only for their having such close connection with the mystery of the Incarnation - Mary as being the Mother of the Son of God; and Joseph, as being guardian of the Virgin's spotless honor, and Foster-Father of the divine Babe." (Gueranger)
"The home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph was a very poor but a very peaceful home. And from it we may learn how to regulate our homes, and make them the abodes of virtue and peace." (Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle, 1893 A.D.)
"Joseph heard the Son of God call him 'father'. He had charge of, he labored for the maintenance of the Son of the Eternal Father. He was the head of the Holy Family at Nazareth, and Jesus recognized his authority. The plan of the Mystery of the Incarnation required that these relations should exist between the Creator and the Creature. As the Son of God, now that he is seated at the right hand of the Eternal Father, has kept our human nature indissolubly united with his divine Person; so likewise has he retained the feelings he had, when here on earth, for Mary and Joseph." (Gueranger)
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Who Should be Accounted as a Catholic/Christian?: Some Reflections
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"If anyone holds to a single heresy, he is not a Catholic." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
"He cannot be accounted a Catholic who does not agree with the Roman Church." (Pope St. Gregory VII, 11th century A.D.)
"A person who denies even one article of our faith could not be a Catholic; for truth is one and we must accept it whole and entire or not at all." (Baltimore Catechism)
"The very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the apostles and was preserved by the Fathers. On this was the Church founded, and if anyone departs from this, he neither is, nor any longer ought to be called, a Christian." (St. Athanasius, Doctor of the Church)
"We may say that a true and genuine Catholic is the man who loves the truth of God, the Church, and the Body of Christ; who does not put anything above divine religion and the Catholic faith - neither the authority, nor the affection, nor the genius, nor the eloquence, nor the philosophy of any other human being. He despises all that and, being firmly founded in the faith, is determined to hold and believe nothing but what the Catholic Church...has held universally and from ancient times." (St. Vincent of Lerins, 5th century A.D.)
"For since the Mystical Body of Christ, like His physical body, is one (1 Cor. 12:12), compacted and fitly joined together (Eph. 4:16), it were foolish to say that the Mystical Body is composed of disjointed and scattered members. Whosoever therefore is not united with the body is no member thereof, neither is he in communion with Christ its Head. Furthermore, in this one Church of Christ no man can be or remain who does not accept, recognize and obey the authority and supremacy of Peter and his legitimate successors." (Pope Pius XI, "Mortalium Animos")
"Epiphanius, Augustine, Theodore, drew up a long list of the heresies of their times. St. Augustine notes that other heresies may spring up, to a single one of which, should any one give his assent, he is by the very fact cut off from Catholic unity. 'No one who merely disbelieves in all (these heresies) can for that reason regard himself as a Catholic or call himself one. For there may be or may arise some other heresies, which are not set out in this work of ours, and, if any one holds to a single one of these he is not a Catholic' (S. Augustinus, De Haeresibus, n. 88). The need of this divinely instituted means for the preservation of unity, about which we speak is urged by St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians." (Pope Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum", 1896 A.D.)
"Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed. 'For in one spirit' says the Apostle, 'were we all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free.' As therefore in the true Christian community there is only one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one Baptism, so there can be only one faith. And therefore, if a man refuse to hear the Church, let him be considered - so the Lord commands - as a heathen and a publican. It follows that those who are divided in faith or government cannot be living in the unity of such a Body, nor can they be living the life of its one Divine Spirit." (Pope Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis Christi", 1943 A.D.)
"We venerate this Church as one, the Lord having said by the mouth of the prophet: 'Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword and my only one from the hand of the dog.' (Ps. 21:20) He has prayed for his soul, that is for himself, heart and body; and this body, that is to say, the Church, He has called one because of the unity of the Spouse, of the faith, of the sacraments, and of the charity of the Church. This is the tunic of the Lord, the seamless tunic, which was not rent but which was cast by lot (Jn. 19:23-24). Therefore, of the one and only Church there is one body and one head, not two heads like a monster; that is, Christ and the Vicar of Christ, Peter and the successor of Peter, since the Lord speaking to Peter Himself said: 'Feed my sheep' (Jn. 21:17), meaning, My sheep in general, not these, nor those in particular, whence we understand that He entrusted all to [Peter]. Therefore, if the Greeks or others should say that they are not confided to Peter and to his successors, they must confess not being the sheep of Christ, since Our Lord says in John 'there is one sheepfold and one shepherd.'" (Pope Boniface VIII, "Unam Sanctam", 1302 A.D.)
"Nowadays, faith is rare. Pride of intellect is at its height, and docility to the Church's teachings is far from being general. A man calls himself a Christian and a Catholic, and yet he has his own views upon certain subjects, which he would very reluctantly give up, where they to be condemned by the only authority on earth which has the power to guide us in what we are to hold or reject in matters pertaining to faith. He reads dangerous, sometimes even bad, books, without thinking of inquiring if the laws of the Church forbid such books. His religious instruction has been of a very meager kind, and he seems to wish it to remain so, for he takes no pains to come to a solid and perfect knowledge of his religion; the result is, that his mind is filled with the fashionable prejudices of the world he lives in, and, on more than one point, he may depend upon his having imbibed heretical notions. He is looked upon as a Catholic; he satisfies the exterior obligations of his religion, either because of his early training, or because the rest of his family does so, or because he feels more satisfied to do than to omit them: and yet - how sad it is to say it! - he is not a Catholic, for his faith is gone." (Gueranger)
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"Even the heretics appear to have Christ, for none of them denies the name of Christ; yet anyone who does not confess all that pertains to Christ does in fact deny Christ." (St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church)
"[N]ot without sorrow we can hear people - whom we wish to believe are well-intentioned but who are certainly misguided in their attitude - continually claiming to love Christ but without the Church, to listen to Christ but not the Church, to belong to Christ but outside the Church. The absurdity of this dichotomy is clearly evident in this phrase of the Gospel: 'Anyone who rejects you rejects me.' And how can one wish to love Christ without loving the Church, if the finest witness to Christ is that of St. Paul: 'Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her'?" (Pope Paul VI, 1975 A.D.)
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For more reflections, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/qt/reflections_categorized.htm
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A Few Reflections on Rash Judgment
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"Rash judgment or rash suspicion is a sin which consists in judging or suspecting evil of others without sufficient foundation." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)
"A person commits the sin of rash judgment when, without sufficient reason, he believes something harmful to another's character." (Baltimore Catechism)
"From the very fact that a man thinks evil of another without sufficient cause, he despises him unduly, and therefore does him an injury." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"The Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness, forbids false testimony in a court of justice, and it also forbids backbiting, detraction, calumny, adulation, rash judgment and rash suspicion and every sort of lying." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)
"Rash judgment is believing a person guilty of sin without a sufficient cause. Backbiting is saying evil things of another in his absence. Slander is telling lies about another with the intention of injuring him. Detraction is revealing the sins of another without necessity." (Baltimore Catechism)
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For more reflections, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/qt/reflections_categorized.htm
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Liturgical Feasts in February
The following is a listing of all liturgical feast dates for February as they appear at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/saints/feasts.htm
Note: (T) = Traditional, (N) = New (Novus Ordo)
Reminder: Feasts may be superseded / transferred / etc.
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February 1 - St. Brigid (T)
February 1 - St. Ignatius of Antioch (T)
February 2 - Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (T)
February 2 - The Presentation of the Lord (N)
February 3 - St. Blase of Sebaste (T)
February 3 - St. Ansgar (N)
February 3 - St. Blase of Sebaste (N)
February 4 - St. Andrew Corsini (T)
February 5 - St. Agatha of Sicily (T)
February 5 - St. Philip of Jesus (T)
February 5 - St. Agatha of Sicily (N)
February 6 - St. Dorothy (T)
February 6 - St. Titus of Crete (T)
February 6 - St. Paul Miki & companions (N)
February 7 - St. Romuald (T)
February 8 - St. John of Matha (T)
February 8 - St. Jerome Emiliani (N)
February 8 - St. Josephine Bakhita (N)
February 9 - St. Apollonia (T)
February 9 - St. Cyril of Alexandria (T)
February 10 - St. Scholastica (T)
February 10 - St. Scholastica (N)
February 11 - Our Lady of Lourdes (T)
February 11 - Our Lady of Lourdes (N)
February 12 - The Seven Founders of the Servite Order (T)
February 14 - St. Valentine (T)
February 14 - Sts. Cyril & Methodius (N)
February 15 - Sts. Faustinus & Jovita (T)
February 17 - Seven Founders of the Order of Servites (N)
February 18 - St. Mary Bernard (Bernadette) Soubirous (T)
February 18 - St. Simeon (T)
February 21 - St. Peter Damian (N)
February 22 - St. Paul (T)
February 22 - St. Peter's Chair at Antioch (T)
February 22 - Chair of St. Peter, apostle (N)
February 23 - St. Peter Damian (T)
February 23 - St. Polycarp (N)
February 24 - St. Matthias, apostle (T)
February 27 - St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (T)
Please Note: Above may exclude moveable feasts. For moveable feasts, see below and try here: http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/latin_mass_and_tradition/traditional_liturgical_calendar.htm . For other feasts, try the MCS Daily Digest each day at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/cg/mcs_daily_digest.asp
Also...
2/16/14 - Septuagesima Sunday (T)
2/23/14 - Sexagesima Sunday (T)
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'Catholic Trivia'
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1. Is it an error to say that revelation was not completed with the apostles?
2. In an exceptional case, is it allowed to do something bad with a good intention?
3. Complete the sentence: "Nay, rather, unless forced by necessity to do otherwise, Catholics ought to ___."
4. What does St. Alphonsus Liguori say we should do if we have a natural defect of mind or body?
5. Who said...? "Run from places of sin as from the plague."
6. What does Pope Leo XIII say is the importance of frequent reminders with respect to the Catholic religion?
7. Which council stated...? "If anyone rejects any written or unwritten tradition of the church, let him be anathema."
8. What does the Council of Florence say about those who continue to observe obsolete requirements of Old Testament law?
9. Should a pope 'reconcile himself with progress, liberalism and modern civilization'?
10. Complete the sentence: "Among sins opposed to religion, the more grievous is that which ___."
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Answers:
1. Yes. This error was CONDEMNED by Pope Pius X in "Lamentabili": "Revelation, constituting the object of Catholic faith, was not completed with the apostles." (Pope St. Pius X, This proposition was condemned in "Lamentabili", 1907 A.D.)
2. No. "It is never allowed, even for a good intention to do a thing that is bad in itself." (Baltimore Catechism)
3. "Nay, rather, unless forced by necessity to do otherwise, Catholics ought to prefer to associate with Catholics, a course which will be very conducive to the safeguarding of their faith." (Pope Leo XIII, "Longinqua", 1895 A.D.)
4. "If we have any natural defect, either in mind or body, let us not grieve and be sorry for ourselves. Who is there that ever receives a gift and tries to make bargains about it? Let us, then, return thanks for what He has bestowed on us. Who can tell whether, if we had had a larger share of ability or stronger health, we would have possessed them to our destruction?" (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
5. St. John Climacus
6. "[T]he Christian is kept so busy by the various affairs of life and wanders so easily into matters of little importance, that unless he be helped with frequent reminders, the truths which are of first importance and necessity are little by little forgotten; and then faith begins to grow weak and may even perish." (Pope Leo XIII, "Magnae Dei Matris", 1892 A.D.)
7. Second Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D.
8. "It firmly believes, professes, and teaches that the matter pertaining to the law of the Old Testament, of the Mosiac law, which are divided into ceremonies, sacred rites, sacrifices, and sacraments, because they were established to signify something in the future, although they were suited to the divine worship at that time, after our Lord's coming had been signified by them, ceased, and the sacraments of the New Testament began; and that whoever, even after the passion, placed hope in these matters of the law and submitted himself to them as necessary for salvation, as if faith in Christ could not save without them, sinned mortally. Yet it does not deny that after the passion of Christ up to the promulgation of the Gospel they could have been observed until they were believed to be in no way necessary for salvation; but after the promulgation of the Gospel it asserts that they cannot be observed without the loss of eternal salvation. All, therefore, who after that time observe circumcision and the Sabbath and the other requirements of the law, it declares alien to the Christian faith and not in the least fit to participate in eternal salvation, unless someday they recover from these errors. Therefore, it commands all who glory in the name of Christian, at whatever time, before or after baptism, to cease entirely from circumcision, since, whether or not one places hope in it, it cannot be observed at all without the loss of eternal salvation." (Council of Florence, c. 1441 A.D.)
9. No. This error was CONDEMNED by Pope Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors: "The Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization." (Pope Pius IX, This proposition was condemned in the Syllabus of Errors, Dec. 8, 1864 A.D.)
10. "Among sins opposed to religion, the more grievous is that which is the more opposed to the reverence due to God." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
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For more information concerning the topics above, try our General A-Z Index at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/help.htm
Like trivia? You might enjoy our crossword puzzles located at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_activities/catholic_fun_crossword_puzzles.htm
You might also be interested in the Q & A and historical information which may be found each day on the MCS Daily Digest at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/cg/mcs_daily_digest.asp
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Defending the Faith: "Apologetics Brief" - Do You Think Baptism Must Be Administered By Immersion?
It is good for Catholics to be able to defend their faith against attacks (or even simple questions) from those outside the Church. We therefore hope you may find the following "apologetics brief" helpful.
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Note: Text below is taken from http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/nc/non_catholics__baptism.htm
The following may be used as discussion points when discoursing with those outside the Church (or even among Catholics).
Topic: Do You Think Baptism Must Be Administered By Immersion? [Note: Topic is directed at certain Protestants]
Consider:
* If Baptism must be administered by immersion, why do the earliest Christians refer to other methods of administration? For example, consider the following second century writing...
"Baptize as follows: After first explaining all these points, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, in running water. But if you have no running water, baptize in other water; and if you cannot in cold, then in warm. But if you have neither, pour water on the head three times in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." ('Teaching of the Twelve Apostles', 2nd century A.D.)
* If baptism by immersion was necessary, why are there pictures in the catacombs (the early Christian burial grounds) showing baptismal water being poured?
* If you take the bible as your sole rule of faith, why do you insist on baptism by immersion when the bible doesn't give specific instructions for baptizing?
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"...even as the bodies outwardly feel the pouring of the water upon them, so the souls inwardly may feel the pouring of the Spirit upon them." (St. Ephraim the Syrian, Doctor of the Church, 4th century A.D.)
"I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you." (Ezek. 36:25)
"Tell me then why is the book of the [Old] testament sprinkled, and also the people, except on account of the precious blood, figured from the first? Why 'with hyssop'? It is close and retentive. And why the 'water'? It shows forth also the cleansing by water. And why the 'wool'? this also [was used], that the blood might be retained. In this place blood and water show forth the same thing, for baptism is His passion." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, d. 407 A.D.)
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For more apologetics resources, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/non-catholics.htm
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In Closing...
"Jesus, Mary, Joseph!" (Aspiration)
"Jesus reigns over the family when it, modeled after the holy ideals of the sacrament of matrimony instituted by Christ, maintains unspotted its true character of sanctuary. In such a sanctuary of love, parental authority is fashioned after the authority of God, the Father, from Whom, as a matter of fact, it originates and after which even it is named. (Ephesians iii, 15) The obedience of the children imitates that of the Divine Child of Nazareth, and the whole family life is inspired by the sacred ideals of the Holy Family." (Pope Pius XI, "Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio", 1922 A.D.)
"Since, as everyone realizes, holiness of life is the fruit of the exercise of the will inasmuch as it is strengthened by the aid of divine grace, God has made abundant provision lest we should at any time lack the gift of grace, if we desire it. We can obtain it, in the first place, by constant prayer." (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908 A.D.)
"Lord Jesus Christ, who, being made subject to Mary and Joseph, didst consecrate domestic life by Thine ineffable virtues; grant that we, with the assistance of both, may be taught by the example of Thy Holy Family and may attain to its everlasting fellowship. Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen." (Roman Missal)
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