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MyCatholicSource.com Newsletter - August, 2014
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IN THIS ISSUE:
* Greetings
* MCS News & Notes
* The Month of August: Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
* 20 Reflections on Lies/Lying
* Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
* Liturgical Feasts in August
* 'Catholic Trivia'
* Defending the Faith: "Apologetics Brief" - Is Marriage Indissoluble Until Death?
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Dear Friend,
Greetings & blessings to you! We hope you are having an enjoyable and holy summer.
We send our thanks to all subscribers who have signed up for our Sixth Annual Rosary Week and also for the pleasant comments we have received with signups. For those who haven't yet signed up, please accept our invitation to join fellow Catholics in praying the rosary for worthy intentions. It doesn't take very long to participate, it doesn't cost anything to sign up, and you can pray from anywhere. If you'd like, we can send you daily reminders during Rosary Week so that you won't forget. Please join us in this 'spiritually rewarding event'. Sign up today at www.MyCatholicSource.com/RosaryWeek
We send you our best wishes for God's blessings,
Your Friends at MyCatholicSource.com
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Prayer for the Blessed Virgin Mary's Patronage: "Grant unto us, Thy servants, O Lord Jesus Christ, to be protected at all times and in all places by the patronage of Blessed Mary, Thy Virgin Mother." (Raccolta)
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MCS News & Notes
* Rosary Week: The online signup sheet for our Sixth Annual Rosary Week is ready & waiting for you! This year's Rosary Week is scheduled for 10/20-10/26/14. It's easy, it's free, and it takes only a little time. You can sign up for one day, a few days, or for the entire week. You can participate at any time of day or night. If desired, you can sign up anonymously. Also, an e-mail address is *not* necessary (unless you'd like daily reminders). And, you can join us from the comfort of your own home or even from your parish. Please join us! Sign up today at www.MyCatholicSource.com/RosaryWeek . Please also invite your friends to sign up!
* URL Shortcut Changes Update: We have not yet been able to get to the URL shortcut changes we mentioned previously. We hope to make these changes soon and expect to announce their completion in a future newsletter. For current URL shortcuts, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/cg/shortcuts.htm
* It seems as though we have received more feedback than usual over the past month, including some very touching comments. Please know that we greatly appreciate your feedback! [Note: If you want to reach out to us, please feel free to use the 'quick feedback' form at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/quick_feedback.htm ]
* App News: We received a notice from Amazon last month that indicated they have "recently tested [our] existing Amazon Appstore app(s) and found [both of them] are already compatible with Amazon's newly announced Fire phone." If you would like more information on our Android apps, please visit www.MyCatholicSource.com/Android (or visit www.MyCatholicSource.com/Apps for our iOS apps). [Please Note: We are happy to hear that both of our Android apps were approved by Amazon for their new phone, but we regret that we are unable to personally test our apps on particular Android devices or ensure compatibility of our apps with any particular device.]
* Do you have children that will return to school soon? You might want to have a look at the user-submitted article entitled "Attention: Read This If You Love Your Children" at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/ua/user_article-attention_read_this_if_you_love_your_children.htm
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The Month of August: Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
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"And [Jesus] went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart." (Lk. 2:51)
"[Thy] patronage, O Mary, is more powerful and loving than anything of which we can ever form an idea." (St. Germanus)
"Tell everybody that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask graces from her, and that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Ask them to plead for peace from the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Lord has confided the peace of the world to her." (Bl. Jacinta of Fatima)
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Related Resources...
* Blessed Virgin Mary (Topic Page) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-Blessed_Virgin_Mary.htm
* Popular Marian Devotions (Incl. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, First Five Saturdays Devotion & Prayers of Consecration) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/popular_marian_devotions.htm
* Blessed Virgin Mary (Reflections) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/qt/mary_our_mother_reflections.htm
* Popular Marian Prayers - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/marian_prayers.htm
* More Marian Prayers - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pr/prayers_and_hymns_Marian.htm
* Blessed Virgin Mary (Papal Writings) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pd/classic_encyclicals_by_category.htm
* Marian Facts - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/facts.htm
* Marian Scripture References - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/marian_scriptural_references.htm
* Reasons to Honor the Blessed Virgin Mary - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/reasons_to_honor_mary.htm
* Thoughts on the Blessed Virgin Mary - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/thoughts_on_mary.htm
* Mary Our Mother Section - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/mary_our_mother.htm
* Do Catholics Worship Mary? - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/the_Blessed_Virgin/do_catholics_worship_mary.htm
* Marian Apologetics - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/nc/non_catholics__Marian.htm
* The Holy Rosary (Topic Page) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-holy_rosary.htm
* Scapulars (Topic Page) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-scapulars.htm
* Marian Apparitions at Fatima (Topic Page) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-fatima.htm
* Blessed Virgin Mary (Coloring Pages) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_activities/catholic_fun_coloring_activities.htm
* Marian Word Searches - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_activities/catholic_fun_word_searches.htm
* Blessed Virgin Mary (Crossword Puzzle) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pca/crossword_puzzle_Mary.html
Looking For Something Else? Try Our Various Indexes For 15,000+ Entries - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/help.htm
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"In Mary God is more glorified, better known, more loved than in all the rest of the universe." (Liturgical Year)
"[Mary] is gentle, exquisite in tenderness, and of a limitless love and kindness. As such God gave her to us. Mother of his only begotten Son, he taught her all a mother's feelings that breathe pardon and love." (Pope Leo XIII)
"Great indeed is Our trust in Mary. The resplendent glory of her merits, far exceeding all the choirs of angels, elevates her to the very steps of the throne of God. Her foot has crushed the head of Satan." (Bl. Pope Pius IX, "Ubi Primum", 1849 A.D.)
"Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9), who can express what He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?" (St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church)
"But should there by chance be a sinner who, though not doubting her power, might doubt the compassion of Mary, fearing perhaps that she might be unwilling to help him on account of the greatness of his sins, let him take courage from the words of St. Bonaventure. 'The great, the special privilege of Mary is, that she is all-powerful with her son.' 'But,' adds the saint, 'to what purpose would Mary have so great power if she cared not for us?' 'No,' he concludes, 'let us not doubt, but be certain, and let us always thank Our Lord and His divine Mother for it, that in proportion as her power with God exceeds that of all the saints, so is she in the same proportion our most loving advocate, and the one who is the most solicitous for our welfare." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary: "O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and my Mother, from thy sublime height turn upon me thine eyes of pity. Filled with confidence in thy goodness and knowing full well thy power, I beseech thee to extend to me thine assistance in the journey of life, which is so full of dangers for my soul. And in order that I may never be the slave of the devil through sin, but may ever live with my heart humble and pure, I entrust myself wholly to thee. I consecrate my heart to thee for ever, my only desire being to love thy divine Son Jesus. Mary, none of thy devout servants has ever perished; may I too be saved. Amen." (Raccolta)
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20 Reflections on Lies/Lying
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Note: Items below are in no particular order.
[Reminder: Capitalization, punctuation, translations, references, etc. may vary. We recommend reading all items in full context. Consult appropriate, competent Church authorities for assistance in interpreting / applying items. Interpretation and application of items should not be contrary to the perennial, official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Do not take items out of context. Do not inflict harm on yourself or others, break laws, take unsuitable/incautious or inappropriate/drastic actions, or take figurative items literally.]
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1. "Keep your tongue from evil, your lips from speaking lies." (Ps. 34:14)
2. "The lying tongue is its owner's enemy, and the flattering mouth works ruin." (Prov. 26:28)
3. "The eighth Commandment forbids all rash judgements, backbiting, slanders, and lies." (Baltimore Catechism)
4. "You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another." (Lev. 19:11)
5. "From a man's greed comes his shame; rather be a poor man than a liar." (Prov. 19:22)
6. "Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator." (St. Paul, Col. 3:9-10)
7. "We can know the degree of sinfulness in a lie by the amount of harm it does and from the intention we had in telling it." (Baltimore Catechism)
8. "The false witness will not go unpunished, and he who utters lies will perish." (Prov. 19:9)
9. "A lie is a sin committed by knowingly saying what is untrue with the intention of deceiving. To swear to a lie makes the sin greater, and such swearing is called perjury. Pretense, hypocrisy, false praise, boasting, &c., are similar to lies." (Baltimore Catechism)
10. "The false witness will not go unpunished, and he who utters lies will not escape." (Prov. 19:5)
11. "A man named Ananias, however, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. He retained for himself, with his wife's knowledge, some of the purchase price, took the remainder, and put it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the Holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God.' When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it." (Acts 5:1-5)
12. "A lie is a foul blot in a man, yet it is constantly on the lips of the unruly. Better a thief than an inveterate liar, yet both will suffer disgrace; A liar's way leads to dishonor, his shame remains ever with him." (Sirach 20:23-25)
13. "When the tongue says one thing, and the heart means another; this is deceit, and a lie." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
14. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Ex. 20:16)
15. "The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live (just) as he lived." (1 Jn. 2:3-6)
16. "Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.'" (Jn. 8:42-45)
17. "No reason, however, good, will excuse the telling of a lie, because a lie is always bad in itself. It is never allowed, even for a good intention to do a thing that is bad in itself." (Baltimore Catechism)
18. "The sin of lying is not solely committed by word of mouth, but by deeds designedly carried out for the purpose of deceiving. It is a lie to call yourself a Christian when you do not practice the works of Jesus Christ." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)
19. "There are six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him; Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, The false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers." (Prov. 6:16-19)
20. "The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made from a single pearl; and the street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb [that is, Christ]. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and to it the kings of the earth will bring their treasure. During the day its gates will never be shut, and there will be no night there. The treasure and wealth of the nations will be brought there, but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any (one) who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rv. 21:21-27)
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Refs.
* Lie / Liar / False Witness (Topical Scripture) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pcs/pcst/topical_scripture_L3.htm
* Lies (Reflections) - http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/qt/catholic_basics_reflections_cont_2.htm#Lies
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Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
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The following is from a 19th century publication on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The original work has an imprimatur and approbation by Pope Pius VII. The publication indicates that the prayer below was indulgenced. [Note: We have made a few changes to the text below (e.g. capitalization & spelling changes)]
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O Heart of Mary, Mother of God and our mother, Heart most worthy of love, object of the complacency of the most Holy Trinity, and deserving of all the veneration and tenderness of angels and of men, thou art most like the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the most perfect image. O Heart full of goodness and compassion for our miseries, vouchsafe to thaw the ice of our hearts, and make them to be entirely turned to the heart of our Divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, inflame them with that blessed fire with which thou continually burnest, shut up within thyself the Holy Church, guard it and be always its sweet asylum and its tower of strength against all the incursions of its enemies. Be thou our way to go to Jesus, and the channel by which we receive all the graces necessary for our salvation. Be thou our succor in our wants, our support in our afflictions, our comfort in temptations, our refuge in persecutions, our aid in all dangers, but especially in the last combat of our life at the hour of death, when all hell will be unchained against us to snatch our souls away in that most dreadful moment, on which our eternity depends. Oh, then, most tender Virgin, make us feel the sweetness of thy maternal Heart, and the greatness of thy power with the Heart of Jesus, and open to us in that same fountain of Mercy a secure refuge, that we may come to bless Him with thee in Paradise for ever and ever. Amen.
May the divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary be known, praised, blessed, loved, served, and glorified, ever and everywhere. Amen.
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For more prayers, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/tp/topic_page-catholic_prayers.htm
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Liturgical Feasts in August
The following is a listing of all liturgical feast dates for August 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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August 1 - St. Paul (T)
August 1 - St. Peter's Chains (T)
August 1 - The Holy Machabees (T)
August 1 - St. Alphonsus Liguori (N)
August 2 - St. Alphonsus Liguori (T)
August 2 - St. Stephen I, pope (T)
August 2 - St. Eusebius of Vercelli (N)
August 2 - St. Peter Julian Eymard (N)
August 3 - Finding of St. Stephen (T)
August 4 - St. Dominic (T)
August 4 - St. John Vianney (Cure of Ars) (N)
August 5 - Dedication of Our Lady of the Snow (T)
August 5 - Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome (N)
August 6 - Sts. Sixtus II (Xystus) (pope), Felicissimus & Agapitus (T)
August 6 - Transfiguration of Our Lord (T)
August 6 - Transfiguration of the Lord (N)
August 7 - St. Cajetan (T)
August 7 - St. Donatus (T)
August 7 - St. Cajetan (N)
August 7 - St. Sixtus II (pope) & companions (N)
August 8 - Sts. Cyriacus, Largus & Smaragdus (T)
August 8 - The 14 Holy Helpers (T)
August 8 - St. Dominic (N)
August 9 - St. Emidius (T)
August 9 - St. John Vianney (Cure of Ars) (T)
August 9 - St. Romanus (T)
August 9 - St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) (N)
August 10 - St. Laurence (Lawrence) (T)
August 10 - St. Lawrence (N)
August 11 - St. Philomena (T)
August 11 - Sts. Tiburtius & Susanna (T)
August 11 - St. Clare of Assisi (N)
August 12 - St. Clare of Assisi (T)
August 13 - Sts. Hippolytus & Cassian (T)
August 13 - Sts. Pontian (pope) & Hippolytus (N)
August 14 - St. Eusebius (T)
August 14 - Vigil of the Assumption (T)
August 14 - St. Maximilian Kolbe (N)
August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (T) *
August 15 - The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (N) *
August 16 - St. Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary (T)
August 16 - St. Stephen of Hungary (N)
August 17 - St. Hyacinth (T)
August 18 - St. Agapitus (T)
August 18 - St. Helena (T)
August 18 - St. Jane Frances de Chantal (N)
August 19 - St. John Eudes (T)
August 19 - St. John Eudes (N)
August 20 - St. Bernard of Clairvaux (T)
August 20 - St. Bernard of Clairvaux (N)
August 21 - St. Jane Frances de Chantal (T)
August 21 - St. Pius X, pope (N)
August 22 - Sts. Timothy, Hippolytus & Symphorianus (T)
August 22 - The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (T)
August 22 - The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (N)
August 23 - St. Philip Benizi (T)
August 23 - St. Rose of Lima (N)
August 24 - St. Bartholomew, apostle (T)
August 24 - St. Bartholomew, apostle (N)
August 25 - St. Louis IX, king of France (T)
August 25 - St. Joseph Calasanz (N)
August 25 - St. Louis IX of France (N)
August 26 - St. Zephyrinus, pope (T)
August 27 - St. Joseph Calasanctius (T)
August 27 - St. Monica (N)
August 28 - St. Augustine of Hippo (T)
August 28 - St. Hermes (T)
August 28 - St. Augustine of Hippo (N)
August 29 - Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (T)
August 29 - St. Sabina (T)
August 29 - Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (N)
August 30 - St. Rose of Lima (T)
August 30 - Sts. Felix & Adauctus (T)
August 31 - St. Raymund Nonnatus (T)
Please Note: Above may exclude moveable feasts. For moveable feasts, 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
* Holy Day of Obligation
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'Catholic Trivia'
1. If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be what?
2. Complete the sentence: "How many and how grave are the consequences of ignorance in matters of _____!"
3. What is the traditional term for those who "knowingly and willfully help to propagate heresy or who hold comminicatio in sacris ('Catholics actively and publicly joined in divine worship with non-Catholics') with heretics"?
4. What is another name for an ecclesiastical council?
5. What is the proper intention of the First Five Saturdays devotion?
6. What are some conditions in which error concerning a matter of faith or of conduct will imperil salvation?
7. When may baptism of the unborn be given?
8. According to the Catechism of the Council of Trent, what is the first fruit of prayer?
9. What reason does St. Paul give in Holy Scripture for the "considerable number" of people that were ill and dying?
10. According to St. Francis de Sales, what will happen to those who desire to be saved without the cross?
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Answers:
1. "If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 16:22)
2. "How many and how grave are the consequences of ignorance in matters of religion!" (Pope St. Pius X, "Acerbo Nimis", 1905 A.D.)
3. The traditional term for those who "knowingly and willfully help to propagate heresy or who hold comminicatio in sacris ('Catholics actively and publicly joined in divine worship with non-Catholics') with heretics" is "suspect of heresy".
4. An ecclesiastical council is called a synod.
5. The First Five Saturdays devotion should be performed with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
6. "Error concerning a matter of faith or of conduct will imperil salvation if (a) it can be corrected by moral diligence, or (b) if it is due to a direct refusal to see the truth (affected error)" (Catholic Dictionary)
7. Baptism of the unborn may be given when there is not a probable hope that a child will be baptized after birth (i.e. when the child is not expected to be born alive).
8. According to the Catechism of the Council of Trent, "The first fruit for which we receive is that by praying we honor God, since prayer is a certain act of religion, which is compared in Scripture to a sweet perfume. Let my prayer, says the Prophet, be directed as incense in thy sight. By prayer we confess our subjection to God; we acknowledge and proclaim Him to be the author of all good, in whom alone we center all our hopes, who alone is our refuge, in dangers and the bulwark of our salvation. Of this fruit we are admonished also in these words: Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me (Ps. xlix. 15)"
9. St. Paul teaches that the Holy Eucharist must be received worthily by the faithful, who must discern the Body and of the Lord. He says that the failure to discern the body of Christ in the Holy Eucharist is the reason that many were ill and dying: "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 11:27-30) As the Catechism of the Council of Trent states, "[F]or no crime is there a heavier punishment to be feared from God than for the unholy or irreligious use by the faithful of that which is full of holiness, or rather which contains the very author and source of holiness. This the Apostle wisely saw, and has openly admonished us of it. For when he had declared the enormity of their guilt who discerned not the body of the Lord, he immediately subjoined: Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep [that is, die]."
10. "All those who are willing to be saved through the cross will find salvation there. But those who desire to be saved without it will perish miserably. There is no salvation except in this cross." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor 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" - Is Marriage Indissoluble Until Death?
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__matrimony.htm
The following may be used as discussion points when discoursing with those outside the Church (or even among Catholics).
Topic: Is Marriage Indissoluble Until Death? (Note: Topic is directed at certain Protestants)
Consider:
* Our Lord Jesus Christ has stated that marriage is indissoluble until death...
"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.' But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 5:31-32)
"Some Pharisees approached [Jesus], and tested him, saying, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?' He said in reply, 'Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.' They said to him, 'Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?' He said to them, 'Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.'" (Mt. 19:3-9)
"The Pharisees approached [Jesus] and asked, 'Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?' They were testing him. He said to them in reply, 'What did Moses command you?' They replied, 'Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.' But Jesus told them, 'Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother (and be joined to his wife), and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.' In the house the disciples again questioned him about this. He said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.'" (Mk. 10:2-12)
"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lk. 16:18)
Clearly, a 'divorce' is meaningless since one could not be committing adultery if one was no longer married.
* St. Paul has confirmed that spouses are bound to each other until death...
"A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whomever she wishes, provided that it be in the Lord." (1 Cor. 7:39)
"Are you unaware, brothers (for I am speaking to people who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over one as long as one lives? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her living husband; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law in respect to her husband. Consequently, while her husband is alive she will be called an adulteress if she consorts with another man. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and she is not an adulteress if she consorts with another man." (Rom. 7:1-3)
* Scripture even compares the bond of marriage to the bond between Christ and his Church...
"Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So (also) husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. 'For this reason a man shall leave (his) father and (his) mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:22-32)
* Those are mistaken who think the state can dissolve a marriage...
"[T]he bond of Christian marriage cannot be dissolved by the civil authority, because the civil authority cannot interfere with the matter of the sacrament nor can it put asunder what God has joined together." (Catechism of St. Pius X)
"Divorce granted by courts of justice or by any human power does not break the bond of marriage, and one who makes use of such a divorce to marry again while the 'former' husband or wife lives commits a sacrilege and lives in the sin of adultery. A civil divorce has no effect whatever upon the bond and spiritual nature of the Sacrament." (Baltimore Catechism)
* For good reasons, the Church may allow a physical separation of spouses, but this does not end the marriage or allow the spouses to marry others...
"The Church sometimes, for very good reasons, does allow husband and wife to separate and live apart; but that is not dissolving the bond of marriage, or divorce as it is called, for though separated they are still husband and wife and neither can marry as long as both are alive." (Baltimore Catechism)
* The Church may declare a marriage invalid (or "null"), but this is NOT the same as a divorce. This declaration of nullity means the marriage NEVER EXISTED in the first place, even despite appearances to the contrary. Note that a marriage which is valid at its beginning can NEVER be declared invalid, even if conditions later change...
"The Church does not allow Catholics once really married to separate and marry again, but it sometimes declares persons apparently married free to marry again because their first marriage was null; that is, no marriage on account of some impediment not discovered until after the ceremony [that is, an impediment which ALREADY EXISTED at the time of the marriage ceremony, but was not discovered until later]." (Baltimore Catechism)
* Remember that the Catholic Church is the world's "greatest protector of marriage on the planet". Not only has she not compromised her teachings "in the mist of the spiritual wreckage which surrounds her", but her firmness on the indissolubility of marriage has cost her whole peoples (e.g. England).
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"A ratified and consummated valid marriage can be dissolved by no human power and for no cause, outside of death." (1917 Code of Canon Law, Can. 1118)
"A marriage that is ratum et consummatum can be dissolved by no human power and by no cause, except death." (1983 Code of Canon Law, Can. 1141)
"But he who has once entered into the matrimonial alliance, regret it as he afterwards may, cannot possibly change, or invalidate, or undo what has been done." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"[T]he bond of marriage...cannot be dissolved except by the death of either husband or wife, because God so ordained from the beginning and so Jesus Christ our Lord solemnly proclaimed." (Catechism of St. Pius X)
"It should be known that no power can dissolve the bond of Christian marriage whenever this has been ratified and consummated; and that, of a consequence, those husbands and wives are guilty of a manifest crime who plan, for whatever reason, to be united in a second marriage before the first one has been ended by death." (Pope Leo XIII)
"The third advantage [of Marriage] is called the Sacrament, that is to say, the indissoluble bond of marriage. As the Apostle has it: The Lord commanded that the wife depart not from the husband, and if she depart that she remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband; and let not the husband put away his wife (1 Cor. 7:10). And truly, if marriage as a Sacrament represents the union of Christ with His Church, it also necessarily follows that just as Christ never separates Himself from His Church, so in like manner the wife an never be separated from her husband in so far as regards the marriage-tie." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"In the second place, if marriage could be dissolved by divorce, married persons would hardly ever be without causes of disunion, which would be daily supplied by the old enemy of peace and purity; while, on the contrary, now that the faithful must remember that even though separated as to bed and board, they remain none the less bound by the bond of marriage with no hope of marrying another, they are by this very fact rendered less prone to strife and discord. And even if it sometimes happens that husband and wife become separated, and are unable to bear the want of their partnership any longer, they are easily reconciled by friends and return to their common life." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"The self-same testimony of Christ our Lord easily proves that the marriage-tie cannot be broken by any sort of divorce. For if by a bill of divorce a woman were freed from the law that binds her to her husband, she might marry another husband without being in the least guilty of adultery. Yet our Lord says clearly: Whosoever shall put away his wife and shall marry another committeth adultery. Hence it is plain that the bond of marriage can be dissolved by death alone, as is confirmed by the Apostle when he says: A woman is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband die she is at liberty; let her marry whom she will, only in the Lord; and again: To them that are married, not I but the Lord commandeth, that the wife depart not from her husband; and if she depart that she remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. To the wife, then, who for a just cause has left her husband, the Apostle offers this alternative: Let her either remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. Nor does holy Church permit husband and wife to separate without weighty reasons." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"The true origin of marriage, venerable brothers, is well known to all. Though revilers of the Christian faith refuse to acknowledge the never-interrupted doctrine of the Church on this subject, and have long striven to destroy the testimony of all nations and of all times, they have nevertheless failed not only to quench the powerful light of truth, but even to lessen it. We record what is to all known, and cannot be doubted by any, that God, on the sixth day of creation, having made man from the slime of the earth, and having breathed into his face the breath of life, gave him a companion, whom He miraculously took from the side of Adam when he was locked in sleep. God thus, in His most far-reaching foresight, decreed that this husband and wife should be the natural beginning of the human race, from whom it might be propagated and preserved by an unfailing fruitfulness throughout all futurity of time. And this union of man and woman, that it might answer more fittingly to the infinite wise counsels of God, even from the beginning manifested chiefly two most excellent properties - deeply sealed, as it were, and signed upon it - namely, unity and perpetuity. From the Gospel we see clearly that this doctrine was declared and openly confirmed by the divine authority of Jesus Christ. He bore witness to the Jews and to His Apostles that marriage, from its institution, should exist between two only, that is, between one man and one woman; that of two they are made, so to say, one flesh; and that the marriage bond is by the will of God so closely and strongly made fast that no man may dissolve it or render it asunder.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Arcanum", 1880 A.D.)
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For more apologetics resources, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/non-catholics.htm
For more on the sacrament of holy matrimony, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/sacraments/matrimony.htm
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In Closing...
"Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Lk. 1:48)
"[Mary] is by nature so good and so merciful that inclined to aid spontaneously those who suffer, she is absolutely incapable of refusing her help to those who invoke her." (Pope Benedict XV)
"Thus the Faithful of every age, both in public misfortune and in private need, turn in supplication to Mary...so that she may come to their aid and grant help and remedy against sorrows of body and soul. And never was her most powerful aid hoped for in vain by those who besought it with pious and trustful prayer." (Pope Pius XI, "Ingravescentibus Malis", 1937 A.D.)
"When Mary has taken root in a soul she produces in it wonders of grace which only she can produce; for she alone is the fruitful virgin who never had and never will have her equal in purity and fruitfulness." (St. Louis de Montfort)
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