Fuga Mundi

J+M+J+A

“One day a monk, by dint of great exertions, contrived to make two mats instead of the one which was the usual daily task, and set them both out in front of his cell, that Pachomius might see how diligent he had been. But the Saint, perceiving the vainglory which had prompted the act, said, "This brother has taken a great deal of pains from morning till night to give his work to the devil." Then, to cure him of his delusion, Pachomius imposed on him as a penance to keep his cell for five months and to taste no food but bread and water.”

Weak as I am,

this blog has become a canker upon my soul.

I have squandered much time on projects unpublished,

and all of my efforts have been, for the most part, vainglorious.

What shall be my terror when Our Lord at last demands of me:

REDDE RATIONEM VILLICATIONIS TUÆ

RENDER AN ACCOUNT OF THY STEWARDSHIP

Luke.XVI.2

In time, I may return, to finish the translations of St. John Gualbert's prayers.

I depart for now, leaving behind this excerpt from St. Alphonsus on

The Value of Time

which may be read in full here.

O time, despised by men during life, how much shall you be desired at the hour of death, and particularly in the other world! Time is a blessing which we enjoy only in this life; it is not enjoyed in the next; it is not found in heaven nor in hell. In hell, the damned exclaim with tears: "Oh! that an hour were given to us." They would pay any price for an hour or for a minute, in which they might repair their eternal ruin. But this hour or minute they never shall have. In heaven there is no weeping; but, were the saints capable of sorrow, all their wailing should arise from the thought of having lost in this life the time in which they could have acquired greater glory, and from the conviction that this time shall never more be given to them.

A deceased Benedictine nun appeared in glory to a certain person, and said that she was in heaven, and in the enjoyment of perfect happiness; but that, if she could desire anything, it would be to return to life, and to suffer affliction, in order to merit an increase of glory. And she added that, to acquire the glory which corresponded to a single Ave, Maria, she would be content to suffer till the day of judgment the long and painful sickness which brought on her death, Hence, St. Francis Borgia was careful to employ every moment of his time for God. When others spoke of useless things; he conversed with God by holy affections; and so recollected was he that, when asked his opinion on the subject of conversation, he knew not what answer to make. Being corrected for this, he said: I am content to be considered stupid, rather than lose my time in vanities.

TEMPUS FUGIT --- MEMENTO MORI

In omnibus operibus tuis

memorare novissima tua,

et in aeternum non peccabis.

In all thy works

remember thy last end,

and thou shalt never sin.

Ecclus.VII.40

The Nine-Month Novena Begins!

Cardinal Burke has convoked a worldwide, Nine-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Church and the world. The Novena begins today, March 12, and will conclude on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12. Even if you begin the Novena late: Please join this sacred movement! Click here to learn more and sign up for Cardinal Burke's Novena emails.

PRAYER

OF THE NINE-MONTH NOVENA

TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

To be prayed daily throughout the nine-month novena from March 12 to December 12, 2024.

‍O Virgin Mother of God, we fly to your protection and beg your intercession against the darkness and sin which ever more envelop the world and menace the Church. Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, gave you to us as our mother as He died on the Cross for our salvation. So too, in 1531, when darkness and sin beset us, He sent you, as Our Lady of Guadalupe, on Tepeyac to lead us to Him Who alone is our light and our salvation.

Through your apparitions on Tepeyac and your abiding presence with us on the miraculous mantle of your messenger, Saint Juan Diego, millions of souls converted to faith in your Divine Son. Through this novena and our consecration to you, we humbly implore your intercession for our daily conversion of life to Him and the conversion of millions more who do not yet believe in Him. In our homes and in our nation, lead us to Him Who alone wins the victory over sin and darkness in us and in the world.

Unite our hearts to your Immaculate Heart so that they may find their true and lasting home in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Ever guide us along the pilgrimage of life to our eternal home with Him. So may our hearts, one with yours, always trust in God's promise of salvation, in His never-failing mercy toward all who turn to Him with a humble and contrite heart. Through this novena and our consecration to you, O Virgin of Guadalupe, lead all souls in America and throughout the world to your Divine Son in Whose name we pray. Amen.

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

Beautiful Devotions to the Holy Name

IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDÆORVM

Two beautiful devotions to the Holy Name for a happy death.

Excerpted from The Wonders of His Holy Name by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P.

St. Edmund had special devotion to the Name of Jesus, which Our Lord Himself taught him. One day when he was in the country and separated from his companions, a beautiful child stood by him and asked, “Edmund, do you not know me?” Edmund answered that he did not. Then replied the child, “Look at me and you will see who I am.” Edmund looked as he was bidden and saw written on the Child’s forehead, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” “Know now who I am,” said the Child. “Every night make the Sign of the Cross and say these words: ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.’ If you do so, this prayer will deliver you and all who say it from sudden and unprovided-for deaths.”

Edmund faithfully did as Our Lord told him. The devil once tried to prevent him and held his hands so that he could not make the holy sign. Edmund invoked the Name of Jesus, and the devil fled in terror, leaving him unmolested in the future.

Many people practice this easy devotion and so save themselves from unhappy deaths. Others, with their forefinger, imprint with holy water on their foreheads the four letters, “I.N.R.I,” to signify Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judaeorum, the words written by Pilate for the Cross of Our Lord.

St. Alphonsus earnestly recommends both these devotions.

New Transcription Project: "The Priest's Way to God"

JMJA

Now in the process of transcribing...

The Priest's Way to God

Second Edition, 1945

by Fr. Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M.

Why this book is so sorely needed: "Priestly holiness is its aim..."

______For the benefit at least of myself, and those few who may read this, I have begun digitally transcribing The Priest's Way to God, by Fr. Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M., in the hope that its treasure trove of salutary wisdom may be preserved and propagated.

______In this work, Fr. Plassmann wonderfully combines three wellsprings into a single font, three ladders into a single stair, as a schema for Priestly sanctity: 1) the Holy Orders, both Minor and Major (through which, until recently, all Priests traditionally passed), are described (with their various duties and requisite virtues) according to the text of the Roman Pontifical (the Bishop's book of rituals); these he divides according to 2) the Three Stages of the spiritual life (the Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive Ways); the entirety of which, Fr. Plassmann shows, is founded upon 3) the imitation of the life of Our Lord.

New Project Devoted to St. John Gualbert Underway

JMJA

Now in the process of transcribing and translating...

On St. John Gualbert, Abbot

Founder of the Vallumbrosan Order

(De S. Joanne Gualberto Abbate: Ordinis Vallumbrosani Fundatore)

from the Acta Sanctorum

The original Latin text may be viewed here, at Archive.org.

Introduction:

In the great Acta Sanctorum (Acts of the Saints), there is a sizable section, written by the Bollandists of olde, concerning St. John Gualbert. This entry comprises: a Prefatory Commentary, in 12 sections; two accounts of his life, each in 10 chapters; an account of his miracles, in three books of 17, 4, and 3 parts, respectively; and an Appendix on the miraculous crucifix which inclined its head to the Saint. In all, the work spans about 136 pages.