Whiskey Papist

Pope Leo XIII’s prayer to Saint Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Might have a little too much going on here.  But grey herringbone blazer with a purple-and-blue striped shirt and a dark blue/black tie with little purple owls on.  The Citizen watch is uncluttered, if a little larger than I like (I have a small wrist).  I do love the blue hands.

Divine Mercy Novena Day 4

Fourth Day

"Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me, I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy." 

Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Then pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, using a standard rosary.

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles’ Creed.

Then on the Our Father Beads say the following: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

Happy Easter!

Divine Mercy Novena Day 3

Third Day

"Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness." 

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Then pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, using a standard rosary.

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

Then on the Our Father Beads say the following: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

Divine Mercy Novena Day 2

Second Day

"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind." 

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Then pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, using a standard rosary.

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

Then on the Our Father Beads say the following: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

It's bright in the heavens and the wheels are flying Fame and honor never seem to fade The fire's gone out but the light is never dying Who says I can't get heavenly aid? Ain't talkin', just walkin' Carrying a dead man's shield Heart burnin', still yearnin' Walkin' with a toothache in my heel

– Bob Dylan, “Ain’t Talkin’”

Bob Dylan’s epic, apocalyptic ballad “Ain’t Talkin’” is a brilliant look at the history of salvation from the Garden of Eden to the garden tomb.  Dylan blends American folk idiom with Biblical narrative.  The above verses capture the despair of Jesus’ followers after Good Friday.  Dylan also masterfully uses absurd doggerel from the folk tune “Old Dan Tucker” (”died with a toothache in his heel”) to express God’s promise to Eve in Genesis 3:15 (Satan would strike Christ’s heel, but He would crush Satan’s head).

Divine Mercy Novena Day 1

First Day

“Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.”

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Then pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, using a standard rosary.

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

Then on the Our Father Beads say the following: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

“Shortly we will reenact the Washing of Feet. But could we not say that our priests wash feet in the Sacrament of Penance? Isn’t a good confession an experience of having the Lord himself remove the dirt of our sins from us with the purifying power of his goodness, his mercy – so that we might come to the table? God’s love really knows no bounds, but man can put a limit on it. That is certainly also remembered tonight in Judas’ betrayal. What was his betrayal but the rejection of love, of not wanting to be loved, of not loving. Such betrayals come about through human pride – and by thinking that what counts is not love but power and success. May nothing become more important than our communion with Jesus, nothing more important than God and his love.”

Jesus to Saint Faustina (Diary, 301):

“Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy “

The Divine Mercy Novena begins tomorrow!

Jesus, I trust in You!

Returning once again to our regularly scheduled broadcast, let us once again remember Egypt during what must be a terrifying Holy Week.  Saint Mary of Egypt is the patroness of penitents, which should be all of us this week.  Let us ask her intercession for Egypt and for ourselves.

Prayer of St. Mary of Egypt while standing in front of the icon of the Theotokos at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem

O Lady, Mother of God, who gave birth in the flesh to God the Word, I know, O how well I know, that it is no honour or praise to thee when one so impure and depraved as I look up to thy icon, O ever-virgin, who didst keep thy body and soul in purity. Rightly do I inspire hatred and disgust before thy virginal purity. But I have heard that God Who was born of thee became man on purpose to call sinners to repentance. Then help me, for I have no other help. Order the entrance of the church to be opened to me. Allow me to see the venerable Tree on which He Who was born of thee suffered in the flesh and on which He shed His holy Blood for the redemption of sinners an for me, unworthy as I am. Be my faithful witness before thy son that I will never again defile my body by the impurity of fornication, but as soon as I have seen the Tree of the Cross I will renounce the world and its temptations and will go wherever thou wilt lead me.

This popped up on Feedly recently, linking to this sermon by John Piper, a leading evangelical and neo-Calvinist.  As a convert, it kinda sums up my problem with Protestantism, or at least one of them.  (Protestants who don’t know what they’re protesting are another story.)

To read this blurb, Christianity seemingly begins in 1517.  Jesus is absent, and St. Paul is only invoked insofar as he was used by Reformers to support their arguments fifteen hundred years later.  Granted, Piper alleges that the Reformers “recovered” the true Gospel, linking them with Christ.  But this is an assertion rather than evidence.  What Piper means is: “There are various ways to interpret the New Testament.  Luther’s way hadn’t been used by virtually any of the Church Fathers in fifteen hundred years, but I believe it so by gum it must have been the true gospel.”

Ok, then.  I’m sure if I listen to the whole sermon that Piper reaches the conclusion above (which most Protestants have, in my previous experience) with a great deal of sophisticated hermeneutics.  But still.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

All jokes aside, let us remember Egypt, where ISIS bombings killed dozens of Christians worshiping on Palm Sunday.  We pray for the living, that God may grant them strength and courage.  We pray for the dead, that their souls will receive mercy and rest in peace.

Prayer in Honor of St. Anthony of Egypt

God our Father, You gave St Anthony of Egypt the courage and belief of an apostle to give up his wealth, living a life of poverty and solitude, and to found monasteries. Help us to be zealous in imitating his virtues and to follow in the footsteps of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant this through the same Christ Our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Speaking of pro wrestling (as I am in the Superstar Shakeup live blog), Kurt Angle is the current general manager on Monday Night Raw, an Olympic gold medalist, and a Catholic.  

When CM Punk (currently retired from wrestling) called Pope Benedict XVI “a Nazi” in 2013, Angle came to the Holy Father’s defense, albeit a rather earthy manner.  I, for one, have no problem with Pope Benedict “whip[ping] Punk’s skinny ass.”  I doubt His Holiness has any plans to do so, however.

Saint Sebastian, patron of athletes, pray for us.