Beheading of John the Baptist, Martyr August 29

St. John the Baptist

Precursor of Christ 

in Birth and Death

From a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable, priest

As forerunner of our Lord's birth, preaching and death, the blessed John showed in his struggle a goodness worthy of the sight of heaven.  In the words of scripture: Though in the sight of men he suffered torments, his hope is full of immortality.  We justly commemorate the day of his birth with a joyful celebration, a day which he himself made festive for us through his suffering and which he adorned with the crimson splendor of his own blood.  We do rightly revere his memory with joyful hearts, for he stamped with the seal of martyrdom the testimony which he delivered on behalf of our Lord.

There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for Him.  His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should be kept silent about the truth.  Nevertheless, he died for Christ.  Does Christ not say: I am the truth?  Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ.

Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer.

St. John he Baptist Imprisonment

Such was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment.  He preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men; he was locked away in the darkness of prison, though he came bearing witness to the Light itself, which is Christ.  John was baptized in his own blood, though he had been privileged to baptize the Redeemer of the world, to hear the voice of the Father above him, and to see the grace of the Holy Spirit descending upon Him.  But to endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather it was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward.

Beheading of St. John the Baptist

Since death was ever near at hand through the inescapable necessity of nature, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s name.  Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake.  He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should suffer for him: The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.

Stairway to Heaven

Our Lady of Good Counsel Prophecies Pertaining to TODAY

Our Lady of Good Success
Prophecies for our Times

In the 1500-1600s Our Lady of Good Success appeared in Quito, Ecuador to a Spanish nun, Mother Mariana of Jesus Torres y Berriochoa, giving grave prophecies that pertain to our present age.  These prophecies are now reality!  

Read and weep, 

we are living in such a time as this…. 

Pray as you have never prayed before 

and cooperate with God 

by learning the Truth of our Faith.  

God is being defied and rejected.  

We must counter with 

God’s Truth – Catholic Truth 

that is the Only Truth without it there is no salvation.

Our Lady of Good Success says:

“At the end of the nineteenth century 

and throughout a great part of 

the twentieth, 

many heresies will be propagated 

in these lands.…

“Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of customs because Satan will reign through 

the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to insure general corruption.

“Unhappy, the children 

of those times! 

Seldom will they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. 

As for the sacrament of Penance, 

they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, 

which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority.

Sacrilegious Mass in Catholic church!!!

“The same will occur with Holy Communion. Oh, how it hurts me to tell you that there will be many and enormous public and hidden sacrileges!

“In those times, the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be largely ignored.… Many will die without receiving it, being thereby deprived of innumerable graces, consolation, and strength in the great leap from time to eternity.

“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. 

Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing….

The Lie & the Law taught -- No God but this one

“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations.”

“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.

“The devil will work to persecute 

the ministers of the Lord 

in every way, working with 

baneful cunning to destroy 

the spirit of their vocation 

and corrupting many. 

Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. 

This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church...and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”

“Unhappy times will come 

wherein those who should 

fearlessly defend 

the rights of the Church 

will instead, blinded despite 

the light, give their hand 

to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. 

Cardinal Dolan and  Gay Rights

But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near...

They will fall and crash to the ground.

Coptic Christians beheaded

“The small number of souls 

who will secretly safeguard 

the treasure of Faith 

and virtues will suffer a cruel, 

unspeakable, and long martyrdom. 

Many will descend to their graves 

through the violence of suffering 

and will be counted among 

the martyrs who sacrificed themselves 

for the country and the Church.

“In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license.… Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women.

Shameful Immodesty

“There shall be scarcely any virgin souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity will seek refuge in the cloisters.…

Without virginity, fire from heaven 

will be needed to purify these lands.…

“Sects, having permeated all social classes, 

will find ways of introducing themselves 

into the very heart of homes 

to corrupt the innocence of children. 

The children’s hearts will be dainty morsels 

to regale the devil.… 

(television, movies, secular world)

“Religious communities will remain to sustain the Church and work with courage for the salvation of souls.… 

The secular clergy will fall far short 

of what is expected of them 

because they will not pursue 

their sacred duty. 

Losing the divine compass, 

they will stray from the way 

of priestly ministry mapped 

out for them by God 

and will become devoted to money, 

seeking it too earnestly.

Pope Francis speaks on environment but not on the Sexual Corruption of the world

“He who should speak seasonably 

will remain silent.

Put on the Armour of God

“To be delivered from the slavery 

of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined 

for this restoration 

will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. 

To try the faith and trust of these just ones, 

there will be times 

when all will seem lost and paralyzed. 

It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration….

Eucharistic Lord

“Pray constantly, implore tirelessly, and weep bitter tears in the seclusion of your heart, beseeching the Eucharistic Heart of my most holy Son to take pity on His ministers and to end as soon as possible these unhappy times by sending to His Church the Prelate who shall restore the spirit of her priests.”

Church Triumphant

“Then will the Church, 

joyful and triumphant like a young girl, reawaken and be comfortably 

cradled in the arms 

of My Most Dear and elect Son 

of those times. 

If he lends an ear 

to the inspirations of grace–

one of which will be the reading 

of these great mercies that my Son 

and I have had toward you–

we shall fill him with graces

 and very special gifts 

and will make him great on earth 

and much greater in Heaven. 

There we have reserved 

a precious seat for him 

because, heedless of men, 

he will have fought for truth 

and ceaselessly defended the rights of the Church, deserving to be called ‘martyr.’”

Living for Christ and not the world

St. Ignatius of Antioch

From a letter to the Romans

by Saint Ignatius of Antioch,

bishop and martyr

My earthly

desires

have been crucified

 

The delights of this world and all its kingdoms will not profit me.  I would prefer to die in Jesus Christ than to rule over all the earth.  I seek him who died for us, I desire him who rose for us.  I am in the throes of being born again.  Bear with me, my brothers; do not keep me from living, do not wish me to die.  I desire to belong to God; do not give me over to the world, and do not seduce me with perishable things.  Let me see the pure light, when I am there, I shall be truly a man at last.  Let me imitate the sufferings of my God.  If anyone has God in him, let him understand what I want and have sympathy for me, knowing what drives me on.

The price of this world would snatch me away and destroy my desire to be with God.  So let none of you who will be there give him help; side rather with me, that is, with God.  Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips and the world in our hearts.  Give envy no place among you.  And if, when I get there, I should beg for your intervention, pay no attention to me; no, believe instead what I am writing to you now.  For I write to you while I yet live, but I long for death.  My early desires have been crucified, and there no long burns in me the love of perishable things, but a living water speaks within me, say: “Come to the Father.”

I take no delight in corruptible food or in the pleasures of this life.  I want the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was David’s seed, and for drink I want his blood, the sign of his imperishable love.

Martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch by Cesar Fracanzano

I no longer wish to live, as men count life.  And I shall have my way, if you wish it so.  Wish it, then, so that you too may have God’s favor.  With these few words I beg you to believe me.  Jesus Christ will make plain to you the truth of what I say; he is the true voice that speaks the Father’s truth.  Pray for me that I may reach my goal.  I have written to you not prompted by merely human feelings and values, but by God’s purpose for me.  If I am to suffer, it will be because you loved me well; if I am rejected, it will be because you hated me.  Remember in your prayers the church of Syria: it now has God for its shepherd instead of me.  Jesus Christ alone will be its bishop, along with your love.  For myself, I am ashamed to be counted among its members, for I do not deserve it, being the least of all, born out of due time.  Yet, if I attain to God, by his mercy I shall be something.  I greet you from the heart, and so do the churches that have welcomed me in love not as a mere passerby but as the representative of Jesus Christ.  Yes, even the churches that were not on my route humanly speaking, though spiritually on the same journey, were there to meet me in city after city.

 

taken from the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) June 10

 

St. Ignatius of Antioch 

St. Ignatius of Antioch

 

Feast Day October 17

St. Ignatius of Antioch was the second bishop of Antioch, Syria.  He was the beloved disciple of John and was consecrated a Bishop around the year 69 by the Apostle Peter, the first Pope.  He was deeply loved by the faithful because of his holiness.  He defended “orthodoxy” (the right teaching) and “orthoproxy” (the right practice) among the early Christians.

He journeyed through Asia Minor and Greece and and wrote sevn letters of encouragement, instruction and inspiration to the Christians in those communities.  The letter written above is a prime example of his great faith and teachings.

St. Ignatius of Antioch was the first to use the term “Catholic” to describe the whole Church.  His letters serve as a unbroken and clear teaching of the Apostles which was given to them directly by Jesus Christ.

In the year 107, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, was sentenced to death because of his refusal to renounce the Christian faith.  He was taken under guard to Rom where he was brutally devoured by wild beasts in a public spectacle.  His holy martyrdom, the shedding of his blood, was a culmination of a life lived conformed to Jesus Christ.

“Permit me to imitate my suffering God… I am God’s wheat and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of Christ.”

Information gathered from Catholic Online

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=677

Be a Faithful and Courageous Witness

From a Commentary on Psalm 118 by Saint Ambrose, Bishop

"As there are many kinds of persecution, so there are many kinds of martyrdom.   

Every day you are 

a witness to Christ.  

A knight of Christ being tempted by the Spirit of Fornication

You were tempted by the spirit of fornication, 

but feared the coming judgment of Christ 

and did not want your purity 

of mind and body to be defiled:   

you are a martyr of Christ.  

Spirit of Avarice

You were tempted by 
the spirit of avarice

 to seize the property of a child 

and violate the rights of a defenseless widow, 

but remembered God’s law and 

saw your duty to give help, 

not act unjustly: 

you are a witness of Christ.   

Christ wants witnesses 

like this to stand ready, 

as Scripture says:  

Do justice for the orphan 

 










and 
defend the widow.   

Spirit of Pride

You were tempted 

by the spirit of pride 

but saw the poor and the needy and looked 

with compassion on them, and 

loved humility rather than arrogance:   

you are a witness of Christ.   

What is more, your witness 

was not in word only but also in deed.  

Mother Teresa of Calcutta a True Witness of Christ... WE CAN BE ONE TOO!

Who can give greater witness 

than one who acknowledges 

that the Lord Jesus has come in the flesh  

and keeps the commandment of the Gospel?   

One who hears but does not act, 

denies Christ.   

Even if he acknowledges Him by his words, he denies Him by his deeds.   

How many will say to Christ: Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and cast out demons and work many miracles, all in your name?  

On that day He will say to them: Depart from me all you evildoers.  The true witness is one who bears witness to the commandments of the Lord Jesus and supports that witness by deeds.

 

How many hidden 

martyrs there are, bearing witness to Christ

each day 

and acknowledging 

Jesus as the Lord!   

The Apostle knew this kind of martyrdom, this faithful witness to Christ.  This is our boast, he said, the witness of our conscience.   

How many have borne witness in public 

but denied it in private!  

 Do not believe every spirit, he said, 

but know from their fruits whom you should believe.   

 

Be faithful and courageous 

when you are persecuted in public.   

Even in those unseen persecutions 

there are kings and governors, 

judges with terrible power.   

You have an example in the temptation 

endured by the Lord.

In another place we read:   

Do not let sin be king in your mortal body.   

You see the kings before whom you are made to stand, 

those who sit in judgment over sinners, 

where sin is in control.   

There are as many kings as there are sins and vices; 

it is before these kings that we are led 

and before these that we stand.    

These kings have their thrones in many hearts.   

But if anyone acknowledges Christ, 

he immediately makes a prisoner 

of this kind of king and 

casts him down from the throne of his own heart.   

How shall the devil maintain his throne

 in one who builds a throne 

for Christ in his heart?"

Taken from, The Liturgy of the Hours, according to the Roman Rite Catholic Book Publishing Corp.  New York 1975

Go to You Tube for a WITNESS OF FAITH that should blow you mind away...

 http://youtu.be/XJOJaFwxBeY

And I am certain that God, 

who began the good work within you, 

will continue his work until it is finally finished 

on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

                                                             Philippians 1:6