'Christ is King' - bi-monthly Newsletter - Vol 4 Issue 19 - November - December 2021

Christ Is King The Lumen Fidei Institute “Promoting - Defending - Teaching - Catholicism” “Helping Catholics to live out their great calling as Children of God”

Vol 4 - Issue 19

November - December 2021

Let us strive continuously and with due diligence to gain Indulgences for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

In this way we can assist them, so that they may enter the Glories of the Heavenly Kingdom.

The Way of the Cross

Let us also make reparation to Almighty God for the sins and apostasy of the Irish people, praying for the conversion of many souls.

Meditate On The Passion Of Jesus Christ November is traditionally called the month of the Holy Souls. On the 2nd of November, we celebrate All Souls Day and the Catholic Church opens again her treasury and allows us to gain a plenary Indulgence for a Holy Soul in Purgatory which remits all temporal punishment due for sin and allows that Holy Soul to enter into the glories of the Heavenly Kingdom.

“It is the traditional faith of Catholics that the souls in purgatory are not separated from the Church, and that the love which is the bond of union between the Church’s members should embrace those who have departed this life in God’s grace.

Hence, since our prayers and our sacrifices can help those who are still waiting in purgatory, the saints have not hesitated to warn us that we have a real duty toward those who are still in purgatorial expiation.” (Catholic Encyclopaedia, 1917) There are many ways of gaining both Plenary and Partial Indulgences for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and it is possible for Catholics to release one Holy Soul from Purgatory into Heaven every day of the year. It is not a simple matter to gain a Plenary Indulgence. One must be striving diligently to become Holy and one must strive to break all attachment to venial sin. The other conditions are a prescribed work, prayers for the Holy Father, confession, and Holy Communion.

One of the most profound works for gaining a Plenary Indulgence is ‘The Way of the Cross’.

“A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who make the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross. In the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross we recall anew the sufferings, which the divine Redeemer endured, while going from the praetorium of Pilate, where he was condemned to death, to the mount of Calvary, where he died on the cross for our salvation. (Enchiridion of Indulgences, 1968) Many Catholic Saints have emphasised the great benefits that come from meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ. This devotion has many great blessings as well as the possibility of gaining a plenary Indulgence.

“He who desires to go on advancing from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, should meditate continually on the Passion of Jesus.” - St. Bonaventure “Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travellers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey. They must have the Passion of Christ deeply embedded in their minds and hearts, because only from it can they derive peace, grace, and truth.” - St. Anthony of Padua “The most holy Passion of Jesus Christ is the most efficacious means to convert obstinate sinners.” - St. Paul of the Cross

“The death and passion of Our Lord is the sweetest and most constraining motive that can animate our hearts in this mortal life... so, in the glory of heaven above, next to the Divine goodness known and considered in itself, Our Saviour’s death shall most powerfully ravish the blessed spirits in the loving of God.” - St. Francis de Sales “Our time is no time for fear as we are witnesses of a God who gave up His own life out of love for us. The Passion of Jesus was an excess of the love of God, so anyone who meditates on it, will follow Him to the end.”St. Alphonsus de Liguori “We should read our Lord’s Passion constantly; what great benefit we will gain by doing so. Even if you are as hard as stone, when you contemplate that He was sarcastically adorned; then ridiculed; beaten and subjected to the final agonies, you will be moved to cast all pride from your soul .” - St. John Chrysostom “Do not pass one day without devoting a half hour, or at least a quarter of an hour, to meditation on the sorrowful Passion of your Saviour. Have a continual remembrance of the agonies of your crucified Love, and know that the greatest saints, who now, in heaven, triumph in holy love, arrived at perfection in this way.” - St. Paul of the Cross “True reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart on Jesus crucified and recognizing in him our own humanity”. - Pope St. Leo the Great “In the passion of our blessed Saviour, six things chiefly are to be meditated upon. First, the bitterness of his sorrow, that we may compassionate with him.

Secondly, the greatness of our sins, which were the cause of his torments, that we may abhor them. Thirdly, the greatness of the benefit, that we may be grateful for it. Fourthly, the excellency of the divine charity and bounty therein manifested, that we may love him more fervently. Fifthly, the conveniency of the mystery, that we may be drawn to admiration of it. Lastly, the multiplicity of virtues of our blessed Saviour which did shine in this stupendous mystery, that we may partly imitate and partly admire them; wherefore, in the midst of these meditations, let us sometimes compassionate with our blessed Saviour in the extremity of his sorrows; extreme indeed, both by reason of the tenderness of his body, as also, for the great affection he bore unto our souls.

He did suffer them without any manner of consolation, as we shall speak hereafter in its proper place. Sometimes let us stir up in ourselves compunction for our sins, which were the cause of his great sufferings. Sometimes let us kindle in our souls an ardent affection, considering his great affection towards us, which upon the cross he declared and manifested to the whole world. And the benefit which he bestowed upon us in his passion, because he bought us with the inestimable price of his precious blood, of which only, we reap the benefit and commodity.”

- St. Peter of Alcantara

St Bonaventure on the Passion It is now time for us to treat of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who would glory in the Passion and Cross of our Lord, ought to apply himself devoutly and tenderly to these mysteries, and their attendant circumstances; for if they are regarded with intentness of mind, they would, I think, have a transforming effect upon those who meditate upon them. For to him who searches into these mysteries with earnestness and with the whole energy of his inmost being, many unexpected lights will be vouchsafed, from which will spring up new sympathy, new love, new consolation, and consequently a new state of grace, which would seem to him a foretaste of, and partaking of glory.

But to attain to this state, approach the meditation in the spirit of a child and unlettered person, so that you may make every effort to attend, keeping the eyes of your heart with watchfulness lest you wander from the subject, and banishing all other thoughts. You must direct your attention to these scenes of the Passion, as if you were actually present at the Cross; and watch the Crucifixion of our Lord with affection, diligence, love, and perseverance.

I exhort you, that you redouble your attention, and give your undivided energy to all that is to follow, for in this His love is most manifest, which ought to kindle our whole hearts. But receive all that I shall relate, with the same modification as before,— namely, that the things may have happened as I describe them. For I would not affirm anything in this little Work, which was not affirmed in or corroborated by the Holy Scriptures, or the sayings of the Saints, or received opinions.

But it seems to me quite reasonable, that not only the crucifixion of our Lord, the penalty of our sins, which caused His Death, but also all the preceding and attendant circumstances of that event, are worthy of the most intense compassion, grief, and amazement. What is it, indeed, but this, that our Lord God Himself, from the hour of the night when He was taken, up to the hour of His crucifixion, the sixth hour, was in a continual conflict, great suffering, reproaches, mockings, and tortures! No intermission was granted Him. But in what a struggle and conflict He was engaged, hear and see.

Contemplate the sweet, meek, and gracious Jesus. One seizes Him, another binds Him, another assaults Him, and another cries out at Him, another pushes Him, another blasphemes, another spits on Him, and another jolts Him, another grasps Him, another questions Him, some seek false witness against Him, another puts himself in collusion with them; one bears witness falsely against Him, another accuses Him, another derides Him, another blindfolds Him, another strikes His blessed face, another buffets Him, another leads Him to the pillar, another strips Him, another, while He is led, gives Him a blow, another shouts at Him, another lays hold of Him to insult Him, another binds Him to the pillar, another rushes at Him, and another lashes Him; one clothes Him with purple in mockery, and another crowns Him with thorns; one places a reed in His hand, another madly snatches it to smite with it His thorn-crowned head; another denyingly bows the knee, another derides him who does so; and many heaped reproaches on Him. He is led forward and back, is spit upon, despised, hurried about as if a fool or some most mad person, even as if a robber and wicked malefactor. Now He is taken to Annas, then to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, then to Herod, and back again to Pilate, and then He is dragged in, and then out, and then along. My God, what is this? Does it not seem to you most hard, most bitter, a continuous and violent conflict?

But wait a little, and you shall see worse treatment. The rulers, the Pharisees, the elders, and thousands of people stand against Him persistently. They all shout with one accord, “Let Him be crucified.” On His bruised and already wounded shoulders the cross is laid, on which He is to be crucified; on all sides citizens and strangers, not only sober and elderly, but also profane and drunken men, flock together, not to compassionate, but to most shamefully deride Him. No one recognizes Him, but all are eager to cover Him with mud and filth, and to ill-use Him; and He endures all this, He becomes their byword. “They that sit in the gate speak against ‘Him,’ and the drunkards make songs upon ‘Him.’” (Psalm 69:12) He is driven forward, and pressed; He is dragged, and hurried along; and thus scourged, wearied, covered with wounds, and overwhelmed with reproaches, He is not allowed a moment’s rest; and scarcely can He keep His life in Him, until He reaches the place of Calvary — most unclean and loathsome spot

All is done with force and fury. But in this place, an end and rest is to be given to the struggle of which we treat; but that rest is but the beginning of a sharper struggle, namely, crucifixion and the bed of pain. Behold what a rest is this! You see how, even to the sixth hour, our Lord suffered this long and hard conflict. Indeed, “the waters came in even to His soul,” truly “many dogs came about Him” (Psalm 22:16) —many, terrible, strong, and ferocious. The council of the wicked laid siege against Him, “who whet their tongue like a sword and shot out their arrows, even bitter words.” (Psalm 64:3) We have thus summarized what may be said of our Lord’s Passion during the three first hours, even to twelve o’clock. But not indeed in this brief way must we dismiss so great bitterness and punishment for our sins which our Lord Jesus endured; reflect upon these, and re-consider all. Great, indeed, and manifold is the matter here for holy meditation, penetrating to the inmost heart and affections; be present, then, in spirit.

Attend then, to every particular, as if actually present; see Him, our Dear Lord, as He goes forth from the Supper, and how, having finished His discourse, He enters the Garden with His disciples. At length, enter with Him, and ponder how affectionately, kindly, and confidingly He talks with them, and exhorts them to prayer; how also He withdraws from them a little, that is, about a stone’s cast, and falling down humbly and reverently upon His knees He prays to His Father.

Pause here a little while, and ponder in your mind devoutly the marvels of the Lord God. Now the Lord Jesus prays; often before this we read that He prayed; but on those occasions He prayed as an advocate, now He prays for Himself. Pity Him, and admire His most profound lowliness. For although, as God, He is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father, He seems as it were to forget that He is God, and prays as man, and takes up the posture of one of the weakest creatures, praying to the Lord.

Consider, too, His most perfect obedience; for what does He pray for?

Certainly, He prays to the Father, that the hour of death may pass from Him; that is, if it be the Father’s will that He might not die; and this prayer is not heard, that is according to a sort of will which was in Him. For, so to speak, there was a manifold

will in Him. Here, then, exercise pity upon Him, in that the Father wills that He should die, and thus, through His True and Only Son, He spared Him not, but in this way delivered Him up for us all.

For “so God loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.” And the Lord Jesus fulfils this command, and reverentially accomplishes it.

See, in the third place, the unspeakable love for us, both of the Father and of the Son, most worthy of compassion, wonder, and veneration; for us this Death is appointed; for us it is endured, through Their exceeding love. The Lord Jesus, then, prays to the Father for a long time, saying, “O My most merciful Father, I beseech Thee, hear My prayer, and hide not Thyself from My petition. Consider and hear Me, how I mourn in My prayer, and My Heart is disquieted within Me. (Psalm 55:1-4) Incline Thine ear to Me, and hearken to the voice of My prayer. It pleased Thee, O Father, to send Me into the world, that I might make satisfaction for the injury done to Thee by man; and immediately when Thou didst will, I said, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of Me, that I should fulfil Thy Will, O My God; I am content to do it; My talk hath been of Thy Truth and of Thy Salvation.

(Psalm 55:9-12) I have been in poverty and much labour from My youth up, doing Thy will, and all that Thou hast commanded; and I am prepared to fulfil whatever remains. Yet, if it be, O My Father, take from Me this so great bitterness as is prepared for Me

by My enemies; for see, O Father, the enmity of the multitude, how many they are, and how they conspire against Me, and take their counsel to take away My life.) Psalm 31:15) They have corrupted My disciple, and made him their guide, that they might kill Me; they have valued Me at thirty pieces of silver, at which I was prized by them. I pray Thee, O My Father, that this cup may pass from Me; but if it seem otherwise to Thee, not My will, but Thine be done.”

(Extract from ‘The Life of Christ by St. Bonaventure)

End Of Year Appeal There are three parts to this year’s ‘End of Year Appeal’. Firstly, we are looking for donations to help us to continue our work of promoting, defending and teaching the Catholic Faith. We have lived through some very strange times in the last two years. Our Catholic Churches were closed; restrictions were placed on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; many bishops blocked the faithful from receiving Holy Communion on the tongue whilst kneeling; the Holy Water fonts in most of our Catholic Churches remain emptied of this powerful sacramental.

In the secular field, restrictions were placed on peoples’ movements and on general social activities. This prevented us from hosting any meetings and some venues are required to insist that only those who have taken the abortion tainted vaccines can attend. Lately, we have seen the lifting of many restrictions and we are hopeful that, please God, we will be able to begin having meetings before the end of the year. We would also like to begin planning for the return of the annual ‘Catholic Voice’ conference, perhaps with a date in May 2022.

The second and third part of our appeal have to do with helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and with making reparation for the grave sins of the Irish people. In Ireland, the homosexual lifestyle is being actively promoted to young children and legal recognition has been given to homosexual relationships. This legislation is contrary to Catholic Church teaching and is offensive to Almighty God. Abortion has also been legalised in our country and, in the first two years following this legislation, 13,243 innocent unborn childrens’ murders were sanctioned by the Irish government with the co-operation of medical professionals.

To help to counteract these grave evils in our society, The Lumen Fidei Institute has produced a little booklet on ‘The Way of the Cross’ with meditations from St Alphonsus Ligouri. We are seeking to rekindle the holy practice of making the way of the cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and in reparation to Almighty God for the sins of the Irish People. We are praying particularly for the revoking of the Irish laws on abortion and marriage which are so offensive to Almighty God. We are asking for your help in promoting and distributing this booklet to as many people as possible. Perhaps you could organise a group of people to begin regularly praying the Stations of the Cross for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and in reparation for the sins of the Irish people, begging God to restore the Kingship of Christ over Ireland.

You can use the enclosed donation form to order copies of,‘The Way of the Cross’.

Alternatively you can contact me by e-mail or by phone to order them.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing generosity.

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Contact: John Lacken +353 (0)85 120 8779 E-mail: secretary@lumenfidei.ie Web: www.lumenfidei.ie Ballinlough, Claremorris, Co Mayo F12 TN23 - Ireland

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