BELLUM CONTRA HÆRÉTICOS

We exhort to observe silence, if not possible, to keep it as much as possible and only break it when necessary. Let's wait, with great hope, for His resurrection. Christ was not defeated by death, but Christ defeated death.

Let's reflect once again how expensive was our redemption. We can't even quantitatively describe how expensive it was

Short History on Good Friday Prayers for the Conversion of the Jews and the origin of its changes.

❈ OUR LADY REWARDS THOSE DEVOTED TO HER SORROWS ❈ by St. Alphonsus de Liguori The Blessed Joachim Piccolomini, who had a very great devotion to Mary, even from child- hood, used to visit an image of the sorrowful Mother in a neighboring church three times a day. He also abstained from all food on Saturday in her honor. Moreover, he rose at midnight to meditate upon her dolors. But let us see how Mary rewarded him. At first she appeared to him when he was young and directed him to enter into religion in the Order of her Servants, which he did. Towards the close of his life, she again appeared to him with two crowns in her hand: one of rubies, as the reward for the compassion he had cherished for her sorrows; and the other of pearls, as the reward for his chastity, which he had consecrated to her. Finally, as his death approached, she appeared to him again, and he asked her the favor to die on the day on which Jesus Christ died. The Most Holy Virgin consoled him by telling him, "Make ready now, for tomorrow (Friday) you will die suddenly, as you desire, and tomorrow you shall be with me in Paradise." And thus it happened, for while they were chanting in the church the Passion ac- cording to St. John, at the words, “There stood near the cross of Jesus his Mother” [Stabat juxta crucem Jesu Mater ejus], he felt the weakness and faintness of death. And at the words, “And bowing his head, He gave up His spirit” [Et inclinato capite tradidit spiritum], Blessed Joachim expired. At the same moment the church was filled with a splendorous light and a most sweet fragrance. In the city of Cesena two very bad men who were friends lived. One of them, named Bartholomew, despite his many vices practiced the devotion of reciting the Stabat Mater every day in honor of the sorrowful Virgin Mary. Once when he was saying these words Bartholomew had a vision, in which he seemed to stand with his sinful companion in a lake of fire, and he saw the Most Holy Virgin, moved by pity, offer him her hand and take him from the flames. She directed him to seek pardon from Jesus Christ, who showed Himself willing to pardon him through the prayers of His Mother. The vision ended, and shortly afterwards Bartholomew heard the news that his friend had been mortally wounded and was dead. Then he knew the truth of the vision. Quitting the world, he entered the Capuchin Order, where he led a most austere life and died in the fame of sanctity. Fr. Engelgrave relates that a certain religious was so tormented by scruples, that at times he was almost driven to despair. But having great devotion to Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, he had recourse to her in the agony of his spirit, and was much comforted by contemplating her dolor. Death came, and the Devil tormented him more than ever with scruples and tempted him to de- spair. But then our merciful Mother, seeing her poor son so afflicted, appeared to him and said to him: "And why, oh my son, art thou so overcome with sorrow, thou who hast so often consoled me by your compassion for my sorrows? Be comforted, Jesus sends me to thee to console thee. Be com- forted, rejoice, and come with me to Paradise." And at these words the devout religious tranquilly expired, full of consolation and confidence. Blessed Benvenuta Bojani once asked the Blessed Virgin for the grace to share the pain the Mother of Christ felt at the loss of her Divine Son. Mary appeared to her with the Divine Child in her arms. At the sight of the beautiful babe, Blessed Benvenuta fell into an ecstasy, but the vision suddenly disappeared. The pain the Saint felt at that moment was so great that she begged the Virgin to help her lest she die of grief. After three days, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her again and said, “My daughter, your suffering is only a small part of that which I endured at the loss of my Divine Son.”

IN SYMBOLUM APOSTOLORUM By St. Thomas Aquinas "passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus" It is just as necessary for the Christian to believe in the passion and death of the Son of God as it is to believe in His Incarnation. For, as St. Gregory says, “there would have been no advantage in His having been born for us unless we had profited by His Redemption.” That Christ died for us is so tremendous a fact that our intellect can scarcely grasp it; for in no way does it fall in the natural way of our understanding. This is what the Apostle says: “I work in your days, a work which you will not believe, if any man shall tell it to you” [Acts 13:41, from Hab 1:5]. The grace of God is so great and His love for us is such that we cannot understand what He has done for us. Now, we must believe that, although Christ suffered death, yet His Godhead did not die; it was the human nature in Christ that died. For He did not die as God, but as man. This will be clear from two examples, one of which is taken from himself. Now, when a man dies, in the separation of the soul from the body the soul does not die but the body or flesh does die. So also in the death of Christ, His Divinity did not die, but His man nature suffered death. But if the Jews did not slay the Divinity of Christ, it would seem that their sin was not any greater than if they killed any ordinary man. In answering this we say that it is as if a king were clothed only in one garment, and if someone befouled this garment, such a one has committed as grave a crime as if he had defiled the king himself. Likewise, although the Jews could not slay God, yet in putting to death the human nature which Christ assumed, they were as severely punished as if they had put the Godhead itself to death. Another example is had from what we said before, viz., that the Son of God is the Word of God, and the Word of God made flesh is like the word of a king written on paper. So if one should tear this royal paper in pieces, it would be considered that he had rent apart the word of the king. Thus, the sin of the Jews was as grievous as if they had slain the Word of God.

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“A single tear shed at the remembrance of the Passion of Jesus is worth more than a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or a year of fasting on bread and water.” ~ St. Augustine of Hippo