Novena for the Election of the New Grand Master of the SMOM

For those interested in a novena to pray for the election of a new Grand Master here is one to St George that I suggest. Although he is not a patron of the Order of Malta specifically he is still a patron of chivalry, knights and is also one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He is also the patron of the Constantinian Order of St George of whom many knights are also Knights of Malta.

Pray the following prayers for nine consecutive day's with the suggested intention, 

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will truly be present at the deliberations and voting of the SMOM membership and leadership concerned -- and that all will obey and cooperate with the Spirit so that the Grand Master elected will TRULY be God's choice for SMOM and the Universal Church.

May whoever is elected be an indefatigable defender and promoter of the Deposit of the Faith and the Magisterium of the Church, ridding SMOM of all Freemasons and others who live or encourage any way of life contrary to Gospel mores.

PREPARATORY PRAYER

Almighty and eternal God!
With lively faith
and reverently worshipping
Thy divine Majesty,
I prostrate myself before Thee
and invoke with filial trust
Thy supreme bounty and mercy.
Illumine the darkness of my intellect
with a ray of Thy heavenly light
and inflame my heart
with the fire of Thy Divine love,
that I may contemplate
the great virtues and merits
of the Saint in whose honour
I make this novena,
and following his example imitate,
like him,
the life of Thy Divine Son. 

Moreover, I beseech Thee to grant graciously,
through the merits and intercession
of this powerful Helper,
the petition which through him
I humbly place before Thee,
devoutly saving,
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Vouchsafe graciously to hear it,
if it redounds to Thy greater glory
and to the salvation of my soul.

Amen.

PRAYER IN HONOR OF SAINT GEORGE

O GOD, who didst grant to Saint George
strength and constancy in the various torments
which he sustained for our holy faith;
we beseech Thee to preserve,
through his intercession,
our faith from wavering and doubt,
so that we may serve Thee
with a sincere heart faithfully unto death.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

INVOCATION OF SAINT GEORGE

Faithful servant of God
and invincible martyr, Saint George;
favoured by God with the gift of faith,
and inflamed with an ardent love of Christ,
thou didst fight valiantly
against the dragon of pride,
falsehood, and deceit.
Neither pain nor torture,
sword nor death could part thee
from the love of Christ.
I fervently implore thee
for the sake of this love
to help me by thy intercession
to overcome the temptations that surround me,
and to bear bravely
the trials that oppress me,
so that I may patiently carry the cross
which is placed upon me;
and let neither distress nor difficulties
separate me from the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Valiant champion of the Faith,
assist me in the combat against evil,
that I may win the crown promised to them
that persevere unto the end. 

PRAYER

My Lord and my God!
I offer up to Thee
my petition in union
with the bitter passion
and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
together with the merits
of His immaculate and blessed Mother,
Mary ever virgin,
and of all the saints,
particularly with those of the holy Helper
in whose honour I make this novena. 

Look down upon me,
merciful Lord!
Grant me Thy grace and Thy love,
and graciously hear my prayer.

Amen.

Philip Lawler Commentary on This Disasterous Papacy

Philip Lawler has written another excellent article for Catholic Culture on what we can and should do  when the non-fallible speech of the Pope threatens to undermine perennial doctrine. Some would prefer to minimize or downplay this to "focus on the good" or not talk about it in public so we don't cause scandal. As though silence in the face of evil isn't itself scandalous.

In a large family, how should a son behave when he realizes that his father’s pathological behavior threatens the welfare of the whole household? He should certainly continue to show respect for his father, but he cannot indefinitely deny the danger. Eventually, a dysfunctional family needs an intervention.
In the worldwide family that is the Catholic Church, the best means of intervention is always prayer. Intense prayer for the Holy Father would be a particularly apt project for the season of Lent. But intervention also requires honesty: a candid recognition that we have a serious problem.

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?ID=1207

Solemn Vows of Frà Bertrand de Villermont

Frà Bertrand de Villermont made his solemn vows as a professed knight of the Order of Malta in February at the conventual church of the Order in France, St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Paris.

For more photos visit the webpage below.

http://www.sainteelisabethdehongrie.com/photos2017.html

Modernist Jesuit Superior Says Word of God is Relative

It's no wonder these people have such admiration for Martin Luther, they are protestants just like he is. In effect they are saying saying "I interpret the Bible in my own context, as it speaks to me." Whether by sin or other reason the light of Faith has gone out from these people. How supposedly intelligent people can spout such nonsense is shocking and the fact they actually believe what they are saying is even more stunning.

Q: Cardinal Gerhard L. Műller, prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, has said with regard to marriage that the words of Jesus are very clear and "no power in heaven and on earth, neither an angel nor the pope, neither a council nor a law of the bishops has the faculty to modify them."
A: So then, there would have to be a lot of reflection on what Jesus really said. At that time, no one had a recorder to take down his words. What is known is that the words of Jesus must be contextualized, they are expressed in a language, in a specific setting, they are addressed to someone in particular. 

Q: But if all the worlds of Jesus must be examined and brought back to their historical context, they do not have an absolute value.
A: Over the last century in the Church there has been a great blossoming of studies that seek to understand exactly what Jesus meant to say… That is not relativism, but attests that the word is relative, the Gospel is written by human beings, it is accepted by the Church which is made up of human persons… So it is true that no one can change the word of Jesus, but one must know what it was!

For more of the interview, http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/02/22/marriage-and-divorce-the-general-of-the-jesuits-jesus-too-must-be-reinterpreted/

Cardinal Burke Visit to Kansas City

Some pictures of Cardinal Burke during his visit to the Kansas City area last week.

Defense of the Faith Lecture with Cardinal Burke in Kansas City

This Friday, February 10th, Cardinal Burke will be giving a lecture entitled, "The Challenges to the Defense of the Faith in Our Times." If you are in the Kansas City area this weekend you won't want to miss it.