Newsletter #64 – Our Lady of Mount Carmel USA

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

“Oh, my God, I fear only my fear; it could make me abandon Thee.
Oh, my God, I fear only my fear; it could make me lose my courage before the end.
Oh, my God, do not forget me in Thy glory, but give me Thy love and the strength to give my life for Thee. Amen.”

When the Communists took over China, the Chinese Catholics prayed the above prayer every day. Those who survived the mock trials of the Communists attributed their release to the power of this prayer which they said daily.
Human fear should not conquer our Catholic spirit during these times of rapid world-wide Communist government control through the Trojan Horse of the ‘vaccine’. We had been warned over 100 years ago that Russia would continue to spread her errors (Communism) if the Pope together with the bishops throughout the world would not properly concentrate Russia to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Heart as she herself requested at Fatima. Besides increasing our Rosaries, we should also be aware of other spiritual means to help preserve our peace of soul during these turbulent times. In this newsletter, three will be discussed, namely, Catholic spiritual maxims (a list of 100), the Purple Scapular, and the Saint Benedict Medal.

EXTRACTS FROM MASTERS IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE
(from the writings of Father Schneider,S.J., Father Dignam, S.J., Father Morris,S.J., Father de Ravignan,S.J., Father James Clare,S.J. – circa. 1900 A.D.)
N.B. These were originally intended for persons in the Religious life, but most of these can easily be applied to all members of a Catholic family.

1.   The Religious who does not make progress in perfection, goes backward. What was thy object in entering religion? Know thyself. Overcome thyself. Thy business is to please God in all things. His love and His grace are sufficient for thee. He serves not God who seeks consolation in the Religious state.
2.   He who loves poverty possesses all things. Of worldly things choose the worst and of heavenly things the best. He is not poor, who does not wish to feel the effects of poverty. Aim at the spirit of poverty. To have the name of being poor, and, at the same time, to enjoy the comforts of wealth, is to deceive men.
3.   He is not chaste who does not flee from the occasions of impurity. Why dost thou wish to see that which has no value in thy eyes? Modesty of the eyes preserves from many sins and is the mother of piety. “Chaste and gentle make us,” so the Church sings to Our Lady. Woe to the Religious who is ill-tempered among the pious. It is better to bear an injury in silence and without murmur, than to fast on several days till evening.
4.   That Religious is not obedient, who, whilst exteriorly submitting graciously to orders, contradicts and murmurs interiorly, and criticizes the Superior. The devil plays hand-ball with a vain and unmortified Religious. No one is more happy under the sun than the Religious who loves God, his Superior, and his cell, or the silence and solitude of the cloister.
5.   The suppositions that in another convent, under another Superior, among other companions, in another employment, in other circumstances, one would make greater progress and be better satisfied, has already deceived many. Some in a few years have tried every kind of change consecutively, without becoming better, more happy, or more contented. God has placed us where we are; let us remain where we now are until it shall please Him to call us away. Where in the world is there a rose without thorns?
6.   That Religious is not yet dead to the world who is greatly concerned or anxious about his relatives and friends in the world.
7.   The Religious who strives after perfection should willingly and fervently embrace all that is painful, burdensome, and disagreeable, all that requires combats, self-restraint, and self-denial. He should, indeed, prefer these to all that is agreeable to the sensual man. He should never hearken to the seductive voice of nature, but always follow the inspirations of grace leading to life eternal.
8.   I shall be a true child of my Order as long as I am candid and sincere toward my Superior. I will never bother myself about offices that may be later entrusted to me, but will abandon myself to God’s designs and put my trust in Him alone.
9.   I will follow the Community and avoid all singularity.
10.   I will be as careful of the honor of my Order as any one can be of his own.
11.   Beware of being a burden and a cross to thy Superiors or to any one else, but strive to give pleasure to all.
12.   In my Institute, I will consider myself as a beggar admitted out of charity.
13.   What doth it avail me to live long in my Order if I do not attain its object and end?
14.   In the convent I am not the master, but the servant of all, and in this should my honor and glory consist. For how should I wish to rule, since Jesus Christ came, not to be served, but to serve us, and the Blessed Virgin called herself only the handmaid of the Lord.
15.   If thou wishest to know whether thou lovest thy vocation, examine whether thou lovest mortification. Thy vocation is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and how canst thou be His disciple, if thou dost not wish to be crucified with Him?
16.   I will spare no effort to maintain a constant peace and interior joy.
17.   The renunciation of self-love is a mortification, by virtue of which thou actest not as thou likest either interiorly or exteriorly, but only according to the good pleasure of God and thy Superiors.
18.   Meekness is a sure sign of innocence preserved or recovered.
19.   Precipitateness and restlessness do not contribute to the success of a good work. To desire its success is good, but it should be without anxiety.
20.   God occupies Himself with me, as if I were alone in the world. It is also meet that I should occupy myself with Him, as if besides Him there were nobody and nothing in the universe.
21.   Meditate often on the Passion of Jesus Christ, thy King. He endured torments only to win thee and thy heart.
22.   Be truly humble, and thou wilt never think that any injustice is done to thee. He has only the appearance of humility who, though he humbles himself, can not bear to be humbled by others. If thou wishest to learn and know something very useful, learn and love to be unknown and to be considered as nothing.
23.   Do not complain of pains, sufferings, and adversity before casting a glance at thy crucifix and thinking on the twofold eternity. He makes the greatest progress in Religious life and virtue who manfully strives to overcome whatever he finds most difficult and disagreeable.
24.   Incense emits no odor nor ascends upward, unless it burns; and it is in suffering that we prove our love of God and our fidelity to Him. The road to the Mount of Olives is steep indeed; but the Mount of Olives is also the Mount of the Ascension. Those who suffer with Jesus Christ will be also glorified with Him.
25.   When we have once so far progressed as no longer to seek any human consolation, we then begin to relish spiritual and heavenly things.
26.   We should not imagine we are able to please everybody.
27.   We should expect a just return, not from men, but from God alone.
28.   We should observe in our neighbor only his virtues and advantages, and in ourselves only our faults and imperfections.
29.   He who severely judges his own deeds, finds no reason to condemn others, but is inclined rather to excuse them.
30.   If thou wishest to live in great tranquillity and true peace, thy most ardent desires should be to see God in the next life, thy greatest fear – to lose Him, thy most bitter pain – not yet to enjoy Him, and thy greatest joy – all that can lead to Him.
31.   Free thy heart from all that is created and seek God alone, and thou shalt find Him.
32.   Severity toward ourselves should render us more meek, indulgent, and affable toward others. If our neighbor’s act has one hundred sides, we should always look at it from its most favorable side. When the sinfulness of an act no longer admits of vindication, we should at least seek to excuse it and admit that the intention was good. But if this is impossible, we should at least make allowance for the violence of the temptation, for the ignorance, impulsiveness, or human frailty of the one who committed the fault.
33.   We should flee nothing more carefully than sloth, sadness, and dangerous familiarities.
34.   To bear cheerfully, gratefully, and lovingly the daily inconveniences that are inseparable from our vocation, is a constant and most profitable exercise of mortification.
35.   I will consider and employ each day as if it were my last; one day shall surely be my last; but which one?
36.   Thy spiritual progress is in proportion to thy self-denial.
37.   Attend to thyself. What others do is no concern of thine. Follow Jesus Christ.
38.   Thou art as great and as good as thou art before God – neither more nor less.
39.   Beware lest, on account of thy negligence, God take away from thee the tenderness of thy conscience, and leave it insensible in thee.
40.   With the utmost fervor I will adore the Most Blessed Sacrament, venerate the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and my Guardian Angel.
41.   I will often during the day raise my heart to God by short and fervent aspirations and the renewal of a pure intention.
42.   I will most carefully abstain from judging others and mingling in their concerns. What I cannot excuse I will compassionate, considering my own weakness and sinfulness, and saying a Hail Mary for the amendment of the culprit.
43.   I will always speak to everyone in a friendly, respectful, and humble manner.
44.   My soul, what doth it profit thee to be loved by men, if like Pilate, thou losest the friendship of Jesus Christ, on the account of that love or popularity?
45.   He who diligently considers Our Lord’s Life and Passion will find in abundance therein all that is useful and necessary for the spiritual life.
46.   I will carefully consider what I have to do, and not what others are doing.
47.   Accustom thyself to excuse others out of true charity, and to be thoughtful of their welfare in all things.
48.   Be but little in thine own eyes, and desire to be also thus considered; and when thou art so treated, be not sad, but rejoice. All for Jesus!
49.   To plod on perseveringly and faithfully when we are under a dark cloud, and can not see our way, no, not one step before us, still to toil on in trust and love, this is to give glory to God and joy to the Sacred Heart.
50.   When you go to your Holy Communion tomorrow, think that you see the divine Child looking through and through you with His clear pellucid gaze and asking you the question, “Will you be true?” Are you resolved to combat resolutely the visible faults all can see and be scandalized by, instead of the half-dozen imaginary ones with which you love so much to torture yourselves? And I should love, I should dearly love you to return His glance with one as limpid and as true, saying, “O Lord, no one knows better than I how blind and weak I am, but I wish to know, I wish to see, what Thou desirest of me, and will try with all my heart, regardless of all obstacles, to accomplish it.” He wishes you to be real. Be real.
51.   Jesus is our Lover – and a jealous One. We must be blind if we dare look at Him with a heart attached to anything but Himself. He is our King, and as such, claims undisputed possession of our All. Sacrifice and struggle! This is the consummation of the life of a good Religious.
52.   If you do not reverence Silence, you will lose prayer, recollection, holy inspirations. Get the habit of talking to God about everything.
53.   Remember God loves offerings made in joy, and the cream of our offerings is to show joy when tried. If contradictions and annoyances come, let us try to offer a fervent, joyful act of thanksgiving that God has given us an opportunity of practicing virtue.
54.   The praises of men pass. Let us seek only to glorify God in our work, taking cheerfully success or failure as He chooses to send it. Work, then, only for the eternal salvation of your charges that by Him they may be saved, while you remain hidden and unknown.
55.   Every time we lift ourselves up, either before others or only in our own minds, we frighten Jesus away. He has so keen an eye and so sensitive a heart that He can not bring Himself to find a home in a soul possessed by self and pride.
56.   Here is a test of your honesty. We know we cannot trust ourselves to crush self. Are we willing that others should do the business for us, or do we resist? If we take little slights, neglects, contempts – well, patiently, nay, even willingly, looking on each as a treasure of God gives us to bring us nearer to Him, to destroy His enemy – our own self-love – then we are really aiming at His love.
57.   The spirit of Saint Francis de Sales – the “omnia omnibus factus sum” (I became all things to all men) of Saint Paul, by which, by cruelty to self, you become sweet to everybody – is but little understood; but you must understand it, and put your whole heart into the work.
58.   Duty without piety is meat without salt, but piety without duty is salt without meat. Let pious gluttons look to it.
59.   God speaks still, as He spoke to our fathers in primitive times when there were neither directors nor direction. Spirituality then consisted in doing the will of God. Each hour brings a duty to be done with fidelity. Attention to this made saints in the past, and continues to make saints now.
60.   Life is a series of steps, each one bringing us nearer to the awful moment when we shall kneel at Our Lord’s feet, and look up inquiringly into His eyes.
61.   The life that has been spent in industry and striving, and which is yet a failure, is the nearest approach to that of Christ, for what was His life, viewed only with external eyes, but a great failure?
62.   Saint Joseph did not suffer martyrdom. What made him the greatest of saints and exemplars? (1) God’s will was enough to make him happy. He had no other desires. Poverty, monotony, labor, labor without praise, was sweet to him if it was God’s will. (2) Hence, he was meek and obedient without asking why. (3) Zeal with little opportunity came out in prayer. A perfect exemplar model was Saint Joseph.
63.   To have a smile for all is a great means of doing good. But only those who try, know how hard it is. We shall succeed better if we learn to smile at God; for He, dear Lord, loves to see us smile at Him, and, like His creatures, He is pleased with our cheerfulness.
64.   The vows are the irrevocable acceptance of all the blessedness of my creatureship, of all that God desires in creating me, that I should be to Him and He to me. They put me out that He may reign. Poverty means that I know that while He gives, I, and His gift no less, belong to Him and must. That having received it as a mendicant, I am just the same mendicant when in possession, and that this is as true of His caresses as of the food I eat.
65.   Chastity means that the God-Man loves me all, longs to possess me all, whom He made; loves the body of which He took the likeness for me, and delights in the consecration of it to Himself, and in its immolation by the imitation of His poverty, labor, and austerity.
66.   Obedience I do not think will ever be perfect until we sincerely think each one better than ourselves, and this practically and in the individual. We talk about reverencing God in Superiors. We cannot do it until we are, as I say, sincere about reverencing God in everyone else. Obedience is the presence of God.
67.   Always pray at Holy Communion to overcome your predominant passion or any weakness which disedifies others; let it be verified that the idols fall down before Our Lord in the Egypt of your heart.
68.   After a fall the first thing is to say: “It is good for me”: then “I have sinned” – “O Lord, have mercy on me”: then “A contrite heart Thou dost not despise”: and lastly: “I said, now have I begun.”
69.   It is not success but courage that is wanted. It is the looking up to Our Lord after every fall and saying spontaneously: “Failed again. I will try again.” This touches Him. He is conquered at last.
70.   “Cultivate sweetness,” says that most perfect of models, Saint Francis de Sales. “I do not say be soft and easy, but be gentle and sweet.” So, we may notice that the saint saw all the difference between the two.
71.   Some of us, alas, are less ashamed to be selfish than to be thought so. Let us be brave and resolute; we shall obtain the priceless grace to be truly unselfish through the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Heart. Say to her lovingly: “O Queen of the Apostleship of Prayer, make us unselfish; make us worthy imitators of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
72.   Mother most pure, Mother most holy and most kind, may the love of Jesus and of thee grow in our hearts together; may that love make us hate sin and the world, strengthen us to deny ourselves, confirm our faith, hope, and charity, and bring Thee, sweet Mother, to our death-beds to console our last hour.
73.   Devotion to the Sacred Heart means to be convinced of His personal love for me, to return it by personal love, and so (for this is the nature of personal love) to be glad when He is honored – to be sorry when He is dishonored – to make Him what reparation I can for the injuries done to Him by men.
74.   To brood over our sufferings is poison to the soul, so also is pondering over the faults of others. Count as a fault each time you think of any one’s faults without thinking of their good qualities and praising God for them. We were created to praise.
75.   How peaceful will be the death of one who has never allowed himself to judge or say an unkind word! He will find at his judgment the Sacred Heart to be an open tabernacle where he will rest for ever.
76.   It was as she (Our Lady of Sorrows) watched the last sufferings of her Beloved, that she learnt that immense compassion, that boundless pity which made her the Mother of the Apostles, the Refuge of sinners, the Model of the Sacred Heart’s love for souls. If we make her sorrows our own, compassion will grow in our hearts, and make us like to her.
77.   Make it the fixed purpose of your life to make all others happy as far as it is in your power, and so (for that will be necessary) to put self out of view altogether. This then ought to be the first thought on awaking in the morning: “Dear Mother, for Thy honor I will take care that everybody who speaks to me today shall go away happier.” Also, the following thought should be the first thought in your examen at night: “How many have I failed to make happy today?”
78.   Simplicity of intention, setting our hearts on accomplishing God’s Will alone, and minding neither reputation, popularity, comfort nor success – this is the only way to gain peace.
79.   If we look back on our lives, we shall find that the heaviest cross that was ever laid upon us, which seemed at the time to crush us to the very earth, was in reality the beginning of God’s mercy for us and the turning point in our lives.
80.   If Jesus Christ is to be born in our hearts it can only be accomplished through death to self. It is not by one good act that self is destroyed – it is reiterated efforts, a long and slow death after many wounds.
81.   The right and wrong of things turns exactly on the intention.
82.   Perfection means aiming at the highest.
83.   The time of adversity is the time to turn to God quickly; the sooner I turn to Him, the happier I shall be. Why should I bear pain alone, if God is willing to share it with me. God will always sympathize with us – if He does not always give consolation, He always gives strength.
84.   We must take everything to God – not only big things, but little things too – each occurrence, each little disappointment, whether in the natural or supernatural order – all has to go to God, and humility takes us there. How happy adversity is when it is the instrument that takes us to God! Whatever happened to our Blessed Saviour was an inducement to Him to turn to His Heavenly Father – He never wearied in that – it was the passion of His life.
85.   God is strong enough and loving enough to take us entirely into His own hands. If God has taken away success, regard it as a blessed piece of destitution.
86.   How are we going to feel when judged favorably, or unfavorably? Some people seem to live by the judgment of others. Are we living that we may stand well in the judgment of others? Human respect is the most entangling thing – will it be an answer to Almighty God? Is the esteem of others the end we are setting before ourselves? It is a wrong standard – we must do our actions so that Our Father Who is in Heaven may be pleased. The people who are truly free are those who have no human respect and go straight to God.
87.   There is no love that increases so fast as that which costs.
88.   If we concentrate all our attention on one thing it will all be well; much better to have all our energies concentrated than dissipated.
89.   When anything goes against the grain, it ought to done more briskly.
90.   Our Lord avails Himself of His power to humble Himself to the utmost. No one entered the Holy House of Nazareth without seeing that He was the last. He acted as one who had no rights, except to be the lowest of the low, though He was the Highest of the high.
91.   Believe me, my dear friends, believe an experience ripened by thirty years in the sacred ministry. I do here affirm that all deceptions, all spiritual deficiencies, all miseries, all falls, all faults, and even the most serious wanderings out of the right path, all proceed from this single source – a want of constancy in prayer. Live the life of prayer; learn to bring everything, to change everything into prayer – pains and trials, and temptations of all kinds. Pray in the calm, pray in the storm. Pray on awaking, and pray during the daytime. Going and coming, pray. Tired out and distracted, pray. Whatsoever your repugnance may be, pray. Pray, that you may learn to pray. “Teach us, O Lord, how to pray.” Some may say, “But I cannot pray.” That is heresy. Yes, you can always pray. If you feel a disgust, nay, a horror of prayer, pray on, pray in spite of yourself, against yourself. Beg for the courage in prayer which our agonizing Saviour merited for you by His pangs in Gethsemane and upon Calvary. Pray, for prayer is the strength which saves, the courage which perseveres, the mystic bridge, cast over the abyss, which joins the soul to God.
92.   You must be brave and carry your cross cheerfully, and leave yourself entirely in the hands of our dear Lord. Often when you go to see Him, say the prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, “Take, O Lord, and receive.”
93.   If I feel inclined to be irritable, let me turn to my foster-father, Saint Joseph. With so many cares he was so patient and gentle.
94.   Our dear Lord will not be outdone in generosity, and we poor sinners will meet with equal generosity, if, like Magdalen, we approach Him in the same humble, sorrowing, loving, and generous dispositions.
95.   Our dear Lord was crowned with thorns to make amends for our disobedience and independence. Ah! Get a great horror of the spirit of independence. Learn submission, and try to comfort our dear Lord by being humble and obedient. Jesus appointed as the place of the Ascension the Mount of Olives, not Thabor, to teach us the way to Heaven is by suffering and the cross. His Blessed Heart is a very ocean of mercy. Peter and Thomas and Magdalen found it so. Then courage, my soul! I too shall find it so.
96.   Let us not forget that everything which Our Lord permits is intended for our real good, either directly or indirectly, and consequently, let us drink the chalice, for it is mixed and presented to us by Our Father. We must not think of reward, but we must work for love.
97.   Who can tell the sea of sorrow that burst upon that maiden of fifteen! Now she understands the prophecies. She sees Calvary before her, and whispers: “I am in the hands of God; be it done unto me according to His word.” Mary had to make a great sacrifice, and a great heart she did it. When Our Lord asks us to make a sacrifice, we must try to imitate our Mother. “Of myself, I cannot; but I will lean upon Thee, O my God, and I will do it, come what will.” Let our constant prayer be “Let Thy Will be done,” not in a spirit of repugnance or compulsion, but cheerfully, confidingly, and in a spirit of love.
98.   There is life and energy in the Tabernacle, but there is no outward show or bustle. Let us try to learn from the Blessed Sacrament the right way to work with energy and constancy, and great peace. Outside the Tabernacle, what is there that is worthy of our love? It is well for us, dear children, to take our stand by the Tabernacle, and wrench our souls from all else.
99.   As to being misjudged, no doubt it is hard to suppress our wounded feelings; but when we put ourselves alone with our dearest elder Brother, and think how misjudged He was for our sake, and how cheerfully He bore it, and picture Him asking us to keep Him company, we soon nerve ourselves, not only to bear the suffering, but to be glad to do it for love of Him. Do not be afraid, dear child, that God will ask too much of you. He always asks something that our nature will rebel against, but the pain of giving it lasts but a moment, and the pleasure is eternal. Saint Ignatius says: “Labor to make ourselves indifferent,” not “be indifferent,” because Rome was not built in a day, and we shall not become indifferent in a day. Let us not decline to accept any trials which God may send us, no matter how repugnant to our nature, even though they may cause our hearts to break. Jesus has drunk the chalice for us, let us drink it for Him. Be thorough in the service of your good God.
100.   How then should we employ our time? (1) We should keep steadily to our spiritual duties; (2) Fulfil the duties of our state of life; (3) Do what we owe to our station; (4) Fill up our spare time well; (5) Do even our least actions in a spirit of faith and love. You will never feel any sacrifice if you love. Look at the intensity of love and the loyalty of the saints; these ought to be a stimulus for us. In all circumstances let our prayer be: “Not my will, but Thine be done.” It will bring us strength and consolation, and will render us cheerfully and ready to bear every hardship. Glory is only to be earned by the cross. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom come! Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

PURPLE SCAPULAR OF BENEDICTION AND PROTECTION
In her extraordinary relations with Heaven, the pious stigmatic of La Fraudais, Marie-Julie Jahenny received during the ecstasy of the 23rd of August 1878 a request for a new scapular.
This scapular is an honored privilege offered by Our Lord and Our Lady to lead us through the terrible times when the world will face the Holy Wrath of God. So much blasphemy and iniquity on the part of man inexorably provokes Divine Justice, but at the same time, the infinite Goodness of Our Lord and of His holy Mother manifests itself to help, in the middle of the torment, those who, humbly, with good supernatural dispositions and without presumption put their trust in Them.
Not only is the wearing of this scapular strongly recommended, but its exposition in our chapels and houses will give a very special protection.

ECSTASY OF AUGUST 23, 1878
This is what the Holy Virgin shows me on Her Immaculate Heart, it is a large scapular, larger than ordinary scapulars, it is a little larger than the palm of the hand. It is a pretty violet, nearly the color of a violet. Here is what is on top: — in the middle are the three nails which crucified Our Lord on the Cross, they are placed above each other, not quite in the shape of the Cross, and at the point of each nail, there is a drop of purple blood. Above the heads of the nails, there is a kind of large sponge which has pieces of bark that stand out, it is a little like bales of oats. The three drops of blood join to fall into a small chalice painted red, and the chalice is surrounded by a crown of thorns, there are three little Crosses engraved on the front of the chalice. That is the side of the scapular which is on the middle cloak of the Holy Virgin.
I notice that this scapular is held with two violet ties which go over each shoulder, there are three knots on the left shoulder and two on the right.
The other side of the scapular represents the Holy Virgin Mary sitting, holding Her Adorable Son in Her arms, the mouth and the head of Our Lord rest on the heart of the Holy Virgin.
At the bottom of the scapular, and nearly at the feet of Our Lord, is an Angel dressed in white, with curly hair; he has on his head a white crown, his belt is red. He holds in his hands a white cloth with which he wipes the feet of Our Lord. Next to the Angel, on the right side of the scapular, there is an engraved ladder. Behind Our Lord, on the left, is the reed of the Passion painted red, but there is no sponge. The tears of the Holy Virgin flow onto Her breast, to the right and fall to the feet of the Angel. The scapular is edged with a red band and the cords are made of wool.
“Let Me now my dear child” the Virgin Mother said to me, “give you the explanation of this scapular. I am addressing you, My victim and My servant (most likely the spiritual director of Marie-Julie).
“My children of the Cross, for a long time My Son and I have wished to make known this scapular of benediction. This scapular, My children, is modeled on My Heart, because My Heart is the emblem of simplicity and humility, which explains the color of violet. The nails which have pierced the feet and the hands of My Son are barely venerated and are venerable, that is why My Son, in His Divine Wisdom, has had three nails painted on the front of the scapular.
“Those three drops of blood and the chalice represent the generous hearts gathering the blood of My Divine Son. The red sponge will represent My Divine Son drinking, in a certain sense, the sins of His children, but which His adorable mouth refuses.
“I wish that the background (usually) black of the scapular should be violet, but I wish that the nails, the chalice, the sponge and the crown should be on a dark red piece of flannel. This first appearance of this scapular will be a new protection for the times of the chastisements, the calamities and the famines. All those who will wear it will be able to go through storms, tempests and darkness, they will have light as in broad daylight. Such is the power of this unknown scapular.”
The Holy Virgin presents the scapular to Our Lord who, in His turn says: “I address you My victim and also My victims and My servant, My children of the Cross, I wish to and I come to give you an idea and a deep thought: When taking Me down from the Cross, I was given to My Mother, that descent, that thought, that devotion is little known. I wish that by the reproduction of this scapular, it should enter the hearts of My children of the Cross, and that they hail Me by these three greetings (The Crux Ave):
*** I hail Thee, Jesus Crucified, to let me live.
*** I hail Thee with all the joy of the Angels and of the Saints on bringing Thee down from the Cross.
*** I hail Thee with all the sorrow of Thy Mother when Thou rested on Her Immaculate Heart and on Her lap.
“My children, very few souls think of wiping the adorable wounds on My feet when the blood flows and I wish this representation to be known. Little thought is also given to the tears shed by My Mother during My Passion: those tears are at the feet of the Angel who wipes My sacred feet. By this scapular, I wish you to think about that ladder, that reed and those nails of My Passion.
“My children, any soul, any person who will possess this scapular, will see his family protected, his house will also be protected, firstly from conflagrations, which will never penetrate it.
“This scapular will crush the ungrateful who will blaspheme My Name in the house where it will be exposed. If an impious enters, he will be so struck that his conversion will occur. All those who will wear it will be protected from thunder, sudden death and accidents. During the chastisements they will be protected. Whoever places it in the Holy Temple, will drive out the impious and the profanations. Our Lord also adds that by reminding an obstinate soul about this scapular at the time of death, it will reawaken in it faith and conviction, that all those who will think about it and love it, will be spared the pains of the soul, that those who will wear it will be sheltered from all danger as if they possessed Heaven.
“And finally that this scapular will be like a lightning conductor beneath which the blows of just Divine Anger will not strike.”
Our Lord also says: — “Any priest will be able to bless this scapular. You, My victim, will be able to make the model… While wearing this scapular the ‘Crux Ave’ may be said 5 or 7 times and meditate for 1 to 3 minutes on My Passion… I will grant great graces to those who will wish to wear this holy Habit.”

RECENT PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF THE GRACE OF THIS SCAPULAR
On August 30, 2021, a Catholic in California, placed this scapular in her new home. Two days later, the worst fire in California broke out, and 100 foot-high wall of fire descended upon her home and land. Fire came from all four sides. People’s houses were burnt to the ground in the surrounding area. But her home property was left unscathed. Not only did the fire stop at the home or adjoining structures, but it politely passed around the fruit trees!
(N.B. These Purple Scapulars are available from various sources)

SAINT BENEDICT MEDAL
The medal of Saint Benedict is the most highly indulgenced medal in the Catholic Church. After being properly blessed and exorcised by a Catholic priest, this medal has power over evil: storms, poisons, pestilence, Satan’s legions,…etc. We must use the medal by calling down the intercession of Saint Benedict (wear it, dip it in liquids, place on sick parts of the body, place it on/in vehicles, machinery, buildings, bury it in the 4 corners of our property, …etc.

ORIGIN
For the early Christians, the cross was a favorite symbol and badge of their faith in Christ. From the writings of Pope Saint Gregory the Great (540-604), we know that St. Benedict had a deep faith in the Cross and worked miracles with the sign of the cross. This faith in, and special devotion to, the Cross was passed on to succeeding generations of Benedictines. Devotion to the Cross of Christ also gave rise to the striking of medals that bore the image of St. Benedict holding a cross aloft in his right hand and his Rule for Monasteries in the other hand. Thus, the Cross has always been closely associated with the Medal of St. Benedict, which is often referred to as the Medal-Cross of St. Benedict.
In the course of time, other additions were made, such as the Latin petition on the margin of the medal, asking that by St. Benedict’s presence, we may be strengthened in the hour of death, as will be explained later.
We do not know just when the first medal of St. Benedict was struck. At some point in history a series of capital letters was placed around the large figure of the cross on the reverse side of the medal. For a long time, the meaning of these letters was unknown, but in 1647 a manuscript dating back to 1415 was found at the Abbey of Metten in Bavaria, giving an explanation of the letters. They are the initial letters of a Latin prayer of exorcism against Satan, as will be explained below.

JUBILEE MEDAL OF MONTECASSINO
The above features were finally incorporated in a newly designed medal struck in 1880 under the supervision of the monks of Montecassino, Italy, to mark the 1400th anniversary of the birth of St. Benedict. The design of this medal was produced at St. Martin’s Archabbey, Beuron, Germany, at the request of the prior of Montecassino, Very Rev. Boniface Krug OSB (1838-1909). Prior Boniface was originally a monk of St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, until he was chosen to become prior and latter archabbot of Montecassino. Since that time, the Jubilee Medal of 1880 has proven to be more popular throughout the Christian world than any other medal ever struck to honor St. Benedict.

DESCRIPTION OF JUBILEE MEDAL
Because the Jubilee Medal of 1880 has all the important features ever associated with the Medal of St. Benedict, the following description of this medal can serve to make clear the nature and intent of the medal of St. Benedict.
On the face of the medal is the image of Saint Benedict. In his right hand he holds the cross, the Christian’s symbol of salvation. The cross reminds us of the zealous work of Benedictine monks and nuns evangelizing and civilizing England and Europe, especially for the sixth to the ninth/tenth centuries.
In St. Benedict’s left hand is his Rule for Monasteries that could well be summed up in the words of the Prolog exhorting us to “walk in God’s ways, with the Gospel as our guide.”
On a pedestal to the right of St. Benedict is the poisoned cup, shattered when he made the sign of the cross over it. On a pedestal to the left is a raven about to carry away a loaf of poisoned bread that a jealous enemy had sent to St. Benedict.
Above the cup and the raven are the Latin words: Crux S. Patris Benedicti (The Cross of our Holy Father Benedict).
On the margin of the medal, encircling the figure of Benedict, are the Latin words: Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur! (May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death!). Benedictines have always regarded St. Benedict as a special patron of a happy death. He himself died in the chapel at Montecassino while standing with his arms raised up to heaven, supported by the brothers of the monastery, shortly after St. Benedict had received Holy Communion.
Below Saint Benedict we read: ex SM Casino MDCCCLXXX (from holy Monte Cassino, 1880). This is the medal struck to commemorate the 1400th anniversary of the birth of Saint Benedict.
On the back of the medal, the cross is dominant. On the arms of the cross are the initial letters of a rhythmic Latin prayer: Crux sacra sit mihi lux! Nunquam draco sit mihi dux! (Oh, may the Cross a light be unto me! And not a guide the wicked enemy!).
In the angles of the cross, the letters C S P B stand for Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti (The Cross of our Holy Father Benedict).
Above the cross is the word PAX (peace), that has been a Benedictine motto for centuries.
Around the margin of the back of the medal, the letters V R S N S M V – S M Q L I V B are the initial letters, as mentioned above, of a Latin prayer of exorcism against Satan: Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihi vana! Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas! (Get thee behind me, Satan! Never suggest vain things to me! Evil are the draughts thou offerest. Mayest thou drink thy own poison!)
When the intercession of Saint Benedict is asked for any particular intention, through the application of the medal, the Divine Assistance may be implored by praying:
1.   “Glory be to the Father…” 5 times, in honor of the Sacred Passion of Our Blessed Lord;
2.   “Hail Mary…” 3 times in honor of Our Blessed Lady;
3.   “Glory be to the Father…” 3 times in honor of Saint Benedict and the graces he received from the Most Holy Trinity.

Ave Maria!
Father Joseph Poisson

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Consecration of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to Immaculate Heart of Mary
http://ourladyofmountcarmelusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Consecration-to-Immaculate-Heart-by-Our-Lady-of-Mt.-Carmel-SSPX-Marian-Corps.pdf

Featured Sermon
Given By His Excellency Bishop Pfeiffer

Posted in Newsletters and tagged Father Joseph Poisson, October Newsletter