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Triumph of the Catholic Church and why She is persecuted
Triumph of the Catholic Church and why She is persecuted
Triumph of the Catholic Church and why She is persecuted
 
 
 

 
 

Ceiling of the Room of Constantine, Triumph of Christian Religion by Tommaso Laureti (1530-1602); 1582-85; Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Italy
commons.wikimedia.org
 
 
Why the World Continually Persecutes the Church

"And these things they will do you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things I have told you; that when the hour of them shall come, you may remember that I told you." (Saint John 15: 3,4)


From the fulfillment of this prophecy it is manifest that he who made it foresaw the future. It has been accomplished in the Apostles, whose struggles and sufferings Saint Paul thus describes: "God hath set forth us Apostles, the last, as it were, men destinated to death; because we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. . . . We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all even till now." (1 Corinthians 4: 9-13.) This prophecy was not intended merely for the Apostles, but for the entire Church in all ages. And it has been fulfilled through all the centuries of her existence, from the bloody persecutions of the first ages up to the infernal machinations of our own days. But what is the reason of this uninterrupted persecution? Not to mention that in the providence of God the truth and glory of the Church are, thus manifested, and assigned are the following motives:

I. The Church is not a child of the world;
II. She combats the maxims of the world; and
III. She cannot be crushed by the world.

I. The Church is not a Child of the World; Her Origin is from Above.

The world does not antagonize the Church because it believes her deserving of hatred. For what crimes has this daughter of Heaven committed? To her, the words descriptive of her Bridegroom rightly apply: "He went about doing good, and healing all. . . . For God was with him." (Acts. 10: 38.) Even from a temporal point of view, the Church is the greatest benefactress of mankind. "If it had not been for the Church, Europe would have become a prey to the tyranny of despots, the theater of perpetual wars, or a wilderness for the Moguls." (Words of Herder, a Protestant.)

The true motive of the worlds warfare against the Church is, because she is not one of its own. Like her Divine Master, she descended to us from a better world; and hence, endowed with a spirit opposed to the spirit of the world. (John 15: 18, 19.) "If the world hates you, know ye that it hated me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own; but because you have not been of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore, the world hateth you." The world persecuted our Saviour, in His tender infancy, and in His manhood, and after many outrages and insults finally crucified Him. "The servant is not greater than his lord."

On this account, the spirit of the world is bitterly opposed to that of the Church.

Saint John has explained the spirit of the world in these few words: "If any man loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life; which is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2: 15, 16.) These are the three filthy and poisonous sources from which all the desires of worldlings originate.

The Church exhorts her children, if they wish to be living members of the sacred body of Jesus Christ, not to yield to the concupiscence of the flesh, nor attach their hearts to perishable things, but to conquer pride by ready obedience to God and his representatives on earth.

Therefore, the world will always be hostile to the Church. Charity or friendship cannot exist between persons of opposite spirit and pursuits. "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to them that are called * * the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1: 23, 24.) In this sense, we understand the words of our Saviour: "Do not think that I am come to send peace upon earth; I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Matthew 10: 34-36.)

From this it follows:

That a reconciliation between the world and Christ cannot be effected but by compromise or a radical change of sentiments. Either the world must cease to be the world, or the Church must cease to be the Church. Since neither contingency will ever arise, they will continue enemies until the consummation of the world.

This combat will grow the fiercer, the more the world endeavors to accomplish its wicked designs. Hence the present warfare that is waged against the Church all over the universe, and hence men ridicule the stern demands of the Church and represent them as incompatible with the weakness of human nature. If the Church would renounce her mysteries; if she would only release men from the obligation of obeying spiritual superiors, confessing sins, hearing Mass, fasting, etc., the world would soon be reconciled to her. If you, my beloved, are hated on account of your Christian life, "rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because your reward is very great in Heaven." (Matthew 5: 12.)

II. The Church combats the maxims of the world

The Church appears before the world with the intention of imposing upon men the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ. She appears in obedience to the word of Jesus Christ, who said: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matthew 28: 18-20). "Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matthew 18: 18.) Is it surprising that the world should rise up against this claim of the Church, and the authority of her Founder, in the language of those rebellious citizens in the Gospel parable: "We will not have this man to reign over us?"--(Luke 19: 14).

To all men without exception, whatever their state of life, the Church repeats the demands of her Lord and Master. She says with Saint John to the kings and mighty ones of the earth: "It is not lawful for thee" (Matthew 14: 4); and to their subjects, she says with the Apostle: "Fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2: 17). She says to the rich: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19: 24.) She restrains the poor from violence, consoling them by the assertion of Jesus, that Lazarus, for having patiently borne his sufferings, was carried by the Holy Angels into Abrahams bosom. To the proud, she says: "Unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." She threatens all sinners with everlasting punishment. Now, mans nature is such that he feels indignant under reproach and correction. "You received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus," wrote Saint Paul to the Galatians; "where is then your blessedness? For, I bear you witness, that if it could be done, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and would have given them to me. Am I then become your enemy in telling you the truth?" The great affection these people entertained for the Apostle, vanished as soon as he uttered to them a word of reproach.-- Such is the fate of the Church.

The world in its assaults upon the Church is aided by the devil, the prince of the world, who trembles for his continued dominion. "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time!" (Matthew 8: 29.) Thus the devils, crying out, bore testimony to the power and glory of the Lord. Satan, knowing the power and glory of the Church, as well, uses every effort to maintain his dominion, by carrying on against her a ceaseless warfare.

Do not by a sinful life and an unchristian conduct wage war against your Holy Mother, the Church, lest your passions change you from children into enemies of the Bride of Christ.

III. The Church cannot be conquered by the world

Generous combatants will never make use of ignoble weapons. The world, in its assaults upon the Church, employs the base weapons of misrepresentation, calumny, and brutal force.--Historical lies about the lives of the Popes, Saint Bartholomews Night ;--false expositions of her doctrines,--calumnies against her dignitaries and religious institutions, etc.,--what is the explanation of this bitter opposition, of these dishonorable measures? It is because her enemies know by an experience of eighteen centuries, that the Church has always been victorious. And instead of recognizing therein the finger of God, they become only the more infuriated against her. Her strength and beauty, however, have only been renewed and increased by the atrocious cruelty of the Jews, the bloody persecution of the Gentiles, the schisms and heresies of faithless children, the pretentions of kings and emperors.

The beautiful life of Joseph of Egypt is a true figure of the life of the Church. "Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age; and he made him a coat of divers colors. And his brethren, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him." Behold the Church and the world? The Church being loved by God as his bride and mystical body, being arrayed in the most resplendent garment of his grace, is hated by the children of the world.

By wonderful visions the Lord revealed the future glory of his beloved Joseph, whence, his brothers hated him the more. "Behold, the dreamer cometh. Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit." And they would actually have effected their wicked purpose, but for the exertions of Judas, his brother. The doctrines of our Church and the promises made to her by her divine Founder, are mere idle dreams in the eyes of the world, and to prove them such--if it were possible--she shrinks from no cruelty. Yet the protecting brother has never yet been wanting. After many trials, Joseph was received into the court of the king. (Gen. 41: 42). At last, his brethren, being on the point of starvation, turned to him for aid, and he saved them from death. When miseries and calamities overwhelm the nations in punishment of their crimes, the Church is once more acknowledged and praised as the refuge and salvation of mankind.

We have good reason to look confidently forward to the future. The greater the persecutions, the greater their benefits and blessings. "As only the woman of Cana touched our Lord, whilst the multitude pressed against him, so the Church is pressed by many, touched by few." (Saint Augustine).




 
Why the World Continually Persecutes the Church

"And these things they will do you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things I have told you; that when the hour of them shall come, you may remember that I told you." (Saint John 15: 3,4)


From the fulfillment of this prophecy it is manifest that he who made it foresaw the future. It has been accomplished in the Apostles, whose struggles and sufferings Saint Paul thus describes: "God hath set forth us Apostles, the last, as it were, men destinated to death; because we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. . . . We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all even till now." (1 Corinthians 4: 9-13.) This prophecy was not intended merely for the Apostles, but for the entire Church in all ages. And it has been fulfilled through all the centuries of her existence, from the bloody persecutions of the first ages up to the infernal machinations of our own days. But what is the reason of this uninterrupted persecution? Not to mention that in the providence of God the truth and glory of the Church are, thus manifested, and assigned are the following motives:

I. The Church is not a child of the world;
II. She combats the maxims of the world; and
III. She cannot be crushed by the world.

I. The Church is not a Child of the World; Her Origin is from Above.

The world does not antagonize the Church because it believes her deserving of hatred. For what crimes has this daughter of Heaven committed? To her, the words descriptive of her Bridegroom rightly apply: "He went about doing good, and healing all. . . . For God was with him." (Acts. 10: 38.) Even from a temporal point of view, the Church is the greatest benefactress of mankind. "If it had not been for the Church, Europe would have become a prey to the tyranny of despots, the theater of perpetual wars, or a wilderness for the Moguls." (Words of Herder, a Protestant.)

The true motive of the worlds warfare against the Church is, because she is not one of its own. Like her Divine Master, she descended to us from a better world; and hence, endowed with a spirit opposed to the spirit of the world. (John 15: 18, 19.) "If the world hates you, know ye that it hated me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own; but because you have not been of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore, the world hateth you." The world persecuted our Saviour, in His tender infancy, and in His manhood, and after many outrages and insults finally crucified Him. "The servant is not greater than his lord."

On this account, the spirit of the world is bitterly opposed to that of the Church.

Saint John has explained the spirit of the world in these few words: "If any man loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life; which is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2: 15, 16.) These are the three filthy and poisonous sources from which all the desires of worldlings originate.

The Church exhorts her children, if they wish to be living members of the sacred body of Jesus Christ, not to yield to the concupiscence of the flesh, nor attach their hearts to perishable things, but to conquer pride by ready obedience to God and his representatives on earth.

Therefore, the world will always be hostile to the Church. Charity or friendship cannot exist between persons of opposite spirit and pursuits. "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to them that are called * * the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1: 23, 24.) In this sense, we understand the words of our Saviour: "Do not think that I am come to send peace upon earth; I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Matthew 10: 34-36.)

From this it follows:

That a reconciliation between the world and Christ cannot be effected but by compromise or a radical change of sentiments. Either the world must cease to be the world, or the Church must cease to be the Church. Since neither contingency will ever arise, they will continue enemies until the consummation of the world.

This combat will grow the fiercer, the more the world endeavors to accomplish its wicked designs. Hence the present warfare that is waged against the Church all over the universe, and hence men ridicule the stern demands of the Church and represent them as incompatible with the weakness of human nature. If the Church would renounce her mysteries; if she would only release men from the obligation of obeying spiritual superiors, confessing sins, hearing Mass, fasting, etc., the world would soon be reconciled to her. If you, my beloved, are hated on account of your Christian life, "rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because your reward is very great in Heaven." (Matthew 5: 12.)

II. The Church combats the maxims of the world

The Church appears before the world with the intention of imposing upon men the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ. She appears in obedience to the word of Jesus Christ, who said: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matthew 28: 18-20). "Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matthew 18: 18.) Is it surprising that the world should rise up against this claim of the Church, and the authority of her Founder, in the language of those rebellious citizens in the Gospel parable: "We will not have this man to reign over us?"--(Luke 19: 14).

To all men without exception, whatever their state of life, the Church repeats the demands of her Lord and Master. She says with Saint John to the kings and mighty ones of the earth: "It is not lawful for thee" (Matthew 14: 4); and to their subjects, she says with the Apostle: "Fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2: 17). She says to the rich: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19: 24.) She restrains the poor from violence, consoling them by the assertion of Jesus, that Lazarus, for having patiently borne his sufferings, was carried by the Holy Angels into Abrahams bosom. To the proud, she says: "Unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." She threatens all sinners with everlasting punishment. Now, mans nature is such that he feels indignant under reproach and correction. "You received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus," wrote Saint Paul to the Galatians; "where is then your blessedness? For, I bear you witness, that if it could be done, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and would have given them to me. Am I then become your enemy in telling you the truth?" The great affection these people entertained for the Apostle, vanished as soon as he uttered to them a word of reproach.-- Such is the fate of the Church.

The world in its assaults upon the Church is aided by the devil, the prince of the world, who trembles for his continued dominion. "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time!" (Matthew 8: 29.) Thus the devils, crying out, bore testimony to the power and glory of the Lord. Satan, knowing the power and glory of the Church, as well, uses every effort to maintain his dominion, by carrying on against her a ceaseless warfare.

Do not by a sinful life and an unchristian conduct wage war against your Holy Mother, the Church, lest your passions change you from children into enemies of the Bride of Christ.

III. The Church cannot be conquered by the world

Generous combatants will never make use of ignoble weapons. The world, in its assaults upon the Church, employs the base weapons of misrepresentation, calumny, and brutal force.--Historical lies about the lives of the Popes, Saint Bartholomews Night ;--false expositions of her doctrines,--calumnies against her dignitaries and religious institutions, etc.,--what is the explanation of this bitter opposition, of these dishonorable measures? It is because her enemies know by an experience of eighteen centuries, that the Church has always been victorious. And instead of recognizing therein the finger of God, they become only the more infuriated against her. Her strength and beauty, however, have only been renewed and increased by the atrocious cruelty of the Jews, the bloody persecution of the Gentiles, the schisms and heresies of faithless children, the pretentions of kings and emperors.

The beautiful life of Joseph of Egypt is a true figure of the life of the Church. "Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age; and he made him a coat of divers colors. And his brethren, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him." Behold the Church and the world? The Church being loved by God as his bride and mystical body, being arrayed in the most resplendent garment of his grace, is hated by the children of the world.

By wonderful visions the Lord revealed the future glory of his beloved Joseph, whence, his brothers hated him the more. "Behold, the dreamer cometh. Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit." And they would actually have effected their wicked purpose, but for the exertions of Judas, his brother. The doctrines of our Church and the promises made to her by her divine Founder, are mere idle dreams in the eyes of the world, and to prove them such--if it were possible--she shrinks from no cruelty. Yet the protecting brother has never yet been wanting. After many trials, Joseph was received into the court of the king. (Gen. 41: 42). At last, his brethren, being on the point of starvation, turned to him for aid, and he saved them from death. When miseries and calamities overwhelm the nations in punishment of their crimes, the Church is once more acknowledged and praised as the refuge and salvation of mankind.

We have good reason to look confidently forward to the future. The greater the persecutions, the greater their benefits and blessings. "As only the woman of Cana touched our Lord, whilst the multitude pressed against him, so the Church is pressed by many, touched by few." (Saint Augustine).




 
Why the World Continually Persecutes the Church

"And these things they will do you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things I have told you; that when the hour of them shall come, you may remember that I told you." (Saint John 15: 3,4)


From the fulfillment of this prophecy it is manifest that he who made it foresaw the future. It has been accomplished in the Apostles, whose struggles and sufferings Saint Paul thus describes: "God hath set forth us Apostles, the last, as it were, men destinated to death; because we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. . . . We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all even till now." (1 Corinthians 4: 9-13.) This prophecy was not intended merely for the Apostles, but for the entire Church in all ages. And it has been fulfilled through all the centuries of her existence, from the bloody persecutions of the first ages up to the infernal machinations of our own days. But what is the reason of this uninterrupted persecution? Not to mention that in the providence of God the truth and glory of the Church are, thus manifested, and assigned are the following motives:

I. The Church is not a child of the world;
II. She combats the maxims of the world; and
III. She cannot be crushed by the world.

I. The Church is not a Child of the World; Her Origin is from Above.

The world does not antagonize the Church because it believes her deserving of hatred. For what crimes has this daughter of Heaven committed? To her, the words descriptive of her Bridegroom rightly apply: "He went about doing good, and healing all. . . . For God was with him." (Acts. 10: 38.) Even from a temporal point of view, the Church is the greatest benefactress of mankind. "If it had not been for the Church, Europe would have become a prey to the tyranny of despots, the theater of perpetual wars, or a wilderness for the Moguls." (Words of Herder, a Protestant.)

The true motive of the worlds warfare against the Church is, because she is not one of its own. Like her Divine Master, she descended to us from a better world; and hence, endowed with a spirit opposed to the spirit of the world. (John 15: 18, 19.) "If the world hates you, know ye that it hated me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own; but because you have not been of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore, the world hateth you." The world persecuted our Saviour, in His tender infancy, and in His manhood, and after many outrages and insults finally crucified Him. "The servant is not greater than his lord."

On this account, the spirit of the world is bitterly opposed to that of the Church.

Saint John has explained the spirit of the world in these few words: "If any man loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life; which is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2: 15, 16.) These are the three filthy and poisonous sources from which all the desires of worldlings originate.

The Church exhorts her children, if they wish to be living members of the sacred body of Jesus Christ, not to yield to the concupiscence of the flesh, nor attach their hearts to perishable things, but to conquer pride by ready obedience to God and his representatives on earth.

Therefore, the world will always be hostile to the Church. Charity or friendship cannot exist between persons of opposite spirit and pursuits. "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to them that are called * * the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1: 23, 24.) In this sense, we understand the words of our Saviour: "Do not think that I am come to send peace upon earth; I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Matthew 10: 34-36.)

From this it follows:

That a reconciliation between the world and Christ cannot be effected but by compromise or a radical change of sentiments. Either the world must cease to be the world, or the Church must cease to be the Church. Since neither contingency will ever arise, they will continue enemies until the consummation of the world.

This combat will grow the fiercer, the more the world endeavors to accomplish its wicked designs. Hence the present warfare that is waged against the Church all over the universe, and hence men ridicule the stern demands of the Church and represent them as incompatible with the weakness of human nature. If the Church would renounce her mysteries; if she would only release men from the obligation of obeying spiritual superiors, confessing sins, hearing Mass, fasting, etc., the world would soon be reconciled to her. If you, my beloved, are hated on account of your Christian life, "rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because your reward is very great in Heaven." (Matthew 5: 12.)

II. The Church combats the maxims of the world

The Church appears before the world with the intention of imposing upon men the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ. She appears in obedience to the word of Jesus Christ, who said: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matthew 28: 18-20). "Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matthew 18: 18.) Is it surprising that the world should rise up against this claim of the Church, and the authority of her Founder, in the language of those rebellious citizens in the Gospel parable: "We will not have this man to reign over us?"--(Luke 19: 14).

To all men without exception, whatever their state of life, the Church repeats the demands of her Lord and Master. She says with Saint John to the kings and mighty ones of the earth: "It is not lawful for thee" (Matthew 14: 4); and to their subjects, she says with the Apostle: "Fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2: 17). She says to the rich: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19: 24.) She restrains the poor from violence, consoling them by the assertion of Jesus, that Lazarus, for having patiently borne his sufferings, was carried by the Holy Angels into Abrahams bosom. To the proud, she says: "Unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." She threatens all sinners with everlasting punishment. Now, mans nature is such that he feels indignant under reproach and correction. "You received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus," wrote Saint Paul to the Galatians; "where is then your blessedness? For, I bear you witness, that if it could be done, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and would have given them to me. Am I then become your enemy in telling you the truth?" The great affection these people entertained for the Apostle, vanished as soon as he uttered to them a word of reproach.-- Such is the fate of the Church.

The world in its assaults upon the Church is aided by the devil, the prince of the world, who trembles for his continued dominion. "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time!" (Matthew 8: 29.) Thus the devils, crying out, bore testimony to the power and glory of the Lord. Satan, knowing the power and glory of the Church, as well, uses every effort to maintain his dominion, by carrying on against her a ceaseless warfare.

Do not by a sinful life and an unchristian conduct wage war against your Holy Mother, the Church, lest your passions change you from children into enemies of the Bride of Christ.

III. The Church cannot be conquered by the world

Generous combatants will never make use of ignoble weapons. The world, in its assaults upon the Church, employs the base weapons of misrepresentation, calumny, and brutal force.--Historical lies about the lives of the Popes, Saint Bartholomews Night ;--false expositions of her doctrines,--calumnies against her dignitaries and religious institutions, etc.,--what is the explanation of this bitter opposition, of these dishonorable measures? It is because her enemies know by an experience of eighteen centuries, that the Church has always been victorious. And instead of recognizing therein the finger of God, they become only the more infuriated against her. Her strength and beauty, however, have only been renewed and increased by the atrocious cruelty of the Jews, the bloody persecution of the Gentiles, the schisms and heresies of faithless children, the pretentions of kings and emperors.

The beautiful life of Joseph of Egypt is a true figure of the life of the Church. "Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age; and he made him a coat of divers colors. And his brethren, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him." Behold the Church and the world? The Church being loved by God as his bride and mystical body, being arrayed in the most resplendent garment of his grace, is hated by the children of the world.

By wonderful visions the Lord revealed the future glory of his beloved Joseph, whence, his brothers hated him the more. "Behold, the dreamer cometh. Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit." And they would actually have effected their wicked purpose, but for the exertions of Judas, his brother. The doctrines of our Church and the promises made to her by her divine Founder, are mere idle dreams in the eyes of the world, and to prove them such--if it were possible--she shrinks from no cruelty. Yet the protecting brother has never yet been wanting. After many trials, Joseph was received into the court of the king. (Gen. 41: 42). At last, his brethren, being on the point of starvation, turned to him for aid, and he saved them from death. When miseries and calamities overwhelm the nations in punishment of their crimes, the Church is once more acknowledged and praised as the refuge and salvation of mankind.

We have good reason to look confidently forward to the future. The greater the persecutions, the greater their benefits and blessings. "As only the woman of Cana touched our Lord, whilst the multitude pressed against him, so the Church is pressed by many, touched by few." (Saint Augustine).




 
 
 

 
 

Ceiling detail of the Room of Constantine, Triumph of Christian Religion by Tommaso Laureti (1530-1602); 1582-85; Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Italy
commons.wikimedia.org
 
 
 
 
 
Triumph of the Catholic Church and why She is persecuted


 
 

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X
OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who Art In Heaven
Hallowed Be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Liberate us from all temptation[*]
And deliver us from all evil. Amen



[*] Liberate us is in keeping with the original Latin text.
       God usually does not "lead us" to temptation
       (unless we are tested),
       but gives us the grace to overcome and/or resist it
X
HAIL MARY

Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art though among women,
And blessed is the fruit
Of thy womb, Jesus.
 
Holy Mary, Mary of God
Pray for us sinners
Now, and in the hour
Of our death. Amen


 
X
APOSTLE'S CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty Creator of Heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the
[work and grace of the] Holy Ghost,[*]
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into the Dead.[**]
On the third day, He rose again;
He ascended into Heaven,
And sits at the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge
the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Ghost,[*]
The Holy Catholic Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins.
The resurrection of the body,
And life everlasting. Amen


[*] Holy Ghost: may be substituted with the current Holy Spirit.
[**] the Dead: "inferi", the underworld or the dead in Latin.
X
GLORIA

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost[*],
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen

[*] Holy Ghost: may be substituted with the current Holy Spirit.
X
DE PROFUNDIS

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplication.

If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities:
Lord, who shall abide it.
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness:
and because of Thy law,
I have waited for Thee, O Lord.

My soul hath waited on His word:
my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning-watch even until night,
let Israel hope in the Lord.

For with the Lord there is mercy:
and with Him plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel
from all her iniquities.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost[*],
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen

[*] Holy Ghost: may be substituted with the current Holy Spirit.
X
DE PROFUNDIS

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice
of my supplication.

If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities:
Lord, who shall abide it.
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness:
and because of Thy law,
I have waited for Thee, O Lord.

My soul hath waited on His word:
my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning-watch even until night,
let Israel hope in the Lord.

For with the Lord there is mercy:
and with Him plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. From the gate of hell.
R. Deliver their souls, O Lord.
V. May then reset in peace.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with Thy Spirit.

(50 days indulgence to all who pray the De Profundis with V. and R.
"Requiem aeternam" (Eternal Rest) three times a day.
Pope Leo XIII, February 3, 1888)


Let us pray:
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all
the faithful, we beseech Thee to grant
to the souls of Thy servants the remission
of their sins, so that by our prayers
they may obtain pardon for which they long.
O Lord, who lives and reigns,
world without end. Amen

May they rest in peace. Amen

CERRAR
SIGUIENTE
PADRE NUESTRO

Padre Nuestro,
que estas en los Cielos
Santificado sea Tu Nombre;
Venga a nosotros tu Reino;
Hgase Tu Voluntad
en la tierra como en el cielo.
Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada da;
Perdona nuestras ofensas,
Como tambin nosotros
perdonamos a los que nos ofenden,
No nos dejes caer en la tentacin,
y lbranos del mal. Amén
 
CERRAR
SIGUIENTE
AVE MARA

Dios te salve, Mara,
llena eres de gracia;
El Seor es Contigo;
Bendita T eres
entre todas las mujeres,
Y bendito es el fruto
De tu vientre, Jess.
 
Santa Mara,
Madre de Dios,
Ruega por nosotros
pecadores,
Ahora y en la hora
De nuestra muerte.
Amn
 
CERRAR
CREDO

Creo en Dios, Padre Todopoderoso,
Creador del cielo y de la tierra.
Creo en Jesucristo,
Su nico Hijo, Nuestro Seor,
Que fue concebido por obra
y gracia del Espritu Santo,
Naci de la Santa Mara Virgen;
Padeci bajo el poder de Poncio Pilato,
Fue crucificado, muerto y sepultado,
Descendi a los infiernos,
Al tercer da resucit de entre los muertos,
Subi a los cielos
Y est sentado a la derecha de Dios,
Padre Todopoderoso.
Desde all ha de venir a juzgar
a los vivos y a los muertos.

Creo en el Espritu Santo,
La Santa Iglesia Catlica,
La comunin de los santos,
El perdn de los pecados,
La resurreccin de la carne
Y la vida eterna. Amn
 
 
CERRAR
DE PROFUNDIS

Desde lo hondo a Ti grito, Seor; Seor,
escucha mi voz;
Estn Tus oidos atentos
a la voz de mi splica.

Si llevas cuenta de los delitos, Seor,
quin podr resistir?
Pero de ti procede el perdn,
y as infundes respeto.
Mi alma espera en el Seor.

Espera en su palabra;
mi alma aguarda al Seor,
ms que el centinela la aurora.
Aguarda Israel al Seor.

Como el centinela la aurora;
porque del Seor viene la misericordia.
la redencin copiosa;
y l redimir a Israel de todos sus delitos.

Gloria al Padre, al Hijo y al
Espritu Santo,
como es desde el principio,
es ahora y ser por los siglos de los siglos.
Amn

X
GLORIA

Gloria al Padre, al Hijo y al
Espritu Santo,
como es desde el principio,
es ahora y ser por los siglos de los siglos.
Amn

CERRAR
DE PROFUNDIS

Desde lo hondo a Ti grito, Seor;
Seor, escucha mi voz;
Estn Tus oidos atentos a
la voz de mi splica.

Si llevas cuenta de los delitos, Seor,
quin podr resistir?

Pero de ti procede el perdn,
y as infundes respeto.
Mi alma espera en el Seor.

Espera en su palabra;
mi alma aguarda al Seor,
ms que el centinela la aurora.
Aguarda Israel al Seor.

Como el centinela la aurora;
porque del Seor viene la misericordia,
la redencin copiosa;
y l redimir a Israel de todos sus delitos.

V. Dadles, Seor, a todas las almas
el descanso eterno.
R. Y haced lucir sobre ellas
vuestra eterna luz.
V. Que en paz descansen.
R. Amn.