“St. Augustine says the devil deceives men in two ways: by despair and by hope. After the sinner has sinned, the devil tempts him to despair through terror of the Divine justice. Before he sinned, he encouraged him to it by the hope of Divine mercy. Therefore does the Saint give this counsel: After sin, hope for mercy: before sin, fear Judgment.”
Read the rest here:
“The more you have offended God, so much the more should you fear to offend Him again. I do not say absolutely that after another sin there will be no more pardon for you, because this I know not. But I say that it may happen. Therefore, when you are tempted to sin, say: But supposing God should pardon me no more, and I should be lost!l
From Daily Meditations
Wow, it’s almost like he’s a Doctor of the Church or something…
Still waiting on that “proof of life” from you know who in the you know what…
My friends, pray for the repose of the soul of Officer Joey Azcona, Newark PD. EOW: March 7, 2025.
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/police-officer-killed-another-injured-newark-reports
This one hurts. A lot.
Brutally executed by a fourteen year-old thug. He was in the class below my nephew in the academy. The shooting occurred near a White Castle a few blocks from Our Lady of Good Counsel, the parish church where my dad was baptized and from which he was buried, where he taught me the supreme importance of daily Mass. On the streets of my hometown. You carry a piece of that home with you wherever you go – including the men who kept you safe.
Officer Azcona’s brothers on the job caught the son of a bitch who took his life.
There are already rumors that President Trump will attend the funeral.
God’s justice is infinite. For the animal who did this, I pray God’s mercy upon him. This bastard showed none to Officer Azcona
Stay confessed.
I continue to wear it with pride and gratitude.
Looking to the bright side having just entered Lent, I had a funny exchange with my teenagers yesterday. We had attended the Noon Mass in our parish. Father distributed ashes just prior to Mass. somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 people were there. It is beautiful to see.
First, my daughter noticed as we headed to the truck after Mass was over that I seemed perturbed. Asking what the matter was, I told her, “I have a forehead you can see from the Space Station and yet I always get a wonky smudge.” Seriously, Father, you can do so much better. With this canvas, I expect not only a cross, but the hill of Calvary, two thieves, and the Blessed Mother as well.
Second, on the drive home I let out a chuckle. My son asked what was funny. I told him, “Ever have one of those funny thoughts pop into your head where you have to laugh at the absurdity of it? Well, I was just remembering back to my earlier life when I was not a Trad. For the first forty years I went to Novus Ordo. You see, son, our priest just now pronounced Latin words. Memento homo… Remember man, thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.” In the other one they might say that but they’re ‘free’ to change it up. ‘Turn away from sin and do good,’ ‘Repent and believe in yourself,’ ‘Jesus loves you because someone should.’ are all things I’ve heard. But my favorite was a fruitcake old deacon who traced a cross on my head while saying, ‘Shuffle. Ball. Change. SPARKLE!’”
We laughed the whole ride home until I told them it might have been a slight exaggeration.
Anyway, today is the first Friday of the month of March. You know what to do.
https://fatima.org/first-friday-devotion/
Here below a selection by Liguori from a website recommended by Fr. Isaac Mary in his podcast Soldiers of the Immaculate:
To animate your fervour in the practice of mortification, I shall here place before your eyes, in his own words, what St. John Climacus saw in a monastery called the Prison of Penitents. “I saw,” says the Saint, “some of them standing the whole night in the open air, to overcome sleep. I saw others with their eyes fixed on Heaven, and with tears, begging mercy from God. Others stood with their hands bound behind their shoulders, and their heads bowed down, as if they were unworthy to raise their eyes to Heaven. Others remained on ashes, with their heads between their knees, and beat the ground with their foreheads. Others deluged the floor with their tears. Others stood in the burning rays of the sun. Others, parched with thirst, were content with taking a few drops of water to prevent death. Others took a mouthful of bread, and then threw it out, saying that they who have lived like animals are unworthy of the food of men. Some had their cheeks furrowed by continual streams of tears; and others had their eyes sunken. Others struck their breast with such violence, that they began to spit blood. And I saw all with faces so pallid and emaciated, that they appeared to be so many corpses.” The Saint then concludes by saying that notwithstanding their fall, he considered them, on account of their penitential rigours, more happy than those who had never sinned and never done penance. What shall be said of those who have fallen and have never atoned for their crimes by expiatory works?
Read the whole daily meditation (and meditations for every day) here:
Listen to Fr.’s podcast here:
Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad 